Flaming Nora: Coffee, Cake, Glitter Balls and Scarborough, My Happy Place

Friday, November 14, 2025

Coffee, Cake, Glitter Balls and Scarborough, My Happy Place - My Writing Week

This week I've been working in Scarborough, which is my happy place on the Yorkshire coast. It's where I set my cosy crimes. I was there to give a talk to a group called The Scalby Wives, who were nowhere as scary as they sound. Feedback was remarkable. "Everyone thoroughly enjoyed your talk. You have been one of our most popular speakers for a long time." Not bad for someone who wouldn't say boo to a goose before becoming an author! They followed up my talk with a piece in The Scarborough News, below.

While I was in Scarborough, my local newspaper at home, The Sunderland Echo ran an article about me and my books and they have a competition to win a copy of my latest Scarborough cosy crime, Deadly Dancing at the Seaview Hotel. You can read the article here. I made front page news, too!

In Scarborough, on a cold and wet day, I called into Waterstones where there was a warm welcome. Many thanks to the Scarborough bookseller for being my third hand in holding my books.

Over coffee one morning in Scarborough by the sea, I read the latest edition of the wonderful Scarborough Spy magazine. This edition features my book launch for Deadly Dancing at the Seaview Hotel. All welcome, book your tickets here.

I also visited the venue for the book launch, Oscar's Bar Function Room, which is the old CIU Club, opposite the railway station. It was a wonderful place, really friendly and the cakes looked great!

And there was a sparkling review of Deadly Dancing at the Seaview Hotel from the fiction editor at My Weekly magazine who made it her book of the month! She said: "A must for Strictly Come Dancing fans – no surprise, as the author is a lifelong Strictly enthusiast! A mystery brimming with charm, humour, and heart."

Plus, on the other side of my writing life - my historical sagas - Celebrations at the Toffee Factory - proof copy arrived for a final check before it goes to the printer. It's the final book in the toffee factory girls trilogy, out 2026, order now at http://bit.ly/ToffeeCelebrations

ENTER TO WIN - THREE competitions to win signed books:

Living North magazine: http://dlvr.it/TPG6mX

Sunderland Echo: http://dlvr.it/TPG6mY

Books & Toffee Giveaway: http://dlvr.it/TPG6mZ #competition #giveaway

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.