Greetings from sunny Kent!

The lanes are lined with cow parsley and the trees are heavy with blossom and Wills HQ has been a hive of activity.

I've spent the last couple of months locked away writing the fifth Riverdale book (with the unimaginative working title Book Five). The first draft is almost finished and I'm hoping it will be out in time for the summer holidays.

Poppy and Cloud are back at Riverdale for their latest adventure. During a ride on the moor they discover a tumbledown cottage full of secrets. It's up to Poppy to unravel the truth - but the pressure is on. Can she save the day? All will be revealed!

Yesterday I took a break from the laptop and spent an amazing day at Cambridge University attending Horse Tales, a conference about equines in children's literature.

Acclaimed young adult authors Meg Rosoff and Sheena Wilkinson were joined by veteran writer K.M. Peyton. Now 86, Kathleen Peyton had her first pony book published when she was just 15. A whopping 70 books later the Flambards author is still writing every day. What an inspiration!

It was also a fantastic opportunity to meet some of my favourite pony book authors including Victoria Eveleigh, Belinda Rapley and Jane Badger, pictured in the top photo with K.M. Peyton and yours truly. (What do you call a group of pony book authors? A waffle of writers? A witticism? Answers on a postcard, please!)

I came away with lots of lovely signed books to read, and plenty of motivation not just to finish Book Five, but to come up with a better title...

I'll keep you posted.