Fiona Erskine

Engineer. Writer. Swimmer.

News

Summer reflections

Posted on August 10, 2026

I spent ten days in Brighton with my lovely brother who is recovering from knee-surgery. Highlights included watching Rye Lane (a sweetly funny film), The Pitt (TV hospital drama – …

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She’s braver than she knows.

Posted on June 29, 2026

I don’t know the reviewer (thank you Dr Jennifer Ward!)  but this new five star review for Losing Control made my day. ***** It’s darker than it looks. It’s later …

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Stockton Transformed – Crossing the Tees

Posted on June 24, 2026

On Saturday, I went to the opening of Stockton Riverside Park. Wow! Just Wow! Stockton-on-Tees new land bridge to the river Secluded gardens               …

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Space

Exciting news

Posted on December 10, 2025

Apologies for the radio silence – work has been hectic.* But hey, you’re not here to find out about the double day jobs (that’s what LinkedIN is for) and I …

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Holiday break

Posted on September 4, 2025

I started the week with a wonderful day at the WRITE Festival in South Shields Library. What a great venue! I joined an author panel with Helen Aitchison, CJ Grayson …

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Students at Sheffield University

Q&A in Chemical Processing

Posted on August 11, 2025

I had a lovely chat with Traci Purdum which was published this week. 5 Quick Questions Aug. 11, 2025 Engineering professor discovers joy in teaching, hypothetically tackles Bhopal cleanup and …

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Harrogate

Posted on July 18, 2025

Greetings from Harrogate, UK where crime readers and writers from all over the world gather once a year for the Theakston Old Peculier Crime Writing Festival: some of the nicest …

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Getting my rights back

Posted on June 26, 2025

This week, Oneworld signed an agreement to return my publishing rights to me. It’s a major milestone in my writing journey, but also bittersweet. In 2017, I signed with my …

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It’s easy to point out what’s wrong – it takes ingenuity to fix it

Posted on June 3, 2025

I was interviewed by Hannah Dolman at the University of Cambridge for the Alumni Magazine of the Department of Chemical Engineering and Biotechnology. You can read the full text (with …

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Terry Deary

Posted on May 18, 2025

I’m so excited to have been invited to interview Terry Deary (of Horrible Histories fame) when he visits Back of Beyond Books. If you’ll be anywhere near Sedgefield on 24th …

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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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Phosphate Rocks – do engineers read fiction?

Posted on May 1, 2025

May 2025 sees the start of a 52-part serialisation of my 3rd novel – Phosphate Rocks: A Death in Ten Objects. The Chemical Engineer, (TCE), the monthly magazine of the …

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Sunny southern sojourn with friends and family and a stonkingly good book. London looking stunning!


In Houston for the day job, I went back to visit my old house and primary school from when my dad had a sabbatical at Rice University. Fleming park is much smaller than I remember but the fire ants are still there! Highlight was a full Tex-Mex with Theresa and Bhopal expert Kenneth Bloch - plans afoot for a new book.


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


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Special 99p summer cocktail offer
‘Fast-paced, roller-coaster ride… The action-packed storyline, just the right side of bonkers, roams from Lisbon to England to the steamy depths of the Brazilian jungle...’ - Financial Times, best summer books of 2022
https://www.amazon.co.uk/Chemical-Cocktail-Silver-Thrillers-Book-ebook/dp/B0FG8X59MT

Celebrating Reviewers - 0.99 offer!
(with the link this time!)

Losing Control: Terror in Teesside (The Teesside Murders: DI Julie Cadell Investigates Book 1)

Celebrating reviewers everywhere
Losing Control is $0.99 / £0.99 for 1 week

It’s darker than it looks.
It’s later than you think.
She’s braver than she knows.

@amwbooks @EastHullPete @northern_crime @NJCooper_crime @NolanDom @evecsmith @AntonyJohnston @william1shaw

It’s review a book #RAB week.

If you enjoyed a book - please do leave a brief review wherever you get your recommendations. @judithoreilly @evecsmith

https://amazon.co.uk/gp/customer-reviews/RY3U5SDB5ROD8?ref=pf_ov_at_pdctrvw_srp

https://amazon.co.uk/gp/customer-reviews/RFI268IQLS95H?ref=pf_ov_at_pdctrvw_srp

We're thrilled our next guest will be @radiomukhers. Abir will be talking about 'The Pinnacle', 15th July (7pm).

It's free to attend @hull_libraries (Central) or via the online stream. All the info on the link below 📚

If you can get there then do, these sessions are hilarious

Produce a best seller in an hour with the #northerncrimesyndicate at @BoroLibraries Tuesday 23rd June 6.30pm.
@TrevorWoodWrite @judithoreilly @robparkerauthor @rutherfordbooks #chrismacgregor
https://www.crossingthetees.org/whats_on/whose-crime-is-it-anyway/

📢 Latest Loss Prevention Bulletin Issue - Marking 40 Years Since Chernobyl

The issue offers valuable insights for anyone committed to strengthening process safety.

A sincere thank‑you to all contributors for their continued commitment

🔗 Read more: https://bit.ly/4uCIfIS

This weekend marks the 40 year anniversary of the worst recorded nuclear accident.
There is still much to learn.
#Chernobyl #Chornobyl #nuclearenergy #processsafety
https://open.substack.com/pub/fionaerskine/p/chernobyl-40-years-on?r=1fdqiv&utm_medium=ios

Still plenty of events to come!😁 More info and ticket links here: 👉 https://www.carolynkirby.com/blank-page-3

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