This is very definitely a work of fiction and I’ve created characters, landmarks and motives to develop what I hope is an enjoyable read driven by realistic characters of their time. Our submissions window is currently closed but will re-open at the start of 2023. If you’re an author originally from the north or currently living there, with a taste for “crime fiction”, we would love to hear from you. This friendly, inclusive group meets on the third Tuesday of the month, at The Vale, Mossley's beautiful arts space, 7.30-9.30pm. We welcome all kinds of writers, at all stages of their career. A typical Mossley Writers get-together includes critiquing members’ work, writing together using fun and thought-provoking writing exercises, and – of course – tea and biscuits. There is a small monthly fee to cover the hire of the space at The Vale. The team currently work remotely from Manchester, Yorkshire, and Cumbria, and despite weekly Zoom meetings, we’re still enjoying the experience of working for an indie publisher without the crushing realities of a long commute.

Thoroughly researched, Out of Human Sight is a beautifully written tale about English society during the rise of capitalism, about womanhood, family, fortitude, hope, and belonging to a place and community. As soon as they are married, Johnny drops the bombshell of his ‘gift’ to his new wife. They are to emigrate to the Canadas the following week. Millie doesn’t want to leave her family, her work, her friends and the only life she has ever known. But a husband’s decision is final and Millie soon finds herself on board a ship from Liverpool. Parkes-Nield, S. (2021). Connected through Custom: Well Dressing in Jon McGregor’s Novel, Reservoir 13. Folklore, 132 (2), 208-217. http://doi.org/10.1080/0015587X.2020.1844953. Book chapters Sophie researched the known facts of the case, including the permanent exhibit at Saddleworth Museum in Uppermill, but the story of Out of Human Sight is her own invention.

With little choice she sails with him to Canada and during this journey she sees him as he really is a heavy drinker and a controlling man. When stupefied one evening he tells her something that destroys her future with him, but now she is a woman with limited options. This was a story of resilience, perseverance and sheer grit. Many aspects of Millie’s story would be familiar to many women in the early 1800s. But Millie suffered in ways that few could imagine. The horrors she witnessed, and not knowing who carried out the murders, would haunt her. But she was determined. She needed to know, even if others would rather she move on. She was a strong young woman, and I admired her. Sophie added: “I’ve written both fiction and non-fiction ever since I was tiny, making ‘books’ with childhood friends before moving on to writing about music and interviewing my favourite musicians for magazines from the age of 15.

To celebrate the publication of Out of Human Sight, writer Sophie Parkes will be joined by musicians Laura Smyth and Ted Kemp. With readings, music and refreshments, learn more about the historical case and how Sophie worked with the folklore of the crime to develop her novel. She said: “I’m not so much fascinated by who committed the murder – though the fact that it remains unsolved is certainly intriguing – I am more interested in how a young woman could be thrown into the spotlight and deal with such tragic circumstances in a small, isolated place, as Greenfield and Saddleworth would’ve been at the time.She won a Northern Writers’ Award in 2017 and also lectures in creative writing and has offered creative writing workshops through Tameside Libraries. A graduate of the University of Manchester and the Manchester Writing School, Manchester Metropolitan University, Sophie Parkes is currently studying for a PhD in creative writing and folklore at Sheffield Hallam University, for which she won a Vice Chancellor's Scholarship. You can read more about her research here. The bloody, battered, and unrecognisable bodies of an innkeeper and his son are found in their remote village. As gore-seekers travel from across the country to witness the sight, mill-worker Millie Bradbury, her family, and her discovery have become notorious, and the focus of unwanted national attention. In 2016, Sophie worked with endurance athlete, Blind Dave Heeley, to get his incredible story down onto paper. From Light to Darkis published by Pitch, with a portion of the story influencing short film, Seven Days, made by Pixel Revolution Films. It is also available as an audio book, courtesy of narrator, Adrian Chiles. Sophie Parkes-Nield, writing as Sophie Parkes, has degrees from the University of Manchester and Manchester Metropolitan University, and is currently studying for a PhD in creative writing and folklore at Sheffield Hallam University.

Parkes-Nield, S. (2023). “Unite and Unite, and Let Us All Unite”. In Folklore, People, and Places. (pp. 55-66). Routledge: http://doi.org/10.4324/9781003374138-5 Books An atmospheric historical novel which charts one young woman’s journey to adulthood. The story starts with a murder which haunts our heroine throughout the remainder of the book, but for me the main focus of the narrative were her relationships with those around her and her inability to adjust to her change in circumstances. I was drawn to this book's William Morris cover and its tagline: a historical mystery - a winning combination! On the 10-week voyage, they make friends with another married couple, Annie and Adam. And Millie begins to see her husband’s true colours… Following degrees from the University of Manchester and Manchester Metropolitan University, Sophie is currently studying for a PhD in creative writing and folklore at Sheffield Hallam University.MURDER MYSTERY: Sophie Parkes has written a book following on from the murders at a Saddleworth pub. Released on Thursday, January 26, the novel opens with the murders of father and son William and Thomas Bradbury at the isolated Greenfield inn on the Holmfirth Road, which captivated people so much at the time that visitors from across the country arrived in Saddleworth to see the blood-spattered pub for themselves. Out of Human Sight is a historical murder mystery like no others. Set in 1832 in a tiny mill village of Saddleworth, which sits on vast heather fields of rural Derbyshire, and based on the real events, it tells a story of a nineteen-year-old mill worker Millie Bradbury. Despite the fact that the initial horrific act takes place right at the start of the book, it did take me a few days to get into Out of Human Sight. But once the bombshell of the couple’s move to Canada had hit, I couldn’t stop reading! The London-centric focus of the publishing industry, both geographically and mentally, was always part of the conversation whenever we returned home or suffered through strange editorial practices which eroded any semblance of accent or identity.

In 2017, Sophie won the Arvon Award at the Northern Writers’ Awards for her collection of short stories based on or influenced by English folk song. Sophie is an Associate Lecturer at Sheffield Hallam University, teaching on both BA and MA Creative Writing programmes. She is also a frequent facilitator of creative writing workshops in the community, leading workshops for The Portico Library, Saddleworth Literature Festival, The Tameside Health and Wellbeing College, and Tameside Libraries, amongst others. She also founded and continues to run Mossley Writers and in 2021 won an Arts Council England grant for The Tameside WordShop, a year-long programme of creative writing workshops for Tameside writers. Join us for the Sheffield launch of Out of Human Sight, the debut novel from SHU PhD student, Sophie Parkes-Nield, and her publishers, Northodox Press. small town where she lives. If you live locally and would like more information about joining the group, feel free to get in touch to join the mailing list. It has also received praise, with Yvonne Battle-Felton, author of Remembered, describing it as ‘deliciously intense.’Millie struggling to come to terms with this loss finds succour in her love for Johnny, they have always been a couple destined to be together. Some thought she married in haste, but Millie is confident that she will find happiness with Johnny. However, no sooner are they married that her world is turned upside-down. Johnny is determined to emigrate to a better life in Canada and as his wife Millie is compelled to be with him even though she would rather stay with her family. Millie is a brilliantly compelling heroine, and I followed her emotional and physical journey on tenterhooks.”