I'm really excited to be shortlisted for the Royal Mail Scottish Children's Book awards for The Witching Hour. Thank, you Scottish Book Trust, for organising it all, and for all the thousands of judges who are now busy reading all the books.

The competition's pretty fierce, as you'll see from the panel. I'm up against Cathy Macphail, with her novel Grass, and Gillian Philip with her novel Crossing the Line. There are three great stories in the Readers 8-11 category, Invisible Fiends: Mr Mumbles by Barry Hutchison, The Secret of the Black Moon Moth by John Fardell, and The Dragon Whisperer by Lucinda Hare. Then in the Bookbug 0-7 reader category, there is What the Ladybird Heard by Julia Donaldson and Lydia Monks, Love from Louisa by Simon Puttock, and Stormy Weather by Debi Gliori.

As you can see, the competition is horribly stiff! Still, fingers crossed for The Witching Hour.

Here we all are at the announcement of the shortlist (except for Gillian Philip who couldn't make it) at Trunks Close in Edinburgh.