I get deadline dreams when I’m near to finishing a book. They’re usually weird, there’s a subtle line of stress underneath, and then it all gets barmy. And sometimes The Avengers show up.

Recently I ended up in a long-demolished school building from my childhood, where I was a teacher. I was arguing with another teacher about an art display. Naturally I was in the right – you don’t staple a poor student’s work in the middle of their wonderful drawing, but at the edges. Gosh, you can’t get the staff these days.

I stormed off, arms around my chest, cardigan bunched up at the elbows, to the reception. And there I found Tom Hiddleston waiting for a tour of the school. And his tour-guide hadn’t showed up. Who was I to leave him there, alone, in the drafty room?

There were also no students and then the floor started melting in Stephen King-esque fashion and all the lights went off, but y’know, when an attractive English gentleman turns up, you’re not going to question illogical dreams…

Does anyone else ever have bizarre deadline dreams? Or have you ever dreamt about your own characters?