How do you imagine a writer's day to be? I always thought, perhaps hoped, it might involve lazing on a chaise longue, wearing a silk dressing gown while smoking a cigarette in one of those really long cigarette holders like Audrey Hepburn in Breakfast at Tiffany's.
Alas, a writer's life isn't like that. Or at least, mine's not, so far. But then it's early days. Perhaps I should put the chaise longue on order?
So as I'm not lying around smoking in a silk dressing gown, what the chuff am I doing with my writing life? Well, this week I was on the number eight bus to Beamish. I know, thrilling stuff.
Actually, it really is thrilling and I couldn't be happier. It was a long bus ride, all 90 minutes of it from Sunderland interchange to Beamish museum. For those who don't know Beamish, it's a world famous open air museum, telling the story of life in North East England during the 1820s, 1900s & 1940s - and it's a perfect place for researching the old way of life.
I was there this week to research my fifth novel. I've dedicated all of October to researching this book - which will be called The Paper Mill Girl. The staff and volunteers are Beamish are superb and the attention to detail in everything you see and visit is outstanding.
On my visit this week I spent some time in the Local Resource Centre where the computer desk came with the most unusual - and best ever - seat I've ever had at an office desk.
After the resource centre I wandered the cobbled streets of the pit village and the old town at Beamish. I breathed in the air, the smells, the sounds, and I watched people moving from shop to store, from one side of the street to the other. It all went in to my notebook and it'll come out in another form, somehow and some way in my novel.
Beamish have recently opened the first stage of their new development, a 1950s village. It's where the Grand Electric Cinema from Ryhope (where my books are set) will be moving, brick by brick. The welfare hall is now open and I went in for a look around. I started chatting to a chap who worked there and it turns out he's a writer too, and teaches script writing. We knew lots of people in common and had a really long natter. It was nice to meet you, Porle Miller. Visit his website here.
Beamish was just one day in a remarkable week for me. I'm fizzing with nervous energy right now as there's so much going on.
Invited to WHSmith in Newcastle to sign stock this week I was met by staff member Katie who had arranged a display on a table of my books, it was fantastic, I really was overwhelmed. Katie told me that my second novel The Tuppenny Child is 'flying off the shelves' which I'm sure is a phrase every writer loves to hear. I know I did. It's the second time this week I've been told that about this book.
While in WHSmith I met a lovely lady called Wendy Burke who is also a writer and we had a really good chat. Follow here on Twitter here.
The Tuppenny Child has been on a 'blog tour' this week too, with stunning reviews from book bloggers Tracey Shults and Amanda Oughton. In fact, Amanda's review made me cry.
Elsewhere this week, I found myself on the Nice and Easy table in Newcastle Waterstones too - with both my novels on sale - Belle of the Back Streets and The Tuppenny Child.
And now it's Friday and the week draws to a close, but not to an end. Today I'm visiting another local WHSmith to sign stock of The Tuppenny Child. And this afternoon, I'm doing more research for The Paper Mill Girl.
Tomorrow, Saturday 12 October I'm giving a talk at The Word in South Shields. It's at 2.30pm and tickets cost £2. Please come. All details are here.
A full list of all the talks I'm giving on my books can be found on my website here.
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Twitter: @Flaming_Nora
Facebook: GlendaYoungAuthor
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