Sunday, August 18, 2013

Confession Time with Lorraine Wilson!

Greetings fellow readers! Today we're starting another week-long series of posts from HarperImpulse, and it is my extreme pleasure to begin our tour with author extraordinaire Lorraine Wilson, who brought along her most recent release, Confessions of A Chalet Girl!! Whoo Hoo!

I'm LOVIN' this book cover!

Speaking of confessions, I made Lorraine give up a few of her own by asking her to submit to an author interview. Why don't we start out by letting everyone know how your writing career began.

I’ve always written. I used to fill exercise books with maps and stories of fictional worlds as a child but it’s only this year I finally got ‘the call’ from Harper Collins and a contract to write a Chalet Girl series for their new imprint – Harper Impulse.

Oh awesome! So this book is the first in a series! Outstanding! So do you see yourself sticking within the same genre, or will you branch out to other sub-genres at some point in the future?

I write Contemporary Romance but have a History degree and would love to write Historical Romance as well one day. Right now I’m having lots of fun with Contemporary.

Contemporary is definitely fun! What can folks expect to find for heat-level in your stories? And what about your heat-level while reading? Do you prefer that bedroom door stay open or closed?

I tend to write the hotter end of Contemporary but it’s not essential for me in a good read. I have an eclectic reading taste and enjoy sweet as much as heat!


Click the pic for the buy page!
You sound like my kind of author, Lorraine!! What about self-publication? Have you ever considered going that route with your stories.

I do have a short story self-published in Blaze, an anthology of firemen stories written with my crit group, the Minxes of Romance. (<--click to visit with the Minxes!)

I love the Minxes!! LOL You ladies are the best! So, is the Chalet Girl series completed? And if so, what are you working on right now?  

Right now I’m working on book three of the Chalet Girl Series, having just completed and handed in book two. :-)

Awesome! So after completing a manuscript, do you take some time off or dive right in to the next story?

I tend to dive straight in, even though I always plan to take time off it doesn’t happen. Even now I’m thinking several books down the line and making plotting notes while I’m not working on my current project.

Er...that sounds like a very familiar scenario, my friend. LOL Tell us what’s on your nightstand (or downloaded onto your Kindle) right now.

I listen to audiobooks and right now I have My Husband Next Door by Catherine Alliott, The Unidentified Redhead by Alice Clayton and The Sleeper by Emily Barr on my iPhone.

That's outstanding. I've heard such wonderful things about audio books. Okay, now for questions of a little more personal nature. What's your favorite cocktail.

I love Sex on the Beach but hate having to ask for it, particularly from young, male bar-staff ;-)

LOL! Ah...yeah. What about hobbies?

I make stuff – candles, patchwork, embroidery, clothes, designs from my own nature photography…you name it and I’ve probably had a go at it! I have health conditions that cause chronic pain and find creating things is a great distraction.

Oh my gosh, that's so cool. Um, not the chronic pain part, but the creating part. You and my daughter would get along famously. :-) Do you have any pets?

I have three dogs. I didn’t plan on getting three but I’m a sucker for rescue dogs and they make lovely companions while I write. Being disabled means I often have to rely on help from others and I find being able to provide care as well as receive it really important. I got the latest rescue dog, Pip, while I was going through rehab for my brain injury and everyone thought I was mad, but it was the best thing I could’ve done – knowing I could still make a difference meant everything to me.

Okay, now you're gonna make me cry! Lorraine you are an inspiration and a testament to what it truly means to follow your dreams no matter what obstacles are in the way. Thank you so much for being my guest today!!

And now, for the moment we've all been waiting for...*drum roll, please*...I give you Confessions of A Chalet Girl! Whoo Hoo!

***BELLS, WHISTLES, CONFETTI***
 
Verbier. Exclusive Swiss ski resort and the winter playground of the rich and famous = every chalet girl’s dream!
 
Good for:
 
Maximum time on the ski slopes – and in the bars at night!
 
Looking for flings – or looking for rings!
 
Super hot snowboarders such as Luxury Chalet Experiences owner Scott Hamilton…
 
But not for Holly Buchanan. This accidental chalet girl won’t drink, can’t ski – and isn’t there to hook up with any man who’s only interested in making her another notch on his ski pole. Or so she thinks!
 
Scott’s living life to full, both on and off the piste, and Holly can’t help but find his attitude just a little bit infectious… And the hook up? Well, she’s going to have to confess that one night with her boss just won’t be enough!
 
So pack your salopettes and pour another shot of Jägermeister, it’s time to hit the slopes.
 
~ * ~ 
“Get it off!"
Shouts and wolf whistles filled the packed bar. Embarrassment prickled at Holly Buchanan's skin. Chalet girl initiation? Huh, why not just throw her to the lions and have done with it?
Swallowing hard, she scanned the crowd. Could she pull this off? They looked inebriated enough to have their designer wool scarves pulled over their eyes.
Bras of all colours and sizes dangled from the wooden beams of the bar's ceiling, resembling pastel-coloured Christmas decorations. 'The Wonderbar', the venue for her first night out in Verbier was, despite appearances, not a seedy strip joint but a favourite haunt of savvy seasonnaires. Not to mention the occasional billionaire.
She heard it grew pretty steamy in the small hours. Not that she was planning on sticking around to see. No way was she dancing on a table.
A throbbing tension headache pulsated against her temples.
What the frick am I doing here?
Enduring ritual humiliation in return for the ten free shots her team would get if she whipped off her bra was hardly her idea of a good night out.
"Off, off, off."
Her heart performed a neat back flip down to the soles of her boots.
Come on Holly, work it! You can do it.
“Off, off, off.”
She took a deep breath and stepped forward. It wasn't as if she even wanted the blasted drinks but failure was not an option. Fitting in was going to be difficult. Her wavy auburn hair contrasted with the straight, identikit caramel locks of the other chalet girls and a glimpse in the mirror confirmed she was paler than an anaemic ghost beside their healthy tans. She'd packed for winter, not clubbing and her cheap cashmere sweater clashed with the other chalet girls' strappy, sparkly tops that defied the sub-zero temperatures outside.
“Off, off, off,” the chanting grew louder and more impatient.
I hate, hate, hate this…
She slid one hand up underneath her jumper, giving silent thanks to veteran chalet girl Sophie who'd warned her about the initiation. It’d given her time to come up with a miraculous idea. An idea that had to work because no way was she doing this for real.
~ * ~
Find Confessions of A Chalet Girl on the web here:  ITunes  Kobo  Amazon UK  Amazon .com 

Here's where you can find all the news about Lorraine Wilson:  Website    Facebook   Twitter   Blog  Pinterest  Goodreads

THANKS FOR VISITING!
STAY TUNED FOR MORE FROM HARPERIMPULSE TOMORROW!
OX AJ OX
 

 

6 comments:

Romy Sommer said...

Lovely interview, Lorraine and AJ. I agree that Lorraine is completely inspiring, and the Minxes are the best support group any writer could have!

AJ Nuest said...

Lookit how pretty your picture is, Romy! Super model chic! I love the Minxes. And I LOVE how you ladies each contributed to an anthology. What a stupendous idea. That is truly the best example of supportive writer friends! XOXO

Dixie Lee Brown said...

Great interview, ladies, and kudos from one dog rescue addict to annother, Lorraine.

I'm definitely picking up your book. Sounds right up my alley!

Unknown said...

Wonderful interview, AJ and Lorraine! :)

Lorraine said...

Thanks for all your comments! Lovely to 'meet' you Dixie :-)
Thanks again AJ for having me on your blog x

Unknown said...

Great interview - this is on my kindle waiting to be read :-)