Flaming Nora: Looking back in 2020 vision

Wednesday, December 16, 2020

Looking back in 2020 vision - My writing year

It's time to look back at my writing year of 2020. It's important to me to write these blog posts as a reminder of what I've done as I tend to take my skills for granted. And also, if I don't make a song and dance about my achievements, no-one else will. Have trumpet, will blow!

And so, here we go. As well as all of the achievements listed below, each week I write my soap opera Riverside for The People's Friend magazine. I've also written short stories which have been published in women's magazines including The People's Friend and The People's Friend Fiction Special, My Weekly and Take a Break's Fiction Feast.

As for writing achievements this year so far, here we go!

Interviewed on the Women's Magazine Writers Blog.

Sharon Marshall, soaps queen at ITV's This Morning, said my novels were 'amazing'

I was featured in The Guardian - Corrie changed my life!

Interviewed on BBC Radio Newcastle about my novel Pearl of Pit Lane.

Full-page feature about my novels in The Northern Echo.

March (before lockdown)

Pearl of Pit Lane published in paperback on March 7, World Book Day

Visited Ryhope St. Paul's CE School to talk to each class about my novels set in Ryhope. This was March 7, World Book Day. I dressed up as Meg from my debut novel Belle of the Back Streets.

Pearl of Pit Lane book launch at Waterstone's, Sunderland

Pearl of Pit Lane book launch at National Glass Centre, Sunderland

Interviewed on SUN FM radio about my novel Pearl of Pit Lane.

March (after lockdown)

Coronavirus caused all my author events to be cancelled - so this is what I did instead

Was interviewed on BBC Radio 4 Woman's Hour about my gritty novels set in a northeast coalmining village in 1919. Jane Garvey said I was 'Such a good writer; fantastic' and my novels were 'Real sagas with female characters right at the heart'.

Wrote my 6th novel for Headline, set in the coalmining village of Ryhope, where I was born and bred, and set in 1919

Worked with Ryhope Florists to offer my Ryhope-set novels with their bouquets for Mother's Day, which proved hugely popular.

Reading my novels was listed in my local newspaper The Sunderland Echo as one of the most mackem things to do during lockdown

Featured on the FemaleFirst website with 5 things I want my reader to know and 5 things I don't

Interviewed by The Guardian about writing in lockdown.

Won the Evesham Festival of Words Short Story Award 2020 with my short story The Fan Club Man.

Was featured in my local newspaper The Sunderland Echo in my pinny.

My Weekly magazine celebrated their 110th anniversary and I was given a special mention.

Set up my YouTube channel and, gulp, recorded myself speaking about my books.

Was asked by two local libraries to record online author talks to replace the talks I was due to give this summer.

Had two short stories longlisted, one in the University of Essex prize and one in the Limnisa prize.

Was interviewed online by TripFiction website about place and setting for my novels.

Invited to be the featured author on Saturday Book Chat.

My author interview with Medina Bookshop.

Facebook live interview with The People's Friend magazine.

Online author talk for Sunderland Libraries Literature Festival.

My novels became available in large print for the first time.

Interviewed on BBC Radio York on the Bek by the Sea show about my love of Scarborough and why I set my new novel The Girl with the Scarlet Ribbon there.

Interviewed on BBC Radio Newcastle and BBC York about my new novel The Girl with the Scarlet Ribbon

As "Sunderland's best-selling author" I signed copies of my new novel The Girl with the Scarlet Ribbon for Waterstone's Sunderland (under strict covid rules).

Featured in University of Sunderland news

Commissioned to write a short story for The People's Friend 2020 very special feel-good magazine

The Sunderland Echo ran a competition to win copies of my novel The Girl with the Scarlet Ribbon

The Girl with the Scarlet Ribbon reaches number 13 in The Bookseller's Hetseeker's Chart

The Girl with the Scarlet Ribbon featured in My Weekly magazine, the Peterborough Telegraph, Inside Soap magazine

Lovely long feature interview with me about using Scarborough as a location in my novel The Girl with the Scarlet Ribbon in Whitby Gazette, Yorkshire Evening Post, Scarborough News.

Author interview and feature in Sunderland Vibe magazine.

Write an article on the setting of Scarborough in my novels for Books by Women

Wrote an article on my writing process for Frost Magazine

Radio interview with BBC Tees on becoming a writer and how writing about Coronation Street changed my life.

The Girl with the Scarlet Ribbon featured in The People's Friend magzine.

The Paper Mill Girl is published in hardback, ebook and audiobook. Paperback is out March 2021.

I signed up to the #SignForOurBookshops initiative.

Longlisted in the Exeter Story Prize.

Cosy crime short story included in the My Weekly Annual 2021.

I've signed two new contracts with publisher Headline to write more sagas set in Ryhope in 1919 and also to write three cosy crimes set in a Scarborough B&B. All details here.

The Paper Mil Girl previewed in The Bookseller magazine for their March 2021 fiction releases.

The Paper Mil Girl featured in Headline's publishing highlights for 2021.

My sagas and cosy crime news celebrated in The Sunderland Echo.

Interviewed on BBC Scotland about being a writer and how Coronation Street changed my life.

Full-page spread and featured in The Mirror about being a writer and how Coronation Street changed my life.

TripFiction run a competition to win three copies of The Girl with the Scarlet Ribbon.

Sunderland Vibe run a competition to win a copy of The Girl with the Scarlet Ribbon

My novels included on the list of Best Mackem Christmas gifts in The Sunderland Echo

Continuing to conquer my fear of public speaking, I set up a Youtube channel to chat about the heroines in my books.

The Girl with the Scarlet Ribbon given a glowing review in North East Lifestyle magazine

I celebrate 60 years of Coronation Street with a commissioned article for The People's Friend magazine