The much-anticipated debut novel by a Monmouth School for Girls’ alumna is being launched later this month.

Cari Thomas, who was raised in Devauden and educated at Haberdashers’ Monmouth Schools, has signed a four-book deal with HarperCollins.

Cari’s debut novel, Threadneedle, is the first book in The Language of Magic series and is due out in print on Thursday 27th May.

Waterstones has got behind the book with a signed, red sprayed-edge special edition.

The retailer originally ordered 2,000 copies but has increased this to 4,000 and is now running a prize draw.

There is also a special London-themed edition planned with Goldsboro books in Covent Garden.

It is a very exciting time for Cari, who has drawn inspiration from her upbringing among the woods and myths of the Wye Valley.

Cari’s mum, Mrs Liz Thomas, was headteacher of Monmouth Schools Pre-Prep and Nursery (then Agincourt School and Nursery) for 11 years.

A journalist and marketing professional, who previously ran teen magazine Sugar’s book club, Cari wrote Threadneedle, while living in London, wandering the city and weaving it with all the magic she wished it contained.

Told through spells created with knots and threads, Threadneedle is set in contemporary London and a story that is both innovative and based in traditional witchcraft.

After joining in Year 7 and taking her A levels at Monmouth School for Girls, Cari achieved a first-class degree in English Literature and Creative Writing at Warwick University.

She then gained a distinction in Magazine Journalism at The Cardiff School of Journalism.

Cari worked in consumer publishing and as a digital strategist at a creative agency, spending her spare time researching magic and accumulating an unusual collection of occult books.

The talented writer now lives in Bristol with her husband James Williams and their young son, Taliesin.