I was lucky enough to spend an evening with author Carrie Walker at the Touring Club, Penarth, to celebrate the launch of her debut novel ‘Escape to the Swiss Chalet’. Hosted upstairs at the Touring Club, the venue provided a charming, intimate environment to talk all things books.

Escape to the Swiss Chalet follows Holly Roberts who takes a job in the Swiss Alps after a difficult break-up and makes a new friend, Liv. The publisher’s synopsis said: “Escape to the Swiss Chalet is a heart-warming, fun read for anyone who needs a holiday from life but can’t afford the ticket!”

Carrie answered questions about her past, what led her to this moment, “I used to read as much as I could when I was younger. I loved being in different worlds. But I didn’t realise books could be funny and charming, until I read things like Bridget Jones. Then something switched in my head and I knew I wanted to write my own.”

Having had some experience in writing before, and taken courses in writing, even being offered jobs to write, things never quite aligned. Carrie wrote her debut novel alongside working another full time job at a non-profit, only recently quitting to focus all her time on her writing career. Carried commented, “If I had focused on it sooner, I would have gotten here a lot sooner.”

As well as talking about how she got to this point, there was a lot of questions about the writing process and advice to novice writers. “My advice would always be keeping going. Ignore the voice inside your head, that negative voice that tells you you’re rubbish.”

Everyone at the table was highly engaged in what Carrie had to say, sipping wine and laughing along. It only made me more excited to start reading. And what’s more exciting, this is by far the end to Carrie’s writing career with her next book ‘Escape to the Tuscan Vineyard’ is coming out in May 2024 and is available to pre-order now!

It was a lovely evening and it was great to meet Carrie and get to hear her talk about the book. You can buy your copy of ‘Escape to the Swiss Chalet’ on Amazon, Waterstones and Penarth’s local bookshop Griffin Books. This book is the perfect holiday romance that will take you on a much-needed escape. Get your copy now!

And you can follow Carrie Walker on Instagram to find out more about her upcoming novel.