International Woman's Day 2021 celebrity agent turned best selling writer Melanie Blake on breaking her way to the top with no qualifications, fighting through poverty and inspired by Jackie Collins and bright lights of Blackpool

And the 44-year-old woman's woman, who has worked with stars from Cher, Madonna to Beyonce and is long time friend and manager to Coleen Nolan, said the resort , which left her ‘wide-eyed’ was ‘a world away, a tropical paradise’ in her youth that first introduced the glamour of the world of show business.

Melanie, reflected on her memories of Blackpool speaking to the Gazette, whilst celebrating the success of her most recent novel Ruthless Women which sits in the top 10 on the Sunday Times best-sellers list.

She said: “We never had money growing up but the absolute best part of the year would be the trip to Blackpool our grandparents would take us on every year.

“The excitement when the train would get to Preston knowing it was just one more stop, the lemon curd and jam sandwiches my grandma would have made for the day, the fun of the lights - fish and chips, walking the prom and seeing the names and faces of those people playing the piers.

“We’d stay in the same guest house.

“It’s just the most amazing place - it definitely set off something in me, I was so inspired by the bright lights because it was the most wonderful escape from the environment we lived in.”

Melanie, who managed the Nolans for their 2009 reunion tour and invited Coleen to star in her hit play of 2019 ‘Thunder Girls’, released the new book, Ruthless Women, last month.

Showbiz and number one soap actress agent turned writing phenomenon, Melanie Blake has firmly cast the spotlight on the powerful production machine for her new international best selling novel Ruthless Women.

And while it is a work of fiction, this jaw-dropping, rivalry and revenge-filled, scandalous and enthralling 450- page blockbuster, lifts the lid on the ‘toxic but mesmerising world of TV

The story is based around fictional continuing drama ‘Falcon Bay’ set and filmed in Jersey and centres on the lives of a group of women at the iconic show’s heart.

Ruthless Women, Head of Zeus, out now.