Happy Summer! We sincerely hope this issue finds you cool and comfy. We have a variety of new reads and stories just for you, so grab your favourite cold drink, pull up a hammock, and enjoy!

Occasionally, the Readers' News may be so feature packed that some email clients cut it off. Don't worry! You can always read the Readers' News online here.

I had always wanted to be a writer, but it wasn’t until 2006 that I took the plunge. I saw an ad for a Creative Writing course with the Open University, an institution that I already held in great esteem. After successfully completing the course, I realised that writing was no longer a dream; it was something I could achieve and so I wrote my first book. The writing itself was no problem but finding a publisher definitely was. I know I’m not alone when I say that constant rebuttals, however kindly worded, are very discouraging. But I am not one to let go of a dream. After a while I decided that if no-one would accept my submissions then I would publish my books myself. 

And this is what I have been doing successfully for the last twenty years, while still hankering for a publisher to take me on. Then everything changed. At the end of last year, after chatting to a fellow member of the Society of Authors, I heard that Vinci Books, a fairly new publisher, were accepting submissions and decided to contact them.

Like many other writers these days I receive a barrage of scam emails on a daily basis. So my first reaction when they told me they were interested in publishing my books, all of them, was ‘This is too good to be true.’ ‘Is this a scam?’ I checked on the internet and the company seemed to be legitimate. I sent the contract to the very helpful and knowledgeable Society of Authors, I even asked the publisher who was in contact with me if we could have a zoom call, just so I could see her. Everything seemed to be genuine. In the end I decided to take the plunge and sign the contract, but I still couldn’t quite believe that after all this time, my dream was coming true. I would be able to dedicate myself to writing, editing and producing a final manuscript. The rest was down to the publisher. One of the things which really pleased me was that my editor wasn’t going to change; I would still be able to work with her. After almost twenty years we have formed a close bond and she has had a very productive influence on my writing.

So the contract was signed and then I decided to tell the wonderful people who for many years had helped me navigate the self-publishing world. I contacted my cover designer first, to let her know that in future Vinci Books would be designing my covers. Imagine my surprise when she replied full of congratulations and informed me that it was an excellent move; she knew lots of the people who worked there and was certain that I would fit in well. Right! Maybe I should have spoken to her first!

Read more about Joan and her books here.

Not An Excuse by Joan Fallon is available now from Vinci Books. You can purchase it here.

Nowadays, Christmastime is supposed to be all fun and frivolity, and it was the same in the court of Queen Elizabeth I (1558-1603). The Twelve Days of Christmas lasted from 24 December to 5 January, and every day featured a special feast or activity. There were games, pageants, heaps of fantastic food and hours of beautiful music.

However…not everything was jolly and bright.

In Grave Merriment, the fourth book in my Tudor mystery series, the queen’s lady-in-waiting, Catrin Surovell, must penetrate a maze of scent clues left for her in perfume bottles. Each bottle is left at a scene of disaster that threatens the festive season and the queen’s reputation. But that’s not all: Lady Catrin is also tasked to find a brute who is terrorising the young waifs and cutpurses of London. She soon discovers that he aims to tear apart the delicate web of the economy of London, and set himself up as a rich nobleman…and perhaps a king.

Are the two villains working together? And will Lady Catrin find out who they are in time to save a life?

I have studied Tudor England for thirty-five years, and still it is endlessly surprising. More and more information is available now about Tudor food, clothing and pastimes. It is now possible to comb through more information than ever before about the events (great and small) that affected the people of that time. Best of all, the personalities of Tudor people are always fascinating, and that is why I combine fictional folk with their real-life counterparts. It allows me to explore how they would have reacted to the complicated stories and troubles that I bring to the queen’s court. That is what really brings the story to life.

Read more about Angela and her books here.

Grave Merriment by Angela Ranson is available now from Sapere Books. You can purchase it here.

One of the first things I did when I emigrated to the UK was to join a handful of writers’ organisations. I wanted to make professional connections in my new country, but more than that, I wanted to make friends with other writers. Picking up and moving to a different country is difficult, especially as an adult. It’s hard to let go of a network that was decades in the making, and I wanted to start building my new network as quickly as possible.

A few years passed, and some of those organisations led to new connections. Most didn’t. I was on the verge of letting my membership in the most expensive of the clubs lapse, when I saw a tiny advert at the back of the members’ publication. They were looking for a membership coordinator.

I recognised this was one of those ‘sliding doors’ moments—like when I made that first, scary overture to the person who would later become my partner. I thought, ‘Either I could let this pass, or I could give it a try and see where it goes.’ 

That was 2021, and since then I’ve joined that group’s Board, taken on the role of Comms Manager, and have become the editor of this very publication! I’ve made loads of friends, learned (sometimes the hard way) an entire toolbox of new skills, and had barrels of fun. And I like to think I’ve done some good for our organisation and its members in the process.

If you’ve joined a group for writers or for anyone else, and you’re wondering what you’re doing there, instead of quietly leaving, why not lean in? Join a committee. Volunteer your skills. Run for office, if it’s that type of group. If you see a need, propose a solution. And if the role you’d be perfect for doesn’t exist, why not offer to create it?

You may surprise yourself. You may surprise the world. The results may not be quite what you were expecting—they may actually be much better. But if you don’t try, you’ll never know. My partner and I have been together for nearly 25 years, btw.

So get involved.

After all, what do you have to lose?

Learn more about Jess and her books here.

Shadow of Justice by Jess Faraday is available now from Blind Eye Books. You can purchase the ebook here and the paperback here.

A new website is celebrating the links between crime writing and Kirkcudbright and the wider Dumfries and Galloway area by drawing attention to events and the publication of new books.

Kirkcudbright’s link with crime writing stretches back to the 1931 novel Five Red Herrings, written by best-selling crime writer Dorothy L Sayers, in which her legendary investigator Lord Peter Wimsey investigates the murder of a local artist.

The area in South West Scotland has a track record for promoting crime writing and the website will build into a guide to events including talks and book launches, give details of books published by authors who either live in the area or set their stories in it, as well as featuring articles of interest.

The site can be found at www.kirkcudbrightcrimewriting.com and has been created by Chris Walker, owner of the Selkirk Arms Hotel in the town and local crime novelists Ian Robinson and John Dean. They work with a range of local authors, organisations, bookshops and publishers.

Chris said: “The area has all sorts of literary offerings and crime fiction is part of it. More and more people are visiting to enjoy the events, which can only be good for the local economy. It’s very exciting.”

Ian said: “Dumfries and Galloway is rich in creative culture and home to a number of crime writers. I love the region so much that I set my latest series here. I see this website as a central hub, a place to connect with readers through local events and explore the wonderful world of crime fiction.”

John said: “Dumfries and Galloway has a strong connection with crime writing and the website helps promote the work being done to promote the genre in the area.”

Chris, Ian and John have organised a weekend crime writing workshop at the Selkirk Arms. The authors and Dea Parkin, one of the genre’s most respected editors, will help authors develop their craft when the four-star hotel in High Street hosts a residential weekend of events between November 27-29, 2026.

Entitled Crime Fiction at the Selkirk Arms, the event will begin on the Friday evening when those taking part will have an opportunity to talk to Dea, Ian and John, who will join them for dinner in an event called Supper and Sleuthing. The Friday night dinner will be followed by a short talk delivered by Dea, ending with a question and answer session with Dea, Ian and John.

This will be followed by a weekend crime writing workshop led by Dea, with sessions on Saturday morning, Saturday afternoon and Sunday morning, covering topics as diverse as the craft of crime writing to how to impress agents and publishers.

The price for the weekend, which includes accommodation, meals and the workshops, is £315pp. Places are limited to 16 and can be booked at The Selkirk Arms HotelHigh Street, Kirkcudbright DG6 4JG Tel: 01557 330402 Website: http://www.selkirkarmshotel.co.uk

This is the opening to my debut crime novel, The Departed, the first book in a series which introduces readers to Detective Leigh Borrowdale, the only woman on the Serious Crime Squad in Liverpool 1979. The novel, published by Harper North in 2025, was recently nominated for the Royal Society of Literature’s Christopher Bland Prize for Debut Authors over 50. The only crime novel on the shortlist, The Departed was chosen alongside five amazing debut books, both fiction and non-fiction, including The Finest Hotel in Kabul by the BBC’s Chief International Correspondent, Lyse Doucet, and the celebrated winner, No Safer Kinder Hatred by Frank Thabani Sayi. 

Although I didn’t win, I felt honoured to be nominated, especially as the prize encourages the work of debut writers who come to writing in later life and I spent many years dreaming of being a writer while working as an NHS psychotherapist in Liverpool. 

I was thrilled that one of the prize judges, Louise Kennedy, author of Trespasses (which was turned into a TV drama series on Channel 4) made the following remark about my book: ‘A propulsive, absorbing read which is elevated by ear-perfect, authentic dialogue and a vivid evocation of place and time. By creating the complex, sharp Leigh Borrowdale, Mellor breathes new life into the crime novel.’ 

The Departed is set during the snow and strikes of the Winter of Discontent in the late 70s, and takes its name from those who have been lost or are missing. When Leigh and her partner, Des Chung, investigate the unidentified body of a young man found in a derelict building, it leads them into contact with the disappeared of the city at a time when Leigh’s own brother is missing. 

The second book in the series, The Silent Places, was published by Harper North in March 2026. The story follows Leigh and Des as they search for a missing child among the backdrop of riot-torn Liverpool in 1981.

The third book is on the way and I’m loving every moment of becoming a writer in later life!

Read more about Sarah and her books here.

The Departed by Sarah Mellor is available now from Harper North, and you can purchase it here.

Former rock star Tarquin Gold thought he had left his wild days behind when he traded in his glamorous lifestyle to become a farmer, but his dreams of a peaceful life come crashing down when murder rocks his newly opened glamping site.

As fate would have it, amateur sleuth Violet Brewster is also a guest at the Clover Farm glampsite – and, finding herself once again at the centre of a crime scene, she can’t resist getting involved in the investigation. 

Is the killer a random stranger, or does one of the campers have a hidden agenda? Can Violet solve the mystery and restore peace to Tarquin’s tranquil retreat before the killer strikes again?

Murder at Clover Farm is coming on 16 August from HQ Harper Collins. You can pre-order it here.