APPARENTLY it’s all because of Granny Kit.

Writer Danielle Wrayton smiles: “My Granny Kit from when I was growing up in Wickford. She was the Fairy Girl. She used to knock under the table and tell me that was the fairies wanting to come in.

“She used to buy me fairy stories and read them to me so the idea came from her really. Even down to her friend Dorothy who she called Dotty. She’s in my book too.”

The book in question is the Wallowbang Tree, the latest release from the Pudding Press, the children’s book imprint from Mistley-based Patrician Press.

Born and brought up in Wickford, attending Beauchamps High Secondary school, Danielle has lived in Dovercourt for the last eight years.

By her own admission Danielle has been in education in one form or another, most of her life starting off with an Art and design at Southend College before going to the London College of Fashion where she studied photography.

She’s also worked as a communications manager at Essex University and is currently a lecturer in game design at Colchester Institute.

But it was her two year Masters in Creative Writing at Essex, which set her back on the path to becoming a published author.

“I used to write poetry when I was little,” Danielle smiles, “and I once had one of my poems published alongside Spike Milligan’s in an anthology years ago so I suppose I’ve always been a creative writer, I just didn’t pursue it until later in life.”

After writing her first children’s book and sending it off to Penguin without much luck, Danielle set about learning a little more about what it might take to become a writer.

“I had plenty of ideas but I realised that I needed to learn my craft,” she explains.

As well as doing that the MA also introduced her to fellow writer and future publisher, Patricia Borlenghi who now runs Patrician Press.

“We kept in touch,” she adds, “and then when I helped her out with the release of Pudding Press’ first book Godfrey and the Stars, she asked whether I had a book that I wanted publishing. So I sent her the manuscript of the Wallowbang Tree and fortunately she liked it.”

The Wallowbang Tree tells the story of Rosie Sparks whose world is turned upside down after listening to her granny’s strange but true tale of a magical tree.

As Granny Sparks pieces the puzzle together, Rosie finally discovers who might be behind her dad’s disappearance and her own subsequent capture and imprisonment.

“This is my first book,” Danielle says, “but I have got others in the pipeline including another one about fairies.”

Granny Kit would be pleased.

• Danielle will be one of a number of authors taking part in Patrician Press’ special free evening as part of this year’s Essex Book Festival.

It takes place on Wednesday, March 16, at the Wivenhoe Bookshop from 6.30pm.

Then on Saturday, March 19, she will be officially launching The Wallowbang Tree at Red Lion Books in Colchester’s High Street, from 3pm.

For more information go on-line at www.patricianpress.com