Northumberland writer's debut novel about Lindisfarne is flying off shelves

Love Lindisfarne was released only weeks ago and Kim has been stunned by the way in which the romantic comedy has taken off, with it flying off the shelves like hot stotties.

Kim, who is from the Tynedale area and was born Corbridge, said: “It seems that everyone really does love Lindisfarne, and Northumberland in general.

"Readers adore our fabulous county and already people have visited after reading the book, and many more are planning to do so.

"I tend to set my work in the north east and no matter how hard I try to move to other locations; it keeps returning like a pigeon to its cree. I’m so passionate and proud of our local area that I want to fly the north east flag.”

Kim has had short stories published in the past, but this is her first novel. She entered it into a Penguin Michael Joseph Christmas Story competition where it was shortlisted. This gave her the impetus to finish the book and the reviews are what every writer dreams about.

One reviewer described the book as “a love letter to the North wrapped around an inspiring tale”.

The cover of the book is very special to Kim, who wanted to try and keep the book as local as possible. She contacted Sarah Farooqi, an artist based in Gallery45 in Felton who creates wonderful local images and together they came up with the cover design of a stunning image of Holy Island, which paints a picture for the story inside the book.

Kim publishes under the name of Shy Bairns Publishing, she said: “I chose that name because since I started to put my writing out into the world, ‘shy bairns get nowt’ has become my mantra and it is so true. Getting a book into the marketplace is not for the faint hearted and you have to endure a rollercoaster ride, but we northerners are made of strong stuff!”

Love Lindisfarne by Kimberley Adams can be found in a range of independent retail outlets across Northumberland, online from Amazon and Waterstones, or by asking your local bookshop to order it in.