Death at the Village Christmas Fair - Debbie Young's Writing Life

vintage Peek Freans tin full of old buttons

Events, Family, Personal life, Reading, Writing

The Secret Life of Button Boxes: Memories, Mysteries, and a Murder Clue

Posted on September 1, 2025 by Debbie Young

When, as a child, I used to play with my grandma’s button box, I admired each button like a tiny work of art.

Born in 1900, Grandma grew up fastening her button-boots with buttonhooks. As a young woman, she embraced flapper styles. The contents of her tin gave a miniature history of twentieth-century fashion.

My mum (91) still has her own button box from when she used to make clothes for her children. Her 21st birthday present was a hand-cranked Singer sewing machine, on which I later learned to sew.

My grandma and my mum used old toffee and biscuit tins as button boxes. But my buttons live in a smart Cath Kidston tin, labelled The Book of Buttons.

My daughter uses a tartan shortbread tin to house hers.

The contents of every button box are unique. Plunging your hand in is like a lucky dip. You never know which tiny treasure you’ll pull out, nor its provenance.

Whose duffle coat did this toggle once fasten?
Which child fiddled with this little blue one on their school cardigan during a tedious lesson?
What kind of party dress did this diamante disc once adorn?

Last century, every home had a button box. These days, with fewer people making their own clothes, it’s an endangered species. Yet it’s easy to keep the tradition alive. You can buy interesting vintage buttons in any charity shop or thrift store. If you’re lucky, you’ll find something similar to the fancy fastener at the heart of the mystery in my new novel, Death at the Village Christmas Fair.

When Wendy chooses a bear-shaped button from her daughter Alice’s Cotswold Curiosity Shop and sews it onto a hand-knitted scarf, it soon becomes a vital clue in the hunt for a ruthless killer.

photo of small wooden bear — If you look at his tail end, you’ll see a hole that allows him to be sewn onto the scarf.

The unusual scene of the crime is a Santa Run, in which hundreds of fun-runners race dressed as Father Christmas. What’s so special about Wendy’s little wooden bear? You’ll have to read my novel to find out!

Do you have a button box in your home? What’s your most unusual button? Which is your favourite, and why?

Death at the Village Christmas Fair is now available in ebook, paperback, hardback and audiobook. The third in the Cotswold Curiosity Shop cosy mystery series, it may also be read as a standalone novel.

covers of the three books in the Cotswold Curiosity Shop series — All three books in the series so far can be read as stand-alone novels, but it’s best to read them in order

(This post first appeared on the blog of Boldwood Books, my publisher.)

In Other News

photo of Debbie and Sarah in waterproofs — Thanks to Sarah Chave for the photo. We didn’t let rain stop play!

I’m just recovering after a very wet and windy Hawkesbury Show, where our Hawkesbury Upton Literature Festival tent nearly blew away. I’m sure we had the most windswept spot on the showground – the wind seemed to be coming from all directions at once! However, I had great fun with fellow authors Lucienne Boyce, Sarah Siân Chave, Frances Evesham and Jack (Jackie) Chandler. All except Jackie will be speaking at the next Festival event on Saturday 27th September – and the only reason Jackie’s not coming is that she lives in Germany, otherwise she’d be there like a shot! Thanks to Sarah for the attached photo of us on the stand, dressed for the weather!

I’d just about dried out and warmed up in time to give a short talk at the traditional annual Songs of Praise service held in the Show Marquee next morning (thankfully in sunshine by Sunday morning!) At our Songs of Praise service, six local residents are invited to choose their favourite hymns and tell us why they’ve chosen them. It’s always fascinating to learn more about well-known hymns and heartwarming to learn about the personal connections for the speakers. For this service, I spoke about the power of music to unite communities and bring people to faith.

As a Lay Worship Leader, I occasionally give short talks at services. Lay Worship Leaders aren’t licensed to preach – instead we just talk about something timely or relevant for each service. I thinking of saving them up to turn them into a small book, similar to my collected columns for the Tetbury Advertiser and Hawkesbury Parish News. Let me know if that’s something you’d like to read.

Now that the Show is over, I can concentrate on preparing for the Hawkesbury Upton Literature Festival on Saturday 27th September, which will take “Strength of Character” as its theme. The programme is going to be fascinating. Find out more and book your tickets here.

And with my other hand, I’m still writing my novelisation of The Importance of Being Murdered, due to launch early 2026.

But somehow, I still find time to curl up with a book….

What I Read Last Week

Hafren: The Wisdom of the River Severn by Sarah Siân Chave

A fascinating personal response to the Hafren, aka the River Severn, with something for everyone.

Following the course of the river from its source just outside Aberystwyth, Sarah Chave’s narrative Includes Welsh mythology and Welsh and English social history, as well as geography and natural history, environmentalism, and family history.

Overall it is a thoughtful, philosophical work, acknowledging and mourning the impact of industrialization and climate change, but also an effective cry for positive action going forward. While nostalgic for what we have lost, it is ultimately constructive, as evidenced by the following quote:

Pastoralism can provoke feelings of nostalgia, a yearning for an unchanging utopian idyll, but it can, instead, be a approached in a different way – as a challenge to care for and protect the wider natural world.

The author cites and embraces Rupert Reed’s argument in favour of “thrutopias” to “encourage us to live our dreams in the present where we can, change things where we cannot, and strive together towards building a more caring world for all”.

Illustrated with a route map of the river to give the reader their bearings, and gentle black and white drawings by Rachel Elinor Collis, the book also boasts an evocative, slightly dream-like cover illustration by Andy Ward. All in all it’s a slick and beautiful package, published by the University of Wales’ imprint, Calon Books, which gives it the stamp of authority.

A great gift for anyone who loves any part of the Hafren/Severn, whether Welsh or English – there’s something in there to satisfy all kinds of readers.

All At Sea by Flora McGowan

I downloaded this short story onto my Kindle after having a fun conversationon my Facebook author page about who we name our characters after. She named her central character Carrie after her grandmother. I’ve never yet named one of mine after my beloved grandmothers, Lily and Peggy, but I’m going to think about doing that now.

All at Sea is a gentle tale of a very English day out at the seaside – an outing that sounds as if it should be simple and fun, but in Flora McGowan’s hands, turns into a thoughtful, poignant, memorable and melancholy tale of love, loss and responsibility. I won’t say more for fear of spoiling the plot.

cover of Death at the Village Christmas Fair against snowy background

Personal life, Reading, Writing

Music to my Ears

Posted on August 18, 2025August 17, 2025 by Debbie Young

This week’s post is literally about music – but another kind of music to my ears is readers’ early reactions to my new novel, launched last Saturday, and now available in ebook, paperback, hardback and audiobook.

Death at the Village Christmas Fair is the third in the Cotswold Curiosity Shop cosy mystery series, a festive edition launching in midsummer, because that’s the way the publishing industry works – operating a season ahead of reality, just like the fashion industry!

I’m delighted by how many readers are already getting stuck into this story when the weather in the northern hemisphere, where I am, is far from wintry! Some readers have told me they prefer reading wintry books in hot weather to cool them down. So maybe Death at the Village Christmas Fair, with its snowy cover, is really the perfect beach read

Here’s the blurb for the book to whet your appetite:

It’s been a busy year for Alice Carroll, with her Curiosity Shop opening for business, and not one but two murders shaking things up in her quaint Cotswold village. She’s looking forward to her first countryside Christmas, complete with traditional Christmas Fair and Santa Run.

But her hopes for innocent festive fun are thwarted when one of the Santa Runners steals something from her mum’s knitting stall. His festive outfit makes him hard to spot, until he’s found fatally injured outside the village hall with the stolen item.

Despite what the police say, Alice suspects there’s more to his murder than meets the eye. She’s determined to solve the mystery – including why, once more, a stranger thought something from her Curiosity Shop was worth killing for.

With the help of her charming neighbour Robert Praed, can Alice find the killer before the bells ring out this Christmas?

Perfect for fans of Fiona Leitch, Faith Martin and Agatha Christie.

Here is what early reviewers have said about it so far:

‘A nice easily enjoyable cosy crime story with a smashing ending’ – Alyson Reads
‘A cosy mystery full of mystery and intrigue, and is my favourite of the series’ – StaceyWH100
‘A brilliant page-turner readers will devour in a single sitting’ – Bookish Jottings

To order your copy online now, click here.

Now onto a different kind of music to my ears: Caroline Sanderson’s new memoir, Listen with Father: How I Learned to Love Classical Music…

For the Love of Music

The photo of the vintage reel-to-reel tape recorder on the cover of Caroline Sanderson’s new memoir, Listen with Father, made me realise how much our access to recorded music has changed during my lifetime.

My first memory of listening to records is via a wind-up record player when I was three years old. I’m not as ancient as that suggests, but the previous owner of the house we moved into had left it behind, and my brother and sister and I were allowed to treat it as a toy.

Then came a reel-to-reel tape player, like the one on Caroline’s book, followed by a fancy radiogram, housing an analogue radio and a turntable in a classic mid-century design, its wide, low cabinet on spindly legs. Its turntable had three speeds: 33rpm for LPs (long-playing records), 45rpm for singles, and 78rpm for any discs left over from the days of wind-up gramophones.

Not long after I started secondary school, compact cassette players were on my friends’ Christmas wish lists. Others favoured 8-track cartridge players, with the figure-of-eight set-up of the tape allowing non-stop music.

By the end of the Seventies, many music buffs aspired to a sleek stacking hi-fi system, with separate layers for records, cassettes and radio tuners. My university friend Tim was proud of his shiny new hi-fi until his confession that he had only two records, one of which was Supertramp, cued merciless teasing.

My stereo at this time was much more modest – a tiny turntable and diminutive speakers encased in bright orange plastic. Well, it was the Seventies.

By the time I was earning my living, the Sony Walkman, first for cassettes, then with newfangled CDs, was every commuter’s must-have accessory. These compact devices look huge and unwieldy compared to their successor: the tiny, lightweight iPods with no moving parts.

Now that we all stream music on our smartphones and smart speakers—and in my husband’s case, to his hearing aids – our family’s old iPods, in seaside-rock pink and vivid lime green, look like museum pieces.

Whatever next? Tiny receiver chips embedded in our heads? Douglas Adams’ Babel fish—a live fish dropped into the ear to act as an instant translator—seems less fantastical now than when it first appeared in The Hitchhiker’s’ Guide to the Galaxy, published in 1978 (the year I bought my orange stereo).

While afficionados argue the case for which recording format produces the better listening experience, to my mind none of them beats hearing music live.

Although a live performance lacks studio edits and polish, no recording can reproduce the excitement of watching a musician physically present, complete with body language, facial expressions, and emotions.

That’s one reason why it’s been such a joy to attend this summer’s Badminton Benefice Music Festival events – three down…

two still to come…

The immediacy adds an extra dimension, as does the glorious setting of our ancient Cotswold parish churches.

Plus, the concerts are free to attend, with free parking and complimentary refreshments, so no-one is priced out of the pleasure.

That includes families with children or grandchildren. The concerts provide the perfect way to enthuse young people about live music. They may even encourage them to take up an instrument or singing lessons themselves—or to do more practice, if they’re already learning. In an age where young people’s opportunities to learn and play music are diminishing, we’re lucky to have access to so many live, free music events on our home turf.

So, let’s turn off the tech for what’s left of the summer, and enjoy the original source of all music: the human being, in real life, in real time.

(This article first appeared in the August 2025 edition of the Hawkesbury Parish News.)

WHAT I’VE READ THIS WEEK

As you may know, I’m a course tutor for Jericho Writers. and I try to read as many of my students books as possible. This one was a real treat-to-self – and the first in Kalyn’s series was a great read too.

For the Love of Mark Twain: A Cozy Academia Friends-to-Lovers Story by Kalyn Gensic
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

What a great read for back-to-school time! I very much enjoyed reading this gentle, slow-burn romance between likeable characters on the staff of a small American university, a setting I wasn’t familiar with, so that added extra interest and enjoyment for me. Well written, witty, and engaging, with a cast of well-drawn and endearing supporting characters, this is a cosy read to linger over and make it last. Highly recommended.

Debbie holding one of her books in the Newport branch of The Works

Events, Personal life, Publishing, Writing

Don’t Blame the Borrowers

Posted on August 11, 2025August 11, 2025 by Debbie Young

In today’s new blog post, I’m sharing my latest column for the Tetbury Advertiser, plus a sneak preview of my new novel, Death at the Christmas Village Fair, which launches on 16th August, and reviews of recent holiday reads.

Tidying the mug shelf in my walk-in larder, I’m mourning the fact that only my favourite mugs ever get broken. I’m down to a single bone-china Cath Kidston, surrounded by numerous unwanted chunky ones. Similarly, I only ever seem to lose my best earrings.

Of course, that’s because they’re the ones I use the most. I must face facts and stop blaming the Borrowers – those tiny folk that live behind the wainscotting, stealing our things while we’re not looking, according to children’s author Mary Norton. Even so, I’m convinced some live in my house.

cover of The Borrowers by Mary Norton on a colourful patchwork quilt — If you haven’t read “The Borrowers” by Mary Norton, you’re in for a treat

Continue reading “Don’t Blame the Borrowers” →

photo of the cast of The Importance of Being Earnest

Personal life, Writing

Not the Retiring Kind

Posted on July 14, 2025 by Debbie Young

On discovering the upper recruitment age for the British Armed Forces is 39, I feel a flash of FOMO (Fear of Missing Out). I’ve missed that boat–or tank, or fighter jet–by a couple of decades. The same goes for the police force. Although there’s no age limit for joining up, they expect you to retire by 60.

I don’t know why this irks me. Despite my father having served in the Royal Navy, I never wanted to join any of the Forces. Even as a child, I knew I wanted to be when I grew up: a writer.

Tick! My sixteenth novel, Death at the Village Christmas Fair, will be published on 16th August.

Next up: novel #16, the third in my Cotswold Curiosity Shop series

Although I came to writing by a roundabout route, via journalism, PR and charity work, I got there in the end. I know in my heart I’ll never want to do anything else. Nor will I ever retire. I’ll be writing until I drop.

Continue reading “Not the Retiring Kind” →

shelf of Folio Society special editions of favourite books

Personal life, Publishing, Reading, Writing

Off the Shelf

Posted on June 11, 2025June 9, 2025 by Debbie Young

The Japanese have a word for it: tsundoku*.

That is, buying more books, even though you haven’t read all those you have at home. To Western ears, that term may sound like criticism, but in the Far East it’s regarded as reasonable.

I’m clearly living in the wrong country. Despite being a speedy reader, I buy books faster than I read them. My to-read list never stops growing.

Compounding the problem is my delight in rereading old favourites. I often choose old over new.

Rereading a familiar book is like watching repeats on television. We do it because we know we’ll enjoy them. Even if we have a nagging feeling that we’re squandering time, we’re not. They make us happy.
Every time we reread a book, we notice details we missed on first reading. This is particularly true in crime writing, where we spot red herrings that fooled us before, or in any fiction featuring unreliable narrators whom we originally trusted.
Our experience of a book also changes at each reading because we have changed as people. We’re not the same person at each encounter. The longer we leave it, the more our perspective may alter. Different factors resonate with us every time.

cover of a first edition of E Nesbit's The Railway Children — A first edition copy https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Railway_Children

An extreme example is rereading children’s books, which I often do. Revisiting E Nesbit’s The Railway Children last year, I identify now with the children’s mother.

As a child, I empathised with Phyllis. As the youngest of three siblings, my sympathies naturally gravitated towards the smallest child in stories. Having recently read the author’s biography added fresh insights into her fiction.

photo of new community bookcase in the bus stop — The new Books on the Bus Little Free Library bookcase, made by my husband

Even when we buy books with the best intentions, sometimes we grow out of them before we can find time to read them. There’s no shame in disposing of books you’re never likely to read, and there’s no shortage of good homes for them. Look no further than the bus stop in Hawkesbury Upton High Street, where a new, larger shelf unit built by my husband is about to be installed, thanks to the Parish Council’s kind grant for materials.

How many books are too many to have in your home?

In her debut self-help book, Japanese decluttering guru Marie Kondo recommended owning no more than 30. Never hesitate to part with books, she advised, because in the age of the internet, if you change your mind, it’s easy to track down a replacement.

At least, that’s what I think she said. I can’t check, because, I confess, my copy of The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying has long since left the building. The Japanese have a word for that too. I I just looked it up online. It’s 皮肉.* Pronounced: ai-ron-i.

*The Japanese characters making up this word literally mean “skin-meat”, but its meaning as well as its pronunciation is the same as our irony.

(This article first appeared in the June 2025 edition of the Hawkesbury Parish News.)

IN OTHER NEWS

Behold – the official unveiling of my next book, Death at the Village Christmas Fair, which will be launched on 16th August, in plenty of time for Christmas. I had great fun writing this one, with the suspect playing hard-to-get in a Santa Run, in which everyone is dressed as you-know-who! It also gave me lots of opportunities to write about knitting, one of my favourite hobbies. Yes, there is a connection between the Santa Run and knitting – but you’ll have to read it to find out what it is!

This is third book in the Cotswold Curiosity Shop series, the first two being Death at the Old Curiosity Shop and Death at the Village Chess Club. Both of these have been Amazon Bestsellers, so I’m crossing my fingers for this one to join that heady status.

In the meantime, I’m wondering what to write next – another adventure in one of my series (the others are the Sophie Sayers and Gemma Lamb cosy mysteries), a new stand-alone story, or a novelisation of my first play, which debuted in April, The Importance of Being Murdered.

My involvement with the Badminton Benefice Festival of Music (see previous post) is also making me hanker after writing a series of mysteries in musical settings.

I’m sending several outlines to my publisher, Boldwood Books, for them to choose. If you have a preference, do tell me, and I’ll pass it on to Boldwood. I’ll be sure to let you know what they decide.