Discover my Cosy Crimes & Historical Sagas

Discover my Cosy Crimes & Historical Sagas

Saturday, December 29, 2018

Corrie weekly update – Merry Stinking Christmas

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


This week in Corrie we enjoyed one of the best Corrie Christmas weeks in years.




Debut novel Belle of the Back Streets
Now out in hardback and e-book 


Kindle e-book just 99p until January 1st 2019 

Website: glendayoungbooks.com

Thursday, December 27, 2018

My Year in Writing 2018

It's been quite a year.


My debut novel Belle of the Back Streets was published in hardback and ebook and made its way to No. 2 in the Sunderland Waterstones chart.


I've also been published weekly in The People's Friend magazine where my weekly soap opera Riverside continues its fun and friendly run.

And there's been more, too...


I was one of 16 winners in a short story competition organized by Fahrenheit Press for my story The Canary Islands Crime Boss, and published in crime anthology Noirville: Tales from the Dark Side



One of 10 winners in the Ryedale Book Festival for my short story inspired by Donald Trump - called The Wall and published in 10 Short Stories anthology


One of 16 winners in the Olga Sinclair Short Story Competition (Norwich Writers Circle) with my short story The Caller and published in an anthology called Strangers


Won third prize in Doris Gooderson Short Story Competition (Wrekin Writers) for my short story The Circus of Delight. The story is published online.



Shortlisted and commended in the Dorset Fiction Award for my short story A Dog Called Trevor


Short comedy sketch The Interview performed by Cranked Anvil theatre group at the Rehearsed Reading Night at The Peacock, Sunderland


Shortlisted in the Ruth Rendell Short Story Competition, organised by Interact Stroke Support


Longlisted in Sunderland Short Story Award for my short story Bonny Bits


Two short stories published in My Weekly Annual 2019 and one short story published in The People’s Friend Annual 2019

In addition, I had 19 short stories published in women's magazines during 2018.

And I also gave some talks - talk about feeling the fear and doing it anyway!

  • Talk at The Word in South Shields on Belle of the Back Streets
  • Talk at Ryhope Heritage Society on Belle of the Back Streets
  • Two talks as part of Sunderland Libraries Literature Festival (Houghton and Sunderland libraries) on Belle of the Back Streets
  • Talk at Sunderland Creative Writing Festival on writing short stories for women's magazines.
  • Talk to Scarborough Writers Circle 

And as for 2019?

There's a lot in the pipeline.

Belle of the Back Streets is released in paperback in March and my second novel The Tuppenny Child is released in hardback and ebook in May.




Debut novel Belle of the Back Streets
Now out in hardback and e-book 


Kindle e-book just 99p until January 1st 2019 

Website: glendayoungbooks.com

Saturday, December 22, 2018

Corrie weekly update – Jealous Jenny vs Lady Lovin' Liz


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

This week in Corrie Jenny Connor pressed the self-destruct button.




Debut novel Belle of the Back Streets
Now out in hardback and e-book 


Kindle e-book just 99p until January 1st 2019 

Website: glendayoungbooks.com

Thursday, December 20, 2018

Third novel, first draft #amwriting


1 manuscript
16 chapters
6 months of my life

And, I hope, 1 incredible story about to be brought to life in my 3rd novel.

I can't reveal the title just yet but I can let you know that it's a novel set in the northeast coalmining village of Ryhope in 1919. This one will be published November 2019 in hardback and ebook, and then in paperback in March 2020.

So, not too long to wait!




Debut novel Belle of the Back Streets
Now out in hardback and e-book 


Kindle e-book just 99p until January 1st 2019 

Website: glendayoungbooks.com

Saturday, December 15, 2018

Corrie weekly update: Farewell to Archie Shuttleworth - all 5' 9" of him

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


This week in Corrie Archie Shuttleworth popped his clogs.




Debut novel Belle of the Back Streets
Now out in hardback and e-book 


Kindle e-book just 99p until January 1st 2019 

Website: glendayoungbooks.com

Thursday, December 13, 2018

Sweets & Friends & Rock & Roll

Me with my pal Paul Dunn
This week I was invited to my local branch of Waterstone's book shop in Sunderland to sign some of the hardback copies of my debut novel Belle of the Back Streets.  I took with me a box of sweets, hoping to entice book browsers to me.

One of the lovely people who came in to see me and have their book signed was my pal Paul Dunn who came in with his wife Nessa. I love Paul and Nessa, they're crackers in the best possible way. I met them both while I was pretending to be a stuffed lion. Yes, that's how my life rolls.

Wallace the Lion at Sunderland Museum
Anyway, Paul was one of the people who was instrumental in giving me the confidence and courage to submit my novel to an agent.  Not only that, but he's written about me on his own website and if you'd like to have a look at it, it's here.

I find it very hard to blow my own trumpet and sing my own praises but I'm learning that if I don't do it, nobody else will. Well, Paul has - and I'm over the moon. Thank you, Paul.

Belle of the Back Streets has been selling so well in the Sunderland branch of Waterstone's that it made No. 5 on the store's chart of best selling books a couple of weeks ago.


And this week it shot up to joint No. 2!


It's one of the few hardback books for sale in the shop that hasn't been discounted by 50% in the way that other hardback books have, because it's selling so well, it's almost jumping off the shelves into people's hearts.

Thank you to every single person who's bought it. A million times, thank you.

More good news came this week when Belle of the Back Streets crept slowly up the ebook chart on Amazon to reach the giddy heights of No. 9 in the list of Saga novels.  That's quite some feat.





Belle of the Back Streets
Now out in hardback and e-book 


Kindle e-book just 99p until January 1st 2019 

Website: glendayoungbooks.com

Friday, December 07, 2018

Belle of the Back Streets - the audio book #amwriting #amlistening


My debut novel BELLE OF THE BACK STREETS is out as an audio book this month.

My fun Q&A interview with them is below where you can can also listen to a sample read by esteemed film, TV and stage actress Janine Birkett.

The interview and audio sample are here.

And if you'd like to, you can also read my blog post about the day I sat in on the recording of the audio book. It really was an amazing experience and one I will never forget. 

Behind the scenes at an audio book recording.




Debut novel Belle of the Back Streets
Now out in hardback and e-book 


Kindle e-book just 99p until January 1st 2019 

Website: glendayoungbooks.com


Thursday, December 06, 2018

Belle of the Back Streets in Inside Soap magazine


I'm thrilled to bits today.  My debut novel Belle of the Back Streets is in this week's edition of Inside Soap magazine in the Christmas Gift List.

What an amazing surprise! 







Debut novel Belle of the Back Streets
Now out in hardback and e-book 


Kindle e-book just 99p until January 1st 2019 

Website: glendayoungbooks.com

Monday, December 03, 2018

A response to Continuous Topography #amwriting


I'm the first person to admit I'm not a poet. I don't even try. I can't. Anyway, I like poems to rhyme.

But there was something poetic that I had to pen today.  It was in response to a digital artwork I viewed at the Northern Gallery for Contemporary Art in Sunderland. It was called 'Continuous Topography' by an artist called Dan Holdsworth and there are images of the installation here.

I sat and watched it last week and knew I had to return with my writer's head on. I did that today and here's what spilled from my pen to my blog.

Skeleton blood of a bride in a filigree shroud. 
Networks and neurons, fingerprints dusted, curdling and screaming. 
A child's head, a shark's fin on the foggiest day where mountains are moving from a plane window. 
Demons are rising, stay home and don't climb. 
The ghosts of the mountains are crying ice tears. 
Snow storm and blizzards and etch-a-sketch lines are falling and jagged and squirling. 
Ice in your veins freezes blood in your soul. 
Indigo, violet, Richard died in vain in a snow-scape where darkened, bitter earth covered moon, frozen in motion. 
Petrified forests, microscope lice, the snow bed bugs bite in caverns and grottoes. 
Snow leopards, sea lions all turn their backs. 
White wolves wait with ice in their eyes. 
White hot volcano ice lava floes. 
No-one survives.



Debut novel Belle of the Back Streets
Now out in hardback and e-book 


Kindle e-book just 99p until January 1st 2019 

Website: glendayoungbooks.com

Saturday, December 01, 2018

Corrie weekly update – Guilty! Guilty! Guilty!

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


This week in Corrie Sally was found guilty, guilty, guilty.




Debut novel Belle of the Back Streets
Now out in hardback and e-book 


Kindle e-book just 99p until January 1st 2019 

Website: glendayoungbooks.com
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