CHILDREN'S author Jessica Parish visited St Helens town centre to give youngsters a sneak preview of her latest book about the adventures of her pet pooches Pugalugs and Dug.

Jessica, together with her canine stars, unveiled 'The Magic Bone' at BHS in Church Square shopping centre.

The launch of the story - the fourth book in the Pugalug and Dug series - is also helping to raise money for charity as £1 is donated to children's charity the NSPCC, for every copy sold.

The book will be available to buy from June 18, when Jessica and husband Mark will return to the shopping centre to sign and sell copies.

The Magic Bone sees the young pugs set off on their first adventure and is inspired by a real event that prompted Jessica to begin writing the book.

"When Pugalugs and Dug were pups they would be looked after by their grandad, my father-in-law Jim Parish, when Mark and I were working," said Jessica.

"One day Jim was in the garden and the dogs somehow managed to slip out of the gate and take off. Poor Jim was looking everywhere for them and eventually received a call to say someone had found them and taken them to a local vet.

"The dogs had been found together, a mile from Jim's house outside a pub, and it got us thinking about what had happened to them in between and adventures they may have got up to."

Jessica, 28, from New Bold, was working as a recruitment company account manager, when she decided to seize the opportunity to pursue her childhood dream of writing fiction.

She said: "It's been a steep learning curve but I'm absolutely loving it and hearing from young fans who regularly write and email is fantastic. I hope my stories help children get into reading and they learn to enjoy books."