Saddleworth mum’s debut novel inspired by textile mills

Kate Davis has spent most of her working life in and around Greater Manchester’s textiles mills.

And so it’s maybe not surprising that she brings the industry heritage to life in her debut novel, Murder at the Mill.

Kate’s family haulage company was an integral part of the area’s textile mills for close to a century.

And the 63-year-old’s other career as an accounts manager is based in a former mill, which has been converted into small business and storage units.

The mother-of-two from Saddleworth admits her surroundings played a large part in influencing her first book.

Kate, who writes under the pseudonym C E Davis, said: “The influences for Murder at the Mill come from reading too many books about the past and also working in an old textile mill. 

“Saddleworth history and folklore has always been a great interest of mine too. 

“My family have links with the owners of the mill where I work going back to 1912.

“So, the mill which features in my novel has always been in my life.”

Kate combines folklore, romance, humour and local history to lift Murder at the Mill above similar novels.

Her debut has been described by captivated readers as ‘imaginative storytelling’, ‘full of promise’ and having a ‘fabulous setting’.

Murder at the Mill follows the fortunes of Cathy Collins after she inherits an old lock up within a former textiles mill.

During her research into her late grandmother, she discovers she is descended from a line of witches.

As the mill around her begins to reveal its past, Cathy must learn her bloodline’s magical skills to help free a ghost within the factory.

Kate, whose favourite authors include Jane Austen, TJ Green and Iris Beaglehole, added: “A letter from a solicitor changes Cathy's life and introduces her to the enchanted mill and the ghost of her recently passed grandmother.

“Also, a family she knew nothing about.

“This series of books will cover the quests that Cathy is set, as she quickly learns her magic.

“Along with finding herself to be a witch, she is also the ghost whisperer of the community.”

Away from writing, Kate holds a Post Graduate Certificate in Genealogical, Palaeographical and Heraldic Studies.

She is currently working on a further three books in the series, which feature both Cathy and the enchanted mill.

For more details, visit Amazon and search for C E Davis, where the paperback and Kindle formats of Murder at the Mill are both available.

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