BESTSELLING fantasy writer Joseph Delaney gave young writers at St. Antony's Catholic College a masterclass in creating the weird, wonderful and downright wacky.

Year 7 pupils in the Urmston faith school's Aspire Book Club are currently reading his new book Spooks and were able to hear about the author's inspiration, methods and advice direct from the man himself.

The former secondary school teacher turned multi million selling author is currently awaiting the film adaptation of his book The Spook's Apprentice, titled Seventh Son, which is due out in February 2015 and will star Oscar winners Jeff Bridges and Julianne Moore.

Delaney was born in 1945 in Preston and attended Preston Catholic College and then worked as an apprentice engineer and fitter. He studied A levels at night school before beginning his degree course at Lancaster University in 1972.

His first international success The Wardstone Chronicles was published in 2004 in 24 countries with sales which have already exceeded one million.

He advised St. Antony's young writers to think literally and write from the untold power of own their imaginations. Joseph said:'”I write on the page what I want to read. It could be very gruesome and gory but I have to constrain it a little bit because I know that, in some cases, the readers who will see it won’t be that old. I do tone it down, probably without thinking about it. I suppose I just know what seems right.”

St. Antony's Catholic College's head of English Claire Lambert said: “ I am so pleased that Mr Delaney was able to come to our school to inspire our new Year 7 students, and to spend some time with all the students. We have loved reading 'The Spook's Apprentice', and it was a brilliant opportunity to meet and put questions to the actual writer."