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Fiona Erskine

Engineer. Writer. Swimmer.

Self-publishing

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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Experiments with pricing

Posted on April 15, 2026

Today I put the ebook of Phosphate Rocks: A Death in Ten Objects back on sale through Barnes & Noble and KOBO, removed it from Kindle Unlimited, and updated all …

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Jaq Silver Thriller Series available again

Posted on August 21, 2025

The fourth book in the Jaq Silver series is now available on-line in paperback under the Snickered Mole imprint. A gold star to anyone who unpicks the anagram. This might …

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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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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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Reviews that made me cheer then weep

Posted on January 30, 2025

I had two reviews appear on social media this week that provoked strong reactions Let me explain. I  seem to bump into Andy Wormald at every crime festival  – Capital …

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Photo of narrator Paul Burke

New podcasts to tickle your ears

Posted on January 4, 2025

Podcast 1: Process Safety Meets Nancy Drew, James Bond and MacGyver Listen here In this episode of Process Safety with Trish and Traci we interview Fiona Erskine, an engineer and …

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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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The Chemical Tiger

Posted on September 20, 2024

I’m trying a little experiment on Substack – A Jaq Silver thriller to dovetail with Losing Control. The first Chapter is now available in full Take a look!    

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APPEARING AT STOKPORT NOIR

Posted on August 19, 2024

The new Crime Festival for the North-West of England Saturday, 8th February 2025, at Stockport Masonic Guildhall Tickets SOLD OUT      

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


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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.


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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


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Open post by thechemicaldetective with ID 17902567629254922


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!


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Open post by thechemicaldetective with ID 18073176119152089


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


Follow me on Instagram
erskine_fiona avatar Fiona Erskine @erskine_fiona ·
19 Oct 2112089618602504515

Thank you @AniaJeruc for your sensitive and moving #Violetta in La Traviata - not a dry eye in the house and the standing ovation so well deserved!
Amazing production! @goteborgsoperan

Retweet on Twitter Fiona Erskine Retweeted
JohnSimpsonNews avatar John Simpson @JohnSimpsonNews ·
11 Oct 2109261512351109257

Congratulations to Carole Cadwalladr, @carolecadwalla, who together with colleagues first revealed this story.

Image for the Tweet beginning: Congratulations to Carole Cadwalladr, @carolecadwalla, Twitter feed image.
Retweet on Twitter Fiona Erskine Retweeted
Ofmooseandmen avatar Bluemoose Books @Ofmooseandmen ·
13 Oct 2109947971475247556

Off to the printers.

Bluemoose Books - Hebden to Hollywood - 20 years of Independent publishing.

Re-mortgaging the house, Lit prizes, One Book Bookshop, Dukes, Boilers, Les Dawson, Eric the Literary hound, Roast potatoes, Julia Roberts & TV shows.

@thebookseller
@guardian

Image for the Tweet beginning: Off to the printers. Bluemoose Books Twitter feed image.
erskine_fiona avatar Fiona Erskine @erskine_fiona ·
9 Oct 2108454094121631809

The perfect book for a wet Keswick day. Thank you #johnlawton for #HammertoFall @GrovePressUK
Next TV slow horses?

Image for the Tweet beginning: The perfect book for a Twitter feed image.
erskine_fiona avatar Fiona Erskine @erskine_fiona ·
3 Oct 2106375150342140260

Looking forward to this!

https://amzn.eu/d/0fA8SkeF

More than 30 writers set to star in first-ever Hartlepool Author Showcase https://www.hartlepool.gov.uk/news/article/334/more-than-30-writers-set-to-star-in-first-ever-hartlepool-author-showcase

Image for the Tweet beginning: Looking forward to this! More than Twitter feed image.
Retweet on Twitter Fiona Erskine Retweeted
novelcarolyn avatar Carolyn Kirby @novelcarolyn ·
21 Aug 2090907786284818941

Great to see Ravenglass in @Annecdotist's blog post: Page-turning historical fiction from indie publishers with attitude 🤩 🙏🏻
@northodoxpress

Retweet on Twitter Fiona Erskine Retweeted
Ofmooseandmen avatar Bluemoose Books @Ofmooseandmen ·
19 Aug 2089951464697278476

Good morning.

If you are able

Please support your local bookshops.

@thebookseller
@BAbooksellers

erskine_fiona avatar Fiona Erskine @erskine_fiona ·
10 Aug 2086759131306696917

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

Image for the Tweet beginning: Special 99p summer cocktail offer ‘Fast-paced, Twitter feed image.
erskine_fiona avatar Fiona Erskine @erskine_fiona ·
3 Jul 2072985106998779995

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

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

erskine_fiona avatar Fiona Erskine @erskine_fiona ·
3 Jul 2072983380866576445

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

Image for the Tweet beginning: Celebrating reviewers everywhere Losing Control Twitter feed image.
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All my books

Book cover with ten objects forming a skull
Book cover showing woman walking through a tropical jungle
Book cover showing lone woman at Ipanema beach, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil with paraglider in background
The Chemical Reaction book cover
Book cover with female engineer holding Geiger Counter