![\"WestleighSesh3\"](\"http:\/\/www.timdefenderoftheearth.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2008\/04\/westleighsesh3.jpg\")
<\/p>\nHere are a couple more pics of me blethering like a madman to the bemusement of young students yesterday… \ud83d\ude09<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
The first session was a gleeful return to Westleigh High School, this time to do my stuff for some Year 7’s, in the library. This was great fun, with loads of good questions, my favourite of which (after I’d been expounding on how much I love writing about monsters) was, ‘Are you ever going to write a romantic<\/em> story?’<\/p>\n ‘Yes indeed,’ was my reply. Believe it or not, my fourth [published!] book – the one that comes after the one I’m writing now – is going to have a strong love story element. But when I explained who (or, heh, what<\/em>) the “lucky couple” are going to be, the person who asked the question seemed a bit surprised – or was that disgusted<\/em>? HEE HEE HEE! ;p<\/p>\n After a swift lunch it was off to the beautiful and newly-refurbished Ashton Library<\/a>, to talk to some students from St Edmund Arrowsmith High School<\/a>.<\/p>\n All five sessions from my Wigan Borough Wanderings have been an absolute delight. But if I had to pick one that was my favourite, this was it.<\/p>\n The way my talks work is that I like to throw them open as quickly as possible to questions from the audience. I’ve got some passages from my books that I’ve been practicing reading, sure, and I’m more than happy to stand there yakking – but it’s much more fun for me (as well as for my listeners, I hope!) if the pace and direction of a session is largely directed by the people I’m speaking to. Well: the questions from the Arrowsmith students were so much fun that the session ran for more than an hour and a quarter!<\/em> I was gobsmacked when I caught sight of the clock – the time seemed to have shot past. But one would never have guessed I’d been rattling on that long from the pin-sharp concentration and attention of the students. The fact is, I<\/em> can’t sit still for that length of time – especially not on the floor! So if anyone from the Arrowsmith group is reading this, I’d just like to say THANK YOU. I hope you got something out of listening to me, because I thoroughly enjoyed speaking to you.<\/p>\n I’ve got one more event this week: tomorrow – to my great delight – I’m sharing a bookshop appearance with the brilliant fantastical action thriller author MARK ROBSON<\/a>! From around 10am to 4pm we’re going to be in one of the Guildford branches of Waterstone’s<\/a>: the address is 71-73 High Street, Guildford GU1 3DY, and you don’t have to pay to get in. If you’re in the area, drop by for a natter!<\/p>\n![\"AshtonLibrary030408\"](\"http:\/\/www.timdefenderoftheearth.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2008\/04\/ashtonlibrary030408.jpg\")
<\/p>\n