World Book Day 2019 #worldbookday

I love World Book Day (even if I’m not doing a school visit), in the same way that I love comicons and the like. I love to see the visible signs of how the written word has influenced people. It’s amazing to see people go to the time and trouble of buying or making a costume that lets them express themselves.

It’s like oxygen, to an author. Seeing how people love your ideas, how they want to share that with other people. I think cosplaying is perhaps the sincerest form of flattery; move over, sarcasm.

This year, my eldest (year 7) didn’t want to dress up. At my littlest’s school, their theme was detective stories. I was thrilled when she asked if she could dress up as Sherlock Holmes, one of my favourite book characters of all time.

Conan Doyle created a wonderful legacy with his novellas, and it’s humbling to know that reference copies of my stories are sat in the British Library alongside his, and J.K. Rowlings, Neil Gaiman and my many other influences.

I hope you all have a wonderful World Book Day, and make time to crack open a book today or read a bedtime story.