Lauren, who attended Millais school and Collyers College, is now in the third year of a history and politics degree at Cardiff University. “I have been working on the book over lockdown and it’s been a long process but it’s finally published! I’m really excited about it!” Gringa Girl is self-published and is available on Amazon as a paperback at £4.99 and as an e-book at £1.99. It’s also on Instagram @gringagirlbook, and the website is https://gringagirlbook.wixsite.com/laurendittmerLauren, aged 21, said: “It was a few weeks into lockdown when I started writing the book. I had returned home from university and decided to do a clear-out of my room because there wasn’t a lot else going on and I’d watched so much Netflix at that point. “I came across the journals I’d kept while backpacking in South America on my gap year in 2018 that hadn’t been looked at in two years. “I wanted to read them back for fun, but then started typing them up just to have a digital copy. After a few pages I realised how well they could work in novel. “Being an author was never something I’d ever considered before, but the process came quite naturally. It took a few months but as I hadn’t been able to find any work in quarantine, it was a great way to occupy my time. “I built on my own experiences and created a story I wanted to share. I could get creative, reimagine scenarios, fit in new characters. I really enjoyed doing it. It’s pretty satirical, playing on the stereotype of the gap year backpacker. I think it’s funny, too. “Any part of it you find funny is definitely from an event that actually happened because I don’t think I’m a comedic writer. It’s really short, probably only just counts as a novel, because I wanted pace and frequent changes of scenery. “It was a chance for me to tap into a lot of the harder aspects of travelling too, and work with that. I think, despite the foreignness of the setting, it’s a relatable story, finding strength to stand alone. I hope the book can be enjoyed by prospective and past gap year-takers, those who love to travel and like to learn a bit about new cultures, and anyone who is in the mood for a fun short story with a touch of romance and a lot of drinking.” The book is Lauren’s debut: “I’ve written in my university magazine a few times but this is my first piece of fiction. Now the aim is to get the word out.” “I never thought there would be a first book. I would like to continue to write, I’ll have to finish my degree and see what the future of graduate job-hunting holds. “The story begins in Heathrow Airport. Lily arrives tearful and anxious, doing a bad job at putting on a brave face for the sake of her parents. Although overwhelmed and regretting the decision she made that brought her here, she is determined to see her plans through and become the carefree and confident girl she wants to be. “Lily is embarking on a backpacking trip across South America. She is nineteen, travelling alone, and every bit a gringa girl. Her journal tells a story of love and heartbreak, failure and triumph, and all the bizarre, thrilling, humiliating and exhausting delights in between on the journey to finding herself, which is of course the ultimate goal of any gap year.”