Intent on expanding its middle-grade fiction offering, Sweet Cherry Publishing, Leicester’s multi award-winning independent publisher, has signed a 3-book deal with Rutendo Dione.
The upcoming adventure series, titled Presto!, puts a contemporary spin on beloved fairy tales such as Little Red Riding Hood and Hansel and Gretel, starting out in Brixton, London, and taking readers to much, much more magical settings!
When 11-year-old Amber witnesses the Big Bad Wolf suddenly materialising in her living room, she learns that not only are fairy tales real, but that her uncle is a thief who recovers stolen items and missing people from the stories themselves. What’s more? There’s a mysterious world called Evadne where wolves, witches and other mythical beings exist … and she’s about to be thrust right into it!
When asked about this exciting deal, Dione said: “I’m very excited to be publishing my debut fiction series with Sweet Cherry Publishing. I hope readers enjoy the daring mixture of fairy tale magic, physics and high-tech coding! Opting for quirky, lively characters, I was keen to also have a certain level of diversity in my story, hopefully allowing us to resonate with audiences everywhere.”
The first instalment is titled Presto! Magical Recovery Co. and hits the shelves on 31st October, so readers don’t have to wait too long to meet Amber, her fairy tale-hopping uncle and their magical friends!