I was invited to write a short story for this anthology MOONLIGHT TALES along with Holly Webb, Linda Chapman, Michael Broad, Michelle Misra, Lucy Courtenay, Elizabeth Baguley, Liss Norton, Caroline Pitcher and Penny Dolan.  It’s a perfect winter read for younger children.

My story is THE SQUIRREL AND THE SNOWMAN.

Firetail is a young squirrel who befriends a magical snowman. The snowman is really a prince but a wicked witch has put a magic spell upon him. Can Firetail turn him back into a prince before he melts…?

Here’s a snippet…

[YOUR NAME IS] “Firetail!” the snowman gasped. “Then you’d better hop down in case you melt me”
“Oh, my tail’s not actually on fire,” explained Firetail, but she hopped off all the same and sat on it to reassure him. “Are you a real prince?” she enquired.
“I was,” said the snowman glumly, “until a wicked witch put a spell on me.”
“A wicked witch?” Firetail was scared of witches. Conker had told her stories about them.
“I didn’t know she was a witch,” sighed the snowman. “She pretended to be a hungry old lady so I made her a bowl of porridge and offered to take her home on my horse. We’d only gone a short distance when she cackled horribly and threw off her hood revealing a gruesome face and long wild hair. Then she conjured up a snowstorm and within moments I was swept away. I flew through the night in a flurry of snowflakes. When I found myself here this morning I discovered I was made of snow!”
“Oh no!” exclaimed Firetail. “Then I must try to help you!”