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Sally Rudduck Doherty

@sallydohertywrites

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💜 Toby and the Hair-Raising Halloween (A short story) Written by Sally Doherty, cover illustrated by Sarah Docker and published by Soaring Skies Publishing 💜

@sallydohertywrites @sarahjdocker @the_rebel_reading_society

💜 “Packed with magical mayhem and hair-raising hullabaloo, this spellbinding short story is the perfect Halloween treat”

🦇 Are you looking for a spooky alternative this Halloween? Then this funny short story is perfect for you. It is part of the Toby Bean series, but can be enjoyed as a standalone too. I would strongly advise you check out the series, which are awesome!

💜 When Witch Bumble’s flying Retrieagle ,Cuddles, escapes in Brockton chaos ensues. Toby tries to trick the warden into believing the dog is ready for trick or treating, in order to protect the identity of witches and disguise its wings. Will he be able to pull the wool over the warden’s eyes? What could possibly go wrong…?

🦇 Feuding witches, spells gone wrong, a leaf blower, a band of creatures let loose and a race against the clock… this short story is action packed and so much fun!

#tobybean #spookyalternative #halloweenbooksforkids #friendlywitches #sallydoherty

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Fans of the fabulous Toby Bean books by @sallydohertywrites (and let's face it, who isn't?) will be delighted to know that we have a limited number of special signed editions of a brilliant new short story, Toby and the Hair-Raising Halloween in stock now, just in time for, well, a hair-raising Halloween!

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Thank you @sallydohertywrites for this fabulous Halloween box of goodies 🧡🎃👻

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💜💚 Had the most amazing book delivery today!! Eeeeek. My @sallydohertywrites collection is now complete!! Thank you for the honour of reading Toby and the Hair-Raising Halloween early. It was amazing to have my quote in this book. 💚💜 More Rebel love for James too @the_rebel_reading_society Smashing it!! Thank you Sally and I’ll add my full review soon. 🦇

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I’ve been sitting on a spooky secret!!! 🎃

A little surprise to fans of Toby, @sallydohertywrites has written a short story to accompany the trilogy 🍁 🍂 and I got to illustrate the cover 🎨

Sally came in with a really strong idea for this one, so we didn’t do as much exploration as usual but I thought it might be fun to see a peek behind the curtain on the run up to it’s release nonetheless 📕 This was heaps of fun to explore and paint. I hope you like it too!

Not pictured are, photos of me and my partner running around the room trying to find the perfect Toby pose, skeleton sketches, and battles with getting the colour JUSTTTT right 🖍️

I love illustrating for spooky season, and working @sallydohertywrites is always a dream.

“No one knows witches exist, and Toby is desperate to keep it that way. But Witch Bumble’s flying dog has escaped, and the town warden will soon have him in her clutches.

When the spell to rescue the bird-dog goes haywire, it unleashes a band of Halloween creatures on the streets of Brickdon. Is it too late to protect the witches’ secretive world and save Toby from turmoil? Somebody stop that skeleton!”

Are you excited for autumn? What’s your favourite autumn book? 📕 🎃

#kidlitartist #childrensbooks #chapterbook #autumnreads #illustrationprocess

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✨️ WOWCON 2026 SELF PUBLISHING TALK: Self publishing realities: challenges and benefits with Sally Doherty ✨️⁠
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Considering self-publishing your book? Hear from award-winning self-published author @sallydohertywrites about the challenges and benefits of choosing this route to publishing. ⁠
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Writers, join our online writing conference from Friday 25th – Sunday 27th September to learn about traditional publishing, small press publishing, and self publishing routes from authors, editors, agents & more.⁠
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🎟️ Early bird tickets on sale now: link in bio

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Exciting package came today! 📚😃🤓🤩 I had a helper, she loves books as much as me. @sallydohertywrites I can’t wait to get stuck in and share with my class! Eeek #eduction #primaryreading #reading

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✨️ WOWCON 2026 SELF PUBLISHING PANEL: Self publishing awards - are they worth it?✨️⁠
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An in depth discussion on the pros and cons of entering awards as a self-published author featuring @claire_linney, @jemmahatt, and @sallydohertywrites.⁠
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Writers, join our online writing conference from Friday 25th – Sunday 27th September to learn about traditional publishing, small press publishing, and self publishing routes from authors, editors, agents & more.⁠
⁠
🎟️ Early bird tickets on sale now: link in bio

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🎃 👻 My October/Halloween classroom books and reading display are about to resurface. My autumnal/spooky section has grown considerably since this photo, but I’d love all the recommendations for Y6 please. 🍂 🦇

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Do you even know how much I love MG books?!?

In honour of my latest book releasing August 2nd, I’m declaring August MG month!!

These are the MG books I want to read in August. There are a couple of ARCs, and a heap of books that have been on my TBR for what feels like ages!

I’m always always searching for more authors to follow and books to fall in love with, so recommend away if you’ve read an indie book you think I should add to my TBR!

And don’t be afraid to self rec, authors 😁

#MiddleGradeBooks #supportindieauthors #indieauthorsofinstagram #middlegradefiction #mgbooks

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🎉 Look and listen up! 🎉

🎉 @natharrisonauthor is here to give you a reading boost this half term with her own amazing book, a recommendation to read the awesome Peregrine Quinn series by @ashbwrites AND a shout out to the amazing young readers and families who have and are getting involved with the amazing teddy bear and book trail in Sandwich that has been organised by the super creative @spellboundinsandwich!

❤️ We love getting to fill the @spellboundinsandwich grid with posts and encouraging young people across the country to tuck into a book this half-term!

❤️ Happy reading and we hope you are having an amazing half-term! 😍

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A gripping adventure full of mystery, magic and danger. Toby and the Silver Blood Witches by Sally Doherty is a captivating read for ages 10+.

Toby is 12 years old when his world suddenly shifts. His mum falls seriously ill and he feels it is his responsibility to stay home and care for her. But as strange things begin to happen around the house, Toby realises nothing is quite as ordinary as it seems!

Who is the mysterious woman in the attic wearing a strange hat? And why does it feel like she knows more than she should? As secrets begin to unravel, Toby is pulled into a world of witches, dangerous missions and high stakes where lives are truly on the line.

Fast-paced and atmospheric, this story blends family, courage and suspense in a way that keeps readers hooked until the very end.

ad/pr @sallydohertywrites

🤍🌿🤍 Thank you so much to the author for sending me this to review, it will be making its way into my classroom very soon! 🤍🌿🤍

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