AN AUTHOR has published a two book series set in Stirling and the Hillfoots, which tells the tale of a fireman’s journey in overcoming loss to find love. 

KM Lowe grew up in Tullibody before moving to Throsk, and in 2011, when recovering from a tumour in her stomach, took pen to paper as a form of release during a difficult time. 

She has since written eight books, with her latest novels Burning Hearts and sequel Burning Hearts - A Dark Loss arriving on the shelves in March and July of this year respectively. 

Ms Lowe told the Advertiser about how she got into writing: “I was at a loose end. I wasn’t allowed to work or do heavy lifting so I just started writing... I’ve always liked reading and writing. 

“It was like a therapy because I had lost my mum and dad at the same time, so rather than burden people with my thoughts and emotions, I could just write them down. It wasn’t until I was at the final stage, I realised that was what I’d done.”

It was when she moved to the hamlet in Stirling, that she found inspiration for the latest books, and realised she wanted to imagine the story behind those in the fire service. 

Lead character Jase McGrady is a firefighter who experiences the tragedy of losing his fiancée and faces the prospect of piecing his life back together. 

Adamant that he won’t love again, Grace Montgomery walks into the station and changes everything.

For Ms Lowe, it was about telling a story of love and heartbreak in a setting that people could relate to and understand.

“I had moved to Throsk and a fireman passed,” she said. “He looked so upset and I just thought there wasn’t a lot of publicity on what they do.

“Rather than write about somewhere I didn’t know, I wanted to write about places I know and people would feel familiar with.”

Due to the series’ popularity, the writer is planning a spin off called Burning Love focusing on a lesser character and his own story, which is set to be released in April of next year.