A TROLL has turned a dream into reality for a York mum who has just published a story she once conjured up to entertain her daughter at bedtime.

Catherine Jacob made up tales and rhymes for her then five-year-old and penned a funny, spooky story which is now standing proud in high street book stores four years later.

Catherine, who has three children under ten and works as a television journalist, launched There’s a Troll on My Toilet! to a young audience at Waterstones in York.

She will be doing a series of events around York over the next few months, with a story reading and craft session at Acomb Library at 12pm tomorrow, Saturday, and at York Explore on October 30. She will also be at Waterstones York on Halloween itself with further library dates and school workshops planned.

“I’ve always loved writing and my three children love rhyming picture books, so we’d often make up stories and rhymes together on journeys or in bed at night,” she said. “My then five year old, who’s now nearly ten, loved spooky tales and I originally wrote Troll to entertain her.”

She added: “It’s been a case of writing very late at night, or when the children are at school, or on the train to work. The title of the book was originally There’s a Witch in my Kitchen. But when Mike Byrne’s wonderful illustrations came through, it was obvious Troll was the stand-out character and my brilliant editor at Scholastic, Fiz Osborne, made the decision to put him on the front. On his toilet, of course.”

Catherine’s next book, Santa’s Special Gift, is out in October, and she is working on a sequel to Troll and an adventure book for older children.

“It just so happened the two books’ publication dates almost coincided. They’re both rhyming picture books but they’re very different. Troll is funny, spooky and quirky, while Santa’s Special Gift is more lyrical and traditional: the story of a little girl who flies to the North Pole. Hopefully children will like them both!”

Scholastic’s senior commissioning editor, Fiz Osborne said: “As soon as I read Catherine’s text, I loved it. Catherine writes with such energy, she sprinkles fun on every page – and Mike’s illustrations bring the story to life in the most wonderful way. Children will love There’s a Troll on My Toilet!”

There’s a Troll on my Toilet is published by Scholastic.