A BEST-SELLING author returned to her roots to launch her latest UK book tour.
Teen author Cathy Cassidy visited Myton School in Warwick on Monday (June 1) to inspire pupils to pick up a pen and start writing. .
As part of her work with Authors Aloud UK, an organisation which brings authors into schools and libraries, Cathy told students about how she became a writer in a bid to encourage their enjoyment of literature.
She also signed copies of Fortune Cookie, the latest book in her Chocolate Box Girls series.
Coventry-born Cathy grew up making comics for her school-friends before landing her first job working for the legendary Jackie magazine.
She later served as an agony aunt for Shout magazine for 12 years and, after continually topping the teen bestsellers lists, was crowned ‘Queen of Teen’ in 2010.
Speaking about how she became interested in writing, she said: “I was born in 1962 in Coventry – scarily ancient, I know. I wrote my first picture book for my little brother when I was eight or nine.
“I loved making comics, too – pages and pages of picture stories, features and competitions. I’d sell my homemade comic to a friend for 5p, then claim it back and sell it again to someone else, as they didn’t have photocopiers back then.”
Cathys latest book Fortune Cookie is released on Friday (June 5).
