The Cracked Mirror by @brookmyre.bsky.social is a hell of a ride 🎢 2 classic detective stories, a Miss Marple type in a sleepy village & a tough LAPD cop, whose worlds collide in a meta, mind bending mashup 🤯 Clever, witty & compelling with plenty of twists right up until the last line 🤩

It’s more than 8 years since I worked at the Oldham Chronicle & I’m back in their news. Thank you to my former employers for featuring the paperback publication of #TheMargaretCode

Some comparison books to #TheMargaretCode 🤩 If you like these why not give it a go - you may well love it 😀 The paperback is out on 29 Jan & available to pre-order from wherever you buy your books 🙏

It was difficult deciding due to the high standard, but I’ve completed the judging for the Southport Writers’ Circle Short Story Competition 🤩 Looking forward to the awards night next week 🎉 And I can’t wait for people to be able to read these fantastic stories when they’re published online 📖

I’m back in the Mansfield & Ashfield Chad - albeit without my forehead, which probably isn’t a bad thing! 🤣 Thank you to my former employers for featuring the paperback publication of #TheMargaretCode. It’s out on 29 Jan & available to pre-order from wherever you buy your books.

Crime writer Harriet Tyce proved herself adept at identifying #traitors 🤩 Would you have worked out who they were? 🤯 Could you uncover the traitor in #TheMargaretCode? And is there more than one? 🤔 Only one way to find out! 😁 Luckily it’s available to buy or borrow from wherever you get your books 🙏

Thank you to my local newspapers Tameside Reporter & Tameside Correspondent for covering the paperback publication of #TheMargaretCode Out on 29 Jan & available to pre-order from wherever you buy your books www.notreallyheremedia.com/news/all-new... www.tamesidecorrespondent.co.uk/2026/01/15/m...

I’ll be giving an Author Talk on #TheMargaretCode at Oldham Library on Wednesday 18 Feb, 6-8pm 📚 It’s free & you can book via Eventbrite at www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/author-tal... Hope you can make it! 😀

Margaret’s fresh faced for the new edition of #TheMargaretCode after undergoing a colour swap 🤩 If you fancy ‘an absorbingly unusual murder mystery’ that’s ‘both humorous & heartbreaking’ then the paperback is published on 29 Jan 🎉 Available for pre-order now from wherever you buy your books 🙏

I’ll be chatting about #TheMargaretCode at an author visit at Droylsden Library Club on Wednesday 4 Feb, 10-11.30am 📚 It’s free, refreshments provided & no need to book, just come along on the day. See you there! 😀

A box full of Margarets! 😍 Thank you to @littlebrownbooks.bsky.social for the amazing work they’ve done on the paperback of #TheMargaretCode - complete with colour swap cover 👏 It’s published on 29 Jan & available for pre-order now from wherever you buy your books 🙏

I didn’t realise that Japanese handmade soufflé pancakes were a thing, but then stumbled across Fuwa Fuwa cafe (meaning Fluffy Fluffy) in Manchester. These treats were extremely light & delicious - 20 minutes to make, 20 seconds to eat!

Not my usual cup of tea, but I enjoyed Varna International Ballet & Orchestra’s performance of Swan Lake at @bridgewaterhall.bsky.social Obviously I’m no expert, but I admired the grace & elegance & the skill displayed. It was en pointe 😀

Readers just can’t tear themselves away from #TheMargaretCode 🤣 Maybe find somewhere cosy before you settle in 📚

Wishing everyone good health & happiness in 2026. And if you need a detective duo to solve anything or raise your spirits, Margaret and James are always on hand!

This tickled me pink! The German version of my novel ‘The Day Barbara Died’ is frequently bought together with the novel ‘Barbara does not die’ How confusing for Barbara! Is she dead or not? Maybe she’s a vampire 🧛‍♀️ Or the readers can’t accept she’s gone. Apologies to those called Barbara.

Merry Christmas! Whatever your situation, I hope you’re able to enjoy the day & the festive period ❤️

Happy 100th birthday Winnie-the-Pooh 🥳🎁🎂 Hope you have a day filled with Pooh sticks & reading stories with Christopher Robin.

A Christmas tree in a greenhouse!🎄🤔 The community group at our local park always comes up with something seasonal & never fails to raise a smile 🤩 I love the Elf surveillance as well 🤣

Enjoyed a bit of festive cheer with comedy show Live at Christmas at Manchester’s Albert Hall ✨🎄 Great line up with hilarious stand-up from Sam Campbell, Lucy Beaumont, Sharon Wanjohi, Josh Pugh & Kiri Pritchard-McLean 🤩

This is the last review of #TheMargaretCode I’ll post this year, I promise! (*unless an even better one comes along!) It’s always a huge boost to connect with readers & to know they’ve taken the time to say how much they like your book ❤️

Got into the Christmas spirit today with the annual Festive Happening at Manchester’s Albert Hall. A magical mix of soul & classical music with AMC Gospel Choir & Manchester Camerata performing seasonal songs. Amazing musicians. Amazing voices.

This is our latest beautiful anthology of winning stories, published by the wonderful @hobeckbooks.bsky.social 😍 Your work could appear in our next anthology. Send us your stories of 2k words for a chance to see it happen! Competition closes on 31st December... Get writing! #writers #WriteSky

I’ve received the longlist for the Southport Writers’ Circle Short Story Competition so my judging is underway 🧐 I’m already enjoying the stories, the standard is high & it’s always a treat to read such gems 🤩 Well done to everyone who crafted an entry & good luck🤞

For Thy Great Pain Have Mercy On My Little Pain by @vickymackenzie.bsky.social is a unique & fascinating book. In 1413, 2 brave, religious women meet with a secret entrusted that changes history. Exploring faith & female subjugation, it takes no time to read but stays with you long afterwards.

I’ve been enjoying the Christmas lights switch-on events in my local town ✨🎄 I’ve discovered that snail trail is the only way to travel & met some larger than life friends🤔 Always fab to see the community coming together for these celebrations 😍 It’s beginning to look a lot like Christmas!🎅🎁🥳

Please do support your local bookshop where possible, but for anyone who gets their books from Amazon, #TheMargaretCode is currently £8.71 in hardback (weird price!) in the UK, which is a bargain IMHO 😀 The price fluctuates more than a thermometer in a UK winter! 🥶

Alan Turing is a Manchester legend, commemorated with this statue. A genius famed for developing the first modern computers & helping crack the Enigma code, & an LGBTQ+ icon. But did he make it into #TheMargaretCode? 🧐 Only one way to find out! Available from bookshops & libraries 😁

Always a thrill to read such glowing reviews for #TheMargaretCode 🤩 Reviews really make a difference, so whatever version you read - whether UK, US or German, and book, digital or audio - if you enjoyed it and are able to leave a review on Amazon, Goodreads or any website, it’s hugely appreciated 😊

Looking for a Christmas present for a book lover? 🎁 How about ‘an absorbingly unusual murder mystery’ that’s ‘both humorous & heartbreaking’ 🧐 Why not treat someone, or yourself, to a copy of#TheMargaretCode 😁

Legend has it that this is the printing press used to print #TheMargaretCode. Possibly.

What would it take to be called a heroine? That’s the burning question at the heart of Laura Shepperson’s brilliant novel The Heroines. It whisks us back to Ancient Greece to reimagine the brutal story of Phaedra. Clever, defiant & furious - & as relevant now as then.

Little weekend reminder that our current competition is OPEN! Send us your best 2k words for a chance to win prizes... AND publication with the brilliant @hobeckbooks.bsky.social 😍 Feedback from our experts also available. #writing #WriteSky

Thrilled to get my hands on the German edition of my novel, published by @dtv-verlag.bsky.social under the title The Day Barbara Died. And very grateful for the fantastic reviews it’s received in its first week on sale - please keep them coming in! 😊

'A stunning range of stories in this anthology' - a fab review from the lovely Rachel of our latest brilliant Henshaw anthology ❤️ We are so proud to publish our competition-winning writers in our anthologies. There's a reason why our judges love their stories! #writing #WritingCommunity #winning

Look where you tread on a Manchester street for there’s poetry beneath your feet. Lemn Sissay’s street poem ‘Flags’ is embedded into the pavement along Tib Street as public art. Here’s a snippet of his stirring words.

Such a treat to have a band of the calibre of The Unthanks performing on our doorstep. The folk group scaled back for some intimate shows to support small venues, enabling us to see them at The Vale in Mossley. Fabulous performances, beautiful voices, captivating songs.

Margaret has arrived in Germany! It’s publication day for my debut novel in Deutschland under the title The Day Barbara Died Thrilled with the advance reviews – split between perfect & very good 😊 Many thanks to publishers @dtv-verlag.bsky.social & translator Susanne Goga

Margaret has arrived in Germany 😀

Manchester’s favourite drink is delicious both hot & cold, has health benefits (possibly?) & is so revered the locals created a statue for it. Drink it in!

Thank you to the Amazon reviewer who reviewed the Henshaw Six! We are big fans of short stories at Hobeck Towers. If you think 'I don't like short stories', why not give this a go? Make our day and raise money for books for schools. UK: www.amazon.co.uk/Henshaw-Six-... #WritingCommunity

A lovely little spot in a community garden in Mossley for people to sit & take a moment to remember, respect & reflect. #Lestweforget

My debut novel is published in Germany next week by @dtv-verlag.bsky.social under the title The Day Barbara Died. Early reviews are already coming in with the first a five-star – here’s the English translation. Danke schön for such a fab review: “a sweet & exciting thriller”

The Burnings by @naomikelsey.bsky.social is the perfect book to curl up with this time of year - full of intrigue, deception & witchcraft. The flawless period detail & vivid descriptions transport you back to 1590 & the Berwick witch trials with treason in the air. It’s bewitching!

You know you live in a creative area when the postbox toppers are seasonal! Bravo to those that make them.

Hugh Whitemore’s ‘Breaking The Code’ gives Alan Turing’s extraordinary life the play it deserves. A brilliant production at Home Manchester about the code breaker, maverick & trailblazer that brings his legacy bang up to date. Poignant, fascinating & lightened with humour.

I thoroughly enjoyed being one of the judge’s for this competition ❤️ The standard was extremely high with the entries well crafted, imaginative & thought provoking 🤩 Congratulations to the winners on their amazing stories 👏

October’s almost over - scary isn’t it! 🎃 It’s also the last chance to get #TheMargaretCode for 99p on ebook😱 Grab it while you can! 👻

A couple more 5-star reviews on Goodreads for #TheMargaretCode I wasn’t expecting my novel to be called ‘the cutest’ but what amazing comments – I’m extremely grateful.

Woah! How big are the spiders this year? Someone call John Goodman! (niche 1990s film reference!)