High flier author-illustrator Cressida Cowell will beheading to Newcastle to help celebrate Independent Bookshop Week this summer.
On June 14, the How to Train Your Dragon writer is to be a special guest at Seven Stories , the national centre for children's books, in the Ouseburn.
And she is set to receive a warm welcome back to the venue which she visited some years ago, speaking about her famous dragon creation in this interview with The Chronicle.
The multi-million-selling How to Train Your Dragon book, which became an award-winning franchise adapted for the screen by DreamWorks Animation, earned her fans around the world and besides the subsequent series of dragon novels, Cowell's other popular works include The Wizards of Once books.
And it's her latest novel in that series - The Wizards of Once: Twice Magic - that is bringing her to Seven Stories in the run-up to IBW, an annual celebration of the UK's indie bookshops which runs this year from June 15 -22.
The book-signing visit will form part of a tour to promote the new book, a sequel to last year's fantasy adventure installment about opposing wizards and warriors.
Independent Bookshop Week will see events, early releases and competitions take place at more than 400 bookshops throughout the UK and Ireland and other authors taking part in tours will be Ben Aaronovitch; Patrick Gale; Katherine Rundell and Catherine Doyle.
A yellow children's bag is also being launched which features a cheerful design by award-winning Oi illustrator Jim Field to celebrate both IBW and the publication in paperback of the next in the series of Kes Gray's rhyming stories, Oi Duck-billed Platypus! The bag will be available exclusively in indie bookshops.
The Cressida Cowell event at Seven Stories will take place on June 14 from 4pm to 5pm, when the writer will be signing copies of her new book as well as those from her How To Train Your Dragon series and her Emily Brown picture books.
Tickets will cost £6 which will include one Cressida Cowell book of the visitor's choosing from the Seven Stories bookshop, where specific titles will be subject to availability, and a chance to have two books signed.
To book see here .
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