Those of you familiar with the Chalet Girl series will be pleased to hear that 'Chalet Girls' isn't a compilation of previously published material but actually a brand new, full length addition to the series.
In 'Chalet Girls' some of the characters already created in previous novellas do feature but this doesn't stop it being read as a standalone novel.
Originally I was asked to write a series of novellas. Finally writing a full length novel that gave me the opportunity to dig deeper into the characters' stories was very satisfying and I hope will also satisfy all those who left reviews on the novellas saying they wished they were longer!
'Chalet Girls' features the stories of three characters - Sophie, Lucy and Beth. Sophie's story started in 'Secret Crush of a Chalet Girl' but I felt there was more to tell and a full length novel gave me the space to explore what really happens after 'happy ever after'.
Lucy has been a secondary character in some of the novellas and the inspiration for her story started when I read the real life story of Jenny Jones - a chalet girl who became an Olympic medal winner:
http://bbc.in/2kAttD5
From there my research lead me into the world of extreme skiing. Watching videos of pro snowboarder Xavier de le Rue being dropped by helicopter onto the ridge of an alpine mountain gave me the inspiration for the character of Seb. You can watch one of Xavier's jaw dropping mountain descents here: https://youtu.be/VpBkI4etfQI
With Beth's story the inspiration was more personal. I like to write escapist, fun stories but I also try to tackle some of the hard, painful things a lot of us carry around but rarely talk about. In a way hers is a story of perseverance and hope.
Maybe this theme is of especial importance to me because a neurosurgeon told me eight years ago, after a severe brain injury, that I'd never be able to write a book. This was following an accident that left me with lasting disabilities. Finishing my first novella (Confessions of a Chalet Girl -http://amzn.to/2kC7FH5 ) using speech to text technology felt like a real triumph but as 'Chalet Girls' is my first full length novel its publication is yet another milestone in my own story.
On a lighter note, animal-loving readers might like to know that the dog called Pip featured both in the book and on the book cover is actually one of my own rescue dogs. He has his own story of perseverance and you can read about how he made his way from my lap into the book on the Harper Impulse blog - http://bit.ly/2kAnY7k
Thank you so much for sharing all that with us Lorraine. I am so glad that you didn't let the accident stop you from writing books, as I loved all the Chalet Girls novellas and reallly looking forward to starting this full length trip to Verbier!
What happens when life in Verbier suddenly goes off-piste?
Lucy’s been bowled over by the sexy extreme skier who’s hurtled into her life. But can she accept Seb’s commitment to his adrenaline-filled career?
Trusting any man is out of the question after what’s happened to Beth. So why is she so drawn to twinkly-eyed Dan when he’s leaving at the end of the season?
Sophie’s madly in love with her gorgeous fiancé, Luc. Only instead of gleefully planning the winter wedding of her dreams, all she wants is to run and hide…
Three Chalet Girls are about to strap on their skis and find out!
Find out more - http://bit.ly/2chaletgirls
CHALET GIRLS COMPETITION - enter to win this unique Indian patchwork handbag & signed paperback copies of 'Confessions of a Chalet Girl' and 'Secret Crush of a Chalet Girl' http://bit.ly/2kvcz82
To keep up to date with new releases follow my author page on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/LorraineWilsonWriter or find me on twitter @Romanceminx
Also you can check out my website www.lorraine-wilson.com
or my story boards on Pinterest to see the inspiration behind my books – http://pinterest.com/lorrainecwilson/
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