Carnaby’s out. Phew. It’s a nail-biting process. The first time I had a book published I nearly had a heart attack at the thought of people I knew reading it. Anonymous readers are one thing. Family and friends are quite another. Would they snigger behind their hands? Whisper? Shake heads sadly? Of couse, my friends and family are all much nicer than that. If there was sniggering or shaking of heads, they kept it well hidden. Carnaby is my fifth book, and I’ve developed a thicker skin. But still….a book is such a private thing to push out into the public. So it’s a huge relief to have some nice feedback, and to hear that some people have enjoyed reading it. It was The Times Children’s Book of the Week yesterday, thank you Amanda Craig, and The Sunday Times Children’s Book of the Week last week, thank you Nicolette Jones. It’s a bit frustrating for me that people who read the reviews may not immediately find a copy of the book – they are thin on the ground in the bookshops, and there’s a bit of a queue at Amazon, but I’d be really grateful if you don’t give up on it.