Lady in Red, the third book in the Eye Spy series, is almost finished, and today I did some research to help me to complete it. This involved visiting our local reptile shop, and handling a snake for the very first time.

Why? Because Jake, one of the main characters in Lady in Red, has a pet snake called Queenie, who plays a very important part in the story.

Although I found out quite a lot on the internet about keeping snakes, there is no substitute for seeing one close up, and holding it in your hands. When the shop owner handed me a Royal Python, a cream-coloured snake with a small head, I expected its skin to feel cold and wet and scaly. Surprise, surprise – it was beautifully warm, very soft and smooth, and completely dry. Instantly, I understood why Jake was so fond of Queenie.

And another surprise – the shop owner told me that snakes are fast overtaking cats and dogs in popularity. He thinks this is because they are really easy to look after. They only need food once a week, and they like to sleep during the day. This means that when you come home from school or work, they are just waking up and ready to interact with you. But although I’m now a much bigger fan of snakes than I was before, cats are, and always will be, my favourite pets!