Here Be Dragons!

I'm sure you already know that yesterday was World Book Day. I'll be posting some pictures from my visit to the wonderful St Faiths School in Cambridge soon. But in the meantime, there's another important day going on TODAY!

It's National Doodle Day. 

It's great fun. And it's all in support of Epilepsy Action.

My publisher Orion are getting involved and asked some of their authors to send in pictures of themselves holding up their doodles for the National Doodle Day twitter feed.

Here's my attempt - a Chinese dragon I doodled while waiting in the car for my son to finish his drum lesson. The only pencil in my bag was rather blunt and I couldn't find a sharpener so he looks a little blurry round the edges! Let's just say that he's a dragon seen through a cloud of smoke!

All My Own Work!

But why a Chinese dragon you may be wondering?

Here's a clue. I've just got back from a trip to do some research for the next book in the Secrets of the Tombs series. It involved a some very long flights, eating lots of yummy noodles and climbing to the top of pagodas. Not to mention looking at tombs. I'm always looking at tombs! 

There will be dragons in the new book too!

If you would like to see lots more doodles, have a look at the National Doodle Day website. There's a gallery of celebrity doodles. You can also help to raise funds for Epilepsy Action by bidding to to buy a doodle by one of your favourite celebs.

I've just discovered a website where you can find out what official "DAY" it is for every day of the year.  Turns out that today is not only Doodle Day, but also, amongst others, Middle Name Pride Day* and Crown Roast of Pork Day**!

I am now going to put the "day" website into my UTTERLY BANNED FOR ALL TIME file. Otherwise I could fritter away entire weeks - weeks when when I should be working - on browsing its fascinating contents. But before I lock it away for ever, I couldn't help noticing that tomorrow is National Proof Reading Day. 

Which is mighty uncanny because sitting on my desk is a big fat envelope full of the proofs of The Phoenix Code . . . and the job right at the top of my mega To-Do list for tomorrow is to check through them. 

It's going to make it so much more fun, knowing that I am doing it on the designated day of the year!

* FYI. My middle name is Elizabeth and yay, I'm proud of it!

** Oh no, too late, I've just got mince out of the freezer for a chilli con carne!