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.
Cover art by Anna Süßbauer
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.
PALESTINE
A reminder - it is so easy to speak up for Palestine with those around you and 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 as part of the Rise Raise Riso fundraiser with 100% of the profits of each digital download sold going to Al-Jawad, Gaza Little Lights, and Grassroots Gaza)
If you’re looking to donate to a similar Irish initiative keep an eye out for children’s writers Sinéad O’Hart and Ruth Ennis’s fundraiser supporting Medical Aid for Palestinians soon. I’ll add the link here once it goes live.
WATCH
Dept. Q is Netflix series based on the novels by Danish ncrime writer Jussi Adler-Olsen. DCI Carl Mørck is placed in charge of a cold case unit (which is more of a PR stunt to keep Mørck and his odd but incredibly diligent team out of the way ). Matthew Goode is a cracking Mørck but Alexej Manvelov as Akram is the real scene stealer in such understated ways. And the good news - there’s talk of a second series!
LISTEN
I read the first two of Arronovitch's books in the Rivers of London series and thanks to the Borrow Box app I discovered the audio books and oh my gosh, nothing could have prepared me for the wonderful vocal talents of Kobna Holdbrook-Smith. This latest book Stone and Sky sees Peter Grant and his very extended family taking a break in Scotland which inadvertently leads to encounters with giant cats, fae folk of both the land and sea. And oh yes, that means we hear Holdbrook-Smith’s Scottish accent - *happy sigh*
Very cool to have chapters narrated by Abigail’s character voiced by Shvorne Marks too.
EAT
Blackberries are in wild abundance at this time of year. 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. I opted for a packet of puff pastry, some strong mature white cheddar (surprise, surprise!), a few sprigs of fresh thyme, finished off with a drizzle of hot honey. I really recommend this combination - rich, deep and tangy. Very moreish!
READ
Jess Kidd’s debut Himself really stuck with me, her voice is drenched in Irish storytelling but always tiptoeing along that line between the natural and supernatural. I read somewhere that Jess’s work has been described as ‘Gabriel García Márquez meets The Pogues.’ This is certainly true about her latest book Murder at Gull’s Nest - which is the first in a detective series starring former nun Nora Breen, set by the sea in post-war Britain. I raced through the characters and vivid scenes, and it and can’t wait to read the next one.
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.
