Marrisse Whittaker Author

Looking for the perfect Xmas present for your favourite bookworm to snuggle up with this winter? Last Xmas I was very honoured to have my short story, Still Life, chosen for inclusion in the Christmas themed Written in the Stars charity anthology, alongside some amazing authors. The anthology was created in memory of 15-month-old Sofia Lyons-O'Sullivan who passed away unexpectedly with a brain AVM. All net profits from this anthology are in aid of Great Ormond Street Hospital Charity and The Butterfly AVM Charity to offer help to children and their families with life-threatening illnesses. https://mybook.to/IntheStars

Look at this amazing sand artwork, on one of the beaches nearby Soul2Sand and local volunteers, so well done! 👏👏👏❤️

My kind of pumpkin!

I love this awesome library pumpkin made by the folks at Truro Public Library!

Who's passing through St Pancras this Xmas, to sit under the tree, made of 3,800 books?

Prepare to scream this Halloween, with the e-boxed set of the Billie Wilde Thrillers. Books 1-3 https://getbook.at/BillieWildeFullSet

Awww, not book related but a cutness overload

Mamos mágicas de mamá !! 🥰☺️ 🎥@gabrielaprioli

Thank you so much everyone for your birthday wishes this morning. It’s a lively date in the calendar, because as well as being my birthday it’s also my 25th wedding anniversary and would also have been my dad’s birthday too! Extra special love to Bob Whittaker today, for putting up with me for so long. Love you forever. Birthday and anniversary greetings to all my friends also celebrating this date – I know that there are tons of others!

Now then, crime writing friends. Normal folk would just have thought, "now that's an odd tattie dug up in the garden."🤔 But crime writers, I already know where your thoughts are heading. 😆

A sweet potato dug up from a garden.

Today's news.

Well, Newcastle Noir started my book writing career, via The Lindisfarne Prize comp, so lots of luck to those writers entering this year.

Calling all crime fiction lovers, Dr Noir and the Newcastle Noir team are excited to announce:

We're back with NN2023!! 🕵

We'll be bringing you a fabulous range of authors and activities. Come listen to our favourite North East crime writers and authors that are new to the festival talking about their latest books and creative projects!

More details to follow shortly, but we wanted to let you know the following for your diaries:

Date: 6-9 December, 2023
Venue: Newcastle Central Library
Festival bookseller: Forum Books
Festival hotel: Motel One, Newcastle upon Tyne
Tickets: £5 per session, £50 festival pass

We can't wait to welcome you to what promises to be a criminally fun fantastic festival!

A word about The Word, National Centre for the Written Word in South Shields, which is in the middle of its brilliant Write Festival this month. What a totally amazing place and as I was born nearby and lived in South Shields for some time, extra exciting to be shown my own books in their amazing library. Must learn to act like a cool author, rather than squealing with excitement and demanding my pic be taken with two of them 😁

I loved my chat this time last year at Richmond Walking & Book Festival about my Billie Wilde crime thriller series, with the very lovely Pam Royle TV . This year's event, on right now, is sure to be just as exciting. One to look out for if you are in north Yorkshire this week!

Before my career in TV scriptwriting/producing and then writing crime thrillers, I was a film and TV Make-Up Designer. Among my many projects, I worked on the iconic children's TV series Byker Grove. Dale Meeks, who portrayed Greg, the menacing leader of The Denton Burners, stood out amongst a group of young actors taking their first baby steps into the world of entertainment. He was as confident and capable in his acting abilities, as the superstars I had worked with previously, making him an absolute joy to be around, so it was no surprise when he went on to star in many more shows on stage and screen. Though he may have presented as an intimidating bear of a boy in the role he carried off with such aplomb, the real-life Dale was as gentle and sweet as a jelly baby. I am so much looking forward to this first on-stage celebration of his life and the launch of The Dale Meeks Together We’ll Be Okay Trust to support young performers. I’m taking a bag of jelly babies with me as a reminder that even larger than life actors playing hard men can still be the sweetest of softies inside. Tickets are on sale at https://www.ticketsource.co.uk/dales-trust

How exciting is this? A stunning outlet in my nearest town Alnwick, Northern Angels Alnwick celebrates the lives of many of the outstanding, amazing, feisty, clever and brave women who have hailed from the north. Now the main character of my Billie Wilde series is taking her place amongst them, as my books go on sale there. How cool is this, to see your own fictional northern angel alongside such amazing real-life women? Big thanks to Northern Angels Alnwick - a magic moment for sure!

A big day for my fellow author J. A. Baker who has her latest psychological thriller out today! Champers time Judith! 🥳🍾🥂

Someone is watching...👀 Happy publication day J. A. Baker! 🎉 is the spine-chilling and gripping new psychological thriller from the bestselling author of ! Get your copy today for just 99p: https://mybook.to/WomanWoodsSocial

Ooo, just got these pics from Sam, the amazing owner of Whickham Cottage Crafts who has done a wonderful job of packaging my signed books in such beautiful ways and often snuggled beside other locally created items. What a star she is! Get in touch with Sam if you should like any. They can be picked up or posted out, says Super Sam Mcdine

Fellow author J. A. Baker kindly asked me to join her on new kid on the block 'Spaces' on Twitter ( now X) via the very brave TJ . As you can hear, there was much panic at the beginning as we took our first (live 🥶) Spaces baby steps, but then poor TJ couldn't stop us talking 🤣 Here's the recording. The cat was less than gripped 😆 https://x.com/i/spaces/1PlKQpbRbrvxE

Very important lesson in spelling 🤣 Pinched from The Coastal Custodian - Across Northumberland Coast & Country . Thank you x🤣🤣

… not saying spelling is important but spelling is important! 😆

Popped along to The Running Fox in Longhoughton today, with grandson Peter to celebrate A level success and say a quick hello to some of my books. Lovely spot celebrating local creatives, with amazing crafts, food and takeaway goodies. #

I had a magical visit this week to Newcastle's amazing Lit&Phil, the largest indie library in the UK outside of London. Anyone can wander inside this astonishing place where some of the greatest minds of 19th and 20th century hung out, swapping ideas.George Stephenson demonstrated his miners lamp here. And there it is, just plonked on a table. Joseph Swan lit up the lecture room here, with the first ever room to be lit by electricity. If you are a member, you can borrow any book published after 1845!! Room after room full of wonderful titles. I am in love! Right by Newcastle train station, if you are visiting the area.

I absolutely love every one of these.

https://www.youtube.com/shorts/HfhFsu6qK4E

Wilde & Darque Buried Dreams. Book 1 of a new crime thriller series. Introducing Wilde & Darque, a new fast-moving PI crime thriller book series spin-off from the DSI Billie Wilde crime thrillers, the Magpie, the Devils Line a...

Clever!

Watch out, there's a tiger on the beach!

Incredible work by Beach4Art, who created this tiger using stones on a beach in Devon!

The calm, just before the storm this morning. Torrential rain ever since. Time to snuggle down with a good book, or in my case writing another one. 30,000 words in.

As any author will tell you, it's amazing to see your precious book babies making their way around the world, but just as lovely to bump into them in local outlets. When Sam Mcdine asked about stocking my books in her Aladdin's Cave full of local business creations Whickham Cottage Crafts I had no idea that my crime thrillers would also turn up in exciting hampers! My books full of murder and mayhem are finding themselves snuggled amongst the most gorgeous treasures, all made locally. Some of the hampers turn up in holidays lets, so visitors can read stories located right where they are staying! Here's a little story in the Northumberland Gazette telling more.

https://www.northumberlandgazette.co.uk/arts-and-culture/books/lesbury-authors-books-are-selling-out-across-northumberland-4211913?fbclid=IwAR1VMFzDvuvgslQAkoSKRQuROthqlIC-7P8nklkA2aeSx5xRFqbfVq3LPp0

Northumberland author's crime books are selling out: "My customers just can’t get enough of them" A local author is thrilled that her books have garnered worldwide interest, but even more excited to see her books popping up in the actual places where they are set.

Awww, Bay Tales Live at Whitley Bay Playhouse looking exciting for next year!! I really enjoyed being part of the festival earlier this year at Noir at the Bar. It was actually the first time I had done a live reading of one of my books. Thankfully, no-one nodded off 😁

A pile of criminally thrilling bookmarks about to join their book mates before heading over to Sam Mcdine Whickham Cottage Crafts

This was a beautiful idea to highlight baby loss awareness yesterday, on Alnmouth beach, with guidance from the amazing sand artist Claire Soul2Sand Tiny lives lost were written in the sand ripples

I met an absolutely lovely person yesterday! The amazing, vivacious and all-round gorgeous Sam McDine, owner of Whickham Cottage Crafts. Sam set up her business to champion local producers/creators and has some stunning treasures tucked inside of her delectable hampers, which may end up in holiday cottages, at corporate events, as special gifts and at local crafty markets. Now she has set her sights on authors, living/writing about the area. Should you be visiting the north east of England, you might find one of my signed books popping up in your holiday rental and if you live locally, at various crafty markets and shops. It’s great to have your books zipping out in the wild across the world, but extra exciting when you see your book babies popping up locally. Big thanks to Sam! If you are in Durham this Monday, first stop for the signed Billie Wilde series is at Jaspah Too

So excited to see my books going on another local walkabout. This time to the amazing Whickham Cottage Crafts. Feeling very honoured to have my stories nestled amongst so many other amazing goodies!

A surf and turf walk this morning in Alnmouth, Billie Wilde's stomping ground, where the is in full flow, followed by a whopping book signing session. 80 books scribbled inside and about to be popped in boxes for the amazing The Running Fox cafe's/shops in our lovely Northumberland. Got to visit if you are in the area.

Beautiful Alnmouth in Northumberland. Home of Billie Wilde, the star of my crime thrillers. Alnmouth, Northumberland The Coastal Custodian - Across Northumberland Coast & Country