Here’s Marsha!
Happy end of July and all that!
Look at me being all consistent with my quarterly blog posts. That three-month window is just about long enough for me to guilt myself into an online update and still have something to share. It’s been a busy few months but very happy to reveal some lovely nuggets of good news.
It was such a joy to reveal the cover of my next book The Lonely Only dinosaur with illustrator Anna Süßbauer, published by Gill Books and out September 11th, 2025. This book came to life at the Bologna Children’s Book Fair in 2023. There I met Venetia Gosling (Associate Publisher at Gill), and we discussed the type of books we loved and would like to see out in the world. A conversation about two dinosaur fossils recently identified in Northern Ireland sparked a story idea - what if a dinosaur believed she was the only one on an island and how would she react if she finally saw another dinosaur? I have been a fan of Anna’s work for years (seriously, go look at her Instagram account www.instagram.com/apfelhase ) so I could not believe my good fortune at her agreeing to illustrate our book. She has brought Marsha and Moss to life with such brilliance – you can really see the pair’s comic timing, side-eye exasperation versus chaotic exuberance. I honestly can’t wait for you to see the final result. Out September 11th in your favourite bookshops – and you can pre-order here.
One Monday morning in mid-July (after waiting nearly 2 months for a result), I discovered that I am a match to donate a kidney to my son. Only one in five people who put themselves up to donate to a family member or friends are a match. There was a genuine fear that we might have to wait much longer on the transplant list for a suitable kidney to become available and all the uncertainty that comes with the unknown. Instead, here we are making plans with the wonderful support of the Renal team in Temple Street and Transplant team in Beaumont. It’s hard to believe that when he was born, we were told his kidneys wouldn’t last for his childhood – but remarkably they kept going (just about) to him being a teen. One final hurdle to face, the transplant itself this Autumn but once done he is no longer someone critically ill, living with kidney failure. Life will be so much easier for him. Such a hero.
For those of us who love all things book related, there are so many exciting things happening in the coming months - festivals, book launches and awards. Top of the list is the Children’s Books Ireland Conference on the weekend of September 20-21. With this year’s fabulous theme of resistance, prepare to be inspired and enthralled by terrific speakers including the UK Children’s laureate Frank Cottrell Boyce, illustrators Jessica Love and Briony May-Smith and many more! For more information book here.
On a personal note, it is so easy to speak up for the Palestinian cause online – there are informed advocates and charities that give daily insights on social media – so share, support and amplify them. Don’t forget you can also be proactive closer to home with your local county or town Palestinian group that organise marches and can advise on how to put pressure on local TDs, councillors and figures in power to act against the Israeli government’s brutal treatment of the Palestinian people. Stand tall with them. Every voice counts.
Illustration by Marta Altés for Rise Raise Riso fundraiser
If you’re looking to donate to a similar Irish initiative there's an Irish Kidlit for Palestine fundraiser by children’s writers Sinéad O’Hart and Ruth Ennis for Medical Aid for Palestinians running from 4th August - 17th August.
In the fundraiser you can find lots of bookish items (books, artwork, school visits, manuscript critiques, and more) available in return for donations to their chosen charity, Medical Aid for Palestinians. Click here for more info.
So what’s been tickling the neurotransmitters of late?
WATCH
Dept Q. on Netflix is based on the book series by Danish crime writer Jussi Adler-Olsen, and with ten books out already. This ramshackle cold case crew are “lead” by DCI Carl Mørck (played by Matthew Goode) who is processing trauma after an incident leads to the death of fellow officer and paralysation of another. Initially he's given this department as a PR measure and to keep them out of the way of the rest of the police team, but it turns out the team are quite good at what they do. For me Alexej Manvelov steals the shows as Akram Salim - silent, understated, kind and brutal when needed.
Can’t wait for season 2!
LISTEN
Stone and Sky this audio book is the latest instalment of Ben Aaronovitch’s River of London series, narrated by Kobna Holdbrook-Smith. It sees Peter Grant bring his rather extended family to Scotland to initially investigate paranormal big cat sightings, but when an amphibious human is found murdered, the investigation expands.
This series has it all - novellas, graphic novels, short story collections and of course the wonderful voice work of Kobna Holdbrook-Smith. Did we need to hear his Scottish accent?Yes. Yes we did, Thank you very much Ben Aaronovitch.
EAT
I love blackberries in jam, crumbles and just being able to pick them off the hedges on rural back lanes here in Kerry.
Here’s a savoury treat I threw together using this recipe as a base https://cookingwithmee.com/recipes/blackberry-cheese-pastry I opted for a packet of puff pastry, some strong mature white cheddar, a few sprigs of fresh thyme, finished off with a drizzle of hot honey. I really recommend this combination!
READ
Jess Kidd’s debut Himself is still one of my most favourite books ever. I have read all of her books since and was delighted to devour this. Murder at Gull’s Nest is the first in a new series about a former nun looking for a friend in a dilapidated mansion on the south coast of post-war England. I read Kidd was described as Gabriel Garcia Marquez meets the Pogues and Nora Breen’s voice is no exception to this.
A mystery that keeps you guessing right until the end!
So that's me and all my news. Very much looking forward to seeing how my next blog will look in three months’ time. The Lonely Only Dinosaur will be out in the world and my kidney will be elsewhere! Autumn is my favourite season and here’s hoping that this one is a good’un.
