The Cover Reveal of The Invasion

Well, my next book has a title, a cover and a release date. I couldn't be more delighted. The Invasion will be out in March 2018. American artist, Jeffrey Alan Love has given the US edition a stunning, creepy cover. I only hope my readers feel the content matches it.

Where to meet me in Melbourne

I have no official engagements in Melbourne, but I will be popping into Readings Books in Carlton on Monday at 3pm. It's the children's bookshop, not the main one, as I understand it.

If anybody turns up with a book that needs signing, I will, of course, oblige. Equally, if anyone is going for coffee, I would be happy to join in.

WHERE TO SEE ME IN AUSTRALIA

I'm here, up to my neck in sunshine and jet lag. Thank you, Perth Writers Festival, thank you! I'm stunned by the sounds the birds make, which is nothing like you would ever hear in Ireland. Our feathered inhabitants are pretty reserved compared to this lot!

 

And then there are the flowers. I saw some yesterday that didn't look anything special, but they put forth a wall of solid perfume that I wish I could capture for people back home.

My first engagement in Perth was a radio interview with the amazingly suave Richard Fidler. If you long for the sound of my voice -- and who doesn't? -- you can listen to the podcast here. He's a great interviewer with a team behind him that research everything to the hilt.

Then, it was on to the Perth Writers Festival.

I had a wonderful time yesterday with local students, and tonight I'll be taking part as one of the judges at the amazing, the incredible, Literary Death Match. It's an evening of competitive reading. What could be more natural or desirable? Unfortunately, I believe that this event is sold out :(

But what about tomorrow, I hear you ask?

That's a Saturday. At 11:30am, I'll be sharing a stage with Garth Nix, Zana Fraillon and Jared Thomas and discussing the books that shaped us. Tickets available, I hope, from The Perth Writers Festival.

On Sunday, I have two panels. At 11:30, I'll be discussing Irish Myth and Folklore with Hannah Kent and Annabel Smith. Then, at 14:00, in the blazing heat of an Australian summer, I'll be telling some stories to kids. I can't wait!

After that, it's on to Brisbane. The climate will be cooler there, won't it? Won't it?

You can see me at Where the Wild Things Are on Tuesday Feb. 28 at 6pm. I'll do a reading, I'll answer questions and embarrass myself in a hundred little ways. This is a ticketed event.

I'll be in Sydney too, of course. Nobody can go to Australia without marvelling at the Opera House, can they?

While there, I will pop over to Beecroft to sign some books at The Children's Bookshop on Hannah Street at 2:30pm on Tuesday, March 2. If you're in the area and need a book signed, or just want to say hello to a pale-skinned sluglike being from the damp north, please drop in!

My Visit to Brisbane

It's true, it's really, really true.

Brisbane Bookshop Where the Wild Things Are will be doing an event with me on 28 February at 6:30pm. If you live in the area and want to get your book signed, tickets are available here. I would love to see you. The Call is getting a sequel and by then I'll be allowed to talk about it.

I also have the honour of visiting St. Rita's school, where I'll be taking part in their Read Like a Girl initiative. I can't wait!

There'll be other events in Australia -- most notably The Perth Writers Festival, without whose invitation and generosity, I'd never have been able to cross half the world. I am hugely grateful to them.

I'll be putting up more details about the festival and other author visits as they come in.

The Call has been nominated for the Leeds Book Awards 2017

I've just come back from the United States where I had an absolutely wonderful time meeting booksellers, librarians and teachers. Brilliant, lovely people one and all!

While I was there, The Call was nominated for The Leeds Book Awards. Am I happy? Well, yes. Very.

I wasn't the only one, of course. Also on the list, is my friend, Liz Flanagan, author of the wonderful Eden Summer, and the great Sarah Pinborough, who wrote one of my favourite reads of last year, The Death House.

Here's the full list for the 14-16 age category:
Eden Summer by Liz Flanagan
The Trap by Alan Gibbons
Orangeboy by Patrice Lawrence
The Call by some guy
13 Minutes by Sarah Pinborough
Broken Sky by L.A. Weatherly

Enjoy! I need to add a few of these to my own reading list...

Come See Me in London!

If you're going to be near the UK's capital at the end of September, I'll be taking part in a talk in Waterstone's Piccadilly branch on 30/9/16 at 6:30pm. Tickets are £3. Here's the blurb:

"Join us for an evening of fascinating tales and fantastical worlds, as authors Peadar O’Guilin and Laure Eve discuss how traditional myths and folklore create hypnotic and engaging worlds in YA fiction. The event will be chaired by Waterstones Piccadilly favourite Katherine Webber."

The Blog of Blogs

One week from today, The Call, will be available for purchase in the US. Two days later, the rest of the universe will have its chance to turn precious, precious money into something with my name on the cover and with my words (and hangups) inside. I'm shocked by how close it is. And just as blackberries, ripening in concert, cause Autumn to arrive, so too does my blog tour bring forth from the abyss, the fruit of my nightmares. My book, that is. 

First off is an article I wrote for the web site of the Irish Times, called Of fiction, fission and fairies.

But the actual, real, official tour began yesterday when Words from a Reader conducted an interview with me. Want to know some of my favourite books? Who inspires me? Then, click on the link.

Today the tour continues with a post I wrote for Tales of Yesterday about unlikely heroes. I make a few mentions in there of dragons and St. George, the tiny, but aggressive piglet.

Details for the rest of the week are in the image below...