This week I’m pleased to welcome Victoria Walker back to my blog to tell us more about her main character, Nora Hartford, in her latest book, Wild Swimming at Croftwood Lake which was published on 20 May 2025. Over to Victoria …
I’m thrilled to be on Morton’s blog this week! My latest book, Wild Swimming at Croftwood Lake was published last week (20 May 2025). It’s the fourth book in the series set in the fictional small town of Croftwood, and I’m going to introduce you to my main character.
Nora Hartford is in her early forties and has recently moved to Croftwood after the breakdown of a long-term relationship. She’s a potter – think a cross between Keith Brymer-Jones and Emma Bridgwater – and she’s a fan of wild swimming.
Nora had been with her ex, Julian, since they met at art college and one of the main reasons she left him was because he’d thought he deserved the success that she had, more than she did. She knew that if things were different and he’d had the success that she had, she would have supported him and been happy for him but Julian wasn’t able to do that for her. Ultimately, that was what drove them apart and because they’d made their life in Bristol, Nora knew she had to leave to move on without reminders of him everywhere.
When she settles in Croftwood, in her dream cottage, the only thing missing is her regular swim in the sea pool at Clevedon. Just as she thinks perhaps the only answer is a trip down the M5 to get her fix, she stumbles across a lake on the other side of the woods. It’s an absolute godsend. Swimming is the only thing that’s kept her sane over the past few months. When the water’s cold, she doesn’t think about anything else other than that. It empties her mind of everything for those few minutes while her brain is concentrating all its efforts on deciding whether it’s going to go along with her plan to swim or whether it’s going to send her gasping for the shore. Then, once the initial shock is over, swimming in the lake is the most calming thing in the world. It’s an addiction, a challenge, and whatever else is going on in Nora’s life, it’s a something she can rely on. It helps her believe in what she can do and what she can achieve. Even if the person she thought loved her the most doesn’t love her enough to be proud of her, she’s proud of herself.
As you might have guessed, Nora’s wild swimming habit was inspired by my own. I have to be honest – the main reason I started was because I wanted to own a Dryrobe. I made sure it was something I was going to stick at before I forked out on that, though! I’ve been to the lake almost every week since last June. I’ve been religious about it because I was determined to keep swimming throughout the winter. I gave it a miss when the lake was frozen over because it didn’t seem worth the hassle of getting undressed for a one minute dunk through a hole in the ice. The coldest I swam in was 3C and even with thermal gloves on, my fingers were numb after a few minutes. Were those times as enjoyable as the ones when the sun is blazing and the lake is looking beautiful and inviting? No, they were brutal. But the sense of achievement I had afterwards was immense. And you can’t beat a cup of tea around the fire afterwards snuggled in your Dryrobe having a good old natter.
About Victoria Walker
Victoria Walker has been writing romantic fiction since a visit to Iceland in 2014 inspired her first novel. As well as writing, she spends her free time dressmaking, knitting and reading an inordinate amount of contemporary romance, particularly cowboy romance, occasionally punctuated by the odd psychological thriller and saga.
In the past she has worked as a cinema projectionist, a knitting and sewing tutor and has owned a yarn store, all things which will no doubt appear in her books if they haven’t already.
Victoria lives in the Malvern Hills with her husband.
Social media and website links
Facebook – Victoria Walker Author
Instagram – @victoriawalker_author
www.victoriaauthor.co.uk – sign up for Victoria’s monthly newsletter here!
About Wild Swimming at Croftwood Lake
Nora Hartford, successful potter and keen wild-swimmer, has moved to beautiful Croftwood, leaving Bristol and a twenty-year relationship behind her. Finally living life on her own terms, the last thing she wants is another relationship — until she meets the brooding aristocrat who owns the secluded lake on the far side of the woods.
Lord Archie Harrington’s ancestral estate is crumbling around his ears. With the roof falling in and an empty bank account, discovering a trespasser in his lake is the last thing he needs. Instead, it might be the solution to saving Croftwood Court—and his lonely heart.
As their connection deepens beside the tranquil waters, their lives away from the lake couldn’t be more different. Archie dreams of preserving his family legacy while Nora fears losing the independence she’s fought so hard to achieve.
Can they find a way to build a life together without surrendering the very things that brought them together in the first place?
Join Archie, Nora and the other Croftwood residents for a summer of wild-swimming, celebrations and new beginnings!
Buying link: www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B0F55TY5F8
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Published by Choc Lit an imprint of Joffe Books
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