My Favourite Place by Chris Penhall

As the weather is starting to feel distinctly autumnal and the temperature has definitely dropped, I am grateful that we are going to be whisked away by Chris Penhall to somewhere warmer, as she tells us about her favourite place.

Chris is the author of The House That Florence Left published by Choc Lit Contemporary Romance: A Joffe Books Company, out now in paperback and released as an ebook on 9 October 2024. Over to Chris …

Hi Morton

Thank you for inviting me onto your blog to talk about my favourite place.

Although, as a caveat, I do have quite a few favourite places – my hammock set in my garden, for instance, several cafes, the gorgeous venue in London where I occasionally dance salsa, Rome, Three Cliffs Bay, Dover Beach in Barbados where I can watch turtles bob in the sea from the sand…..I could go on (and on, and on and on…) but I won’t)

One of my very favourite places is Lagos in Portugal’s Algarve, which is where my new novel, The House That Florence Left is set. I have been visiting there a few times a year now for a long, long time and it feels to me almost like a second home.

It’s also grown and changed a great deal since my very first visit, which was way back in the last century, but a lot of things remain the same. The narrow-cobbled streets of the old town, huddled inside the ancient walls, vibrate with life, dotted with cafes, restaurants and independent shops; but take a turn left or right, and you immediately leave the buzz behind, meandering along quiet lanes lined by old, white-walled houses.

I love both sides of Lagos.

Morning yoga on Meia Praia followed by a galao (the Portuguese version of a latte and mentioned often in my Portuguese novels due to my extensive research on the subject) is a delight. An early evening amble along the boardwalk behind the beach towards the lagoon is just perfect, watching the sea shimmer and glow in the distance. Plus, there a lot of places dotted along the route that are perfect for a galao. Or a chilled glass of Vinho Verde. Again, extensive research etc, etc.

Boat trips from the Marina sweep along the coast, to the golden grottoes of Ponte de Piedade, or further west towards Cape St Vincent. A trip out into the Atlantic to spot dolphins is a favourite, or for the more intrepid, there’s kayaking out from Praia de Batata next to the fort. One of my favourite things to do in the summer is take the tiny ferry – the Vai Vem – across the river from the town to Meia Praia. It takes about a minute….and while I’m talking about the river, just standing on the Marina walking bridge watching the boats come and go is a lovely way to pass the time, especially if you are eating an ice cream….

There are buskers, and stalls, and chatter and laughter. There is music and food…oh the food….cataplana (Portuguese fish stew in a copper pot), barbecued fish, takeaway Chicken Piri Piri, pasteis de natas, and petiscos (the Portuguese version of tapas). I don’t think I’ll ever manage to eat at all the cafes and restaurants on offer, but I’d say it’s’ worth trying….

And of course, swimming. Swimming in an outdoor pool under the blue sky. Or attempting to paddleboard off Meia Praia beach. This experience was called upon for a scene in The House That Alice Built. I was very, very, very bad. But oh, it was a lot of fun. I have done it since with much more success – this time on a lake in the UK, with no waves or tide. I didn’t fall in once during the whole three-hour session, which was the opposite of what happened in Lagos! These days I just sit on the beach and watch the windsurfers, surfers and paddleboarders filled with admiration.

And dancing. The bar on the beach that has live music on a Sunday evening in the summer is a joy. And a little bit mad.

Did I mention the storks?

Sigh….

Quick, where’s my passport?!

About Chris Penhall

Chris Penhall won the 2019 Choc-Lit Search for a Star competition, sponsored by Your Cat Magazine, for her debut novel, The House That Alice Built, and has since written 5 more books.

She has worked for BBC local radio for many years, producing programmes, sometimes talking on air, and producing 4 one-hour radio documentaries about salsa and comedy. A very, very long time ago, she worked for BBC Radio 4 – where she spent some time working on a programme called Bookshelf, (which was about books!) and for Radio 1 before leaving, trying new things for a few years, and ending up back working in radio again! She is also a podcast and content producer – working for Jibba Jabba Pods as an Associate Producer on the Richard and Judy Book Club Podcast from 2011 to 2020, and has her own community radio programme, called Books and Tunes.

Chris has also interviewed authors at Essex Book Festival events, was a judge on the BBC Essex radio play competition for two years and with the Essex Book Festival for the Essex Gardens Trust Beth Chatto Writers Prize 2022.

A lover of books, music and cats, Chris is also an enthusiastic salsa dancer, a keen cook, and loves to travel. She also loves hammocks, but hasn’t mastered the art of getting in or out of one with elegance and style at all.

She is never happier than when she is gazing at the sea.

You can find more information about her on her website: https://www.chrispenhall.co.uk/

or follow her on

Instagram: @christinepenhall

or Facebook as ChrisPenhallWriter

About The House That Florence Left

ESCAPE TO PORTUGAL FOR SUMMER SUN AND SECOND CHANCES.

Could an unlikely inheritance be the secret to Bella’s happiness?

Bella Cresswell likes her life organized. But when she inherits her great-aunt Flo’s house in the Algarve, her life gets decidedly disorganized.

She flies to Portugal hoping for a quick sale and to return home. Except there is a clause in the will stopping her. Before she can sell the house, Bella must ‘make it better’.

As she tries to fix up the dilapidated property, Bella discovers the faded walls are filled with the memories and secrets of Florence’s vibrant life. And, as she looks further into her great-aunt’s time in Portugal, she realises, there’s more to making it better than she first thought.

Soon Bella finds herself caught up in the charm of the lively Portuguese village, the eccentric and friendly locals and her handsome, yet mysterious, neighbour, Hugo.

But when it’s time to sell and say goodbye will Bella be able to return to her old life?

Or will she discover that some things are meant to be held onto forever?

Buying Link : amzn.to/3XWBJPK

Other publications by Chris Penhall below –