CARE home residents in Mobberley were enthralled as an author who once worked in one of the last Victorian asylums in the country talked to them about her new book.

Sally-Anne Martyn attended Care UK’s Cranford Grange, on Hall Lane, to talk about her fictional thriller The Clinic.

Residents, family members and care staff heard how Sally-Anne, who lives in Lower Whitley, came to write the book after personal experiences working in a care home as well as a psychiatric asylum.

Taking after her dad, an avid reader of true crime books, her interest grew in behavioral health and depressive disorders.

Sally-Anne’s career and love for reading started at the Derbyshire Times and she also worked as a film and television extra and a care worker. 

Lisa Burrows, general manager at Cranford Grange, said: “Residents enjoy reading and we understand how reading helps improve memory, cognition, and attention span, especially in seniors.

“It’s not easy to attend book signings in busy shops, so the idea of holding one at Cranford Grange when down a treat.

“We can’t thank Sally-Anne for personally sharing her story with us and providing an enthralling afternoon of discussion and inspiration about her life and this absolutely addictive psychological thriller; with its twist at the end, it’s a must read.” 

Sally-Anne, who grew up in Hathersage in the Peak District, now lives in Lower Whitley with her husband and son, three dogs and five pet pigs.

Sally-Anne’s first novel, The Clinic is a dark thriller set in an ex-asylum, published in October 2022 by Joffe Books.