A lot has happened since Stoke-on-Trent’s very own ‘mistress of crime’ took part in the city’s first literary festival at the Emma Bridgewater Factory in 2014.
Back then, Mel Sherratt was a rising star on the crime fiction scene thanks to her gritty books.
Six years on, the 52-year-old has shifted almost 1.4 million books and has realised her dream of a deal with one of the world’s biggest publishers, HarperCollins.
Fans have the chance to hear all about her success when the writer appears at the Festival in a Factory, which takes place at the Emma Bridgewater Factory, in Hanley . Mel will be in conversation with The Sentinel’s editor-in-chief, Martin Tideswell, at 5pm on Friday, June 7.
The event will see the bestselling novelist chat about her characters and settings, and she will also discuss her new book, Tick Tock, her second with HarperCollins.
Set in and around Stoke-on-Trent, Tick Tock is the second in Mel’s gritty and gripping police procedural series featuring DS Grace Allendale. The book features familiar North Staffordshire locations and has received praise from fellow authors Ian Rankin and Martina Cole, who calls it a “terrific read”.
“I still feel shocked that I’ve achieved so much, considering how long it took to get here,” says Mel, who grew up in Abbey Hulton and now lives in Light Oaks. “It’s great that I can now inspire others.
“It was an honour to take part in the inaugural Hot Air Festival (as it was then called). I was on a panel, hosted by Martin, with two brilliant authors. It was great fun and also one of the reasons why I’m delighted to now be doing my own panel, in conversation with Martin.
“Martin and I are passionate about the city, and I love the Emma Bridgewater Factory because it’s like stepping back in time to Stoke-on-Trent’s history.
“Tick Tock is the second in a series based here in the city, so it will be great to talk to readers about both books, and also about why I based them here, my new characters and the settings.”
Mel has 16 published books under her belt, 13 of which are crime novels, while three are women’s fiction written under her pseudonym, Marcie Steele.
“I’ve been writing since I was eight and have always had my nose in a book,” says Mel, who lives with her husband Chris, aged 61, and terrier Dexter, named after the TV serial killer.
“When I had a full-time job, I wrote every evening and weekend, and began pitching to agents 20 years ago.”
Despite years of struggling to get an agent, Mel persevered, which no doubt made her eventual success all the sweeter.
“I had 12 years of being rejected by agents,” she reveals, “which is why I decided to self-publish – and from then things took off.”
In 2010, Mel took redundancy from her job at Stoke-on-Trent City Council, where she’d worked as a housing officer and then in adult social care and health.
And this provided the catalyst that allowed her to focus full-time on her writing.
Her first book, Taunting the Dead, which introduced DS Allie Shenton, soared to the rank of number one bestselling police procedural in the Amazon Kindle store in 2012.
“I self-published first and then joined Amazon Publishing, under their crime imprint, Thomas & Mercer,” she says.
Seven years ago, Mel signed with her agent, Madeleine Milburn, and then, in 2017, came the deal with HarperCollins.
For the past four years, Mel has been named as one of Stoke-on-Trent’s top 100 influential people. She also works alongside the National Literacy Trust as an ambassador, supporting their ongoing work in Stoke-on-Trent to raise literacy levels.
She adds: “I already have two other books, but they’re under wraps, and in the future I’d love to see DS Grace Allendale on the TV.
“I get my ideas from everywhere – I have so many that I don’t have enough time to write about them.”
Crime Fiction on the Streets of Stoke-on-Trent, with Mel Sherratt, takes place at the Festival in a Factory on Friday, June 7 at 5pm in the Meakin Room of the Emma Bridgewater Factory, in Hanley. For tickets visit www.festivalinafactory.co.uk , contact the New Vic Theatre on 01782 381381, visit www.newvictheatre.org.uk or buy at the theatre box office.
