I don't get sent a huge amount of artwork based on my Zom-B books, which is a pity, because it's such a visually demented world. When budding artists do take on any of my Zom-B characters, they tend to gravitate towards Mr Dowling, the mad clown at the centre of the twisted undead web, which is perfectly understandable and absolutely fine by me -- I adore seeing what they do with him!

But of all the characters I've created over the years, B Smith is one of my absolute favourites. Mr Crepsley remains my number one choice, as I always admit whenever anyone asks me to list my fave, but B wouldn't be too far behind. A lot of readers were repulsed by B in the first book, which I think is one of the key reasons the series didn't find quite the same following as Cirque Du Freak or The Demonata -- in retrospect, I probably should have found a way to soften some of B's edges in book 1, to make B more likeable. But then again, I don't think B's journey would be as powerful if B hadn't started out in such a dark and edgy place.

I dunno. Part of me wishes I'd done book 1 differently. But part of me also says I'd have been selling out if I'd done it any other way. I still don't know if I made the right call, or what I'd do if I had a time machine and was given the choice to do it all again.

Anyway, this drawing of B is by a fan called Clara. I think it's a great piece, that captures B perfectly. Clara also produced a speedpaint video, showing how the drawing started and developed, so if you want to see how it all came to life, click here: https://vimeo.com/372411847