Valerie books in clean-cut heroine
A QUIRKY heroine who runs her own cleaning business and a grumpy helicopter pilot hero are the subjects of a Valley author’s ‘heartwarming’ Christmas novel.
Bluebell’s Christmas Magic is the latest offering from Valerie Olek, who writes under the pen name Marie Laval.
The story revolves around the character of Cassie Bell, who owns her own cleaning business – Bluebell’s Cleaning – and trundles around her Cumbrian village of Red Moss in her little van, bringing sparkling surfaces and smiles to all her clients.
“It was during a break in Northumberland that I got the idea for Bluebell Cleaning,” said Rawtenstall-based Marie, previously a finalist in the 2021 Romantic Novel Awards. I saw a van advertising a home cleaning business in Bamburgh one day, and I thought it would be a great occupation for my heroine.”
The village of Red Moss where the story is set, is
really Coniston in the Lake District, where Marie’s family has spent so many holidays, and which is one of her all-time favourite places. She added: “Just thinking about it brings back so many wonderful memories.”
Helicopter pilot Stefan Lambert is a slightly more ‘reluctant and grumpy’ hero than one might expect from a Christmas novel.
Bluebell’s Christmas Magic was released on October 12 and is available from major bookshops and online retailers.