Competition: Enter to win Secrets of the Toffee Factory Girls with a box of toffee

Would you like to win a signed hardback copy of Secrets of the Toffee Factory Girls, plus a box of Toffifee toffee?  Be in with a chance to win by entering the competition below and answering correctly. All correct entries will go into a draw and a winner drawn at random.

UK entries only, please.

Deadline for entries is Friday 18 July 2025 at 5pm. Winner will be announced on this blog.

Good luck, everyone!

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Glenda Young

X: @Flaming_Nora

BlueSky: @Glenda Young

Facebook: GlendaYoungAuthor

Website: GlendaYoungBooks.com

Head down, hard work, getting stuck in - my writing week

This week I've had my head down and have been hard at work writing cosy crime number five. There's been a lot happening in the background, though!

My novel Secrets of the Toffee Factory Girls was featured in this week's The People's Friend magazine and given a sterling review.

My toffee factory girls books were given their own table in Sunderland Waterstones, which cheered me up no end. "Beloved local author" they call me - yup, I'll take it, thank you!

And I love it when readers send me pictures like this. Bought and read the book in Scarborough then took a photo of the cover shot too. Smashing. 

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.

I also kept the Coronation Street Blog ticking over with news and editing the team of 16 bloggers. 

Sign up to receive my free, monthly email newsletter with competitions, events and news 

__

Glenda Young

X: @Flaming_Nora

BlueSky: @Glenda Young

Facebook: GlendaYoungAuthor

Website: GlendaYoungBooks.com

BBC, Boyes and Books - my writing week

This week started with a bang! 

Monday morning saw me in the news not once, but twice. I was on the BBC website, read it all here.

And in The Scarborough News. Read it all here.

I did two events this week, a book signing at Featherbed Books indie book shop in Houghton-le-Spring

And at the remarkable Fru Fru and Friends gift shop and cafe in Sunderland.

I also sent out my author newsletter for June, with two competitions in it to win signed books and toffee. Read it online here.

And a book signing at Boyes store in Chester-le-Street which was a lovely and friendly event.

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.

I also kept the Coronation Street Blog ticking over with news and editing the team of 16 bloggers. 

Sign up to receive my free, monthly email newsletter with competitions, events and news 

__

Glenda Young

X: @Flaming_Nora

BlueSky: @Glenda Young

Facebook: GlendaYoungAuthor

Website: GlendaYoungBooks.com

What a Whirlwind! - my writing week

What a week! My feet have hardly touched the floor.  It was book launch week and I held the book launch on Saturday 24 May at the Lambton Arms pub in Chester-le-Street with cakes from Lucky Button cakes.

And the participation of Chester-le-Street heritage group. It was a fantastic day!

Here's a picture of me next to some of the exhibition organised by the heritage group.

And a picture of local florist Nicola from Pretty Busy Blooms with her daughter.

And a picture of councillor Tracie Smith, who is a huge support to me and my books.

And then a group of ladies stayed at Scarborough's Spa Chalet, they're a book group reading Murder at the Seaview Hotel. The owners of the chalet prepped it Elvis-style for the book and they sent me these wonderful pictures.

My new novel was spotted in supermarkets next to the legend that is Catherine Cookson, what an honour.

And I took a couple of  days holiday to Northumberland where my books were on the shelves at the astounding Barter Books shop in Alnwick.

A book review made its way to Yours magazine, woohoo!

And to the Peterborough Telegraph too.

There's a competition to win a signed copy with Trip Fiction, enter 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.

I also kept the Coronation Street Blog ticking over with news and editing the team of 16 bloggers. 

Sign up to receive my free, monthly email newsletter with competitions, events and news 

__

Glenda Young

X: @Flaming_Nora

BlueSky: @Glenda Young

Facebook: GlendaYoungAuthor

Website: GlendaYoungBooks.com

Publication day, traders, talks and toffees - My Writing Week

This week was publication week for Secrets of the Toffee Factory Girls.  It's now in Asda, Morrisons, Tesco, Waterstones, WHSmith, online and all good bookshops. Want a signed copy? Get in touch here.

The launch has been supported amazingly well by local traders in Chester-le-Street. 

Pretty Busy Blooms decorated their shop and window display to support the book and even dressed up her daughter as Dainty Dinah (the brand of toffee).  

The Crafty Gift Shop in Chester-le-Street also decorated their window display.

And there's a 3 day free exhibition all about the toffee factory and Dainty Dinah toffee by the Chester-le-Street heritage group which runs in The Lambton Arms hotel on Front Street in the town from Thurs 22 to Sat 24 May.  

I'll be there all day Saturday selling my books and there are free cakes for the first 50 books sold. Cakes are made by local baker Lucky Button Cakes.

I sent out a publication day newsletter to all of my subscribers which contains a competition to win a signed book with toffees. Find out more at https://glendayoungbooks.com/so/10PQBwevu?languageTag=en

Also this week, as if a book launch wasn't exciting enough, I began writing Cosy Crime 5 set in Scarborough, this is published in 2026.  Wish me luck!

And I had a short story published called The Toffee Factory Girl, in Woman's Weekly magazine.

Broke my golden rule of no evening talks last night as the audience had strong connections to the toffee factory in my novels. After the talk I was inundated with people telling me it was the best talk they'd ever had! Reading these comments makes it all worthwhile.

My local newspaper The Sunderland Echo featured my new book Secrets of the Toffee Factory Girls and ran a competition to win a signed copy. Read it all 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.

I also kept the Coronation Street Blog ticking over with news and editing the team of 16 bloggers. 

Sign up to receive my free, monthly email newsletter with competitions, events and news 
__

Glenda Young

X: @Flaming_Nora

BlueSky: @Glenda Young

Facebook: GlendaYoungAuthor

Website: GlendaYoungBooks.com
__

Glenda Young

X: @Flaming_Nora

BlueSky: @Glenda Young

Facebook: GlendaYoungAuthor

Website: GlendaYoungBooks.com