Children's author gives top tips to budding writers

Aspiring authors and wannabe writers have been given some tips on getting started by a top children’s author.

Cathy Cassidy, who has written more than 30 novels for children and teenagers, including the Chocolate Box Girls and Daisy Star series, was at The Windsor Boys’ School in Maidenhead Road on Saturday to speak to an audience of about 100 youngsters and their parents.

As well as advising anyone keen to see their own pages published to get practicing as much as they can, she also had strong words about the importance of libraries.

This included praise for the Royal Borough’s libraries service, which had organised the event as part of the on-going Windsor Fringe Festival.

Cathy’s new book, Love from Lexie, even sees the character campaign to save her own library.

“I’m so impressed to see that Windsor seems to have such healthy libraries,” she said.

“But all the ones I’ve known and loved in my life seem to be under threat.

“There’s been near on 400 libraries closed in the last six or seven years, but without one as a child there’s no way I could have read widely enough.

“There’s so many children who could be the same if they don’t have a library they can get to - we’re going to lose so much potential and creativity.”