Glenda Young: Novelist and Editor of the Coronation Street Blog

Born and raised in Ryhope, Sunderland, Glenda Young has always had an avid passion for reading. “I’d whizz through Enid Blyton, then it was all the Agatha Christie’s,” she told me over the phone. Reading provided the perfect escape for Glenda, who grew up with two younger brothers, but one novel in particular has played a special role in Glenda’s life: The Handmaid’s Tale by Margaret Atwood. “I first read it 25 to 30 years ago and I must’ve read it about 10 times since!”

Glenda’s writing journey began when she was 13 years old. She remembers sending letters to her local newspaper and seeing her name in print was amazing. This drove Glenda’s confidence, and she said: “I knew that I could string words together in a sentence that people would find appealing, and even though the readers wouldn’t know these letters came from a kid, they still published them because they thought I had something to say, which was mad.”

As an adult, Glenda spent most of her working life in University admin, which she looks back on fondly, but she always felt an emptiness which could only be filled by writing. She left her job to study journalism as a mature student; at that time, Sunderland University didn’t offer creative writing as a standalone course, so Glenda chose the subject that would give her the most freedom as a writer.

Glenda also attended various creative writing classes where she began to develop her talent, and after graduation she took that leap to become a full-time writer. “I don’t think anyone becomes a writer for the money,” she said, “they do it because to not write is just unthinkable.”

This decision was life-changing, and Glenda decided to go on a creative course at Sunderland Women’s Centre to refresh her fiction writing skills. “It was exactly what I needed,” Glenda explained. “From that group, I wrote a short story which I sent to a women’s magazine and they accepted it. That course really gave me the kickstart I needed to start writing fiction.”

The magazine in question is The People’s Friend, who have published hundreds of Glenda’s short stories since 2015. Glenda began writing a soap opera for them titled Riverside, which is the first continuing serial the magazine has seen in its 152-year history. “It’s absolutely unique what I’m doing,” gushed Glenda. “I’m very proud of it.”

Riverside was the catalyst for Glenda’s novels. Sending a collection of her soap opera episodes to various agents, one of them commissioned her to write five chapters which would ultimately become Belle of the Backstreets. Glenda then couldn’t believe her luck when three major publishers began a fight over who would get the rights to her debut novel.

Glenda had also written non-fiction for ITV’s Coronation Street prior to her novels, including an official tribute to the character Deirdre Barlow. Glenda has managed and edited the Coronation Street Blog since 2007, a website she created for fans to celebrate the show together, and the blog has grown immensely; its writers are now invited to ITV’s official press events for Coronation Street. “When I turned the Deirdre book into ITV, I thought, I’ve written a book. I know I can sit down, and I’ve got the discipline now to do it, so I’m going to start writing about my own characters and my own women.”

After completing her most recent novel, The Miner’s Lass, Glenda has moved her pen into the world of cosy crime novels. Murder at the Seaview Hotel, set to be released in August 2021, follows Helen Dexter and her rescue greyhound, Suki, as they try to uncover a mysterious death involving a group of Elvis impersonators.

Cover image provided by Glenda Young https://www.glendayoungbooks.com/

“I’d always wanted to write a contemporary, fun story set in a Scarborough B&B,” said Glenda. “That was my initial idea and so off I went, not knowing if it would ever be published.”

After reading the finished product, Glenda’s publisher, Headline, offered her a three-book deal starring Helen and Suki.

“This means I’ll be writing alternate saga/cosy crime for the next couple of years,” Glenda explained. “I couldn’t be happier!”

Words by Sophie Williams

Images provided by Glenda Young

Edited by Emily Gough