News (sort of and a bit cryptic)

Things are beginning to happen as a result of recent developments.

Publication date has changed once more - but this time it's been brought forward to June 25th. This is as result of major interest by a well-known bookstore chain. Hopefully I'll be able to be a tad less cryptic after I meet Scott (my publisher) in the flesh (so to speak) next Monday morning.

In other news, I finished the first draft of The Ho Ho Ho Mystery earlier this week and gave myself a well earned clap on the back. I'm putting it away for a while before starting second draft/rewrite but already I'm thinking of ways to make it better. The strange but welcome thing is I'm not consciously doing so, these ideas are coming to me as I work on other stuff.



Now I'm off with Number 2 son for a four day break in London. I know the city well so am looking forward to being a tourist and showing him around. Highlight of his trip will, I suspect, be seeing Oliver - 'tho I've just discovered Rowan Atkinson will not be Fagin-ing again until 25th April as he's undergoing surgey so N2S going to have to make do with Russ Abbot. Bah!

Dublin, Dracula and One City, One Book

Dublin: One City, One Book is an initiative designed to encourage everyone in the city to read the same book during the month of April each year.

This year's book is one of my favourites, Bram Stoker's Dracula, and there are a host of events designed to support the initiative including tours, readings, exhibitions, and films.



I think this is a fantastic idea and the organisers deserve much credit for developing the idea with imagination (one of this year's sponsors is the Blood Transfusion Service!) and enthusiasm.

I hope to get to some of the events if I can manage a trip to Dublin during the month but, if not, I can gaze enviously from afar at what's going on.

Irish Book Awards 2009

The nominations for the Irish Book Awards 2009 were announced this morning. The full list of categories and nominees can be found here.

I'll be watching the Childrens and Crime Awards with interest and, if there's any justice, Mr. S and the Secrets of Andorra's Box will romp home in the popular fiction award.

There are a lot of "obvious" nominations (Netherland, Secret Scripture, Mr. Whicher, White Tiger) but there some welcome inclusions in Tana French's The Likeness,David Park's The Truth Commissioner and Kevin Power's Bad Day in Blackrock among others.

Winners will be announced on May 6th.

Big in Jap...I Mean Canada

Scott, my publisher, tells me that HarperCollins Canada are showing an interest in The Third Pig, so much so they even have it in their catalogue. What that means in real terms I have absolutely no idea but it's exciting all the same.

I see they have a publication date of 15th April which I suspect is incorrect. Hmm, must investigate further.

Failblog

The stuff in this blog is so wrong on so many levels I can't even begin to describe the fun to be had therein.

This is a blog for dipping into when you need a spot of light relief or cheering up.

Dawn of the Living Redneck Dead

This is a mind boggling clip - hilarious, compelling and oddly scary.

For anyone from outside Ireland, some explanatory notes are required. Fianna Fail are the current party in government and recently held their annual conference. As is usual with these things, RTE (national broadcaster) sent their PolCorr to report. The clip below is from the news programme where he wraps up what went on at the conference.

Points of interest:

1. I thought the guy bottom left was a cardboard cut-out until I realised he was looking more stupid as the broadcast went on.

2. There are at least three (ostensibly mature) grown men hopping up and down in the background like children doing a "let me see, let me see. I want to know what's going on" routine.

3. You get the distinct impression the PolCorr is a tad intimidated as it takes him a few seconds to compose himself. Then again, I challenge anyone not to be if placed in a similar situation

4. Highlight of the clip: keep an eye on the bearded chap just to the right of the reporter when they cut back to the studio. Now you see him, now you don't.

Scariest thing is that these peoples slightly more evolved country cousins are running the country.

Bisto Book Awards 2009

The 2009 shortlist for the Bisto Book Awards in association with Children's Books Ireland has just been announced. There are some very strong contenders in this years field.

Airman by Eoin Colfer
An Phleist Mhór le Ré O’Laighléis, Susan Edwards & Emily Colenso
Anila's Journey by Mary Finn
Bog Child by Siobhan Dowd
Brionglóidí le Áine Ní Ghlinn & Carol Betera
Creature of the Night by Kate Thompson
Her Mother's Face by Roddy Doyle
Highway Robbery by Kate Thompson
The Gift of the Magi Illustrated by PJ Lynch
The Great Paper Caper by Oliver Jeffers

Full details can be found right about here

Stop the Presses

Further to my post a few weeks back about a possible interview in a national Sunday newspaper, a photographer eventually arrived to take a few shots for the article - evidence enough that it was going ahead. Well, it appeared in the magazine supplement to yesterday's Sunday Tribune and the horrible evidence can be seen here.

I should point out that the photo was cropped for the article but for some reason they included the full pic on the web so all the mess that was craftily shifted out of camera is there to see.

As, I should point out, is evidence of my total nerdiness, which can be spotted by the sharp-eyed among you. See how many you can spot. As a starter, I'll point out the Borg mug on the shelf just over my head.

Cover Me, I'm Going In

At last, after a long wait, the full Third Pig Detective Agency cover is here. And what a joy it is.

I love the way the designer, Liam Relph, captured that dime novel, noir-ish feel. It's almost exactly like how I envisioned it - and I love it to bits.

So without further ado...

If you look really carefully you might even be able to make out the blurb, bio and other gubbins that are part of the cover creation process.

Hope you like it.

World Book Day Survey

Did you ever claim to read a book you hadn't actually read, in order to impress someone? Well now's your chance to fess up. As part of World Book Day, this fun survey looks at peoples' secret reading habits.

It's All Greek to Me

Literally, in this case!

Bits and Pieces

Interview - Wayhay: following the announcement that Dell were shedding 1,900 jobs locally, I was contacted by a journalist who was doing an article on ex-Dell employees who had made a career change or done something with themselves after leaving. Having a book published this year clearly qualified so we had an interesting chat and I had the opportunity to talk about The Third Pig Detective Agency. Hopefully I'll be included in the finished article. Does this qualify as my first official interview. Probably!

Book Update: Final proofs were signed off earlier this week. Apart from gasoline being misspelt, I didn't see anything else odd so anything wrong that appears in the published book is now my fault. Oh the pressure.
The cover will be signed off tomorrow so I'll hopefully be able to reveal all (ooh er missus etc) here in the next few days.
The Friday Project have come up with some interesting ideas for marketing the book (which also ties in to their recent announcement). More to follow but a consequence is that publication has been put back to August - which is a bit disappointing.
Still looking for an agent!

Another Success: Justine Windsor (who was the winner of the 2007 YouWriteOn Children's Book of the Year) has been shortlisted for the Times/Chicken House Children's Fiction Competition. You go Justine, we're rooting for you!

Me and My Sony: I like reading and I read a lot so I was delighted to get a Sony e-book reader from Santa (very nice of him when you consider what I'm doing to him in the latest Harry Pigg book, The Ho-Ho-Ho Mystery). Despite all the brouhaha about readers and the death of physical books, I don't see them as the enemy of books but as a complement to them. I'm using it a lot (40 books downloaded) but I'm still reading as many physical books. For someone who reads as much as I do, the reader is an absolute godsend. I'll give a full review in the next week. or so.

Watchmen Widget

Books, Books, Glorious Books

I've been on a bit of a book binge over the Christmas. Current reading list includes:

Ritual by Mo Hayder (always worth a read)
Just After Sunset by Stephen King (short stories)
Memories of Ice by Steven Erikson (one of a very few decent fantasy writers)
The Bloomsday Dead by Adrain McKinty (comes highly recommended, we'll see how it goes)
Farewell My Lovely by Raymond Chandler (the master at work)
Stories Volume 1 by Ray Bradbury (most of his classic stories are there)
Flesh House by Stuart MacBride (third of the way in, good thriller)
The Pillars of the Earth by Ken Follett (e-book - sounds good)
Armageddon's Children by Terry Brooks (e-book - I like the concept)
The Shattered Teacup by George Mann (free e-book from Snowbooks, I like steampunk!)

The two ebooks are ones I've looked at in bookshops over the years but never felt tempted enough to shell out for. WHSmith were having a boffo ebook sale recently so I got 'em both for less than £4 each. Considering the scandalous and unjustifiably high cost of current e-books this was a bargain indeed.
Lots of goodies there to dip into.

A Writer's Perspective on Editing

Darren Shan is a deservedly successful writer of horror fiction for younger readers and his blog always has interesting and useful insights into the writer's routine. A recent article about his editing process is worth a look.