Flaming Nora: The End, Scarborough Spy and the WI

Friday, January 17, 2025

The End, Scarborough Spy and the WI - my writing week

This week I am in my happy place of Scarborough, where my cosy crime murder mysteries are set. However, I'm not on holiday as I am here to write. I write this blog post, I'm still here! I've been writing each day, sometimes twice or even three times, and made excellent progress on the first draft of my final book in The Toffee Factory Girls trilogy. Here is my desk in my writing room at the seaview apartment I've hired this week.

And here's the sort of thing I get up to between bouts of writing and creativity. Sitting on the seafront in the sunshine with a frothy coffee. My idea of heaven.

By far the best thing to happen on my writing retreat was writing the sweetest two words an author can type ... Yes, that's the first draft of my final book in The Toffee Factory Girls trilogy done. There's still a lot of work, and time, before it's ready to send to the publisher. Lots of editing ahead!

Also this week I was featured in The Sunderland Echo as my books have helped raise more than £10,000 for the charity Re-engage who work to reduce loneliness in older people. The book sales are organised through each Alfa Travel hotel in the UK. You can read the full story here.

While in Scarborough, I was interviewed by the editor of Scarborough Spy magazine. My interview will be in the magazine during 2025. The magazine is free and can be picked up all over town.

And I was stunned to learn that my Scarborough cosy crime Foul Play at the Seaview Hotel was the best selling book of 2024 in Scarborough bookshop (and national treasure of a shop) Mrs Lofthouse's Book Emporium. I outsold LJ Ross. You name them... I outsold them all!

It's been a very busy week but I wouldn't have changed a thing! I also gave a talk to the North Yorkshire East WI Federation. The talk was held at Kirbymoorside Golf Club and went down a treat with lots of books sold after my talk.

While in Yorkshire, I spotted my books on a shelf in The Helmsley Bookshop, a lovely little place. If you're ever in Helmsley, do visit.

I crafted another episode of my weekly soap opera Riverside for The People's Friend magazine. I've been writing Riverside weekly since 2016 and you can find out all about it here.