An Oldham author is set to launch his anthology of short stories entitled ‘Tales With a Twist'.

Muhammad Khan, 39 only started writing books three years ago, and his debut novel ‘Rise of the Fire Mage’ was also recently published. Tales With A Twist is illustrated by Umm Khadija. The collection of nine stories, each teaches a moral lesson.

Muhammad said: “I had the idea of writing stories for children two years ago, but left it to gather dust until a family member read my first attempt at writing children’s stories. They were impressed and encouraged me to finish the project.

“I found that writing for children is actually very difficult as it is hard to put yourself in their shoes. Also, it is sometimes hard to express yourself without using difficult to understand vocabulary.

He added: “I also realised the importance of having a variety of colours and pictures to keep young readers entertained.

The book is aimed at 7-9 year old children to ideally be read at bed-time with a parent, “The parent can answer questions about the stories and help with explaining the meaning and lessons contained in each story.

“I am happy with the finished product as it fulfils my objective of teaching morals to children from all backgrounds.

“Read the story of the boy who always spoke the truth. Find out what happened to the boy who lied all the time. And many other exciting stories. The animation in the book is unique too.” He stated.

“The stories are written in simple and easy to understand language with child friendly themes. My nephew and niece gave feedback that they loved reading the stories and the animation is eye-catching. I must thank my illustrator who worked hard with me.”

Muhammad is a graduate of English and Politics and has loved reading from a young age. He restarted writing when the first lockdown happened nearly three years ago.

He is also a freelance journalist and a mental health advocate with many upcoming writing projects.