A BESTSELLING children's author joined pupils at St Edmond's Girls' School to inspire their interest in creative writing.

CJ Daugherty met with pupils last Wednesday and gave a talk about her latest book The Secret Fire, which she co-wrote with French author Carina Rozenfeld, and her writing career.

Daugherty's Nigh School sold over half a million copies worldwide and has been translated into 22 languages.

A spokesman for St Edmunds Girls School said: "The girls thoroughly enjoyed C J’s entertaining talk, during which she explained how she became a novelist and talked about her inspirations behind her stories."

After her talk she was on hand to sign copies of her books.

Daugherty said: "These visits introduce young people to the idea of writing for a living. I talk about all the different careers that involve writing, and all the places writing can take you. My career as a writer has taken me around the world. And I want them to know the same thing could happen to them, if they work hard."