This month I discovered that talking about my new book and signing copies over tea and cake was an excellent way to meet readers new and old. I am used to speaking about my writing in church halls and village institutes around the Dales but in the past weeks the surroundings have been rather pleasanter. In the Garden Rooms at Tennants, Leyburn, I stood at a lectern complete with a carved mouse at the base. The Stripey Badger Bookshop in Grassington includes a tearoom that provided a cosy...

When I was interviewed on Drystone radio last week, Steve Brown asked if I would be coming down to the Craven Dales. It seems I will be, sooner than expected. It was Independent Bookshop Day on 5th October and I was visiting the Stripey Badger Bookshop in Grassington to deliver some of my books. Linda was offering cake as well as the opportunity to give a talk on 29th October, when tea and scones will be served. We are also very lucky to have a lovely new indie bookshop in Settle. I visited...

An aspect of my writing that I really enjoy is talking to groups of readers, both formally and informally. In addition to the occasional local book festival, during the course of a year I will be talking to a number of small groups, including members of the WI and the U3A. My talks are well received, particularly when I describe my work on high profile murder cases. My experience of forensic work includes matching soil from footwear to the crime scene, testing hair from a victim of arsenic...

My first book, ‘Corpse Way’, is set in Swaledale against the backdrop of the lead mining legacy and the scenery of the ruined buildings and hills worn bare by the process of ‘hushing’ to expose the lead ore. This is one of the most intensively mined parts of Swaledale in 18th and 19th centuries. This mine entrance, which is featured on the cover of ‘Corpse Way’, is close to the Old Gang Smelting Mills, the largest remaining lead smelting mill in the Yorkshire Dales. Smelting began in 1797 and continued until 1907. It is a fascinating glimpse of the lead mining era, accessible from Surrender Bridge and well worth a visit.

It is always a slightly nervous occasion but I'm pleased to say it looks very good. The new format has a different font with more space between lines which gives it a pleasing appearance. The cover is very distinctive, reflecting the fiery themes that run through the book: “Dr Mills Sanderson can only watch as fire envelopes Yardley Forensics and destroys forensic evidence associated with important criminal cases. Tragically a body is discovered in the laboratory when the flames...