I qualified as a teacher in 1979, and largely thanks to that experience, became a published author five years later, with a story in the collection Misfits, published by the Bodley Head. So those with a talent for maths will recognise that this year I am celebrating forty years since first finding myself on bookshop shelves. And I’m delighted to say I’ve just got hold of a later edition of Misfits that I’d never set eyes on before – thanks to the Hay-on-Wye Children’s Bookshop. As you’ll see I was in good company in this collection, and at the launch party met the legendary agent Gina Pollinger, who kindly signed me up and got me deals with Puffin and Walker, with many more publishers to follow. I’m hoping to hold a celebratory talk – hopefully an entertaining one – sometime later this year, with details to be posted here – always a good idea to follow this blog! And as advertised below, there should be another six week course coming, probably in September, which you can provisionally book a slot on by emailing me.