Finding Fiction Friday - Lorraine Wilson

Today I am very happy to have Lorraine Wilson on the blog, fresh off her new release! Lorraine, please introduce yourself ...

I live in Wiltshire, England, with my husband but love to travel and have lived in four continents. From playing amidst Roman ruins in Africa as a child to riding a Sultan's racehorse in the Middle East as a teen, I’ve many experiences to draw on for the stories I’ve been writing ever since I can remember. When I’m not writing you'll find me listening to audiobooks while I sew or design handbags, usually with a rescue terrier or two curled up on my feet!

Lorraine, when did you first think about writing for publication?

I wrote a book that tackled the subject of bullying when I was fifteen and definitely thought about publication but didn't have the confidence to submit anything to a publisher until I was in my thirties.  

Tell us one thing about yourself that you think might surprise us.

I once touched a hippogriff! I used to work at one of the Inns of Court in London and the Prisoner of Azkaban launch party was held there. The Tudor hall was turned into Hogwarts with 'floating' candles suspended from the ceiling and the shops from Hogsmeade. All the props were kept on the floor I was working on and I couldn't resist having a root through!

So you have a lot of news this month, your short story “Chalet Girl Plays Cupid” was released last week, and the fourth novella in the associated Chalet Girl series, “Rebellion of a Chalet Girl”, comes out March 26^th.  Congratulations!  Tell us a bit about the series and the inspiration behind it.

I spend a lot of time in Switzerland and absolutely love it. The mountain landscape is a perfect dramatic backdrop and it's the perfect setting for romantic stories- it has snow, hot tubs, luxury and roaring log fires. Even if you don't like skiing there's still the après ski to soak up. My stories are meant to be fun and little bit escapist but I like to tackle more serious subjects in the stories too. I write about the kind of emotional baggage a lot of people carry around with them but rarely talk about.

Readers can try the series for free with 'Chalet Girl Plays Cupid' -  http://hyperurl.co/chaletgirl1

Are you planning future installments or do you have something else in mind?

Ah, now that would be telling! There is one more novella planned but there are also some longer projects in the pipeline that I'm super excited about :-)

If there is one character that you’ve written or are writing that you would really like people to meet, who would it be and why?

I think most people would like to meet Sophie. In fact I'd quite like to visit Bar des Amis myself and hang out there with Sophie, Luc and their scruffy rescue terrier Max!

What about the book industry in general has most surprised you?

The amount of work there is to do after you write the book! I suppose I assumed you sent your book off and then got on with the next one. The amount of time needed to spend marketing and on social media was a bit of a shock, although there are aspects of it that I love, like chatting to readers.

Is there someone you can point to as being your biggest encouragement in moving forward with writing?

My English teacher told me when I was thirteen years old that I had the talent to be a writer. She planted the seed in me that I might be good enough and I'm very grateful to her for that.

Then I suffered a brain injury five years ago and was told by my neurosurgeon I'd never be able to write a book. I almost gave up but my support worker, a speech and language therapist, refused to let me and taught me to use speech to text software.

What do you do to get fired up to write?  Do you have a ritual or a particular inspiration?

Tea and chocolate. I'm very English!

Is there a particular genre other than contemporary romance that you might like to try someday?

I'd love to write historical fiction. I read history at Oxford University and do have several novel ideas but I know they'll take a lot of research that I'm probably not up to, health wise, just yet.

What other things do you have bouncing around in your head for the future?

Again, that would be telling ;-)

To close the interview, I have ten questions for you, plus one.  Here they go!

1. What is your favorite word? Mutt.
2. What is your least favorite word? Pain.
3. What turns you on? My imagination!
4. What turns you off? Feeling ill.
5. What sound or noise do you love? A running stream.
6. What sound or noise do you hate? Traffic.
7. What is your favorite curse word? Hell.
8. What profession other than your own would you like to attempt? Seamstress/Dress designer.
9. What profession would you not like to do? Shelf stacker.
10. If heaven exists, what would you like to hear God say when you arrive at the pearly gates? Lovely to see you!
11. What question have you never been asked, that you wish someone would ask you? What do you want people to get from your books? I hope readers will get enjoyment, entertainment and a bit of escapism from my stories. Also I'd like to think that by tackling real life problems in a realistic but hopeful way I might be able to help someone dealing with the same issues.

Lorraine, thanks so much for spending time with us.  Can you let us know where to follow you, and where we can go to purchase your books?

You can find out more about the Chalet Girl series and any new releases via my Facebook author page.

You'll find buy links for my books on my Harper Impulse author page.

Or on my Amazon author page. 

You'll also find me on Twitter.

To celebrate having two releases this month I’m running a special competition. Enter for a chance to win a Lorraine Wilson Design Shoulder Bag made with novelty magazine cover fabric, a Chalet Girl book bag complete with signed copies of all 4 Chalet Girl Paperbacks!

Enter here!!!!!