SAS author helps book group celebrate

Former SAS man turned best-selling author Chris Ryan will be in Stourbridge to take part in an event celebrating the 10th anniversary of a borough literacy group.

Mr Ryan will be in the town on November 22 for a day-long festival celebrating Dudley Children's Book Group's first decade. He will meet younger and older readers, and talk about his latest book, called Twister.

It is the latest in his best-selling Code Red series which is aimed at teenage readers. Mr Ryan will be at the town hall in Market Street from 10am. The author first came to prominence for being the only member of the eight-man SAS mission Bravo Two Zero to escape alive during the First Gulf War in 1991.

After leaving the SAS in 1994, he turned his attention to writing both fiction and non-fiction based on his military experiences. Works such as The One That Got Away, his non-foction account of the Bravo Two Zero mission and fictional bestsellers such as Strike Back are aimed at adult readers.

But he also scored success in writing for younger audiences, such as the Alpha Force series.

Organisers of the Stourbridge event said Mr Ryan had first visited DCBG in 2007 and proved such a hit he was the natural choice to help celebrate their anniversary. Also taking part will be the Ology team performing scenes from their new book Monsterology, and the 2008 Redhouse Children's Book Award winner, Derek Landy.

Tickets cost £2.50 and are available in advance from Ros Bartlett or Books Unlimited in Lower High Street Stourbridge.

Group founder Ros Bartlett said: "We always try to get the biggest and best writers in children's fiction for our annual festival.

"With this being our tenth anniversary year we wanted something special with broad appeal and we have more than succeeded."