A Cockermouth-based author has released her latest book in a series of historical dark fairytale retellings, inspired by the area.

'The Little Morgen' is the second in the series to be written by Miranda Grant and is out now on Amazon and Google Play. The book follows 'Burn Baby Burn', which is a dark, historical paranormal romance novella that takes place in Roman Cumbria. It is a twist on the classic Cinderella tale, going in the direction of what would happen if Ella decided to take revenge rather than marry her 'happily ever after'.

She said: "I've always been fascinated with ancient history and after lockdown, I was able to get back into researching old hobbies. After reading a single sentence about Derventio - modern day Papcastle - burning down and being abandoned for over twenty years, the idea for Burn Baby Burn was born."

"For why would the Romans not just rebuild on top of it?, so I created a story as to why it was left abandoned and why it burned in the first place."

Miranda, 28, is originally from Indiana, America, but said Cumbria is one of her favourite places. She "absolutely loves it" especially the history. She said: "After travelling the world for seven years, I finally decided to settle in Cumbria. It's a place rich in history, culture, ancient myths and legends, and unparalleled beauty.

"And although my subjects are obviously quite different to Wordsworth's, the inspiration seeping from these fells is the same."

She has continued this series of historical dark paranormal romance fairytale retellings. The second book, 'The Little Morgen', pits 'Ariel', a monster terrorising the Atlantic Ocean, against 'Eric', a Viking monster slayer who needs to kill her in order to save someone he loves - the local Viking community in Gilcrux was extremely helpful in my research.

And the third book, Bjerner and the Beast, which will be released February 7 2021, sees Medusa's daughter as the beast and Bjerner, a blind Varangian Guard, as the beauty.

Series: Fairytales of the Myth (novellas)

Book One: Burn Baby Burn

Book Two: The Little Morgen

Book Three: Bjerner and the Beast

You can follow her on Instagram (@authormirandagrant) and Facebook (@warofthemyth), as well as check out her website for the latest news: mirandagrant.co.uk.