Happy Niamh!

Hurray!

Hurray again for the Northsiders! Derek Landy lives in Lusk, and I'm a Skerries woman!

The Irish Book Awards!

On The Road with Mavis and Marge won The DAA Children’s Book of the Year!!!! I am thrilled!!!! Thank you so, so much to all my friends and family from all over the world who voted for Mavis and Marge. Thank you especially to Walker Books!!!!!

We had the best night...

at the best table,

with the best Sarah!

The best Mo!

We even had two Bonds...Conor and Chris!

The brilliant Jo!

The lovely Robert Dunbar and my totally rocking deadly designer Deirdre!

We had the wonderful Jane Harris!

The fabulous Susan!

And of course the best rep in the universe! (Conor Hackett!)

And a very, very late night :)

HURRAY!

Potter Potter!

Tonight I'll be at the Harry Potter Premiere!

My brother Daniel won tickets from an RTE competition and my daughter Megan is thrilled! She has read the entire series 5 times, when I told her we were going to the premiere tonight her eyes welled up and huge tears popped out. She has not slept for the last few nights she is so excited!!!!! She is going dressed as “Loony” Luna Lovegood.

Other Potter news- I spent the weekend pottering in the Mournes with my wonderful friends. Mountain climbing, lost in the fog, story-cube storytelling, yummy homemade food, and so much laughter my cheeks are still hurting.

Joanna Kiernan rounded up the nominees for the Irish Book Award’s Children’s Book of the Year yesterday in The Sunday Independent. You have the chance to win to win all 8 books here.

Many thanks to my wonderful agent Clare for spreading the word for me about my nomination for the Book Awards at Conville and Walsh.

The Dublin Airport Authority Children's Competition

Ever dreamed of dark forests, talking squirrels or midnight escapades under the light of a full moon?

If so, then put pen to paper, the DAA has launched a writing competition where you have to imagine what happens in Chris Haughton’s picture above.

Get scribbling!

Irish Book Awards shortlist announcement

Here's some photos from the shortlist announcements for the Bord Gáis Irish Book Awards from last Thursday.

My fellow Walker Books author and friend Sarah Webb is nominated in the Senior category. Here's Sarah and myself with Conor Hackett, 'the best rep in the world!'

It was so great to meet Derek Landy at the shortlist announcement. He just lives down the road from me in Rush, but we hadn't meet before. Megan, my daughter loves the Skulduggery Pleasant series. She is reading book 2 at the moment and loving it. Derek signed a photo for her and she was totally thrilled!

And so lovely to meet Cecelia Ahern too, she lives near my folks in Malahide.

Go, go the northsiders!

However, Paul Howard aka Ross O'Carroll Kelly wasn't so sure about all this northside competition!

Click here to vote.

Mavis and Marge shortlisted for Irish Book Awards!

I found out late last night that my new book On The Road with Mavis and Marge has been shortlisted for the 2010 Irish Book Awards.

I am so thrilled to be on the shortlist for the Bord Gáis Energy Irish Book Awards.

The winners will be decided by a mixture of public vote and literary experts. You can vote for your favourite here and will be entered into win €500 worth of Book Tokens. Please, please vote for On the Road.

As you can see BookFest and cave living is taking its toll on me; it may be my only way outta here!