A best-selling Northumberland author has launched a new initiative celebrating, promoting and supporting the region and the inspiration behind her novels.

Read Write Walk North East – with Tynedale’s LJ Ross features writing prizes to inspire storytelling, photography competitions to support the creative arts, reading challenges to improve literacy, literary trails to boost tourism, and community grants of up to £50,000 to help local businesses affected by Covid-19.

Ross said the initiative is inspired by her readers and an area she is fond of.

“I’ve been so fortunate during my career to have garnered a loyal and generous fanbase, many of whom come from the North East, where my DCI Ryan series is set and where I was born, grew up and now live with my husband and son,” she said.

“At a time when community spirit and kindness are all important, I wanted to do my part in giving back wherever I am able, and that’s where this initiative comes in.

"It covers a host of different prizes, grants and wellbeing projects launching over the coming months designed to support creative arts, literacy and local enterprise – as well as spotlighting some of the incredible people, landscapes, talent and hard work in the region that I love.”

The initiative will include: literary walking trails, Dark Skies Northern photography prize, Lindisfarne prize for crime fiction, Lindisfarne prize for children, Lindisfarne reading challenge and a Dark Skies publishing community fund.

For more information about LJ Ross and her Read, Write, Walk North East initiative, visit her website online at: ljrossauthor.com