Fiona Erskine

Engineer. Writer. Swimmer.

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Author Chat with Caroline Maston – UK Crime Book Club

Posted on January 15, 2025 in Bhopal, Losing Control

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 other things, we talked about my 6th novel Losing Control.

The first crime book I read in 2025 was Long Water by Stef Penney (Norway, Arctic Circle – missing teen. atmospheric!) and I’m currently reading Paul Hawkins The Blue Hour (Artists legacy secret – what secrets remain buried on a tidal Scottish island?). Both have wonderful older women as protagonists.

Some of the other books we discussed were Jane Jesmond s thrilling Jen Shaw series (#1 On the Edge, #2 Cut Adrift, #3 Gone to Earth (and stand alone A Quiet Contagion)),  William Shaw The Birdwatcher (prequel to the brilliant DS Alexandra Cupidi series) . Trevor Wood has an excellent new book – The Silent Killer.

The New Zealand books we talked about were Vanda Symon #Overkill from #Orenda and @MichaelBennett #BettertheBlood . Post Mortem insights from @DrRichardShepherd via #UnnaturalCauses and the wonderful Effie Merryl who helped with the police angle in ‘Losing Control’ has published a tremendous book #Maman

The UK Crime Book Club group are a tremendously welcoming facebook group with almost 30,000 members who actively read and discuss crime fiction by UK based authors.

 

Postscript: Caroline was half way through the book when we talked. After she finished it, she left me the most wonderful review!

The start of a sensational new series from the author of the chemical detective. I loved everything about this book, the fact it’s based partly on a real world disaster that the world should know more about. The new characters are fascinating and draw you in and make you want to keep reading to see what happens to them and the plot itself is outstanding. Set in teeside an area I don’t know well but feel like was a strong part of the novel, this is a book you won’t be able to put down. Definitely in book of the year material for me 5*

 

 

 

 


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 £0.99 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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Oh @adrianmckinty - where have you been all my life? Loving Sean Duffy’s adventures read by Gerard Doyle

Huge thank you to every person and bookshop that's ordered Ravenglass and made it stonking success so far 😍

This gripping and powerful tale of gender-fluid Kit/Stella traversing the world in the 1700s is very relevant in today's climate!

Order here: https://share.google/i6inpiZ7vDgHK3mMh

Delighted to celebrate International Week of Happiness at Work with a 99p deal in UK. Jaq Silver has found the perfect job in Brazil. Or has she?

The Chemical Cocktail (Jaq Silver Thriller) eBook : Erskine, Fiona: : Kindle Store https://www.amazon.co.uk/Chemical-Cocktail-Silver-Thrillers-Book-ebook/dp/B0FG8X59MT

The Chemical Cocktail goes right back to Jaq’s childhood and can be read first - only £0.99

Trust me, you won’t regret reading this. Exquisite prose and a rollicking, propulsive, deeply moving story. @novelcarolyn is a fearless writer who wears her deep research so lightly that you are instantly immersed into the booming north of the 1720s

Trust me, you won’t regret reading this. Exquisite prose and a rollicking, propulsive, deeply moving story. @novelcarolyn is a fearless writer who wears her deep research so lightly that you are instantly immersed into the booming north of the 1720s
Northodox Press 📖 @northodoxpress

🚨PUBLICATION DAY🚨

Ravenglass is available everywhere now! A tender and powerful tale of a gender fluid character trying to make their way in the 1700s, we can't recommend this incredible adventure novel enough 🏳️‍🌈

Order yours here: https://share.google/bfWyYAWWNBHLr9rB6

I was today years old when I learned I’ve been eating my favourite biscuits all wrong

Chocolate digestives: How do you eat them? Choc side up or down? - CBBC Newsround https://www.bbc.com/newsround/articles/cvg7lnp19n0o

Ravenglass by @novelcarolyn is the most beautifully written exploration of how we once lived and worked and lived and loved and fought in the north. A cracking good read, I cannot recommend it strongly enough - a complete breath of fresh air.

Ravenglass  by @novelcarolyn is the most beautifully written exploration of how we once lived and worked and lived and loved and fought in the north. A cracking good read, I cannot recommend it strongly enough - a complete breath of fresh air.
Northodox Press 📖 @northodoxpress

🚨RELEASE WEEK🚨

One of the biggest and most ambitious Northodox books to date is out this Thursday!

Join Kit Ravenglass on his seafaring journey in this swashbuckling, gender fluid, historical fiction novel!

It is incredible 😍

Preorder now: https://share.google/9lT4pFxkL9DOMypUR

🚨RELEASE WEEK🚨

One of the biggest and most ambitious Northodox books to date is out this Thursday!

Join Kit Ravenglass on his seafaring journey in this swashbuckling, gender fluid, historical fiction novel!

It is incredible 😍

Preorder now: https://share.google/9lT4pFxkL9DOMypUR

Big and lusty! Spot on. #Ravenglass is my book of the year so far.
I'm so looking forward to talking with @novelcarolyn this week on her northern tour!
Who is coming along ?

Big and lusty! Spot on. #Ravenglass is my book of the year so far.
I'm so looking forward to talking with @novelcarolyn  this week on her northern tour!
Who is coming along ?
Carolyn Kirby @novelcarolyn

6 days till #RavenglassNovel goes live and the first press review is a "big and lusty" 9/10!!! 🤩😁Thank you @peterboroughtel 😍

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