An author from Barrow has released her latest book which is largely in tribute to the town she lives in.

'Halfmoon Lane' is the fifth offering from Paula Hillman, building upon her debut novel 'Seaview House' and subsequent stories 'The Cottage', 'Blackthorn Wood' and 'Chapel Field'.

Paula left her job as a teacher back in 2019 after 32 years in the career and has seen plenty of success since taking the leap of faith in making a big change.

Read more: Paula Hillman signs book deal with Bloodhound books | The Mail (nwemail.co.uk)

Since that point, she has collected a Master's degree in Creative Writing from Lancaster University and has worked closely with publishers Bloodhound Books to get her stories out into the world.

On her latest book, Paula said: "Halfmoon Lane is set in the business district of a northern town centre and involves a lot of subterfuge and racing hearts, as well as wild sea-swimming.

"What I can say is that I wrote the book in record time because the idea has been creeping around in the back of my consciousness for a few years. I started writing in October 2023 and Halfmoon Lane was with the publisher by the end of November, then I could breathe again.

"I hope my readers will be intrigued and delighted by the story."

Using a fictional depiction of Barrow as the inspiration for the book, 'Halfmoon Lane' also pays tribute to Furness Media, who congratulated Paula on her latest publication and branded it as a 'page-turner'.

Read more: Paula Hillman to launch debut novel set in Walney Island | The Mail (nwemail.co.uk)

Bloodhound Books specialises in releasing books as digital copies, meaning that the story had already earned its fans before its true publication date of Tuesday, July 9.

'Halfmoon Lane' revolves around the character Nina who, after a weekend with Gabriel Da Silva, discovers that his body has been found - and that she is the prime suspect of the crime.

You can find out what happens to Nina, and catch up with Paula's previous stories, by visiting the website here.