Opium poppies, poisonous foxgloves and deadly nightshade inspired Alnmouth's resident writer. Her most recently published book, Beneath the Bleeding, features a murderer who kills people using the sort of deadly plants cultivated in the garden.

When asked if she has any plans to create a fictional version of Alnmouth, the answer is an emphatic no: "I have come here to live, not to write about it."

Certainly, the village is an unlikely setting for the dark psychological thrillers for which the Wire in the Blood author has become famous.

Val said: "There is a genuine sense of community here. I've found the people very welcoming. It is easy to get absorbed into the activities and there's always a lot going on. It also helps that there are good places to eat and drink and an excellent local grocer."

However, her move was not entirely prompted by the village's social scene and amenities. She chose Alnmouth because of its coastal location.

Val hails from the Scottish mining community of Kirkcaldy, Fife, where she developed an abiding love of the sea: "I grew up on the north east coast of Scotland but when I moved away I missed the sea."
Her demeanour is relaxed and unpretentious. She answered the door wearing jeans and a fleece and immediately asked, in a distinctive Scottish burr, if I would like a brew. I was led into a room lined with books penned by world famous crime writers, some of whom Val has met in person.

Barbara Vine, Ruth Rendell and P.D. James all vie for space on her shelves. There are books by Scottish crime writers like Ian Rankin and Lin Anderson. Their work is part of the Tartan Noir genre, a dark and edgy brand of Scottish crime fiction with which Val strongly identifies. Think Rebus and Taggart.

She herself is a famous ambassador of this Scottish crime-writing tradition but, despite her success, she is modest.
"I'm no different from anybody else" she insists, sipping from a can of ginger beer.

This statement is remarkable in itself considering her colourful personal life and literary success.

Whatever she says, Val's life so far has been anything but ordinary. In 2005 she married her publisher Kelly in a lesbian wedding attended by actor friend Robson Green who stars in the televised adaptation of Wire in the Blood.

When I suggested that her life would make for a fantastic autobiography, she laughed and claimed that her poor recollection of past events would make such a task difficult.

This is typical of her modesty but she insists that being a full-time writer actually fosters humility. She confessed that the process of writing and re-writing her work at the behest of her editor had reduced her to tears on at least one occasion.

Val said: "In every book you should aim to achieve something you've never done before. It should remind you of your limitations and teach you something new."

She is certain to have achieved something new in her latest book, a stand-alone thriller called A Darker Domain, which will be published in March. In it, detectives seek to unravel the mystery of a woman who has been missing for more than 20 years.

The action of the book will shift between present-day Tuscany and Fife during the miners' strike of the mid-1980s.

How does she come up with these ideas and how does she develop them?
"It's just a job of work. You get on with it like you would with any other job."

When asked if she has any advice for aspiring writers her answer is brutally honest: "Just do it! Stop making excuses.

"Imagination is like a muscle. The more you use it, the stronger it gets."

And supposing you want to write a book, where do you begin?
"Imagine you're telling the story to your mates in the pub."

But it is my comments about crime fiction which provoke the most animated response. I suggest that crime fiction is not truly frightening because the books tend to be read in safety and comfort. If readers are afraid, it is a cosy sort of fear.

Val looks indignant and says "Not if I've done my job right!"
At this point I decide not to pursue this line of questioning.
It would be unwise to irritate someone with an extensive knowledge of poison.