Flaming Nora

I'm taking a holiday in Andalucia Spain after months of researching the history of female factory workers in a sweets factory. This is for my trilogy of novels The Toffee Factory Girls , the first will be published by Headline next year.  See http://bit.ly/ToffeeFactoryGirls   Imagine my surprise on holiday to walk into a cafe called La Antequerana , only to find it was once a sweet-making factory.  Pictures on the walls celebrate the heritage of the women who worked there. This was at exactly the same time as I've been researching. La Antequerana is a wonderful place and well worth a visit if you're ever in the lovely Spanish town of Antequera. This beautiful señora below adorns the tins and boxes of sweets, just as the image of Dainty Dinah adorns the tins of toffees I'm writing about in my Toffee Factory Girls trilogy.  These books are inspired by the old Dainty Dinah brand and the now demolished Horner's toffee factory in Chester le Street, County Durham. We a...

I'm absolutely over the moon to announce that I have WON the short story prize in this year's Hastings Book Festival short story competition. My story was about a young girl, on a difficult, emotional holiday with her father after her mum has recently died. It was called 'My Imaginary Friend, David Bowie.' What an honour.  I am beside myself with joy.

Want to hear my attempt at Italian to celebrate the launch of my Scarborough cosy crime starring 12 Elvis impersonators (Twelvis!) 'Murder at the Seaview Hotel' as it's released in ITALIAN with a brand new cover on September 19 with Newton Compton? Here I am. Be warned... it's my first ever attempt at speaking Italian.  With thanks to the book's translator Eleonora Motta for help. __ Glenda Young Twitter: @Flaming_Nora Facebook: GlendaYoungAuthor Website: GlendaYoungBooks.com

Enter to win a signed copy of your choice of one of my historical sagas. Deadline for competition is Friday 27 October 2023 at 5pm. Winner will be announced on this website.  Good luck, everyone!  UK entrants only.   Loading… __ Glenda Young Twitter:  @Flaming_Nora Facebook:  GlendaYoungAuthor Website:  GlendaYoungBooks.com

This week I've been planning and plotting my second in The Toffee Factory Girls trilogy and am just about ready to write. I've written up chapter plans (a few sentences for each) which will keep me on the right track and means I never have to face a blank screen when I sit down to write. Popped into Sunderland Waterstones this week to find my Scarborough cosy crime Curtain Call at the Seaview Hotel on the list of books the staff are reading. What a joy. Also this week, back to The Toffee Factory Girls trilogy, as I read the page proofs from the publisher. There's still a little way to go before the proofs can be sent off to print.  I will share the cover as soon as I can. Amazing news received this week as I'm a finalist in the Wear Businesswomen Awards 2023 in the category of Inspiring Others.  There's a big awards bash in October to which I'm invited. What an honour. And this week my third Scarborough cosy crime was launched in ebook and hardback. It's ...

It's publication day for my new cosy crime novel, FOUL PLAY AT THE SEAVIEW HOTEL published by Headline.  A murderer plays a killer game when a team of obsessive crazy golfers arrive at Helen Dexter's Seaview Hotel to compete in a tournament held in the seaside town.  The ruthless team captain aims to win by fair means or foul... then the rival team captain is murdered.  It's the third in the Seaview Hotel series of books, which were shortlisted for Best New Crime Series in the Dead Good Readers Awards 2022 with Richard Osman and Val McDermid at Harrogate International Crime Festival.   Order your copy at bit.ly/FoulPlayAtTheSeaviewHotel __ Glenda Young Twitter: @Flaming_Nora Facebook: GlendaYoungAuthor Website: GlendaYoungBooks.com

Congratulations go to Irene Smale who has been drawn as the winner of this month's competition to win a signed book and a bar of chocolate.  Irene has chosen to win a signed copy of Belle of the Back Streets and it'll be on its way to her very soon. Thank you to everyone who entered. Keep your eyes peeled for a new competition starting soon and sign up to my newsletter so that you don't miss out on any competitions and special giveaways! - Sign up here __ Glenda Young Twitter: @Flaming_Nora Facebook: GlendaYoungAuthor Website: GlendaYoungBooks.com

I'm honoured (plus shocked and slightly scared) to say that I've been shortlisted in the Wear Businesswomen Awards 2023.  I'm shortlisted in the category of Inspiring Others.  What an honour this is. It was a surprise nomination too.   I'm over the moon! __ Glenda Young Twitter: @Flaming_Nora Facebook: GlendaYoungAuthor Website: GlendaYoungBooks.com

This week has been a very busy week as I gear up for the launch of my new cosy crime next week in ebook and hardback. I had an article published about my upcoming cosy crime set in Scarborough - Foul Play at the Seaview Hotel. This was in the Crime Writers Association newsletter, Readers News. I visited relatives in Harrogate and now the Waterstones branch in Harrogate has signed copies of two of my Scarborough cosy crimes. My author newsletter was posted for this month. Would you like to read it? It's here! Also this week I've locked myself away for a few days in the University of Sunderland library to read. And read, and read. This is the book I always use to run my plots, research and synopsis through before I begin planning a novel. This time it's the second in the trilogy of The Toffee Factory Girls books. I had a FANASTIC morning recording an episode of the Rebel Women podcast with Grace (left) and Lottie (centre) of We Make Culture. It was amazing and I'm still ...

Today, I tried twice to put the Facebook app back on my phone.  And twice I decided against it. A few months ago I realised Facebook was deeply affecting my moods. Once I knew and understood what was happening I removed Facebook from my phone. I removed Twitter too, because Elon Musk has ruined any pleasure I used to receive when using it. Without my two favourite social media apps on my phone I've been twitchy, a sure sign I was finding the addiction hard to live without. But I persevered and now only use Facebook and Twitter via browser while on my laptop or PC. I mainly do this to keep my author page updated and free of the increasing spam.  However I've been feeling unwanted and lonely without the constant stream of updates, pictures, likes and comments from hundreds of 'friends' (most of whom I barely know; many of whom I'd avoid in real life).   And so today I bit the bullet and downloaded Facebook to re-install on my phone. It was there, ready for me to ...

This week I spent two days in York in the Rowntree Mackintosh toffee archives, and it was wonderful. I was there to research about the history of toffee making during WW1. This research is for the second in the trilogy of my novels The Toffee Factory Girls. You can pre-order the first book which will be published in February 2024, it's here at bit.ly/ToffeeFactoryGirls I was also invited to cut the ribbon and officially open the extension to a local bookshop, who has doubled in size! Featherbed Books celebrated their 1st anniversary by opening a new part of their bookshop, and I was invited to officially open it. What a day. What a great event with lots of loyal customers turning up for cakes and drinks and friendly chat. Nicole and her mum Stephanie run the shop in Houghton-le-Spring. What an honour it was to open the new part of the shop. Also this week I was shortlisted in the Hastings Book Festival short story competition. You can read a list of the shortlisted entries here. Th...