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Bright Light: A Poole Legacy Companion Short Story
A chorus girl with nothing to her name – except ambition and a pair of crimson heels – sets sail for America in search of a new beginning.
Daisy Briscoe has always known how to smile when it hurts, perform when it matters and keep moving forward. But in New York, where the lights are bright and the competition ruthless, dreams don’t come easy. When a rare opportunity lands in her lap, Daisy must bluff her way into the role of a lifetime – with no time, no training and no safety net.
Set against the dazzling backdrop of the Roaring Twenties, Bright Light is a story of reinvention, resilience and the quiet determination of a woman who refuses to be forgotten.
The book will appeal to readers of Amor Towles, Therese Anne Fowler, Laura Moriarty, Fiona Davis and Liza Klaussmann – those who love smart, emotionally resonant historical fiction with richly drawn women and vivid 1920s atmosphere.Bright Light is a prequel short story in The Poole Legacy – a literary historical fiction series spanning generations of ambition, reinvention and resilience. Daisy’s journey continues in Poole of Light, the first full-length novel in the trilogy, publishing 16 September 2025.
Daisy Briscoe has always known how to smile when it hurts, perform when it matters and keep moving forward. But in New York, where the lights are bright and the competition ruthless, dreams don’t come easy. When a rare opportunity lands in her lap, Daisy must bluff her way into the role of a lifetime – with no time, no training and no safety net.
Set against the dazzling backdrop of the Roaring Twenties, Bright Light is a story of reinvention, resilience and the quiet determination of a woman who refuses to be forgotten.
The book will appeal to readers of Amor Towles, Therese Anne Fowler, Laura Moriarty, Fiona Davis and Liza Klaussmann – those who love smart, emotionally resonant historical fiction with richly drawn women and vivid 1920s atmosphere.Bright Light is a prequel short story in The Poole Legacy – a literary historical fiction series spanning generations of ambition, reinvention and resilience. Daisy’s journey continues in Poole of Light, the first full-length novel in the trilogy, publishing 16 September 2025.
54 pages, Kindle Edition
Published May 29, 2025
8 people are currently reading
7 people want to read
About the author
RJ Verity
3 books10 followersRJ Verity grew up in Yorkshire and studied at King’s College London before spending more than twenty years in financial services across Asia.
She now lives in Guernsey with her endlessly patient husband and their spirited ten-year-old Labradinger. When she’s not writing or reading, she can often be found exploring the island’s rugged coastline.
She is currently working on The Poole Legacy, her debut trilogy of historical novels. The first book in the series, Poole of Light, is out now.
To learn more, visit rjverity.com.
She now lives in Guernsey with her endlessly patient husband and their spirited ten-year-old Labradinger. When she’s not writing or reading, she can often be found exploring the island’s rugged coastline.
She is currently working on The Poole Legacy, her debut trilogy of historical novels. The first book in the series, Poole of Light, is out now.
To learn more, visit rjverity.com.
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Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews
August 26, 2025
I first found R J Verity when I picked up a Hong Kong Writers Circle paperback anthology ‘After the Storm’ on a 2022 holiday. Three years later we have her historical fiction debut. We meet Daisy the showgirl, first in Paris and then in New York. Talented but broke, she seems to be running from something and then, we learn, towards something too. With determination born of desperation, she grasps at the opportunities of the nascent movie industry. Full of period detail and hints of past and future revelations, this short prequel leaves me impatient for the publication of the main trilogy. Highly recommended.
April 12, 2026
Not a fan of this style of writing…
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews