What a week it’s been! On Thursday I went to Oxford and signed stock at Waterstones and Blackwell’s. I also held my first ever author event, at Waterstones Oxford. I’m very pleased to be able to say that it went swimmingly – the young detectives I met were all absolutely worthy of membership in the Detective Society, and we had a very interesting discussion about murder, ducklings and biscuits.

They reminded me that I really should get on and create a Facebook author page – and so I did. You can now like RobinStevensAuthor on Facebook to keep up to date with my author news, events and giveaways.

They were also very interested in where I went to school, and whether it was really like Daisy and Hazel’s school, Deepdean. Well, it just so happens that on Saturday, I was lucky enough to be invited back to look around my real school, Cheltenham Ladies’ College.

I have to point out for the sake of legality (and also truth) that none of the teachers or girls in Murder Most Unladylike are at all real, and that Deepdean School is not the school I went to. But there are certain similarities between the real place and what ended up on the page that I want to share with you here . . .

Here is the playing field. Behind me you can see a pitch that bears great similarity to the place where Hazel has her argument with Lavinia, and my face is the face that Hazel makes when she thinks about games lessons.

My fifth form boarding house . . . which, incidentally, looks rather a lot like Hazel and Daisy’s.

Town entrance (which might double as North Wing. Miss Bell’s car not pictured).

West Wing (also known as Old Wing) Entrance (beware of the girls)

The Marble corridor (do you recognise those black and white tiles?)

The horrible corridor between the Hall and the Gym . . .

. . . and the Gym itself! But what’s that stain on the floor?

Luckily, there was an author on the case.

Then I went up to the balcony to look for further clues . . .

And it all went wrong.

Happily, I was revived. Here I am with Amanda Silk, my English teacher (you may recognise her from the book’s dedication).

And here’s one of the music rooms, rather similar to the room where Inspector Priestley holds his denouement.

And (this was the most exciting) as we were leaving, we found a real bunbreak in progress!

Then we went into Cheltenham itself – and if you happen to be looking for signed copies of Murder Most Unladylike and you live near Cheltenham, you’re in luck! Waterstones Cheltenham now has signed stock – quick, go grab one before they’re gone!