An East Lancashire author is to visit her home town to talk about her 'bewitching' first novel.

Stacey Halls will be at Rawtenstall Library on Saturday March 23, from 2.30pm to 3.30pm.

Her book, The Familiars, is based at Padiham’s Gawthorpe Hall in the run up to infamous 1612 trial of the Pendle Witches.

Born in Rawtenstall and educated at Bacup and Rawtenstall Grammar School the 29-year-old has been compared by magazine Cosmopolitan to one of her literary heroes Hilary Mantel whose historical epic Wolf Hall was dramatised on BBC TV.

Many of the characters in the novel are real-life figures, with the main character being Fleetwood Shuttleworth from Gawthorpe Hall.

The event is free but tickets must be booked.

Cllr Peter Buckley, Lancashire County Council’s cabinet member for cultural services, said: “It is great to be able to read something that has been written by a local author, based in Lancashire and set at the amazing Gawthorpe Hall. The debut novel has already gone straight into the Sunday Times Bestseller chart at number three.” Tickets can be booked by calling in at the library.