I usually begin my author talks with a quick discussion about where authors get their ideas from. I've found if I wave a few books from the Captain Underpants series right from the start - I have immediate credibility. Especially as I know the names of all the titles. Then I talk about my own ideas, where they came from and how I turned them into a story.

This is my all time favourite end-of-talk question. A Year 5 boy put up his hand and asked: "Do you get headaches?" I was surprised...