Philip Pullman fans are catching his tale about a fly on Twitter

Author Philip Pullman is telling his latest story — about a housefly called Jeffrey — in 140-character chapters on Twitter.

Pullman, 67, who is also working on a new novel, The Book Of Dust, began the project after he came under pressure to join the social network, but was worried he would not have enough material to tweet about.

However, the writer of His Dark Materials said the story was “just fun” and unlikely to end up as a book. He added: “I joined Twitter back in November because the people who do my website suggested it would be a good way to keep in touch with readers.

“I soon found I didn’t have much to say, so I started telling the story of Jeffrey the fly, who was a valued member of the household.”