I got a big batch of letters this week from Stockingford Junior in Nuneaton, a really lovely school I visited a little while ago. They included some questions in their letters, and I thought I'd answer a few of them here...

from Esme How many children do you have and what are their names?
I have two, currently in Years 7 and 9 at secondary school. I used their names for the names of my detective Saxby Smart's two best friends.

from Rhiannon Being a popular author, does it mean people walk up to you and ask if they can have a picture taken with you?
Never. Ever. No. Not even once. Nope. Doesn't happen... I do get funny looks sometimes when I'm out. But that's mostly because I'm a bit freaky-looking.

from Cory Do you think that I could be an author?
Definitely. All you need to write a good story is imagination and hard work!

from Tyler When you were at school what was your best subject?
I was probably best at English, but my favourite was History.

from Ellie-Jane How old were you when your first book was published?
I was (err, got to count backwards here) thirty-three. That was a looooong time ago.

from Megan Which one of your books is your favourite?
If I really had to pick one, it would probably be Pants On Fire. I just love the main character, Tom Bland, he's so snobby and self-centred, he's very entertaining to write about.

from Conner Were you good at school?
If you mean was I well-behaved, then yes, I was an absolute little angel. If you mean, was I top of the class, then no. I was pretty average at most things. Terrible at sports, quite good at essays, otherwise just about OK.

from Esme again What's the best thing that's ever happened to you?
My two children. Easy question.

Thank you Ms Earl's class! If any other readers want to send me questions, I'll do my best to answer them via this blog.