Debbie Young

Debbie Young (born 1960) is a British writer of cozy mystery novels, UK ambassador for ALLi the (Alliance of Independent Authors), and founder in 2015 of the now annual Hawkesbury Upton Literary Festival. Her debut novel, Best Murder in Show, was published in 2017 as the first part in a series of seven novels that spans the course of a village year.

Debbie Young
Born
Debbie Young

1960 (age 62–63)
Sidcup, Kent, England
NationalityBritish
Occupation(s)Author, public speaker
Years active2013–present
Known forSophie Sayers Village Mysteries
Notable workSophie Sayers Mysteries
Websitewww.authordebbieyoung.com

In 2015, Young commissioned T E Shepherd to illustrate the fictional Hector's House Bookshop and Tea Room that features in her Sophie Sayers Village Mysteries series of cozy mystery novels.[1]

In 2018 Debbie was invited by John Holland to co-judge the Stroud Short Stories competition.[2]

Biography

Young was born in Sidcup, Kent, England, and was schooled first at Days Lane Primary, and then after passing the 11+ at Beaverwood School for Girls. Her family relocated to Germany when Debbie was aged 14, and she spent four years at Frankfurt International School where she gained the then brand new International Baccalaureate. Young came back to the UK to study English and Related Literature at the University of York, before living and working for a while in London and the West of England as a journalist and PR consultant. Young now lives in a small Cotswold village with her husband and daughter.

Works and Appearances

Sophie Sayers Village Mystery Novels
  • Best Murder in Show (Sophie Sayers Village Mystery #1), Hawkesbury Press, 2017[3]
  • Trick or Murder? (Sophie Sayers Village Mystery #2), Hawkesbury Press, 2017[4]
  • Murder in the Manger (Sophie Sayers Village Mystery #3), Hawkesbury Press, 2017[5]
  • Murder by the Book (Sophie Sayers Village Mystery #4), Hawkesbury Press, 2018[6]
  • Springtime for Murder (Sophie Sayers Village Mystery #5), Hawkesbury Press, 2018[7]

Staffroom at St Bride's
  • Secrets at St Bride's (Staffroom at St Bride's #1), Hawkesbury Press, 2019[8]

Books for Authors
  • How To Get Your Self-Published Book into Bookstores: Volume 4 (with Orna Ross), Font Publications, 2017[9]
  • How to Work More Effectively with the Book Trade with Dan Holloway, Font Publications

Books about Type 1 Diabetes
  • Coming to Terms with Type 1 Diabetes: One Family's Story of Life After Diagnosis (Foreword by Justin Webb), Hawkesbury Press, 2014[10]

Collected Columns and Essays

Since 2010 Young has written monthly columns for two local magazines, the multiple award-winning "Tetbury Advertiser" and the "Hawkesbury Parish News". These articles and columns have since been republished in two books.

  • All Part of the Charm: A Modern Memoir of English Village Life: Volume 1 (Collected Essays), Hawkesbury Press, 2016[11]
  • Young By Name: Whimsical Columns from the Tetbury Advertiser (Collected Essays), Hawkesbury Press, 2016[12]

Articles and Interviews
  • Young By Name: monthly contribution to the Tetbury Advertiser. Page 4 of the October edition[13]
  • Cozy Mystery Writer Debbie Young Gives Back to the Indie Community, Inspirational Indie Authors podcast with Howard Lovy, 8 September 2019[14]
  • Getting Your Self-Published Book Into Bookstores And Libraries With Debbie Young, interview with Joanna Penn[15]
  • Writing 1000 Words a Day: Finding Better Ways to Measure Productivity & Finish Your Book[16]
  • Are You A Plotter vs Pantser? With Debbie Young and David Penny[17]
  • Interview on Stratford Words with Nick le Mesurier[18]

Hawkesbury Upton Literary Festival

Young has for many years been involved in the UNESCO-led World Book Night as one of thousands of volunteer "book givers". In 2015, she set up a small local event on the evening of 23 April (World Book Night) in The Fox Inn in Hawkesbury Upton. What started as a few author friends and village locals soon led to an invitation to the general public to join a full evening event with over 20 authors, poets and illustrators, celebrating the joy of reading with a series of panel discussions and public readings.[19]

In 2016, the festival returned, this time for a full day's programme in multiple venues, and it has grown year on year since then. The fifth festival on Saturday 27 April 2019, once again coincided with World Book Night[20]

References
  1. Young, Debbie (16 May 2018). "Thinking Outside the Box about Bookmarks". Retrieved 14 June 2019.
  2. "Debbie Young on Judging our sold-out 11 November event 'What Makes a Monster & Other Stories'". Stroud Short Stories. 30 October 2018. Retrieved 18 October 2019.
  3. Best Murder in Show (Sophie Sayers Village Mystery #1) by Debbie Young. Hawkesbury Press UK. 3 April 2017. p. 216. ISBN 9781911223139. Retrieved 22 August 2019.
  4. Trick or Murder? (Sophie Sayers Village Mystery #2) by Debbie Young. Hawkesbury Press UK. 20 August 2017. p. 300. ISBN 9781911223207. Retrieved 22 August 2019.
  5. Murder in the Manger (Sophie Sayers Village Mystery #3) by Debbie Young. Hawkesbury Press UK. 6 November 2017. p. 300. ISBN 9781911223221. Retrieved 22 August 2019.
  6. Murder by the Book (Sophie Sayers Village Mystery #4) by Debbie Young. Hawkesbury Press UK. 10 April 2018. p. 226. ISBN 9781911223269. Retrieved 22 August 2019.
  7. Springtime for Murder (Sophie Sayers Village Mystery #5) by Debbie Young. Hawkesbury Press UK. 15 November 2018. p. 270. ISBN 9781911223344. Retrieved 22 August 2019.
  8. Secrets at St Bride's (Staffroom at St Bride's #1) by Debbie Young. Hawkesbury Press UK. 24 August 2018. p. 153. ISBN 9781911223436.
  9. How To Get Your Self-Published Book into Bookstores: Volume 4 by Debbie Young and Orna Ross. Font Publications UK. 29 October 2017. p. 164. ISBN 9781909888494. Retrieved 22 August 2019.
  10. Coming to Terms with Type 1 Diabetes: One Family's Story of Life After Diagnosis by Debbie Young. Hawkesbury Press UK. 24 October 2014. p. 44. ISBN 9780993087905. Retrieved 22 August 2019.
  11. All Part of the Charm: A Modern Memoir of English Village Life: Volume 1 by Debbie Young. Hawkesbury Press UK. 24 February 2016. p. 232. ISBN 9781911223023. Retrieved 22 August 2019.
  12. Young By Name: Whimsical Columns from the Tetbury Advertiser by Debbie Young. Hawkesbury Press UK. 25 February 2016. p. 248. ISBN 9781911223030. Retrieved 22 August 2019.
  13. "Young By Name column in the Tetbury Advertiser". The Tetbury Advertiser Ltd. 22 September 2019. Retrieved 18 October 2019.
  14. "Cozy Mystery Writer Debbie Young Gives Back to the Indie Community" (Podcast). Alliance of Independent Authors. 8 September 2019. Retrieved 18 October 2019.
  15. "Getting Your Self-Published Book Into Bookstores And Libraries With Debbie Young" (Podcast). The Creative Penn. 22 February 2015. Retrieved 18 October 2019.
  16. "Writing 1000 Words a Day: Finding Better Ways to Measure Productivity & Finish Your Book". Ingram Spark. 30 July 2019. Retrieved 18 October 2019.
  17. "Are You A Plotter vs Pantser?" (Podcast). Alliance of Independent Authors. 16 April 2019. Retrieved 18 October 2019.
  18. "Interview on Stratford Words with Nick le Mesurier" (Podcast). 18 April 2018. Retrieved 18 October 2019.
  19. "The brand new Hawkesbury Upton Literature Festival this April". 30 March 2015. Retrieved 22 August 2019.
  20. "Hawkesbury Upton Literature Festival". 27 April 2019. Retrieved 22 August 2019.
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