Flaming Nora: BBC, Sun FM, Inside Soap, nominated to win and Bryn's gin

Friday, November 05, 2021

BBC, Sun FM, Inside Soap, nominated to win and Bryn's gin - my writing week

With two paperback books being released within a couple of weeks of each other, my head is spinning. I've been trying to concentrate on researching my next saga, but it's proved impossible with so many other things on the go, mainly working on publicity for the two book releases. And yes, I have to do it all myself. I am exhausted. Fortunately, I have help from Claire Pickersgill at Hype That PR and can highly recommend her.

Received a wonderful surprise this week when I found out I was a finalist in the VCAS 20/20 Open Arms Awards for 2021.

You can vote for me to win here

I'm in the category of Community Culture and Arts, which is wonderful. However, I have no idea who nominated me for this award. Was it you, reading this? If so, thank you from the bottom of my heart. I can only imagine I've been nominated for this award because of the many donations of my books I've made during lockdown 2020 up to the present day. The books have been donated in large numbers, to Ryhope Community Centre for distribution around the village with afternoon teas to those self-isolating. I also regularly donate books to two local community libraries, to Saint Paul's church for their Christmas fayre and to their parish shop too. During lockdown of 2020 I also donated books to my local NHS. This nomination is a wonderful recognition of my donations, thank you so much.

My new gritty saga set in Sunderland in 1919 The Miner's Lass made front page news when it was offered in a special competition in my local newspaper, The Sunderland Echo. Readers could win a copy of the book with a bottle of gin inspired by Ryhope's mining past and four runners up won a copy of the book. All details here, although the competition has now closed.

The Miner's Lass also featured in this week's Inside Soap magazine, which was great news!

The Miner's Lass featured in my interview this week on BBC Radio Newcastle with DJ Gilly Hope.

And on Sunderland's Sun FM 103.4 with DJ Simon Grundy

And on Durham on Air radio too.

My cosy crime Murder at the Seaview Hotel has been fully supported by the people who run the Eat Me Cafe in Scarborough. If you visit them, pick up free bookmarks and postcards! Here's one of the postcards with "cream boy" one of the kitsch artworks in the cafe. It's a wonderful place.

The book launch for my cosy crime Murder at the Seaview Hotel is being held online by Zoom with some great Scarborough prizes to be won and everyone is invited! All details here.

My new gritty saga The Miner's Lass is featured on the website of the NorthEast BIC (Business and Innovation Centre). The people who work at the BIC are wonderful and have guided me every step of the way as a self-employed writer. They offer free advice, workshops, you name it, they'll give it to you - all free. Get in touch with them if you need advice. You can read the full article here.

I crafted another episode of my weekly soap opera Riverside for The People's Friend magazine. I've been writing Riverside weekly since 2016 and you can find out all about it here.