I’m excited to have Kristina Stanley guest posting again! She’s on a chilling topic today to cool your summer down with the dark side of backcountry skiing, featured in her newest book, AVALANCHE, the third book in the Stone Mountain Mystery Series with Imajin Books – and just out June 25th. The entire series is on sale now for under $5 on Kindle through today!
Kristina’s first book in the series, DESCENT, has been nominated for an Arthur Ellis Unhanged Arthur for excellence in crime writing, and The Crime Writers’ Association has nominated her second novel, BLAZE, for the Debut Dagger! She is also published in the Ellery Queen Mystery Magazine.
Check out Kristina’s earlier posts on the dark side of alpine skiing and the dark side of arson.
Please welcome Kristina….
Can you imagine being buried alive in an avalanche? Did you know a buried person can hear rescuers searching for him but can’t speak out because the pressure from the snow is keeping his mouth closed?
This terrifying knowledge is what I first learned about avalanches when I was researching AVALANCHE.
I spoke to a man who’d been buried and survived. He was generous enough to share details that I wouldn’t have known otherwise. An avalanche buries a man. The pressure from the snow is so great he can’t wiggle his toes inside his ski boots. His own breath will slowly kill him as his oxygen transforms into carbon dioxide. The deeper he breaths, the faster he will die.
To deepen my knowledge, I met with Andrew Nelson, Association of Canadian Mountain Guides Ski Guide, Avalanche Forecaster and Educator. Andrew not only spent hours showing me videos and explaining the process a ski resort goes through when an avalanche occurs, he read an early version of AVALANCHE to check for accuracy. You’ll find his term “Ice Mask” on page two of AVALANCHE.
If I wasn’t frightened enough by talking to Andrew, he recommended I go home and watch Go Pro videos of avalanches. The videos of a person being buried are so intense, I had to leave the house and go for a walk just to settle down. Just Google Go Pro & Avalanche and you’ll see what I mean.
I went heli-skiing for a day. At one point, an avalanche cascaded down a peak on a nearby mountain. I experienced what an avalanche looks and sounds like. I have to say, I was a little nervous.
All of the experiences above helped me write AVALANCHE.
A Little About AVALANCHE
On a cold winter morning, the safe at Stone Mountain Resort is robbed, and Kalin Thompson’s brother, Roy, suspiciously disappears. As Director of Security, Kalin would normally lead the investigation, but when her brother becomes the prime suspect, she is ordered to stay clear.
The police and the president of the resort turn their sights on Kalin, who risks everything to covertly attempt to clear Roy’s name. As threats against her escalate, she moves closer to uncovering the guilty party. Is Kalin’s faith in her brother justified? Or will the truth destroy her?
A Little About Kristina Stanley:
Kristina Stanley is the best-selling author of the Stone Mountain Mystery Series. Her first two novels garnered the attention of prestigious crime writing organizations in Canada and England. Crime Writers of Canada nominated DESCENT for the Unhanged Arthur award. The Crime Writers’ Association nominated BLAZE for the Debut Dagger. Her short stories have been published in the Ellery Queen Mystery Magazine and The Voices From the Valleys anthology. She is also the author of THE AUTHOR’S GUIDE TO SELLING BOOKS TO NON-BOOKSTORES.
Before writing her series, Kristina was the director of security, human resources and guest services at a resort in the depths of the British Columbian mountains. The job and lifestyle captured her heart, and she decided to write mysteries about life in an isolated resort. While writing the first four novels, she spent five years living aboard a sailboat in the US and the Bahamas.
Find out more about her at www.KristinaStanley.com.
All three Stone Mountain Mysteries are on sale until July 7th. Grab them here!
Love to read mystery, thrillers, suspense, paranormal and more? My publisher, Imajin Books, is holding a fantastic Summer Sizzle book sale event you’ll want to check out! ENDS TODAY. PLUS enter to win books AND a $100 Amazon gift card!
Thanks for hosting me again today. It’s great to be here.
LOVE this dark side series and Avalanche looks like a thrilling read! Congrats on book 3 out!