Secrets, romance and mother daughter relationships captivate in West Bay author Rosanna Ley's new summertime read. Joanna Davis finds out more.

BOOKWORMS always know it's summer when a new book by west Dorset author Rosanna Ley comes out.

The West Bay novelist has produced another immersive holiday read that makes you want to reach for your sunglasses, a quiet spot and a long drink.

Her Mother's Secret is set on a French island off the coast of Brittany and also in Porthleven, Cornwall.

The evocative setting enables readers to walk in the footsteps of Colette, who returns to the French island where she grew up after many years away.

Rosanna, who is also a creative writing teacher, is known for her escapist summer reads. But this novel sees her basing her characters on the island of Belle-Ile-en-Mer in southern Brittany - a setting some would find claustrophobic, others charming.

The idea for Her Mother's Secret came about after Rosanna spent some time thinking about islands.

She said: "People sometimes go away and escape to an island but sometimes they want to escape from an island. It means different things to all my different characters.

"Colette, who grows up on the island wants to get away and escape, whereas other characters like Thea and Mathilde use it as a place to run away to.

"I also wanted to write about mothers and daughters and the theme of loss and forgiveness and making amends."

Belle-Ile-en-Mer, Brittany's largest island and translated as 'the beautiful isle', captured Rosanna's imagination when she was doing online research.

"I've never written about France before," she said.

"I've always gone to France a lot and I wanted to find a French island that would fit in with what I wanted to write about. That was when I found Belle-Ile-en-Mer. The actress Sarah Bernhardt had gone there to escape things and I wanted to find that isolated place where people would go to."

Rosanna took a trip to the French island to decide if it would be the right setting for her book.

"I had a few ideas about how the plot was going to develop and went out there and looked for places where the characters would live and where they would go. I searched for somewhere where the flower shop could be and I found this lavender-painted building by the harbour which was so idyllic. I thought 'that's where the shop should be.'"

After finding her florist's shop, other locations started to fall into place, Rosanna found.

"There was a house nearby that I thought would be perfect for Etienne's mother's house. I walked around with my notebook and found the cemetery where Colette's mother would be buried. I walked the cliffs and found some deserted beaches.

"It all built up from there. Belle-Ile had such a unique atmosphere and was so tranquil. I always walk the paths my characters walk and the whole thing just seemed to fit into place."

Rosanna was so enthused by the atmosphere that she started to write Her Mother's Secrets while she was on the island, while taking lots of photographs so she could remember it all when she was back home writing.

She has spent much time in Cornwall and chose the town of Porthleven for the UK-set portion of the book.

"There's a parallel between Cornwall and Brittany, the scenery is quite similar and they are popular with holidaymakers," she said.

"Belle-Ile-en-Mer has always been a holiday island. I saw an exhibition of photos going back to the 1930s when I was there and it was really interesting to see how it has developed as a holiday island. A lot of the people who holiday there are French and there are many people who live there year round. It's still a working island and there are plenty of fishermen who work there."

The novel tells the story from five different viewpoints - bringing in more characters' perspectives than Rosanna has introduced before.

She said: "I felt the story demanded it. I started off with Thea just doing a diary but I realised that we would need to have her point of view there. "What was missing was how she was feeling.

"I haven't done many male perspectives but I really enjoyed doing the character of Etienne. It was fun for me doing a writer. He has very dark memories of his summer holidays on Belle-Ile-en-Mer and that was interesting to look at.

"I was very scared about people getting confused by it. I didn't do it intentionally but I do enjoy doing different viewpoints, it's quite interesting to explore a variety of perspectives."

And the best thing about the book as far as Rosanna is concerned is that no-one has been able to guess the mother - Thea's - secret while they've been reading the novel.

"My publishers sent out the books so I had three different reviews every day. It was quite overwhelming but I was really blown away by some of the reviews, they were so good.

"I was so pleased that I've had really good feedback for this. No-one has guessed the secret. They seem to enjoy the kind of things I'm writing about - relationships, romance and a bit of mystery. And I think this one has a bit more mystery," she said.

Keen traveller Rosanna is set to rack up more miles with her next novel - it will be set in Italy and this time she's teaming it with a setting a little closer to home - West Bay.

*Her Mother’s Secret by Rosanna Ley is published by Quercus in paperback RRP £7.99. It is available from good bookshops and online.