Sweet Cherry celebrates local Leicestershire links in new historical fiction

Leicestershire-based children’s publisher, Sweet Cherry Publishing, has signed travel writer and children’s playwright Andrew Beattie to write a collection of historical fiction tales for children aged 9-14 years.

The first book in the series, The Secret in the Tower, is set on the verge of King Richard III and Henry Tudor’s Battle of Bosworth and is based on the mystery of The Princes in the Tower, who were believed to be Richard’s nephews exiled in the Tower of London. In Beattie’s retelling, the story introduces Jack Broom, a simple London boy whose sharp resemblance to one of the Princes leads him to discover his true identity.

London-based Oxford University alumnus, Andrew Beattie (left), who has previously written a variety of children’s plays, travel books and historical non-fiction said: “After writing a number of history-based plays, including one about the legend of King Arthur which has been performed by schools and youth theatre groups in the UK, Australia and the United States, I am very excited to be moving into the area of children’s fiction”.

The Secret in the Tower will publish in September 2022, shortly after Leicester will celebrate ten years since the discovery of Richard III’s remains in a city car park. The series, titled Tales from Medieval England, will also include stories based on the Plague, the Vikings and medieval witchcraft.

Sanjee de Silva, Publisher at Sweet Cherry, said: “I am so excited for Sweet Cherry to take our first step into historical fiction for children! We are always looking for new ways to celebrate our city’s links with Richard III and look forward to bringing Andrew’s books to life here in Leicester.”

Sweet Cherry was recently awarded Children’s Publisher of the Year 2022 and is proud to showcase Leicester’s creative talent in publishing. Inspired by its local Leicester roots, Sweet Cherry launched a new imprint, Clock Tower Publishing, in late 2021 and calls out to local authors and illustrators to join its mission of making reading fun, accessible and inclusive for children.