A weekly newspaper journalist turned crime author has found inspiration for her new novel in her old patch.

Barbara Copperthwaite’s Flowers for the Dead is set partially in the seaside town of Skegness, where she grew up and began her career on the Skegness Standard.

Barbara, pictured left, was on the Standard from 1993 to 1996, and went on to work in the national press and magazines.

Last year, the 42-year-old’s debut novel Invisible went on sale and became an Amazon top ten best seller.

Said Barbara: “I was raised in Skegness, attended the grammar school, and worked on the Standard, the town is part of who I am.

“Although I don’t live there any more, I still return all the time. There is something about a visit to the beach there that feeds my soul like nothing else.

“The town is famous for being a seaside resort, of course, and I wanted to capture some of its beauty.

“In a way, that section of the novel is my love letter to the beach I grew up on.”

The book’s subject is a serial killer terrorising women and explores the character’s journey from innocent youth to his current homicidal state.