Had good events today. Started by re-visiting a school where I'd been before -- CICS West Belden Campus. Last year, they put on a show of "Cirque Du Freak", which was great. This year they did "The Vampire's Assistant" and it was just as slick and enjoyable!! Some of the cast members had been in the previous production, while others were new to the scene. I got a huge kick out of watching them bring my characters to life. They'd put a load of work into it, learning their lines, building a set, and making themselves up. I hope all the kids of the school enjoyed it as much as I did -- from the rapturous applause, I think they did!!! I decided I couldn't follow a play like that with one of my own scenes, so I just got one of the actors up to interview me, then took questions from the crowd and signed books. Walked out VERY happy!!!!!

My escort, Debbie, took me to a Chicago landmark for lunch -- Super Dawgs. It's supposed to serve up the best hot dogs and burgers in the city!!! I've got to say, my dog was mighty tasty, and so were the fries and strawberry malt!! Next time I'm back, I want to try the burger ...

A long drive to Dakota Jr-Sr High School after that. It was in a real out-of-the-way spot, which I quite liked -- it's nice to get off the beaten track, out of the big cities, every once in a while, and go somewhere different. I don't get to do that often in the States, because we have to try to fit in as many venues as possible -- two hours on the road is two hours I could be spending in a school. So this was a little treat for me.

Another two hour drive after that, up to Milwaukee. I'm staying in a lovely hotel, the Pfister. Very swish!!! Did an event at the Harry W Schwartz Bookshop on North Oakland Avenue. Got a good sized crowd (50-60 has been the average for public events on this tour so far), and lots of in-depth questions about writing and my books. The questions I get vary from event to event, which keeps the process interesting for me. Sometimes (usually in schools) the questions can be only mildly stimulating -- "What's your favourite movie?" "What's your favourite sport?" "What's your favourite band?" etc. etc. I always answer the questions as honestly and brightly as I can -- I never cut a kid down for asking a question -- but I do prefer it when the queries are more on the probing side. Tonight I had to think fast and hard to keep up with all the questions, and that's the way I like it!!!!

Now I'm off to celebrate being a New York Times Bestselling Author again -- by going to bed early and getting a good night's sleep!!!!!!!!