Flaming Nora: Sweets & Friends & Rock & Roll

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.