A BASKETBALL player has written a crime thriller novel to fundraise for her sporting team.

Karen Eaketts, a retired motor patrol police officer, was selected to play for the over-55s Federation of Masters Basketball Association (FIMBA) Great Britain Ladies' Basketball team in the upcoming European Championships and has now written a novel to fundraise for her team.

Karen lives in Newbrough and served in the police for 27 years, mainly working in Hexham, working to prevent serious and fatal road traffic accidents.

Her new novel, Margot, is a fictional story which follows the eponymous character and her tutor, constable Luke Jones, who find themselves on the fringes of a murder enquiry.

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Karen said the over-55s FIMBA team is an 'amazing group of women' and she wanted to help raise funds.

"We train at least once a month usually in Lincolnshire or Nottingham and we have had a lot of success so far. We came fourth in Malaga in 2022 and won the Iron Medal, the first time FIMBA entered teams.

"This year's championships are in Pesaro, Italy in June. Age groups go up in five-year blocks from 35 years for men and women. We are entirely self-funded. We are always trying to come up with novel fundraising ideas, especially as we need to fund new kit this year. I took the challenge literally and wrote a novel for the team.

"Writing novels started in retirement to keep my brain active. I don't plot, I just write. When I start a book I have absolutely no idea what's going to happen so I hope this translates to the reader not being able to guess the plot either."

Karen said the book was a collaborative team effort. "One of the team edited it and uploaded it to Amazon. It's a crime thriller set locally. No professionals were involved in this process."

She added she hopes she can fundraise 'for an amazing group of women who are proud to step out on a basketball court and represent their country and always give 100 per cent'.

Margot is available on Amazon and Kindle and all proceeds will go towards the FIMBA over-55s team.