Eamon puts Mavis and Marge on stage!

Sé O'Donoghue sent me these amazing photos of his son Eamon who had to pick his favorite story book and make a model of it to bring in to class. Sé said Eamon spent the whole day reading, drawing and making the model. I think it's amazing! I LOVE them, especially the 3D one. When I asked Sé would it be ok if I post them on my blog he said that, 

'Eamon can't quite get his head around the writer of the book getting his pictures and replying !

But he is dead chuffed with himself.' 

Keep up the drawing Eamon they are really fantastic!

New Sharkey and Jeffers Book Tokens!

My own Sharkey credit card at last! And it's one for buying books...so perfect! Delighted that Mavis and Marge are featured on the new electronic book tokens. There in good company too with Oliver Jeffer's Boy and Penguin. Many thanks to Bob at The Gutter Bookshop for the photo!

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!

Bookfest Fever!

What a week, Wednesday was Laundry at FilmBase. Here's me with my little devil, I mean my little brother Fergus at the opening night.

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Then it was off for the last of my Bookfest events, I travelled to so many places this month and thanks to all you doodlers out there, now hundreds of Mavis and Marge's are now free to wander.

Here's me in action doing my step-by-step how to draw Marge the chicken...

Here's are a few we did earlier...

Wowsers!

Brillo!

Fantastic!

People of Ireland I have to tell you to go visit your local Library, they are so brilliant. I had a mobile library in Swords that came once a week when I was a kid, and I thought that library was awesome.

But check out Abbeyleix Library,

they have a Gallery (which we took over...)

and a dedicated Children's floor. How amazing is that!

It was so wonderful to meet such dedicated teachers and librarians over the past couple of weeks. It makes a huge difference to an author when you arrive to be met with a friendly face and kids who are genuinely excited to meet you. Everyone gets so much more out of the event.

The children made the festival for me. I loved the way they take ownership of the author who visits, they truely make it into their Book Festival.

Hope to see you again next year!