The Call has been nominated for the Leeds Book Awards 2017

I've just come back from the United States where I had an absolutely wonderful time meeting booksellers, librarians and teachers. Brilliant, lovely people one and all!

While I was there, The Call was nominated for The Leeds Book Awards. Am I happy? Well, yes. Very.

I wasn't the only one, of course. Also on the list, is my friend, Liz Flanagan, author of the wonderful Eden Summer, and the great Sarah Pinborough, who wrote one of my favourite reads of last year, The Death House.

Here's the full list for the 14-16 age category:
Eden Summer by Liz Flanagan
The Trap by Alan Gibbons
Orangeboy by Patrice Lawrence
The Call by some guy
13 Minutes by Sarah Pinborough
Broken Sky by L.A. Weatherly

Enjoy! I need to add a few of these to my own reading list...

Come See Me in London!

If you're going to be near the UK's capital at the end of September, I'll be taking part in a talk in Waterstone's Piccadilly branch on 30/9/16 at 6:30pm. Tickets are £3. Here's the blurb:

"Join us for an evening of fascinating tales and fantastical worlds, as authors Peadar O’Guilin and Laure Eve discuss how traditional myths and folklore create hypnotic and engaging worlds in YA fiction. The event will be chaired by Waterstones Piccadilly favourite Katherine Webber."

The Blog of Blogs

One week from today, The Call, will be available for purchase in the US. Two days later, the rest of the universe will have its chance to turn precious, precious money into something with my name on the cover and with my words (and hangups) inside. I'm shocked by how close it is. And just as blackberries, ripening in concert, cause Autumn to arrive, so too does my blog tour bring forth from the abyss, the fruit of my nightmares. My book, that is. 

First off is an article I wrote for the web site of the Irish Times, called Of fiction, fission and fairies.

But the actual, real, official tour began yesterday when Words from a Reader conducted an interview with me. Want to know some of my favourite books? Who inspires me? Then, click on the link.

Today the tour continues with a post I wrote for Tales of Yesterday about unlikely heroes. I make a few mentions in there of dragons and St. George, the tiny, but aggressive piglet.

Details for the rest of the week are in the image below...

Dublin Launch of The Call -- Plus! Plus! iBooks Names The Call one of its 25 Best Books of August

DUBLIN LAUNCH OF THE CALL
September 1 (In the evening -- precise time TBD)
Eason, O'Connell Street.
EVERYBODY WELCOME
Don't dress in a penguin suit unless you want to be hugged.
More details when I get them!


In the meantime, holy moly! The Call got selected as one of iBooks 25 Best Books of August. I'm pasting in their review below... After this, I'll try to go at least a week without posting any more propaganda. I know people don't come here to be bombarded.


iBooks Review
It’s hard to exaggerate the impact of The Hunger Games on teen fiction—the series has spawned a generation of young characters trained to survive harsh, horrific circumstances. The Call breaks the mold by weaving in Celtic mythology, pitting its willful heroine Nessa against the Sidhe, the malevolent fairies who wage battle on the Irish by whisking their teenagers away and hunting them down. It’s fresh and exciting, one of the most riveting adventures we’ve read in a while. Author Peadar O’Guilin has created a world that feels both intensely real and thrillingly spooky.

Author of the Week on YA Books Central -- Giveaway for US!

I have been up to my tonsils the last few weeks in edits for the next book -- the one *after* The Call. Also, I've been covering for all and sundry on the day job, so I haven't had so much as a second to spare for blogging. But I'll be getting back to that in a few days.

In the meantime, I'm author of the week up on the rather spiffy YA Books Central blog. If you haven't seen my new "author" photo yet, well, God help you, now's your chance. Why, there's even a book giveaway if you happen to live in the US. Us Europeans must continue to gnash our teeth...

Hope you're all well! Personally, I'm dying to go on holidays...