Hello and welcome! Hello, my lovely - I’m Lilac Mills (though you might also see me writing as Liz Davies or Etti Summers), and this little corner of the web is where I share bits of my life, my creative process, and stories that warm the heart. If you've come here after reading one of my books, thank you. It means so much to me. If you're new, I'm so glad you’re here. Either way, I hope you’ll feel at home here. Want to be notified whenever I write a new blog post? Why I wri

Tregolls Lodge Book Club: Exclusive Q&A with Author Lilac Mills   Howard Embery set up the Tregolls Lodge Book Club in Truro back in 2017. Unlike conventional book clubs where members read the same book and discuss it, the members of Tregolls Lodge Book Club meet weekly to chat about whichever books they happen to be reading at the time, and these meetings are even attended by members in the US who join virtually.  The club also produces its own regular e-magazine featuring a

Curl up with the ultimate cosy combination this Christmas - books and festive magic! Discover why bookshop romances make the perfect winter read and find your next feel-good festive favourite.

Learn how to slow down, refocus, and find joy in writing again - without the burnout.

Author reflections on old books, Christmas writing, and a knitting project gone wrong - nostalgia and creativity in equal measure.

This year, I’m once again taking part in Children in Read 2025, a wonderful annual charity event that brings together authors, readers, and book lovers to raise money for BBC Children in Need.

Distraction and procrastination have been the words of the week, as I've been lured away from what I should be writing by the shiny-shiny allure of a new story that I'm itching to start. Monday began with breakfast out, a mooch around the shops and a walk by the river. The dog enjoyed the breakfast (of course she shared a bit!) and the river walk, but the shops not so much. I thoroughly enjoyed all three! The afternoon saw me itching to start work on a second book in my new

Pub gossip, market-day smiles, and maybe a hint of matchmaking... I’m often asked where I get the ideas for my characters from, and to be honest, I find them everywhere. Behind every pub counter, every market stall, and every cottage door, there’s a little romance waiting to happen - everyday people who could belong in a romance novel.   Whenever I’m out and about, especially when I visit the little villages and small market towns that feature in my stories, it doesn’t take m

There's something magical about bookshops: the unique smell of old books especially, the hushed whisper of turning pages, the quiet promise that somewhere on the shelves, your next great romance awaits. So it's no wonder readers are drawn to stories set in these cosy havens.    Books set in bookshops offer the perfect backdrop for love to flourish, bringing together the comfort of an escape from reality and the thrill of a heartwarming romance. And bookshop romances are ofte

Many villages in Wales have community and friendship at their heart, and I especially love the little market towns in the Welsh Marches (that's what the land along the border between England and Wales is called). The Tanglewood Village series is loosely based on one of them - Crickhowell. Set in a green valley with a river running through it and mountains on either side, it’s a place I would love to live. It has a couple of cafes, a pub or two, a florist and a bookshop. The

It's not every day that world renowned cyclists pass so close to my home town, and it's not every day that the Tour of Britain races up one of the most famous routes in Wales! The Tumble (aka The Blorenge) involves around 1,300 feet of climbing over a distance of four miles – a challenge not to be taken lightly, according to my husband who has cycled this route many times, although not reaching the summit in the impressively quick times the professionals achieve.   Unable to

Meeting up with fellow authors is always a joyous occasion, and to have an event where so many romance authors congregated in one place was a sheer delight. The Romantic Novelists Association's one day conference, also known as the "Summer Fling" took place in August in the gorgeous Grand Hotel in Birmingham. I travelled up the day before with several fellow Welsh authors, and a group of us had a brilliant meal and a good laugh at Bella Italia. You might recognise a few faces

Let’s Get Physical: Why Readers Love Sports Romance Novels

Romance readers adore novels set in cosy tea shops! There's something quintessentially British about a cup of tea, a slice of cake and a good book. Any one of these on its own is pretty darned good, but together they are a perfect combination - which may be why I wanted to set a novel in a tea shop. The Tanglewood Tea Shop follows the story of London patisserie chef Stevie, who moves to a sleepy village on the English/Welsh border to open a tea shop after receiving an inherit

If you've read the acknowledgements at the back of Summer Escapes on the Scottish Isle , you might r emember me mentioning my old art teacher and a certain vase? This is what I wrote: "I need to thank someone else: Mr Nicklin, my art teacher when I was in school (so many years ago) for introducing me to clay and not laughing at the result, even if my vase looked weirdly like a bottom. My mother pointed that out when I proudly brought it home. She still has it, but I’m not su

Every summer the Welsh contingent of the Romantic Novelists Association - the Cariad Chapter - enjoys a lovely cream tea at The Ivy in Cardiff. It's a chance for everyone to get together and have a chat, and we also have a book swap and I got Goes Without Saying by the brilliant Luisa A. Jones! I can't wait to read this one. Oh, and the cream tea was gorgeous!  The Cariad Chapter's cream tea at The Ivy in Cardiff. View all Lilac Mills books. Want to be notified whenever I wri

On 28th June, I went to the Meet Cute festival in London - an outdoor summer book celebration for romance book writers and readers, featuring special guests, prizes, workshops, panels and lots more. I had the most amazing time, and rounded it off by popping into Harrods for lunch the next day! View all Lilac Mills books. Want to be notified whenever I write a new blog post? About the Author Lilac Mills writes heartwarming romance inspired by life in the Welsh countryside, her

I've been talking to Jan Baynham  about Surprises on the Scottish Isle and what inspired it. She's also chatted to lots of other lovely authors on her blog, so why don't you take a look! Here is her interview with me... Guest Post With Lilac Mills If you read my New Year goals in my last post, you will have noticed that in 2025, I hope to support other writers. One of the ways I like to do that is to invite them to write guest posts for the blog. The first of my guests this

She asks some interesting and insightful questions! Go take a look... View all Lilac Mills books Want to be notified whenever I write a new blog post? About the Author Lilac Mills writes heartwarming romance inspired by life in the Welsh countryside, her love of simple pleasures, and the beauty of everyday moments. She’s the author of over twenty feel-good novels, and also writes as Liz Davies and Etti Summers. Meet her here .

I had a lovely online chat with the gorgeous ladies of the Tanglewood Book Club in Illinois. They live in a place called Tanglewood and are reading The Tanglewood Bookshop as their December 2024 book pick. How cool is that!! And look at the fantastic poster they made.  They also have a monthly newsletter, and they kindly featured me in that, too! You can purchase your own copy of The Tanglewood Bookshop from all good bookshops. View all Lilac Mills books Want to be notified

Do you enjoy finding out more about the authors of your favourite books? Morton S. Gray, author of gorgeous romances with a mystery to solve, asked me 'Who is the real Lilac Mills'. ​ If you want to know the answer to that question, take a look at her blog. ​ https://mortonsgray.com/2024/06/17/who-is-the-real-lilac-mills/   And she's asking other authors the very same thing! All Lilac Mills books Want to be notified whenever I write a new blog post? About the Author Lilac Mil

Hubby makes Welsh cakes and bara brith (a kind of fruit loaf) on a regular basis, but this evening he's going to try his hand at cawl, which is a hearty soup or stew. I’ve set several of my books in Wales and love writing about the spectacular scenery of the wild mountain ranges, rolling hills, valleys, and rugged coastline of my homeland. All Lilac Mills books Want to be notified whenever I write a new blog post? About the Author Lilac Mills writes heartwarming romance inspi

Elephant and Pinky Moon was picked up back in 2018 by my publisher Canelo, who gave it a new title and a new cover ( Summer on the Turquoise Coast ) , and I've been left with an old copy that I didn't know what to do with. I had annotated it quite a bit (proofreading and so on) which meant that I couldn't give it away. New things created out of old books So I used the cover to make a coaster and the spine to make a bookmark. I painted on a couple of the pages, made bunting fo

Here are the questions the lovely Jenny White asked me... The article in The Western Mail Where do you live and when/how did you come to live there? I’m a valleys girl born and bred, but lived across the border in England for several years. I returned to my homeland about sixteen years ago because I missed it so much and I now live near Caerphilly, not far from the top of a mountain where the views are fantastic. I can’t imagine living anywhere else – Wales is in my blood, wh