Fiona Erskine

Engineer. Writer. Swimmer.

My blog

Coming soon – new editions of the Jaq Silver Adventures

Posted on July 3, 2025

I wrote last week about getting the rights back to the four Jaq Silver thrillers, and my mixed emotions about leaving my first traditional publisher. Now it’s full steam ahead. …

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Interview in E&T

Posted on May 18, 2025

I was delighted to be interviewed by fellow author Nick Smith in Behalf of the Engineering and Technology Magazine E&T. We talk about pen names, the world of work, tools …

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A Love Letter to New Zealand

Posted on March 7, 2025

I knew that New Zealand would be chock full of amazing places, but I was unprepared for how vast, how varied or how beautiful it is. Milford Sound, South Island, …

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Author Chat with Caroline Maston – UK Crime Book Club

Posted on January 15, 2025

On Friday 10th January I had a one hour chat with Caroline Maston from the UK Crime Book Club. You can see and listen to the recording here Among many …

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Starting 2025 with an apology

Posted on January 2, 2025

Happy New Year! I have an apology to make. I’ve been ignoring you. After redesigning my author website (with the invaluable assistance of Simon Appleby at Bookswarm), I then neglected …

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Revisiting Bhopal

Posted on November 20, 2023

In August 2023 I travelled to Bhopal, India to revisit the former Union Carbide Factory, site of the world’s worst chemical accident. In the four decades since the accident in …

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The one thing we can all agree on

Posted on August 11, 2023

1 Book Review Why are women still so poorly represented in Science, Technology, Engineering and Maths? Does it matter? What are the obstacles? How do we change things? Athene Donald …

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Bond Boys

Posted on May 30, 2020

Part II – Is it time for a few Bond boys? My debut thriller, The Chemical Detective, was described as ‘an audacious, female-led thriller which took the disposable women of …

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A Female James Bond

Posted on February 2, 2020

Part I – Is it time for a female James Bond?  “Is nothing sacred?” meowed Spike the cat, official representative of the men in my life. “Your sex has appropriated …

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Banqiao

Posted on October 20, 2018

To read about my visit to the Banqiao Dam in Henan Province, China, in September 2018, click here On 8th of August 1975, about one hour after midnight, the Banqiao …

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The Bhopal Gas Tragedy

Posted on October 20, 2018

On 3rd December 1984, not long after midnight,  a runaway reaction in a pesticide factory released toxic gases which blew over the sleeping town of Bhopal, capital of the state …

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Women in Engineering

Posted on June 22, 2018

#SmashStereotypesToBits In a recent campaign to encourage careers in engineering, a group of female engineers stage an epic pillow fight involving catapults, explosions and drones. I watched the IET video and found …

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I swam 24km in 5 days. Hard work?

Try tuna canning, salt drying or sulphur mining...

https://fionaerskine.substack.com/p/sulphur-and-salt


Goodbye #egadiislands and thank you @swimtrek for an amazing week - 24 kilometres with wonderful guides, fellow swimmers and multicoloured fishes!


This week #PhosphateRocks e-book is only ÂŁ0.99 in UK

Who doesn't love a story about a demolition gone wrong? @raine_clouds_writes @lesleykellyauthor 

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Phosphate-Rocks-Death-Ten-Objects-ebook/dp/B0CTRRXKNY

PS: The audio book narrated by @rain.goblin is pretty special too


A quarter of my sales this month were overseas for the very first time!

Massive thanks to all those fine Canadians for topping the list. Say Hi if you see this.

https://fionaerskine.com/


On my way to Harrogate today

https://open.substack.com/pub/fionaerskine/p/harrogate

Say hello if you'll be there


What makes the perfect handbag and how much is it worth?

https://fionaerskine.substack.com/p/the-perfect-handbag


https://fionaerskine.substack.com/p/i-have-some-news

Goodbye @oneworldpublications and thank you for everything - it was such an honour to be published by you and I loved working with the team.

Now, like #JaqSilver I'm going solo

Big thanks to @kidethic for my beautiful new covers


Such a treat to interview #TerryDeary about his first adult crime book #ActuallyImAMurderer (it’s great!) at @backofthebeyondbooks


Happy International Women in Engineering Day! 
Thanks to @Chem_Processing for highlighting #TheChemicalDetective!
 #INWED2025 #INWED25 
https://www.chemicalprocessing.com/voices/women-in-chemistry/podcast/55298245/celebrating-international-women-in-engineering-day


More canine readers in @forumbookscorbridge #winter #losingcontrol


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Greetings to all my friends at @bloodyscotland! So sorry I won’t be there this year but research takes priority @SwimTrek

First book of my holiday complete. Thank you ⁊⁊@erskine_fiona⁩. An entertaining & complex story - easily transporting me from the Maltese sun I’m currently basking in to the cold dark Teeside winter. I look forward to reading more about DI Julie Cadell.

Late to the party but absolutely loving @geowriter #nightclimbing

September treat! In the Blink of an Eye is now only 99p on kindle for September! 👇

Soooooo excited for this pre-pub exclusive event in "The most magical little bookshop" @drakebookshop talking to my fave ever author, the brilliant @erskine_fiona đŸ€© #StocktononTees Tickets here: https://share.google/xByL2vam4pqgVUKPl

One week left to nab WHITE CITY for less than a quid on Kindle.

https://amzn.eu/d/2g1623R

“The best crime novel I've read this year”
— The Times

“Quite breathtaking”
— Daily Mail

“Superb”
— Guardian

And, most importantly, the opinion of the Pinborough Bugle:

Don’t miss bookclub tomorrow at 10am followed by a signing at 11am with @cmacwritescrime #Durham #events

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