At 430m above sea, my home here in the north-east is in one of the lowest areas in Switzerland. In winter, it regularly happens that while everywhere else is being sprinkled with scenic whiteness from above, we get rain. And to tell you the truth, that suits me just fine. Snow is fun for a day or two, but after that it’s boring – getting around is more difficult and often more time-consuming, and I’ve never been a winter sports person. (That is not me on the left.)

Last week, however, we had quite a lot of snow. Not as much as the winter of ’99, when I opened the front door one Sunday morning and the dog leapt out as usual, and disappeared into a snowy hole… but a lot. And I have to admit it’s lovely seeing snowmen appear everywhere, and kids having fun with their buckets and spades.

It was less lovely for the guests in a restaurant halfway up our house mountain, Säntis, last week, when an avalanche thundered in. Only three people were slightly injured, unbelievable when you see the second top photo here.

So I was glad to have plenty of book work going. As well as working on my current novel project, we’re getting Stolen Sister ready for publication with Bombshell Books next month. The cover will be revealed in a couple of weeks, and it’s a corker. At the moment, the book’s being formatted, and then the last checks will be done. We’re having a blog tour, and I’ll be sharing more about that soon.
And – I’ll have the last 5 electronic ARCs (advance reader copies) to hand out very soon, so if anyone reading this would like one, do get in touch using the email contact above this post, and I’ll email details back. The book is a family drama with crime undertones, same kind of genre as The Cold Cold Sea and Death Wish.

And now I’m off for a Sunday walk in our snow – rain’s forecast for the beginning of the week ‘down’ here, so I’ll admire the beauty the snow brings, and then tomorrow I’ll watch the rain clean the place up again. And yes, I know I’m a complete snow spoilsport…