BOOK INSPIRED BY POISON.

A BOOK inspired by the Duchess of Northumberland's famous poison garden has been snapped by a major publisher.

The Poison Diaries trilogy, written by Maryrose Wood, are gothic tales of love, revenge and the dangerous world of poisonous plants, that came to life after the Duchess realised the real Poison Garden, at The Alnwick Garden, would make a great topic for a novel.

The three-book deal with Balzer and Bray, an imprint of world-wide publishers HarperCollins, was agreed on Wednesday. It will now go on release in the summer next year.

The Duchess of Northumberland said: "The power of plants is often unbelievable, and in the wrong hands it can be lethal. The same plant can generally kill, cure, and also be a potent aphrodisiac.

"The gift of being able to communicate with such plants would surely be the ultimate power for a human to possess - My husband frequently worries about my interest in and knowledge of poisonous plants! "I look at Datura plants growing side by side with strychnine and hemlock in The Poison Garden and I can imagine what incredible stories they would have to tell. This is how my idea for The Poison Diaries came about." The Duchess has spent the last 14 years creating beautiful public gardens in Alnwick, and, because of her fascination and knowledge of poisons, has created the world-famous Poison Garden.

Alnwick Castle and its gardens is the most popular tourist destination in the North of England, attracting more than 800,000 visitors each year.

New Yorker Maryrose Wood began writing fiction after many years performing, directing, and writing for the theatre..

CAPTION(S):

DEAL The Duchess, above, and left, an illustration from the book.