Margaret Johnson found the best way to recover from her relationship break-up was to write away the woes.

After getting over what she described as 'a tidal wave of grief' and moving to Norwich following the break-up, she created a workbook.

Ms Johnson said she found therapy writing down her experiences and used it as a way to express pain instead of burdening her friends and family.

She said the experience as 'enormously cathartic'.

Her book, The Four Seasons of Breakupvia – A Workbook for Recovery from Relationship Break-Up, likens the stages of recovery to the four seasons of the year.

And it offers the reader do-it-yourself tasks to help them on the path to recovery.

Ms Johnson said: 'Most self-help books are just about reading and reflecting, but I didn't want mine to be like that.

'I wanted it to be a really practical resource, something that would keep you busy – it's designed to help the user to accept what's happened to them.'

Writing was only ever meant to be a pastime but Ms Johnson has made a career from women's fiction novels.

'I was able to use my experience in my work and I think my characters' experiences were more believable,' she added.

A workshop on the book is taking place at Norwich Wellbeing Centre on June 18.