I’d read Cogheart, and loved it.

Then, as if all of the cogs in the universe aligned, I saw on Twitter that Peter Bunzl was going to be at the National Space Centre in Leicester on a day I was free!

I did what anyone would have done. I got over excited and tweeted him, asking if he’d sign my book if I brought it with me. Being a very lovely author, he said yes.

Phone in one hand, tablet in the other, I simultaneously asked my son if he wanted to come, and booked tickets for their Steampunk Weekend. Then I waited for it to be Peter Bunzl Day…

The Sat-Nav was primed, I had the book and tickets, I collected my son from his grandparents, and we were off.

“Mum, are you looking forward to our day out?” he asked as we hit the motorway.

“It’s going to be brilliant, son,” I replied. (I didn’t actually call him son, I called him his name, but it’s a secret.)

“Why have you got a book in your bag then? I thought we were going because your class topic is space?”

“Ah, well yes it is. But Peter Bunzl will be there, and I want to get my book signed so it can go on my bookshelf at school.”

“Oh… why did you want me to come?”

“I need you to take a photo of me with Peter, for show and tell on Monday.”

“Hmmmmph! I thought you wanted a mum son day out to spend time together.”

“Yes, yes, that too, now hush I need to listen to Sergent SatNav.”

We arrived, and headed straight for Author’s Corner, where I saw Peter Bunzl sat, with piles of Coghearts on the table in front of him. I strode over to the desk, reverently took my copy out of my bag, beamed at him and said, “Hello Mr Bunzl, I asked you on Twitter if you’d sign my book, and you said yes…” and then stood there holding my book out towards him.

He looked at me as though I might possibly be a little bit mad, then smiled back, took my book and signed it. He also agreed to have a photo taken with me, at which point my son observed, “This is why you wanted me to come, so you don’t look like a crazy, old woman stalking the famous author.”

“Just take the photo, and make sure you don’t cut our heads off. And less of the old!”

Once my book was signed, and son had taken the required photo (without chopping our heads off), we enjoyed a fantastic animation workshop run by Peter, where he drew on my son’s flip book. Yes, my sons, not mine. Then a spot of lunch, before going to listen to Peter do a Q&A session and read extracts of Cogheart.

I was like a child on Christmas Eve, and Peter was Santa. Son sat and listened, eyes gleaming, holding his breath, and that was it; he was hooked too. So, he now has his own signed copy of Cogheart, and Peter’s drawing on his flip book. But he didn’t get a photo. Or, so I thought…

I was also lucky enough to be given some bits and pieces to go in my school library (after I’ve used them for show and tell, obviously), but that story will have to wait until I’m back in school…

… to be continued.