Win copies of new The Toffee Factory Girls release by Sunderland author Glenda Young

Sunderland author Glenda Young has drawn on historic toffee factories for her new novel.

Inspired by Horner's Toffee Factory of Chester-le-Street and their Dainty Dinah brand of toffee, The Toffee Factory Girls is released this week.

The first in a trilogy by Glenda, it follows the success of her previous novels, including The Sixpenny Orphan, Belle of the Back Streets and The Tuppenny Child, which are all rooted in her native North East.

Set in 1915, The Toffee Factory Girls follows three women who start work at a toffee factory and, as war rages on, they help each other cope through the difficult times ahead.

Glenda, whose love of literature was sparked by childhood trips to Ryhope Library, said: "It's been a real sweet treat researching  women working in toffee factories at the outbreak of WW1. 

“As well as researching locally with Chester-le-Street and Birtley heritage groups, I visited the Mackintosh toffee archive in York and was given access to amazing images and records from the time.

“I also made my own toffee at home to help conjour up the sounds of toffee bubbling in a pan, and the sweet aroma of delicious, creamy toffee filled my kitchen for days.  It's a pleasure to honour the hard work of women  in factories during WW1, and it's a cracking story too with fantastic characters."

The Toffee Factory Girls will be released on Thursday, May 23 and will be available at Asda, Tesco, Morrisons, Waterstones, WHSmiths, all independent bookshops and online at Amazon, etc.

To mark the release on Thursday, Glenda will be at Houghton-le-Spring's independent bookshop Featherbed Books from 12 noon to 2pm to sign books. Houghton bakery Lucky Button Cakes are creating Dainty Dinah cupcakes for the book launch where the first 50 people to buy a book each receive a free cake.

Glenda will also be at Boyes, Chester-le-Street on Friday, May 31,  from 11am-1pm and Sunderland Waterstones on Saturday, June 1 from 12pm to 2pm.

For details of all events of book signings, talks and events, see Glenda's website glendayoungbooks.com

The official book launch will be held in the Lambton Arms pub, Front Street, Chester-le-Street on Saturday, May 25 from 10am to 4pm.

It forms part of a Dainty Dinah exhibition run by Chester-le-Street heritage group from Thursday, May 23 until Saturday, May 25 where you can discover secrets from the past about Horner's toffee factory and Dainty Dinah toffee.

Win signed copies

We’ve got five signed copies of The Toffee Factory Girls to give away. The first prize winner will also win a Toffee Twin pack.

The four runners-up will receive a signed copy of the book.

To be in with a chance of winning, answer this question: which library inspired Glenda’s love of literature?

Email your answer, along with your name and address, to [email protected] by 9am on Friday, May 31.

Prizes will be posted out to winners.

Usual National World competition rules apply.