Neil Patrick Harris writing children's books

Neil Patrick Harris is following his former How I Met Your Mother co-star Jason Segel into the world of children's literature by penning his own fiction series.

Jason embarked on a new career as an author last year (14), with the launch of his Nightmares! horror stories, and now Neil has revealed he is busy working on a book franchise called The Magic Misfits.

"Reading and books have become a mainstay in my family, and they have gotten me thinking in a new way about the power of storytelling," he tells People.com.

The father of two is already a published writer after the success of his best-selling memoir, Neil Patrick Harris: Choose Your Own Autobiography, last year (14), but he admits writing for youngsters was a real joy.

"Playing with the elements of magic, adventure and friendship, The Magic Misfits is the kind of series that would have thrilled me as a kid," he says. "And I hope it does just that for today's young readers."

The Magic Misfits is due for release in 2017.