Northumberland. The last county in England bordering Scotland. The guidebooks will tell you it’s got over 70 castles, some of the most beautiful beaches in the UK (the world in my opinion!), the darkest skies where stars jostle to find a space and the Aurora makes a frequent appearance, Hadrian’s Wall which cuts across some of the most remote areas of Britain with spectacular vistas, and the county is the least populated in England meaning miles of open space. And it’s all true! Northumberland was once one of the best kept secrets, but now it attracts a lot of visitors desperate to find a little peace and tranquillity in our busy world and come to see for themselves if all the hype is true.
When I began thinking about writing a rom-com and where it should be set, it took me all of about ten minutes to decide that I would go for a real location. These days it’s more commonplace than ever before to set books in real places and keep the actual name. From my feedback, readers love reading about places they have visited or want to visit, but they are a discerning bunch and, in my opinion, if you are writing real then keep it as real as possible! I always knew that I should write about where I knew best and that would be somewhere in the north east, but what was more difficult was deciding where in Northumberland the setting should be, I had a multitude of choices of beautiful villages and areas but perhaps the most iconic, and stunning, with a wealth of history and spirituality, had to be The Holy Island of Lindisfarne. Even the most fertile imagination couldn’t come up with anywhere more beautiful to set a winter love story.
I was born in Corbridge in southwest Northumberland and now live just about on top of Hadrian’s Wall, but I’ve visited Lindisfarne since a child and to this day still feel the magic as I cross the causeway. I could never lay claim to being local to the island, but that doesn’t stop me feeling a natural draw to this very special place. The island was home to the birth of Christianity, produced the stunning Lindisfarne gospels now housed in the British Museum, was invaded and pillaged by Vikings – it’s seen everything – and you get a sense of its history when you visit.
Lindisfarne Castle where much of the action in the book takes place, started off life during a time of religious and political upheaval but was very much re-imagined in 1901 when the editor of Country Life magazine refurbished it to his taste. Today the castle is managed by the National Trust and draws in thousands of visitors every year. I have used a little literary licence with the castle setting, but it’s still very recognisable (just don’t be expecting to find the rescue animals!)
If you haven’t visited Northumberland and like the great outdoors, a sense of space, some fantastic history and the famous Geordie warmth then I hope you come and see for yourself – and that you enjoy your bookish trip to Northumberland via the pages of my Lindisfarne books!
Here’s the blurb
Take a spring to summer trip to magical Northumberland and find love and laughter in this feel-good novel, which will transport you to the iconic island of Lindisfarne and beyond…
Ellie, and Zen with the coffee-bean eyes, met at Christmas when she came to Northumberland to look after rescue animals. They are taking their first tentative steps into a love-at-first-sight relationship and all in their spring garden should be wonderful.
When Lady Grace becomes ill, life at the castle changes overnight, and not for the better. The new custodian and his fiancée have plans, and the islanders are far from happy. When the filming of a reality show means the animals must move out of their yard due to the Queen of the Castle production company taking over, it’s the final straw.
Amongst all the drama, Love Beyond Lindisfarne is a story of love, intergenerational friendships, camaraderie, and oodles of the warmth and humour found in this very special corner of the world.
What readers said about Love Lindisfarne…
‘A fantastic read, both moving and hilarious, I wish I could give it more stars.’
‘Absolutely loved every word of this book, didn’t want it to end.’
‘A big warm Northumberland hug of a book.’
‘Can’t wait for the next one – it should be made into a film!’
*Love Lindisfarne featured as one of the highest-rated romcom books on Amazon*
Purchase Links
https://www.amazon.co.uk/LOVE-BEYOND-LINDISFARNE-Springtime-Northumberland-ebook/dp/B0CZTRTCJ2
https://www.amazon.com/LOVE-BEYOND-LINDISFARNE-Springtime-Northumberland-ebook/dp/B0CZTRTCJ2
Meet the author
Kimberley Adams released her debut novel, Love Lindisfarne in Autumn of last year. The book, a romantic comedy, is set in her beloved Northumberland and is a heartwarming tale of love and friendship on the small tidal island of Holy Island. Kim was stunned by the way the book took off in the busy Christmas book market and it became one of the highest rated of its genre on Amazon and gained Kim a lot of new friends! Kim hadn’t thought about writing a sequel but demand was there and so Love Beyond Lindisfarne was born. The book features all the favourite characters but can be read as a standalone. Kim’s Lindisfarne books share a special feature as Kim engages with a local artist and between them, they create the covers to match a scene within the book. Kim is also to be published traditionally by Farrago in April 24 in The Book of Witty Women. This was as a result of her being a finalist in the Comedy Women in Print Prize and her story, Go Your Own Way, is a comedy set on urban Tyneside and introduces two of her favourite characters, Donna and her nana Mary!
Connect with the author
Twitter: https://twitter.com/kim_adamsWriter
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/love_lindisfarne/
Facebook – https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100095324844031
MJ Porter 