A CUMBRIAN woman who struggled to write shopping lists has just released her first novel, despite being told she was dyslexic at the age of 40.

Su Ridley, who lived in Cumbria until the age of 30 before moving to Kent 13 years ago, has published Unnatural Justice a crime thriller - the heroine of which is based on Pip Blackburn, a former pupil of Kirkby Lonsdale's Queen Elizabeth School.

The mum-of-three, who still spends much of the summer with family in Coniston, dashed out the 90,000-word whodunnit with the help of a typist after deciding she needed to do something worthwhile.

"When I reached 40, I seemed to hit a brick wall," explains Mrs Ridley, who along with husband Mike, runs an advertising agency. "I realised that, despite everything, I hadn't achieved anything on a personal level."

And so, after failing to find a decent novel to take on her family holiday, Mrs Ridley decided to write her own.

"Discovering I was dyslexic probably spurred me on further, I felt determined to prove that, like all dyslexics, I am articulate and intelligent."

Published by Kenton Publishing, Unnatural Justice, part of which is set in west Cumbria, is priced £10.99 and can be obtained via www.suridley.com or by calling 01474-853669.