Sharkey Tweets!

If you fancy short teeny updates from me you can now follow the birdy to SharkeyTweets on Twitter!

I'm off on my holidays!

I have been painting around the clock for the past few weeks. When I close my eyes all I see are cows, chickens and aliens :-) So I put the finishing touches on the book last night. I will be sorry to say goodbye to the two main characters Mavis and Marge. I have come to really love them. 

So I am off to Spain for a week to celebrate and take it easy. So long for a week...

"Have you heard, Niamh's nearly finished our book!"

I am on the home straight, after months of painting I am finishing up my book this week. It always is pretty intense finishing a book, for me anyway. There is nothing like a looming deadline to put the pressure on. Last weekend Owen took the kids away for a couple of days and I painted all weekend. 

I have next week to wrap up and clean up the artwork get it sent off to Walker. Last night after going through everything I realised that I had forgotten one entirely. My brain told me that I had painted it already because I imagined it so clearly. But no art was to be found for the page. 

I think it's time for a little holiday... 

Radio 4 this Sunday

Hi I am on Radio 4 this Sunday evening with Author and Illustrator Mini Grey talking about our picture books on Go For It. Don't miss it! Oscar my son absolutely loves her book The Dish And The Spoon, and requested it night after night. I think she is great too!

A date with Cinderella

Hurray! Today is the official Cinderella publication date!

Once Upon A Tale

This is a short documentary that was made about my work by Estelle Barrett Morgan. Hope you enjoy.
YouTube

Seven Impossible Things Before Breakfast

I came across this excellent blog that reviews children's books, it's a mine of information. The link below is a link to an interview with Polly Dunbar. I met Polly a few weeks ago when she was giving a talk as part of the CBI Summer School. If you don't have a copy of her book Penguin, run out and buy a copy now.
Seven Impossible Things Before Breakfast
I'm off to Italy next Monday to Tuscany so I'm wrapping up loose strings this week. Starting with a review of the Summer Picture Books for the Irish Times. Its been fascinating, publishers are getting really creative with the marketing of their books: one book has a blog tour, another picture book has trailers on u tube!
The book worm above is an illustration that I did for the International Research Society for Children's Literature Summer Conference in 2006.

Are you the hungriest animal of all?

Gobble up the new edition of The Ravenous Beast with DVD. Available now, it’s animated by King Rollo Films and narrated by Kevin Whatley. Now that’s what I call hungry!
Amazon

Magic dust and fairy godmothers!

November 2007: I have just put the finishing touches to my new book Cinderella - retold by Max Eilenburg. After lots of research into early printed manuscripts in Trinity College and doodling in my notebook I started painting last November. A year later all the sparkle has been added to the fairy godmother, the pumpkin coach, and to Cinderella'a magical dresses. To be published by Walker Books in September 2008.

To pre-order Cinderella, visit Amazon