Corrie weekly update - Saucy Stories, Chipolatas and Spike

I've been writing Coronation Street weekly updates since 1995 and this week's Coronation Street has just gone live here. 

In this week's Coronation Street, there was a cracking punch-up in the pub.

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Find out more about me and my books at: Glenda Young Books

I'm on Twitter @flaming_nora and Instagram @flaming_nora

My Writing Week: Three talks, a story and one splash in the sea

This has been a wonderful writing week. 

As part of Sunderland Libraries Literature Festival I was invited to give two talks at north-east libraries. The first talk, last week, was at Houghton Library where five people turned up in the audience (and I only knew four of them!).  

The second talk, this week, was at Sunderland City Library in the Sunderland Museum & Winter Gardens.  I had seven in the audience, clearly word of my, er, prowess at public speaking had spread. 

And then to my favourite seaside town of Scarborough where I'd been invited to give a talk to Scarborough Writers Circle.  Was I nervous? Oh yes. Was I excited? Too much.  Scarborough is a very special place to me and you can find out more here.

There were 15 or so in the group and it was fantastic to speak to fellow writers, to people who know that gnawing anxiety of not-writing and what it feels like. The feedback I've received from this talk has been tremendous, it even included words like 'inspiring', 'funny' and 'warm'.  I worry they might have me mixed up with someone else. But it was a great night, and I'm pleased beyond words that I braved my fear of public speaking and said 'yes' to this request.

And that splash in the sea? It came from my three-year-old great niece, Grace, to whom my debut novel Belle of the Back Streets is dedicated.  Grace's mum brought her to Scarborough and they stayed overnight, and of course we went paddling in the sea.

The short story this week came courtesy of My Weekly magazine who published my Hallowe'en story set around the haunting of an 80s tribute gig. You can read more on that here.

I wonder what next week will bring?  

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Find out more about me and my books at: Glenda Young Books

I'm on Twitter @flaming_nora and Instagram @flaming_nora

Belle of the Back Streets - New Writing North

With huge thanks today to New Writing North for this wonderful mention in their newsletter received today.

My debut novel Belle of the Back Streets has been given a truly lovely write-up indeed.

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Find out more about me and my books at: Glenda Young Books

I'm on Twitter @flaming_nora and Instagram @flaming_nora

The Black Kiss #amwriting

I've a short story in this week's Hallowe'en edition of My Weekly magazine. The story is called The Black Kiss and it's about a goth girl from the 1980s who comes back to haunt an 80s tribute gig. It's a lot of fun and I enjoyed writing it.

And at the end of my story, the Fiction Editor has even given my debut novel Belle of the Back Streets a little shout out too. It's really made my day.

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Find out more about me and my books at: Glenda Young Books

I'm on Twitter @flaming_nora and Instagram @flaming_nora

Corrie weekly update - Guilt toast and flowers of shame

I've been writing Coronation Street weekly updates since 1995 and this week's Coronation Street update has just gone live here.

This week in Corrie, Jenny Bradley Connor played a blinder in the back room of the pub.

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Find out more about me and my books at: Glenda Young Books

I'm on Twitter @flaming_nora and Instagram @flaming_nora

I'm now a best-selling author. Well, sort of. #amwriting

With thanks to fellow writer Elaine Everest for alerting me to this little gem.

The My Weekly 2019 Annual is currently number eleven in the Sunday Times Best Selling Books list (of small publishers). This is great news for the team at D C Thomson who put the book together, and good news especially for the magazine's fiction editor Karen Byrom. And it's great news for all of us writers who are in the book too after having our stories chosen by Karen for inclusion.

I'm very proud and happy to say that I've got two stories in the My Weekly 2019 Annual. 

These are Garden of Eden and The Queen of Cosy Crime.  The first was inspired by a certain TV gardener I'm rather fond of watching, ahem. And the second was inspired by a writing talk I went to where two crime novelists were interviewed on stage.

I also have a story called Next Door's Cat in The People's Friend Annual 2019.  Both books are available in all good bookshops and online of course.  You'll find them near the till in your local Waterstones branch.

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Find out more about me and my books at: Glenda Young Books

I'm on Twitter @flaming_nora and Instagram @flaming_nora

Praise from The People's Friend

With thanks to writer Shona Patridge for sending this to me. It's a letter from a reader of The People's Friend which appears on their readers' letters page in the magazine to be published on Wednesday 17 October 2018.  (Shona receives the magazine on subscription, and that's why she saw it earlier than many people would).

The letter is from a lady who enjoyed a short story of mine published a few weeks ago in The People's Friend.

I am no good at humble bragging. I'm still learning my way to accept praise. So excuse me if this sounds rough and a big ragged but I really am over the moon with Mrs Kenilworth's words.

I sit here at my desk and I write things that pop up in my head and then I send them off to magazines, or my editor at Headline and I hope, I really hope that I've got it right, that they like what I've written. I hope that they think my words have merit and that someone, somewhere might enjoy what comes out of my head and onto the page. 

To receive feedback like this is a joy.

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Find out more about me and my books at: Glenda Young Books

I'm on Twitter @flaming_nora and Instagram @flaming_nora

Airport (Ooh-Ooh)

 With apologies to The Motors, 1978

We’ve been waiting nine minutes for this train.
We’ve been waiting all year for this moment.
Destination Airport.
“Airport!” you sing to me.
“Ooh-ooh!” I sing back.

Once I thought we were the only ones who did this.
And then we heard another couple sing.
“Airport!” she sang to him.
“Ooh-ooh!” he sang back.
You and I looked at each other, and smiled.

It’s dark, wet and 7am.
Everyone is wearing the face they go to work in.
Ours have gone for the next two weeks.
We’re the only passengers with a smiling face.
Flying away, flying away. 

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Find out more about me and my books at: Glenda Young Books

I'm on Twitter @flaming_nora and Instagram @flaming_nora

Belle of the Back Streets - praise from Rosie Goodwin and Emma Hornby

My publisher at Headline has just sent me two more amazing endorsement quotes from preview readers of my debut novel Belle of the Back Streets.

The first quote has stunned me into silence. I've had a "I'm not worthy" moment because Rosie Goodwin is one of the best-selling, best-loved saga writers there is with over 30 books to her name.  And Emma Hornby is an author of Victorian sagas, so both ladies know what they're doing - as I still try to find my place.

Their generosity is wonderful, heartwarming and encouraging.

There are more pre-publication endorsement quotes from authors here.

All details at glendayoungbooks.com

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Find out more about me and my books at: Glenda Young Books

I'm on Twitter @flaming_nora and Instagram @flaming_nora

Belle of the Back Streets - flyers, bookmarks, zines and talks

Received these beautiful flyers today from the publisher for my first two of three novels with Headline.

While I won't yet have any books to sell at my upcoming talks, I'll be giving away flyers along with
free bookmarks and zines at my talks at Sunderland Libraries Literature Festival & The Word at South Shields this autumn.

All details of my upcoming talks can be found at my website: http://glendayoungbooks.com/events.html

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Find out more about me and my books at: Glenda Young Books

I'm on Twitter @flaming_nora and Instagram @flaming_nora

Corrie weekly update - Wildcat of Weatherfield

I've been writing Coronation Street weekly updates since 1995 and this week's Coronation Street update has just gone live here.

This week in Corrie, a dangerous animal lurked around the Street. 

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Find out more about me and my books at: Glenda Young Books

I'm on Twitter @flaming_nora and Instagram @flaming_nora

Short story in My Weekly Christmas Special magazine

I've a short story in the My Weekly Christmas Special magazine that's in the shops now.

It's a fun little tale about a woman called Carole and her boyfriends of Christmas past, present and future...

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Find out more about me and my books at: Glenda Young Books

I'm on Twitter @flaming_nora and Instagram @flaming_nora

The day they took me for 60

San Francisco Sea Fret 

or

The Day They Took Me For 60

The girl in the picture

With long, dark hair

Stares at the camera

In a pre-digital age

San Francisco sea-fret

On Christmas Eve

Pebbles and shingles

Tide and the bay

She's homesick for friendship

Wants her mum's hug 

and the family tree

The woman at the counter

With hair going grey
and thinning 

Stares at the pharmacist

Who assumes she's prehistoric

Her heart aches for friendship

Misses her mum's hug

A branch snapped 

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Find out more about me and my books at: Glenda Young Books

I'm on Twitter @flaming_nora and Instagram @flaming_nora

Won 3rd place in Wrekin Writers' short story competition #amwriting

Delighted to announce I've won 3rd place in Wrekin Writers' short story competition -  with my tale of a dystopian circus.

You can read it online here if you'd like to.

Why do I enter short story competitions?

Because it's a chance to write something different, unusual, really get my thinking cap on and write myself way out of my comfort zone. 

I don't enter to win. In fact I never enter to win. I enter to give myself the opportunity of writing for a market that I'm unfamiliar with - and I'd highly recommend it too.

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Find out more about me and my books at: Glenda Young Books

I'm on Twitter @flaming_nora and Instagram @flaming_nora