Rebecca Philipson on Her Debut Novel Ahead of Crime Writing Festival Bay Tales
Living North meet Crook's Rebecca Philipson to find out more about her debut novel ahead of her appearance at the popular crime writing festival Bay Tales in Whitley Bay
‘I made a personalised newspaper as a birthday gift for my granda, and my dad who’s an entrepreneur saw it and encouraged me to start a small gift business,’ she says. ‘It took off and within a few months I was making personalised gifts full time. I went on to make gifts of all kinds for a number of big brands, including the Premier League, and later, Disney, Next etc. I was named Young Entrepreneur of the Year and won several business awards. The 2008 recession was a tough time, but we made it through and were stable employers for many years.
‘For many years I was a single mum and I worked two jobs while raising my girls. I would leave my job in the business, drive to Newcastle and teach two or three nights a week. Sometimes I did tutoring as well, and even cared for friends’ pets to help provide for me and my kids. I relied on my mum a lot for child care and parental support during those years. The business really took off again in 2015 when we merged with a tech company and grew together. We worked with Next, who became shareholders and eventually sold the business in 2020.’
Rebecca has always found happiness and peace in stories. ‘As a child, my head was always “in the clouds”, and I found comfort in the characters I lived with inside my mind,’ she says. ‘Books and libraries always felt safe and welcoming to me. I read a lot, and would hide my shyness and sense of being different behind the cover of a paperback. I started telling stories aloud to other children and that turned into writing stories down – I guess that’s when I became a writer, but I didn’t write seriously for many years; life as a single parent is very busy, but the stories were always there.’
During the pandemic, Rebecca started a blog on a bit of whim. ‘I wrote mainly true crime articles and it absolutely flew,’ she says. ‘I couldn’t believe it. I decided to apply for a Masters degree in Creative Writing and used my blog articles to showcase my writing and the money from my blog to fund it. I started at UEA (part-time) and my business sold at about the same time. I worked for the acquiring company for a while, but when I was made redundant in early 2023, I knew that I didn’t want to look for another corporate job – I wanted to be an author. I was thrilled to secure a top agent on my first try and I worked part-time as a sighted guide for a blind Forensic Psychology student while we edited How to Get Away With Murder.'
How to Get Away With Murder, Rebecca’s debut novel, is a dark and twisty serial killer thriller. ‘It’s perfect for fans of Val McDermid, Ann Cleeves and LJ Ross,’ she tells us. ‘It’s about a serial killer who writes a “how to” guide to murder. His book is then found at a crime scene and a police investigation launched. You read along with the detective as she tries to unpick his “how to” guide and identify the killer. It’s set in both London and across the North East. I hope local readers will spot the locations, although I’ve played around with a couple of place names.’
'Our region is a real creative hub. We have so many great creators and artists of all kinds here and that needs to be celebrated and showcased'
How to Get Away With Murder was pre-empted by Penguin within 24 hours of submission, then by MacMillan in the USA, then Germany and many more territories. ‘So far, it’s going to be published in 14 countries and nine languages,’ Rebecca reveals. ‘It’s reviewing well and I get very emotional every time I read what a reader has to say about my book. I recently did a small ARC tour in Yorkshire and met readers for the first time – I cried. It was just amazing. They loved How To Get Away With Murder and were super supportive of me, I’ll never forget those moments and very much hope to meet more readers at Bay Tales.’
When the popular crime writing festival Bay Tales returns to Playhouse Whitley Bay this February, Rebecca will join the lineup of talented writers including Ann Cleeves and Trevor Wood. ‘I’m so excited to be at Bay Tales,’ she says. ‘It’s such a great festival for readers and writers and it’s a dream come true to be on a panel. I am an open and honest person, so you can expect that from me for sure. I love to laugh and joke, too. I admit I’ll probably be really nervous. There are huge names at Bay Tales and I just hope I do okay.
‘It’s something that everyone from the North East can be proud of. Our region is a real creative hub. We have so many great creators and artists of all kinds here and that needs to be celebrated and showcased. It’s so important that our region hosts big events like Bay Tales. Not only is it a great thing for local people to experience, it brings people into our area – industry leaders, world famous authors and readers from all over the UK. I feel so honoured to be a northern writer at such a prestigious northern event. Bay Tales is so popular because it’s powered by passion – [festival organiser] Vic [Watson]’s passion, authors’ passion and most importantly, reader and visitor passion.’
Rebecca has always been fascinated by true crime. ‘It’s a huge industry nowadays, but even as a youngster I read books about Mary Ann Cotton and other killers,’ she says. ‘I was drawn to the psychology of crime and that fascinates me to this day. My blog really inspired How To Get Away With Murder too. I wrote a lot of survivor stories and began to feel a lot of anger at the celebritisation of serial killers and the diminishing of victim voices, particularly female voices. Some readers have described a feminist rage that powers How To Get Away With Murder, and I love them for seeing that.
‘I hope that readers will be kept awake at night by my book – in a good way, of course! I write to entertain, but How to Get Away With Murder does have some strong themes, which I hope will resonate with readers. In the simplest of terms, I hope readers love it.’
Rebecca was offered a full scholarship by the University of Liverpool where she’s currently reading for a PhD in Creative Writing whilst working on book two. ‘I just want to write forever,’ she says. ‘I want to bring people great stories that entertain but also ask questions and challenge thinking, particularly around women and around crime. On a personal level, I hope the future sees me making art that my girls are proud of.’
Is there a local author who inspires you?
We have so many amazing authors here whose books and events are my ‘go tos’ – LJ Ross, Jeanette Winterson, Trevor Wood, Ann Cleeves, Eliza Clark and Lucy Rose. I’m most inspired by the authors I know personally, who’ve supported and encouraged me so far and they’re the authors from the North East Novelists group and the Teesside Writers’ Group. When I’m struggling, I tend to look backwards to the northern women authors from the past and reread their works and visit their museums etc. I recently went to Lumb Bank and Haworth and Anne Brontë’s grave in Scarborough.
What are you reading right now?
I’m reading The Darkening Globe by Naomi Kelsey who’s a brilliant local author.
What book would you recommend to our readers?
My most recommended book of 2025 is Nightwatching by Tracy Sierra.
What is your advice for budding writers?
For me, a lengthy writing course with a great tutor and a cohort of people who nurture each other’s talent was the way in. I’d recommend this to anyone.
Where’s your happy place in the North East?
Weardale. It’s where I’m from. It has my heart… and now it’s in my novel. I have a German Shepherd and we love to walk around Bollihope, Tunstall Reservoir, or along the Wear or up to the Elephant Trees.
