Best-selling author Sir Ian Rankin appeared in Stockport for the first time on Monday 12 October to talk all things reading, writing, and creativity.

At an event hosted by Simply Books, the Scottish novelist addressed a 200-strong audience at St Michael and All Angels' Church, Bramhall, as part of a tour for his new book, The Heights.

The Heights delves into the opulent world of the super-rich, centring around the murder of a concierge in a luxury London high-rise.

It's a standalone book starring detective Gillian Gish as its protagonist, a new character who Rankin first introduced in a short story.

Explaining the process behind his latest novel, Rankin said he enjoyed living inside a new character's head, in a new environment.

He added that readers will find in Gish some similarities with Siobhan Clarke, from Rankin's enormously popular Rebus novels.

The author also talked about the craft of writing, speaking candidly about the difficult start to his writing career before the breakthrough success of Black and Blue, his eighth Rebus book.

He said that creativity is something that can be honed but not necessarily taught from scratch - it was on the author to use their own imagination and develop their skills through persistence.

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He was adamant about the value of books to take readers on adventures, and concluded with a simple imperative - write books, read books.

Sir Ian Rankin's Rebus books have sold more than 35 million copies, achieving best-seller status in multiple continents having been translated into 36 different languages.

He is also scheduled to headline the Stockport Noir 2027 Crime Fiction Festival at the Stockport Masonic Guildhall, from 30-31 January.