We Meet Multi-million Bestselling Author LJ Ross
Multi-million bestselling author and Living North columnist LJ Ross' crime fiction thrillers have earned her much acclaim
Northumberland-born Louise Ross (aka LJ Ross) had always believed her first foray into writing came with the publication of her number-one charting debut novel, Holy Island, in 2015. Her mother, however, would say otherwise. ‘[She] managed to find several handmade books from my childhood, complete with illustrations. So, I suppose you could say I’ve always been into writing!’
Holy Island was the first in Louise’s series of DCI Ryan crime mysteries – the series has topped the ‘Most Read’ and ‘Most Sold’ fiction charts and currently stands at 22 books, all of which are set in the North East. She also pens the Dr Gregory and Summer Suspense series. Yet, before fictional tales of crime took over, Louise herself was in the legal profession, working as a barrister in London for many years. ‘I think all time is well spent in gathering inspiration for characters on the page, and that was certainly the case when, finally, I came to make a change,’ she says. ‘I wrote Holy Island after resigning my position as in-house counsel at a private equity house, and, serendipitously, I became pregnant with my first child, now aged 11. To distract myself, I began to write the novel I’d tentatively begun to plot and by 2014 I had a full manuscript.
‘As many other writers have done, I sent it off to a combination of agents and publishers, blithely ignoring any copy on their websites which stated that they didn’t accept direct submissions. Unbelievably, I was offered a publication deal. However, a cursory glance at the contract terms with the eye of a former lawyer quickly extinguished any excitement – I found the terms onerous and unfair to debut authors, so I felt a huge sense of anti-climax.’
Determined not to give up, it was Louise’s husband James who suggested she look into the Kindle Direct Publishing platform, which Louise ‘knew nothing about at the time’ and ‘probably, like many ignorant people, thought it was just a vanity publishing route’.
‘I was quickly disabused of this notion,’ Louise assures us. ‘The platform simply allows an author to be their own publisher, without paying anyone else for the privilege. It requires that you source your own team (editor, formatter, etc) but for an independent soul like myself, this wasn’t a daunting prospect. I gave it a go and published Holy Island on 1st January 2015. By May of that year, it had reached the number one spot in the UK and Australia, knocking The Girl on the Train off. I was in a state of sheer disbelief, but it was wonderful to know how many people were enjoying my first story.’
In 2019, Louise and James set up their own publishing imprint, Dark Skies Publishing, which she publishes all of her books under. ‘I’ve written more than 30 books and have never for a moment regretted staying independent, or changing profession – I’ve found what I was born to do!’
She’s twice been shortlisted for the Crime Writers’ Association ‘Dagger in the Library’ award, which recognises an author’s longstanding support for libraries and their entire body of work as being consistently enjoyed by library-goers across the UK, first in 2021 and again in 2024. Despite her enormous successes, she still doesn’t like to admit that she’s ‘made it’. ‘I think it would be complacent to allow myself to think that way,’ she says. ‘I try to keep my feet on the ground!’
She’s also a philanthropist, giving back to the North East which is ‘where [her] heart is’ to found non-profit initiatives and prizes to support local literacy. Nowadays, Louise lives in the Tyne Valley and spends her time juggling writing her next bestseller with parenting her children. Her advice for budding writers is to ‘be patient, and never to listen to naysayers,’ and to have confidence. ‘It’s the only thing that will sustain you through to publication and beyond,’ she says.
As for what’s next (in addition to her upcoming DCI Ryan series The Met Years and two new series, The Reivers and Winter Suspense)? ‘Television, possibly!’ Watch this space!
A book you’d recommend?
Unnatural Causes, by Dr Richard Shepherd.
Best place to eat locally?
Khai Khai in Newcastle if you love Indian food!
Best snack for a long journey?
Chocolate, always.
Any words to live by?
‘Stop worrying and start living’ (Dale Carnegie).
