Happy World Book Day, everyone!! I don't think it will come as any surprise if I mention that books are important to me EVERY day, but it's nice that they get this annual public boost, and I know WBD helps teachers promote reading in school, which can often be a struggle, given all the demands of the current education system that they have to contend with. So, yeah, even though I haven't had anything to do with the WBD organisers in a long, long time, I still see it as a nice thing, with positive benefits.

I think it's the ideal day to share a couple of photos of a klid called TYLER, who dressed up yesterday as B Smith from my Zom-B books. I think Tyler pegged B's look (from the third book in the series onwards) perfectly.

Tyler is actually a second generation Shanster. His mother, BECKY, was a big fan of mine in her teens, met me for the first time almost twenty years ago, and came to many of my signings over the next several years. That's a photo of me and her taken in Wimbledon in 2011. I must admit, it's rather surreal but absolutely wonderful to see a love of my books being passed on this way. I never really shared my love of reading with my parents, and developed as a reader independently of their interests, so I'm rather envious of parents and their children who get to share their reading passions. I'm hoping one or both of my kids get into the kind of books that I loved when I was a bit older than them, so that we can enjoy them together, but I won't force them, as I think readers must find their own loves, and not be forced down roads of their elders' choosing...