Northumberland author to release debut thriller after helping LJ Ross build crime series' success
A Northumberland man who helped his wife build a collection of best-selling crime novels is publishing his own debut thriller.
James Ross lives near Hexham with his wife Louise, better known under the pen name LJ Ross, and their two children.
After working as a barrister for over 20 years, he began editing mystery novels written by Louise under their company Dark Skies Publishing.
LJ Ross has since gone on to become a household name - selling millions of copies of crime novels set amongst beautiful landscapes of Northumberland.
Under the name Jim Ross, James will now follow in her footsteps as he releases his first novel Hawks Justice.
He said: “Louise wanted to share her love of Northumberland with the world and also throw in some excitement, murder mystery and intrigue set amongst Northumbrian beauty spots.
“She did all the writing but I helped with the editing and formatting and all the commercial kind of side of things to help get the books on shelves.
"Last year, she signed a deal with Penguin which freed me up and I thought, 'Wow, now is my chance'."
The idea for James' first novel came to him whilst he was working as a barrister on a train home from court over a decade ago.
The book, which is the start of a trilogy, follows high-flying lawyer Tom Hawk who begins to question everything after a judge is found dead inside the Royal Courts of Justice.
"I don’t think I was someone who, as a child, thought that I was going to be a fiction writer," James said.
“But as a lawyer, you do have to kind of be a storyteller. You have to tell the story and present your case in a compelling and interesting way.
"I think that that is a skill that I’ve brought to the writing."
James credited some of his favourite authors, such as Agatha Christie and John Grisham, as inspiration for his writing, as well as his own wife.
"My inspiration is partly from the books that I enjoyed reading when I was younger," he added.
"Then also drawing from the experience that we’ve gathered from selling LJ Ross books around the world. She is my biggest supporter.”
Hawks Justice is being published by Simon and Chuster as part of a three-book deal and will be released on November 5.
"This has been ten years in the making so I am excited for it to see the light of day.” James added.