Flaming Nora

The weeks leading to Christmas always feel like the calm before the storm. And what a storm it will be, because when the New Year turns I'll be knee deep in research for a couple of months then writing my next historical saga. More on that later on, down the page! First off this week, I'm very proud to announce that I'm sponsoring a creative writing course at Sunderland Women's Centre. It begins in January and if you're interested in joining, follow them for the announcement via their Facebook page. This week there's a new competition to win a signed copy of Deadly Dancing at the Seaview Hotel. Enter here. And the winner of last month's competition was announced. Was it you? Find out here! And so to the quiet before the storm I mentioned earlier.  I'm planning my synopsis and research schedule, with the help of the Mackem Cewk Bewk. (That's the Sunderland Cook Book!). Intriguing, yes! I gave a talk at Birtley Library on my Toffee Factory Girls book...

Enter to win a signed copy of my new cosy crime Deadly Dancing at the Seaview Hotel.  Deadline for entries is Friday 19 December 2025 at 5pm. Good luck!   Loading… __ Glenda Young X:  @Flaming_Nora BlueSky:  @Glenda Young Facebook:  GlendaYoungAuthor Website:  GlendaYoungBooks.com

Congratulations go to Diane Boncey who was drawn at random from all correct entries to win a Toffee Treat and two signed Toffee Factory Girls books. Well done, Diane! Thank you to everyone who entered.  Find out more about The Toffee Factory Girls books here. __ Glenda Young X:  @Flaming_Nora BlueSky:  @Glenda Young Facebook:  GlendaYoungAuthor Website:  GlendaYoungBooks.com

This week the first copies of my new cosy crime Deadly Dancing at the Seaview Hotel  arrived from my publisher. They have the quote from Strictly Come Dancing's Anton du Beke on the front too! These are advance copies, needed in time for the book launch in Scarborough on December 5th. If you'd like to come, please book your ticket here. There'll be cakes, cocktails and glitterballs! It's going to be a fun day. I'll be in Chester-le-Street for two book signings in December, one of which is at Boyes Stores on Front Street. Thank you to In and around mag for including details in their new edition which you can read online at https://inandaroundmag.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2025/11/InA-Nov-Dec-25_Online-1.pdf Thank you  to The Sunderland Echo for including my novels on this wonderful list!  https://www.sunderlandecho.com/news/people/shop-local-guide-18-ideal-sunderland-gifts-to-give-a-mackem-this-christmas-5407694 Honoured to have my novels on sale in Ryhope's new (a...

I’m a self-confessed Strictly nut. I follow the stars and dancers on social media. I watch Tango on TikTok, gather dance intelligence on Instagram, follow the Foxtrot on Strictly’s Facebook feed and learn about the Paso Doble via podcast. Not only have I never missed a show of Strictly in all of its years, but I’ve also watched every single episode of It Takes Two. Oh, and I listen to radio programmes and podcasts about it. In fact, if anything in the media mentions Strictly, I’m on to it, faster than a foxtrot.   I think you might be starting to get the idea just how jangled up in jive and wrapped up in waltz I am about the show. If I’m away from home when Strictly season starts, it’s a must that the hotel I’m staying at can get BBC, just in case my phone gives up.  I’ve even watched the show in Spanish bars and on holiday in Lanzarote lounges. Did I already tell you that I never miss a show? Nothing and no-one comes between Strictly and me. Woe betide them if they did. ...

This week I've been working in Scarborough, which is my happy place on the Yorkshire coast. It's where I set my cosy crimes. I was there to give a talk to a group called The Scalby Wives, who were nowhere as scary as they sound.  Feedback was remarkable. "Everyone thoroughly enjoyed your talk. You have been one of our most popular speakers for a long time." Not bad for someone who wouldn't say boo to a goose before becoming an author!  They followed up my talk with a piece in The Scarborough News, below. While I was in Scarborough, my local newspaper at home, The Sunderland Echo ran an article about me and my books and they have a competition to win a copy of my latest Scarborough cosy crime, Deadly Dancing at the Seaview Hotel . You can read the article here . I made front page news, too! In Scarborough, on a cold and wet day, I called into Waterstones where there was a warm welcome. Many thanks to the Scarborough bookseller for being my third hand in holding my ...

There's a competition running on The Sunderland Echo website to win 1 of 3 signed copies of my new Scarborough cosy crime, Deadly Dancing at the Seaview Hotel. Read the article on the Echo website to find out what Strictly Come Dancing judge Anton du Beke has to say about the book too! It's all here. __ Glenda Young X:  @Flaming_Nora BlueSky:  @Glenda Young Facebook:  GlendaYoungAuthor Website:  GlendaYoungBooks.com

Over the last few months I've been taking a well-earned and well-deserved break from writing  books. I need this time to settle my mind, as writing really takes it out of you and can batter your mental health if you're not careful.  Believe me, I'm very careful!   It's a fine line between loving what you do for a living and falling into a deep hole of it because you love it so much, only to find that it's a struggle to get out.  So, I've been taking a long break from writing books, although there's a lot more going on in the meantime. This week I was invited to speak to a new book club at Easington Lane Community Access Point (ELCAP).  They meet in the community hall, originally built as the Miner's Hall. And the book they're reading first is my novel The Miner's Lass.  Find out more about ELCAP here . I worked at two Christmas fayres this week, supporting great causes. The first was Ryhope Saint Paul's Church and the second was Saint Bened...