A St Albans author has written a children's Christmas book after an idea came to her while in hospital.
Natasha Hastings had been hospitalised with pneumonia, a disease which severely affected her asthma.
Her book - The Miraculous Sweetmakers & The Frost Fair - features a hero who also lives with a respiratory disease.
The adventure is set in the Great Frost of 1683, and features themes of friendship, fantasy and sweet-making.
Recipes for the production of sweets are even included within the book's pages.
Natasha Hastings said: "I tested my recipes first before writing about them, and as someone whose enthusiasm for cooking far outweighs any talent, I am pleasantly surprised to confirm they are delicious.
"Before you start reading this book, I advise you to grab a mug, plate or bowl of something tasty, settle somewhere comfortable, and imagine a night in London during the Great Frost, centuries ago, where a girl spies a strange blue light hovering outside her window and becomes entangled in a magical adventure."
Natasha's novel will be released on Thursday, October 27, and will cost £12.99.
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