Breaking news!! I recently finished writing Book Three, Mermaid of New York!

Here is a sneak peek of the work-in-progress cover. As always, my mega-talented illustrator, Jason Brooks, knocked it out of the park again. Mermaid of New York will be released on February 7th, but you can pre-order today.

Some of the action in the book takes place at a glamorous ski village in Switzerland: St. Moritz. That’s why I wanted to write a post about ritzy winter travel destinations.

As we all know, Gia Acquaviva travels first class. The psychopathic sweetheart at the center of the Mermaid of Venice series is used to jetting around the world in private planes. Scroll down to read about the most glamorous winter travel destinations ever. They are all Gia-approved.

ST. MORITZ, SWITZERLAND

Known for spas, sports and superstar celebs, this Swiss Alpine ski village is perhaps the most glamorous ski destination in all of history. So ritzy is this village’s legacy that the James Bond film “The Spy Who Loved Me” was filmed here. St. Moritz was first frequented, hundreds of years ago, by the rich as a place to ease their bones in the healing mineral springs of the region. Later, in the 1960s, movie stars like Brigitte Bardot and European royals were seen racing down the slopes.

I’ve got a surprise for you! Here’s an ABSOLUTE FIRST LOOK at a scene from Mermaid of New York that takes place in the mountains of St. Moritz:

“The blue wind whizzed between the trees, over mountains and across Florent’s face as he sliced through the powder on the slopes of St. Moritz. He felt dizzyingly alive. Louisa wasn’t one for the bunny hills either. She’d started skiing at age four with her parents in the Dolomites, but had switched to snowboarding as its popularity grew in the early 90s. She could best Florent if she wanted to, but she knew he had a temper and didn’t like being shown up. Instead, she skated close to the ground and just let her body feel the curves of the earth. After a few hours of adrenaline, they had truly earned a stiff cocktail. They circled up with their friends for après-ski outside a swanky hotel.” ––MERMAID OF NEW YORK, CHAPTER 44

ASPEN, COLORADO

Without a doubt, the celebrity ski capital of America is Aspen. A mere (ahem) 8,000 feet above sea level, and situated in the crown of the Colorado Rocky Mountains, Aspen is a glittering little town, filled with multi-million dollar ski chalets. Goldie Hawn and Kate Hudson vacation here every winter. It was settled in the 1880s as a humble mining town carved between the aspen trees––the source of its name. It was not until the 1950s that it began its transformation into the sophisticated travel destination it is today.

NAGANO, JAPAN

Outside of seasoned skiers, Nagano is probably most known for its temples––and its hotsprings-obsessed monkey population. You’ve probably seen the snow monkeys in their hot-tub-time-machine-esque moments. If not (!!)… here’s a gif. I DIEEEEE.

Situated in the Togakushi mountain range, Nagano is also home to world-class, luxury ski resorts. It hosted the 1998 Winter Olympics, and a popular non-ski activity is snowshoeing. I cannot imagine how hard it is to walk in snowshoes. I can barely keep from falling in normal shoes.