PINTEREST
BLOGLOVIN
GOODREADS
Published by HQ Digital
Available in ebook (5 November 2018) | Paperback (13 December 2018)
384 pages
I’m delighted to welcome Karen Aldous to the blog with a guest for the blog tour of Five Ladies Go Skiing. My thanks to Rachel of Rachel’s Random Resources for the place on the tour. There is also a giveaway for 5 paperback copies once the book has been released in December, please see the end of the post for entry details.
| About the Book |
Five ladies, one unforgettable trip…
Escape to gorgeous Switzerland this winter with the brand new, uplifting read from Karen Aldous.When Ginny Watts’ husband passes away, she is left grief-stricken, not only over her husband’s death but the secrets he has left behind…
Luckily for Ginny, she has four wonderful friends – Lou, Cathy, Angie and Kim – poised to whisk her away on a ladies’ skiing holiday to beautiful La Tzoumaz, Switzerland.
While all of them appear to have their lives together from the outside, little do the ladies know that every single one of them is fighting a secret battle.
As the trip unfolds, they realise that fears of tumbling down the slopes after too much après-ski fun is the least of their worries and all is not what it seems…
A novel of love, loss and friendship, perfect for fans of Jules Wake, Erica James and Cathy Kelly.
Setting for Five Ladies Go Skiing
The Swiss Alps
by Karen Aldous
Anyone who has read The Chateau will be familiar with the stunning setting of Lac Leman or Lake Geneva as we English refer to it, but just a few miles from the lake is one of the largest and most beautiful winter playgrounds in the world – The Alps! French, Italian and Swiss ski resorts are scattered in abundance and one of those is the resort where Five Ladies Go Skiing is set, La Tzoumaz in Switzerland. It’s part of the wider and more popular Verbier ski area in the 4Vallees and is renown for it’s amazing snow due to its height and north face. It’s certainly a little gem and had ninety-five per cent of the ingredients for the five friends who are characters in my new novel.
I’ve been skiing at this resort for many years, sometimes twice or three times a year, not only because of its fabulous skiing, and stunning scenery but because I have some wonderful friends who very generously invite me. It was my friends who inspired my novel in fact, and like the village itself, they are extremely welcoming. And, equally inviting is the vista. Whey you drive into La Tzoumaz and peer out of the car, you can’t fail to be impressed by the wondrous views. Your eyes are like magnets to the surrounding mountains and down to the Rhone valley where the road and rail links are sited and where you’d spot the smaller villages such as Iserables nestled in the mountains.
Compared to Verbier, the La Tzoumaz is smaller and much more intimate but that doesn’t mean its lacking in any way. The lift will speedily take you to Verbier for further skiing or to one of the numerous boutiques, but this hamlet offers everything. Ice-skating, swimming, winter hiking or snowshoeing as well as cross-country ski (ski du fond), Piste La Luge, the longest toboggan run in western Switzerland and like most resorts, the ski school. There’s also plenty of bars and restaurants on the slopes as well as in the village itself. And what is utterly charming in my opinion, is that they are much more traditionally Savoyard than the many bistro bars in the larger resorts.
And so, for Ginny and her friends, this setting with it’s pretty snow-blanketed chalets was perfect, despite me having to place a fictional nursery slope in as four of them were beginners. Ginny was also keen to find a suitable setting to host Mike, her husband’s, first memorial, so the top of the mountain at Savoleyres with its stunning views over Verbier was gloriously fitting. For their regular lunches or après ski however, La Poste, the restaurant and hotel beside the square with its gorgeous Savoyard atmosphere and Italian owner, Pascal (Stefano in the book), who just loves to feed his guests, was the natural choice. Particularly for the New Year celebrations when Ginny and her friends have so much to celebrate.
| About the Author |
Karen Aldous enjoys village life on the edge of the north-downs in Kent with easy access to the buzz of London. Not only does she love the passive pleasures of reading and writing, she also craves the more active pursuits with her family and friends such as walking, cycling and skiing especially when they involve food and wine!
Much of Karen’s inspiration comes from her travels and meeting people. The UK, France, Greece, Switzerland, Italy and parts of the USA and Asia are just some you will experience in her books to date. However, wherever she goes, new characters emerge in ‘Karen’s World’ screaming at her to tell their stories; past or present. She loves to write about strong independent women who can direct their own lives – but struggle to control them! And, of course there’s always a gorgeous hunk or two!
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*** GIVEAWAY ***
Giveaway – Win 5 x Paperback copies of Five Ladies Go Skiing (UK Only)
*Terms and Conditions –Please note prize will be distributed once the paperback is available (published 13th December). UK entries welcome. Please enter using the Rafflecopter box below. The winner will be selected at random via Rafflecopter from all valid entries and will be notified by Twitter and/or email. If no response is received within 7 days then I reserve the right to select an alternative winner. Open to all entrants aged 18 or over. Any personal data given as part of the competition entry is used for this purpose only and will not be shared with third parties, with the exception of the winners’ information. This will passed to the giveaway organiser and used only for fulfilment of the prize, after which time I will delete the data. My Reading Corner is not responsible for despatch or delivery of the prize.
