LJ Ross explained

LJ Ross
Birth Name:Louise Ross
Pseudonym:LJ Ross
Birth Place:Northumberland, England, United Kingdom
Occupation:Writer
Nationality:British
Period:2015–present
Genre:Fiction, crime and thriller
Notableworks:DCI Ryan Mystery series (listed below)

Louise Ross, known by her pen name LJ Ross, is the author of the DCI Ryan, Summer Suspense and Doctor Gregory series of mystery thrillers.[1] Her debut novel, Holy Island, was released in January 2015 and, by May, it had reached number one in the Amazon UK chart.[2] [3] Its sequel, Sycamore Gap, released in September 2015, is also a UK bestseller.[4] [5] She released further books in the DCI Ryan series, amassing more than twenty UK No. 1s[6] and selling over ten million copies.[7] [8] [9]

Early life

Ross was born and grew up in Ponteland, Northumberland, England.[10] She completed undergraduate and postgraduate degrees in law at King's College London, where she met her husband, and continued her studies in Paris and Florence. After spending most of her twenties working in the City as a lawyer, she began to feel it was time for change.[11]

Publishing career

Ross wrote Holy Island having been inspired by the atmospheric beauty of Lindisfarne, an island off the northeast coast of England she knew well from childhood.[12] Following its instant success, she now writes full-time. The second book in her series of DCI Ryan novels, Sycamore Gap, is set in Hadrian's Wall country[13] [14] and subsequent DCI Ryan novels continue the Northumbrian locations, with stories set in Northumberland, County Durham and Newcastle.

A multi-cast audio drama version of Ross eleventh novel in the DCI Ryan Mysteries Series The Infirmary, a prequel, was performed by a number of high-profile actors including Kevin Whately, Tom Bateman, Hermione Norris, Alun Armstrong.[15] Hugh Dancy and Richard Armitage narrated the audiobook versions of the Doctor Gregory novels.[16]

The eighteenth instalment of the DCI Ryan series, The Rock, was the UK's third best-selling ebook of 2021, behind novels by Richard Osman and Matt Haig.[17]

In 2022, Amazon UK reported that the DCI Ryan Mysteries series was its secondbest-selling book series of all time.[18]

Ross has twice been shortlisted for the British Book Awards 'Crime and Thriller Book of the Year' for her books Impostor (the first book in the Doctor Gregory series) and Bamburgh (book 19 in the DCI Ryan Mysteries series).[19] [20] She was also shortlisted for the prestigious Crime Writers' Association "Dagger in the Library" Award in 2021 and 2024.[21]

Ross publishes all of her works independently through Dark Skies Publishing, a publishing imprint set up and managed by Ross and her husband.[7]

Personal life

Ross lives with her husband and two children in Northumberland.[22]

Philanthropy

Ross has founded several prizes to celebrate arts in the North East of England. She set up the Northern Photography Prize for images captured in the North East of England,[23] the Lindisfarne Prize for Crime Fiction and the Northern Film Prize.[24] [25] [26] In 2021, LJ Ross brought together 55 fellow authors from across the spectrum of publishing to produce Everyday Kindness, a charity anthology of short stories, the proceeds of which were donated to Shelter.[27] The audiobook version of Everyday Kindness was narrated by several high-profile actors including Dame Julie Walters and Richard Armitage.[28]

Novels

DCI Ryan Mysteries series

Police procedural mystery/romantic suspense series set in Northumbria, England following Detective Chief Inspector Ryan.

Pub.
order
Series
order
TitleYearISBNLocale
11Holy Island2015 (January)Holy Island
22Sycamore Gap2015 (September)Sycamore Gap
33Heavenfield2016 (March)Heavenfield
44Angel2016 (August)Angel of the North
55High Force2017 (January)High Force
66Cragside2017 (July)Cragside
77Dark Skies2017 (December)Kielder Forest
88Seven Bridges2018 (May)Newcastle upon Tyne
99The Hermitage2018 (October)Florence
Warkworth Hermitage
1010Longstone2018 (December)Farne Islands
11PrequelThe Infirmary2019 (February)Newcastle upon Tyne
1211The Moor2019 (April)Town Moor, Newcastle upon Tyne
1312Penshaw2019 (July)Penshaw, City of Sunderland
1413Borderlands2019 (September)Northumberland National Park
1514Ryan's Christmas2019 (December)Chillingham, Northumberland
Chillingham Castle
1615The Shrine2020 (April)Durham
Durham Cathedral
1716Cuthbert's Way2020 (November)Durham
Durham Cathedral
1817The Rock2021 (June)Northumberland
The North Sea
1918Bamburgh2022 (April)Bamburgh
2019Lady's Well2023 (April)Holystone
2120Death Rocks2024 (April)

Alexander Gregory Thrillers series

Forensic psychologist Doctor Alexander Gregory becomes involved in murder investigations.

Pub.
order
Series
order
TitlePub. dateISBNLocale
11Imposter2019 (31 October)County Mayo
22Hysteria2019 (10 December)Paris
33Bedlam2020 (4 June)Catskill Mountains
44Mania2022 (3 March)London

Summer Suspense Mysteries series

A suspense series set in rural Cornwall.

Pub.
order
Series
order
TitlePub. dateISBNLocale
11The Cove2021 (31 July)Cornwall
22The Creek2022 (4 August)Cornwall
33The Bay2023 (28 September)St. Ives, Cornwall

Short story anthology

!Title!Pub. date!ISBN!Synopsis
Everyday Kindness: A collection of uplifting tales to brighten your day13/11/2021Everyday Kindness is a charity anthology of short, fictional stories of kindness, edited by LJ Ross. These uplifting tales of hope and of small, everyday kindnesses are intended to support wider, positive mental health goals and foster wellbeing through the act of reading tales of goodwill inspired by others.All proceeds from the book are donated to Shelter, a charity that helps millions of people a year struggling with bad housing or homelessness.[29]

External links

Notes and References

  1. Web site: North East author tops the bestsellers lists again - but this time for audiobooks. nechronicle. 2016-02-02. Hannah. Moore.
  2. Web site: Meet the Kindlepreneurs. Telegraph.co.uk. 2016-02-02.
  3. Web site: 50 Shades of self-publishers: Fame and fortune through publishing yourself online. Express.co.uk. 2016-02-02. Dominic. Midgley.
  4. Web site: Ponteland lawyer-turned-author on swapping life in the City to pen Holy Island-inspired crime novel. nechronicle. 2016-02-02. Michael. Marsh.
  5. Web site: lovesuspense. lovesuspense. 2016-02-02. en-US.
  6. Web site: Holy Island murder mystery wins book prize. www.northumberlandgazette.co.uk. en. 2019-06-03.
  7. News: LJ Ross: The self-published crime writer making a killing . BBC News . 19 September 2021 .
  8. Web site: L J Ross Author. www.facebook.com. en. 2019-05-03.
  9. Web site: Local lass LJ Ross tops the charts with thriller Cragside. www.morpethherald.co.uk. 21 October 2019.
  10. Web site: Author notches up 100,000 book sales in just two years. Morpethherald.co.uk. 2016-02-02.
  11. Web site: Louise sets the scene for murder. Hexham-courant.co.uk. 2016-02-02.
  12. Web site: Crime novellist [sic] LJ Ross is writing her own destiny]. Express North. 2016-02-02. en-GB.
  13. Web site: NorthEast Connected: LJ Ross launches Hadrian's Wall murder novel.
  14. Web site: Crime novel launch party to be held this weekend. JesmondLocal. 2016-02-02.
  15. Web site: Amazon.com: The Infirmary: A DCI Ryan Mystery (Multicast Drama): An Audible Original Drama (Audible Audio Edition): L. J. Ross, Tom Bateman, Bertie Carvel, Hermione Norris, Kevin Whately, Audible Originals: Books . 2024-02-11 . www.amazon.com.
  16. Web site: The Alexander Gregory Thrillers . 2024-02-11 . www.amazon.com . en-us.
  17. Web site: Author celebrates 'UK's third best-selling e-book of 2021' victory . 13 February 2022 .
  18. Web site: Hall . Daniel . 2022-07-17 . Northumberland author second in Amazon's bestselling book series of all time . 2024-02-11 . Chronicle Live . en.
  19. Web site: 2023-03-17 . The shortlists for the British Book Awards have been announced . 2024-02-11 . Good Housekeeping . en-GB.
  20. Web site: British Book Awards 2020: Crime and Thriller Book of the Year shortlist reviews . 2024-02-11 . www.stylist.co.uk.
  21. Web site: L J Ross . 2024-02-11 . The Crime Writers’ Association . en.
  22. Web site: Bio . LJ Ross . 30 June 2018.
  23. News: Shortlist for LJ Ross' Northern Photography Prize announced . BBC News . 16 August 2022 .
  24. Web site: Crime writer LJ Ross reveals what she's been working on in lockdown . Chronicle Live . 26 December 2020 .
  25. Web site: Ross' Lindisfarne Prize for Crime Fiction reveals 2023 shortlist . 2024-02-11 . The Bookseller .
  26. Web site: Hall . Daniel . 2023-02-28 . Joint winners celebrate victory in inaugural Northern Film Prize . 2024-02-11 . Chronicle Live . en.
  27. Web site: Hall . Daniel . 2021-12-31 . A round up of the North East in books for 2021 . 2024-02-11 . Chronicle Live .
  28. Web site: Amazon.com: Everyday Kindness: A Collection of Uplifting Tales to Brighten Your Day (Audible Audio Edition): LJ Ross - editor, Celia Imrie, Avita Jay, Damian Lynch, Dervla Kirwin, Deryn Oliver, Emilea Wilson, Eva Pope, Gemma Whelan, Jilly Bond, W. F. Howes Ltd.: Audible Books & Originals . 2024-02-11 . www.amazon.com.
  29. Web site: Everyday Kindness . 2024-01-13 . LJ Ross . en.