Flaming Nora

COMPETITION TIME  Win a signed copy of my novel BELLE OF THE BACK STREETS , a gorgeous bar of chocolate and free bookmarks. Enter at the pinned post on my Facebook page  and Good Luck! Competition ends Tuesday 28th September 2021 at 12 noon. __ Glenda Young Twitter: @Flaming_Nora Facebook: GlendaYoungAuthor

Would you like to know more about the locations I use in my novels? I hope that if you read the book, or if you've read it already, that these pictures might give some context and background and add a bit of depth to the locations I've written about. Belle of the Back Streets  is available now in paperback, hardback, e-book and audiobook and  you can buy it here  Here we go with my top 5 favourite locations in    Albion Inn The Albion Inn is where Sally Sutcliffe works in  Belle of the Back Streets .  Sally is Meg's mam and Meg is the heroine of this book, our belle of Ryhope's streets. I created fictional Hetty and Jack Burdon to run the Albion Inn and loved the character of Hetty so much that I brought her back for almost all of my other novels where she appears as a background character. My books aren't a series, they're stand alone and can be read in any order, but some background characters like Hetty Burdon and local gossip Lil Mahone, we...

Yes, it's the end of the year and time for some reflection. Actually, I hate reflection but I've got an hour and a half to kill before a dentist appointment this morning and thought I'd write a blog post while I wait. So here are my two favourite book reviews that I received this year. Honest and to the point. No faffing, no chatting, these reviews just tells it like it is. Both reviews were for Belle of the Back Streets , my debut novel. __ Glenda Young Author of historical novels with Headline Twitter: @Flaming_Nora Facebook: GlendaYoungAuthor

COMPETITION TIME!  Enter to win a personalised, signed copy of BELLE OF THE BACK STREETS.  The book prize comes with a bookmark and postcard plus a lovely box of chocolates!  Deadline for entries is 5pm on Friday 10th May 2019. Good luck! Enter at  https://www.facebook.com/GlendaYoungAuthor/ Glenda Young Author:  Belle of the Back Streets Find out all about my gritty saga novels, published by Headline

Frost magazine have interviewed me for a feature called A Day In The Life.  It's focused on my writing life so there are details about an hour-long coffee break and lots of lovely biscuits. It also tells you a little of my writing schedule and how I try (but don't often win at) being disciplined when working from home. It's a good, fun read and it's here. You might also like to read Frost magazine's review of my debut novel Belle of the Back Streets. It's here . Debut novel  Belle of the Back Streets Now out in  paperback, hardback, audiobook and e-book

Woman  magazine is one that my mam used to read when I was growing up.  And today I'm in it!  Well, Belle of the Back Streets is ... and they've listed my debut novel as This Week's Hot Read.   I am absolutely over the moon! Debut novel  Belle of the Back Streets Now out in  paperback, hardback, audiobook and e-book

Belle of the Back Streets went on a Blog Tour in early March 2019 during the week of the paperback launch.  I've never been on a Blog Tour before - but then again, I've never had a novel published before either, so this has been a very steep learning curve for me. Anyway, the Blog Tour went very well. The reviews were stunning and I was very moved by the book bloggers' words. Below are links to each of the reviews and I do recommend reading each one. With thanks to my publishers at Headline and Anne Cater for arranging this. Ann Cater:  #BookBlogger at Random Things Through my Letterbox. Book Reviews for the Daily Express. Blog Tour Organiser for authors & publishers . Here then, is the tour schedule and I've included a snippet from each review below to entice you to read on. Day 1:  Northern Reader "Tragedy, grim events and so many challenges ... immensely readable and difficult to put down when you have become involved with the characters. ...

Last night was one of the most amazing nights of my life and one I will never forget. It was the book launch for my debut novel Belle of the Back Streets .  The book is set in Ryhope, the northeast coal mining village I grew up in, in 1919 and follows the life of Meg, a young girl who takes on her dad's rag and bone round. The launch was held in The Albion Inn on Ryhope village green as the pub features in the book a lot. I'd booked a buffet for thirty people some time ago, and then spent weeks worrying that there'd be far too much food for the half dozen or so people who might turn up. And how many turned up in the end? Well, let's put it this way... there wasn't enough food to go around and although I know I bought 24 cakes, and I think I remember seeing them... they didn't hang around long and I missed out on eating one. But don't they look great? Not only did I underestimate how many people would turn up, I also didn't take enough b...

I'm having a bit of a day today, the launch of my debut novel Belle of the Back Streets in paperback. Too poorly, with a bad cold that's knocked me for six, to travel to BBC Radio Newcastle for a planned interview today.  Fortunately, the lovely people there let me do the interview by phone but it was a real effort to sound "up" when I was snivelling and shivering and trying not to sneeze. Tonight it's the book launch and I'm having to rest up all day on the sofa to reserve any energy I have got for the bash tonight. An afternoon nap will be in order. There's been some terrific reviews of Belle of the Back Streets so far. Another went live today on Frost magazine by writer Tracy Baines.  It's well worth a read. Debut novel  Belle of the Back Streets Now out in paperback, hardback, audiobook and e-book

My debut novel Belle of the Back Streets is published in paperback this week on Thursday 7 March 2019 - World Book Day. Women Writers website asked me to write a blog post about my love of soap opera and how (or if) it's influenced my writing, especially my debut novel. It's a cracking read - and it's here if you'd like to read it Debut novel  Belle of the Back Streets Now out in hardback, audiobook and e-book Paperback released March 7 2019  .

I woke this morning to a review of my debut novel Belle of the Back Streets  in The Fleetwood Weekly News. And it's just about made me cry. Here is just a little bit of the review and you can read it in full at The Fleetwood Weekly News website. Debut novel  Belle of the Back Streets Now out in hardback, audiobook and e-book Paperback released March 7 2019 

I'm delighted to announce that my debut novel Belle of the Back Streets  is going on a 'blog tour' beginning Monday 4th March.  The novel is released in paperback on Thursday 7th March and you can order it here if you'd like to. Blog tours are a new thing for me. I'd never heard of them until a few months ago, but they sound a great idea for book bloggers to review books and share them online.  Hopefully, the book bloggers on the tour will enjoy Belle of the Back Streets - but I have to admit, I'm a little bit nervous of reading their reviews. So far, Belle   has received 65 x 5* reviews on Amazon and over 270 ratings on Goodreads, mainly 5* and 4*.  There are a few 3* reviews there, even 1* too.  It doesn't upset me to get a 'bad' review of one star, as everyone is entitled to their own opinion, but it does make me curious. I want to know exactly why the reviewer didn't like it, I'm truly interested to find out and if anything I lea...

My debut novel Belle of the Back Streets is released on Thursday March 7th in paperback. It's a hugely special day for a paperback release, being World Book Day (as if I wasn't excited enough!). The book stars a young girl called Meg who takes on her dad's rag and bone round in a northeast coal mining village in 1919. Of course, Meg doesn't do it on her own. She has a whole host of people helping - and hindering - her throughout the story. She also has a horse and a dog. The horse is called Stella and the dog is called Spot. The book describes Spot as a skinny white dog, part Dalmatian and part something else, but no-one is sure quite what. In honour of the animals in Belle of the Back Streets, twice a week after the release I'll be posting a picture of a dog to my social media profiles as follows: Twitter: @flaming_nora Instagram: @flaming_nora Facebook Author Page: GlendaYoungAuthor The pictures will be going live on Wednesday and Friday mornings w...

I'm going to be in Waterstones Sunderland (in The Bridges shopping centre) signing copies of the paperback version of BELLE OF THE BACK STREETS - and you're invited to come along.  It's Saturday March 9 from 11am to 2pm. All details here. If you can't make it to my book signing but would like to perhaps come along to the book launch or a talk I'm giving on the book or come to my book signing, all my events  are listed on my website here. Debut novel Belle of the Back Streets Now out in hardback, audiobook and e-book Pre-order paperback, released March 7 2019  Kindle e-book just £1.99   Website:  glendayoungbooks.com

I'm having a book launch when the paperback version of BELLE OF THE BACK STREETS is released in March- and you're invited.  Yes, you, sitting there reading this. You're invited to the book launch which will be held on Thursday March 7 at 6pm in the Albion Inn, Ryhope Village Green, Ryhope, Sunderland. That's the Albion above, an imposing pub on the corner of the village green in Ryhope, where my novel is set. The Albion features heavily in the book too, the reason I'm holding the book launch there.  If you can make it and you'd like to come, you'll be very welcome indeed. The facebook event is here. If you can't make it to my book launch but would like to perhaps come along to a talk I'm giving on the book or come to my book signing, all my events are listed on my website here. Debut novel Belle of the Back Streets Now out in hardback, audiobook and e-book Pre-order paperback, released March 7 2019  Kindle e-book just £1.99...