Clitheroe Castle Museum book signing - and doodling!

A very sincere thank you to everyone who attended the 'The Best-Kept Secret' book signing and doodling event at Clitheroe Castle Museum today!

Eli John and Sophie loved meeting you all and appreciated every single one of you who made the effort to climb to the top of the hill to meet the dastardly duo behind The Best-Kept Secret and to get your copy signed & doodled!

Special thanks to all the children from Barrow URC Primary School, Clitheroe St. James', Sabden Primary School, Grindleton C E Primary School and beyond who dragged their parents to meet us after their author visit this week! We are truly humbled by your support.

Thank you also everyone at Lancashire County Council, Ribble Valley Borough Council Lancashire Museums, Miles, Claire and everyone at Clitheroe Castle Museum who looked after us so well.

The Whistleblowers - courageous stockists of 'The Best-Kept Secret'

Merely questioning the existence of an ancient dragon held captive at the cement factory can spell disaster for a business in the Ribble Valley. Despite the threat to their very existence a few Brick and Mortar Stores with strong ethical principles and values, have bravely stepped forward to stock The Best-Kept Secret.

Clitheroe Castle Museum

Raffia Gift consultancy and Lifestyle store at 38 King Street, Clitheroe, BB7 2EU

Melt at Lilac Barn, Twitter Lane, Waddington, Bashall Eaves, Clitheroe, Lancashire, BB7 3LQ

Centre for Folklore, Myth and Magic at 65, Halifax Road, Todmorden OL14 5BB (currently out of stock)

The Platform Gallery at Station Rd, Clitheroe BB7 2JT ( currently out of stock)

WHSmith Castle Street, Clitheroe

The Cackling Witch at 10 Castle Gate, Clitheroe

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Talks are ongoing with other outlets of integrity. Please contact info@stonehillpress.co.uk or use the chat function on the website if you are also interested in stocking the Best-Kept Secret despite the potential consequences.

The Backstory

hen Sophie's son, Rory, first started school, he would ask questions about the industrial chimney in the distance. Never-ending, impossible questions such as, 'Why is that tower so tall? Why is there smoke? Who lives there? What does it do?' Being a model parent and not wanting to lie, Sophie had no choice but to tell him the truth - that although the authorities led us to believe it was a cement factory, it was, in fact, the lair of a giant fire-breathing beast. Demdike's dragon.

If, while on the school run, there were no sheep to be seen in the fields, they could only presume it was because the dragon had escaped and gobbled them up. If they got caught up in traffic, great steaming piles of dragon dung blocked the road; a smokeless chimney was a clue the dragon was free, so they had to be wary, whereas a smoking chimney meant they could continue on their way, safe in the knowledge it was back behind bars.

Initially just written for fun, and whilst it was still a short poem, the children at Grindleton Primary School read the first draft of 'The dragon Tower'. The children's enthusiasm and imagination inspired Sophie to develop the story further and sowed the seed for 'The Best-Kept Secret Trilogy'.

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Sophie's parents refused to have a TV in the house whilst she was growing up, so she had no choice but to become an avid reader at a young age. However, many years later, when she bought a TV of her own, there was nothing more disappointing than seeing the characters in her favourite books on screen, as they were nothing like she had imagined.

So with this in mind, Sophie felt it was crucial that the adult dragon was left mainly to the reader's imagination. The dragon's appearance, true name and gender are for the reader to decide! Sophie hopes that enabling each child to conjure up their own dragon will motivate children to create in artistic and inventive ways, inspiring them to compose their own stories and illustrations.

Activities for kids