It's been a while since I posted any memes, so let's rectify that with a rib-tickling double bill.

The first was shared with me by a fan called Mahtab, who noted that my books often do both of these things, i.e. take readers on a fun, magical journey, and then run them through the emotional wringer and leave them a blubbering wreck! I make no apologies for that -- while I love escapist literature, I think the strongest books are those that also reflect the real world, and if you put a load of characters of the heart of a burning fireball of a storyline, it's cheating if none of them gets caught by the flames.

(A quick heads up for anyone reading my Archibald Lox books. While they're fantasy rather than horror, and certainly lighter of tone than my other major series, we're not going to escape entirely pain-free. I did think this might be my first series where none of the main characters are killed, but then I got to Volume 3 and...well... let's just say it's going to be hankies-o'-clock time again...)

Speaking of flames... The second meme was shared with me by a fan on Twitter with the user name of Vampire Mountain, and it explains why a number of people have broken down in tears when passing by a rather unfortunately named restaurant... Hmm... I've just have a thought... could Desmond Tiny possibly be the proprietor?!?

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