ESSEX-born author Sarah Perry has been the writer everyone has been talking about this year.

Following the release of her monstrously successful book The Essex Serpent in May 2016, it has gone on to win the Waterstones Book of the Year 2016 beating off the likes of JK Rowling, to name but a few, and was shortlisted for perhaps the biggest prize in fiction, The Costa Book Award.

Born in Chelmsford, but now based in Norwich, earlier this year Sarah was the first writer in residence for the Essex Book Festival and next week she makes a welcome return to the county with a special appearance at the Colchester Arts Centre.

It's been organised by the town's Appetite Book Club after they managed to scoop an exclusive date with the award-winning author as part of their monthly meetings.

The Essex Serpent is Sarah's second novel, following debut After Me Comes The Flood, which was winner of the East Anglian Book of the Year and longlisted for the Guardian First Book Award.

Her gothic tale is based on a real legend of a serpent, once said to roam the marshes close by to the village of Henham, near Saffron Walden.

Weaving in religion and science, as well as tantalising references to various places in Essex, including Colchester and the Blackwater Estuary, it tells the story of widow Cora Seaborne, who after moving to the Essex countryside investigates rumours of a serpent causing the deaths of a number of villagers.

She says: "The main thrust of the plot came to me almost instantly - although after that there was a good deal of thinking and (as I call it) "festering" as I continued to mull over the various additional characters and themes. I immediately felt that the old legend of the Essex Serpent was ripe for reinvention in the late 19th century when Darwin's theories had real currency and were a source of excitement and debate. I instantly thought of a young widow, full of enthusiasm for the sciences, meeting an Essex vicar determined to keep his flock from falling prey to hysteria. Everything else flowed from there."

Although as part of her research, Sarah just couldn't resist making a few trips back to the county of her birth.

Sarah adds: "Like many people who are Essex born and bred, the fact Essex is the butt of jokes is very irritating.

“I really wanted to write about the Essex landscape and wildlife as accurately as possible, so I decided to write the novel in “real time”, travelling down to Essex to observe how the seasons changed. I remember spending a long afternoon around the RSPB Hill Farm sanctuary, peering at hedgerows and making notes.

“This is a county that is steeped in myth and history and which has a very beautiful landscape that is very particular to Essex, and I wanted to try and rehabilitate Essex in the readers’ consciousness."

Raising money for readeasy.org.uk, An Audience with Sarah Perry takes place at the Colchester Arts Centre next Wednesday, June 28. Doors are at 6pm with the event starting at 6.30pm sharp.

Tickets are £6, available from www.colchesterartscentre.com