Sunderland author breaks into UK Top 50 bestsellers list with Ryhope-set saga series

The Paper Mill Girl has made the top 50 bestsellers list

The book, which was released last month, is the latest to pay tribute to her home village of Ryhope and the surrounding areas and was inspired by Sunderland’s lost paper mills.

Inspired by her lifelong love of soap operas, Glenda’s gritty and dramatic books continue to have a feisty young heroine at their core, showcasing strong North East women in adversity and putting female empowerment centre stage in an early 20th century northern village.

Glenda said: “I’m overjoyed to be hitting The Official UK Top 50 bestselling books list for the first time, it may be 49 but I’m in. I would like to thank my loyal fan base for supporting me over the years, it’s a pure delight to hear the feedback circulating on my latest release.”

Sunderland author Glenda Young. Photo by Les Mann.

Taking inspiration from extensive research with a range of groups including Sunderland Antiquarian Society and the Ryhope Heritage Society plus a visit to Frogmore Mill in Hertfordshire, The Paper Mill Girl was launched virtually at The Word, South Shields last month.

With the success of four books under her wing including Belle of the Back Streets, The Tuppenny Child, Pearl of Pit Lane and The Girl with the Scarlett Ribbon, Glenda continues to bring immersive nostalgia to her loyal fan base.

She added: “The Paper Mill Girl is set in the fictional Grange Paper Works, which is based on the old paper mills of Sunderland which I researched extensively for the story. Sunderland’s paper mills no longer exist and it’s a privilege to bring them to life again, this time through the eyes of a young girl working there.

“The book is set in the areas of Hendon and Ryhope in Sunderland and I’m very proud to be putting the village of Ryhope, where I was born and bred, on the literary map and bringing the village to life in my books.”

Hendon Paper Mill was demolished in 2018. Pictures courtesy of Sunderland Antiquarian Society, Beamish Museum archive and Rob's Shepherd's book Grangetown History, Vols. 1–3

Further Ryhope-set sagas will be hitting the shelves in 2022 and 2023 as part of the author’s eight-book deal.

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