Inside the Artist's Studio (sort of)

At one of the recent library sessions, one of the questions asked was about where I worked.  I explained that the garage had been converted into a study and that's where I usually wrote.  I also promised to post pictures as, for some unknown reason, someone wanted to actually see it.  So, without further ado (and suitably positioned to skillfully cut out all the crap lying around on the floor) here it is.

The desk - with assorted geek add-ons and hanger-outs (bonus points for spotting a Chelsea FC stress ball, Judge Dredd graphic novels and a Pink Floyd CD).

The bookshelves to the left of the desk including a complete set of Empire magazines (bonus points for spotting the Borg mug, the Millennium Falcon and a Balrog!)

More books, my collection of boardgames, RPGs etc and a mostly obscured window- hence the need for artficial lighting (bonus points for spotting Junta, Arkham Horror and Mansions of Madness) .

So there you have it.  Not too exciting but it's comfortable, warm and all mine.

October is Children's Book Festival Month

October in Ireland is Children's Book Festival Month and writers, artists, illustrators and all the great and good of Irish (and other) writing get to, among other things, visit libraries and schools.  These visits are always great fun, the audiences are generally attentive, eager to get involved and can ask a variety of interesting questions.

This year I was invited down to Kerry to talk to school groups in three of their libraries: Cahirciveen, Tralee and Killarney. They even produced a spiffing guide to go with it.

http://www.kerrylibrary.ie/uploads/2/5/1/5/25158039/childrensbooks.pdf

Much fun was had in all three locations, the kids were fantastic, the staff kept me topped-up with essential coffee and biscuits and, despite the awful weather, the drive through west Kerry to Cahrciveen was spectacular.  Huge thanks to all who looked after me and everyone who made the trip so enjoyable.

More of this sort of thing!

Oh You Name Dropper

Over the years I've been lucky in that, not only do I get to interview other authors, but in all cases they were writers that I was a fan of  anyway.  Talk about a busman's holiday! The various interviews have been published  in Inis magazine so I've taken the opportunity to put links to them here (or at least those I could find!).

Charlie Higson: http://www.inismagazine.ie/features/entry/die-sicko-die-an-interview-with-charlie-higson The title came about as seeing as both my youngest son and I were huge fans of his The Enemy series, I took the opportunity to ask him to sign his latest book (at that time) for my son.  Die Sicko Die was the dedication he wrote, which thrilled my son no end and, in the context of the series, was singularly appropriate.

His latest - and final - book in the series The End is out at the end of this month and we're both waiting with bated breath.

Darren Shan: readers of the blog will probably noticed I'm a big fan of Darren Shan too.  Here's the interview I did with him a few years back.

http://www.inismagazine.ie/features/entry/shantastic-voyage-a-conversation-with-darren-shan

John Connolly and Jo Nesbo: this was a very interesting one as I got to ask two of my favourite crime writers the challenges and experiences of changing genre and writing for younger readers.  Their very different approaches make fascinating reading.
Trouble is I can't find any trace of the article or the issue of Inis it featured in!!  Once I do I'll post it.

What a Long Strange Trip It's Been

Just checked and, wow, it's been the guts of three years since I last blogged.

Am I lazy? Partially - but much more has transpired since.  Let me summarise:

The Third Pig Detective Agency: The Complete Casebook was published earlier this year.  It's, as the title suggests, all three Harry Pigg books in one nice, self-contained paperback.

More importantly:

Went to doctor, discovered by accident I was ill.  Work, tiredness, sleep, work, tiredness, sleep.  Zero opportunity or inclination to write. Rinse and repeat.
Got worse, went on dialysis (can you guess what was wrong yet?), work, tiredness, sleep etc.
Then, mirabile dictu (one for the Latin scholars), kidney transplant last year (thanks Andy), recovery, no more tiredness, back to real life (writing, blogging, watching sports, gaming etc).

So, there you have it.  The last three years in a nutshell.

More blogging to follow - and hopefully sooner than three years.