HAVING her work printed in The Northern Echo has inspired a healer and therapist to get her first book published.

Allison Agius, from The Natural Healing Centre in Darlington, has just published her first book, called Hidden Secrets, Buried Treasure.

The self-help book is aimed at people who want to find direction in lives and improve their feelings of self-worth.

Allison, who has written a number of articles about her work for The Northern Echo, has been writing since she was 14, and has drawn on her experiences, including her troubled childhood, for the book.

Allison will be giving a reading from her book and signing copies at the Garden Bar, in Darlington Arts Centre, on Tuesday, from 7.30pm.

Hidden Secrets, Buried Treasure is published by Capall Bann. It goes on sale on Tuesday, priced at £10.95.