Lynn Florkiewicz: You Will Meet A Stranger romance novel

Lynn Florkiewicz is the Amazon bestselling author of the Lord James Harrington cosy crime series.

The upcoming novel titled 'You Will Meet a Stranger' tells the story of 64-year-old Kerry who travels to St Ives in Cornwall seeking solace after the death of her husband.

A chance encounter with an Italian widower reignites a spark in her leading her onto a path of self-discovery and resilience.

Ms Florkiewicz described her personal journey saying: "When my husband suddenly died at 61 years old, I fell into the blackest despair.

"But, I did something I never thought I would do, I poured my heart out on Facebook.

"Every day, I told my friends how things were going, how I felt, what my thoughts were etc, the effect was two-fold.

"One, I felt better for sharing my heartache and my story, two, I discovered from talking to my friends that this was helping them, too".

She continued: "About two months into this process, several friends were telling me that I should write a book about this when I feel stronger".

Upon recovering from the throes of grief, she began working on the authorised biography of the late Italian actor, Rossano Brazzi.

Not only was she charmed by his elegance and vivacity, but also deeply moved by one of his films 'Summertime', which explored the theme of two older individuals finding love despite cultural differences.

This inspiration culminated in the creation of You Will Meet a Strange in 2024.

The widow in her book, Kerry, echoes her own experiences.

Lynn Florkiewicz explains: "Kerry, the widow in this book, effectively goes through exactly what I went through."

With echoes of Mr Brazzi's character in her charming Italian widower, Gian, she hopes her work will resonate and help others grappling with loss.

The book is set to be published on April 28, carrying an ISBN 9781916668669, and priced at £9.99.