The O’Brien Press Blog

Nicola Pierce being interviewed, while the school children look on

I had the great privilege of being a ‘fly on the wall’ at one of the most interesting school events I have ever seen in the Ulster Folk and Transport Museum last week. It was a real showcase for what imagination, flexibility and working together can achieve, and the educational value has to be absolutely huge.

For about six weeks classes in four schools from across Northern Ireland had been doing project work on the subject of the Titanic which was, of course, built in Belfast in the famous Harland and Wolff shipyards. As the centenary of the sinking is in 2012, it is a very timely subject. As part of their work (and this is where O’Brien Press come in) they have been reading Spirit of the Titanic by Nicola Pierce, a novel which captures a huge amount of information, history and atmosphere from this most famous of ocean liners.

As the culmination of this work, a two-hour-long live internet broadcast was run from the museum (incidentally, if you have never been to the Ulster Folk and Transport Museum, I would heartily recommend you go – it captures the spirit and atmosphere of a bygone time exceptionally well, and is run by very enthusiastic and knowledgeable people). There was a TV-style outside broadcast truck with all the mixing desks you could want, as well as a satellite uplink! The real magic was that it was a live, two-way event, with the schools also broadcasting a view of the children, who were fascinated throughout.

It started in the print works, where we learned about printing tickets for the ship and where Nicola was interviewed about her book; moved to the post office and finally to an interview with an actor talking about riveting the ship together for a living! The students asked some great questions and a recording of the event will be available to all schools in Northern Ireland through their IT system.

All of which proves that cooperation and thinking outside the box can create some of the most memorable occasions: everybody involved was totally passionate about education, and it showed in the quality of the whole event, which really made history live.

Ivan

A blog post from beyond……..

While writing the latest Alfie Green book, Alfie Green and the Chocolate Cosmos, for some reason after nine books in the series, I felt the urge to write a fantasy adventure novel for older kids …Yes, I had written three older novels based upon a football crazed character namely Danny Wilde, but fantasy fiction is my first love and I wanted to write something that all the Alfie fans could pick up and read when they felt that they had outgrown Alfie…

I began creating new characters (and one in particular, the most important character in every story – the main character) and that’s when Joshua Bloom first came to life. A thirteen year old boy who was raised by his uncle Henry and Aunt Nell in the quiet and most unadventurous town of Charlotty.

Joshua is a curious character who after discovering magic and mystery in the library of the long lost general Edgar Pennington, then finds himself on an adventure of a lifetime in pursuit of the answer as to where the general had disappeared to. This journey is not only a journey of a new world or magic or new friends and dangerous adversaries but it is also a discovery of Joshua himself – his bravery that he never knew he had, and most of all, his past his present and his destiny that awaits him.

Almost everything I write usually themes around other worlds – magical and dangerous worlds, with enchanting and dark characters. I absolutely love to the bones the concept of being able to find oneself discovering a new world that is so different to the real world and then going on an adventure of a lifetime – an adventure filled with danger and excitement and magical new experiences that would never ever be found in the world we live in.

All of this can be found by just picking up a book and turning page after page and as a writer I understand that in order for your reader to really believe whatever it is you have written, then you must write with complete passion and whole hearted enthusiasm, so that your feelings of excitement and anxiety and fear and sadness, and everything else you felt while writing the story, entraps the reader with every page they turn.

The graduation from writing young fiction for the 6 to 9 age group to older fiction of 10+  has been an exhilarating experience and I’ve thoroughly enjoyed creating the land of Habilon and its dark and dangerous places and characters.

So now that Beyond the Cherry Tree is in the hands of those who have been kind enough, brave enough and most of all, trusting enough, to pick it from the book shelf, I have only one last thing to say……..

Thank you and I do sincerely hope you enjoy travelling Beyond as I have done….

Joe O’Brien………….

We are very happy to report that awards are coming in thick and fast for The O’Brien Press this year!

First we had a Bisto shortlisted title in Dancing in the Dark by P.R. Prendergast. Then P. R. did it again, this time as Peter Prendergast, when The Romanian Builder was shortlisted for the Reading Association of Ireland’s Children’s Book Awards, along with the three other books in the Bridges Series by authors Eithne Massey, Natasha Mac a’Bháird and Enda Wyley. The O’Brien Press received a Special Merit Award at the RAI awards ceremony for the whole Bridges Series.

Then there was the small matter of two OBP authors nominated for the world’s largest children’s literature award! Conor Kostick, author of the highly acclaimed Avatar Chronicles Trilogy and Laureate na nÓg, Siobhán Parkinson, are both in the running for the Astrid Lindgren Memorial Award for their outstanding bodies of work. Winners will be announced on 20 March 2012.

Our adult titles were also honoured this year. Edward Hayden’s debut cookery book Food to Love has just won the Kerry Food Book of the Year and Edward will be presented with his award next Wednesday 30th November at a ceremony in Dublin, by Minster Jimmy Deenihan. Edward’s excellent book beat offerings from Rachel Allen, Catherine Fulvio and Donal Skehan!

Ambassadors on Horseback by Michael Slavin and Louise Parkes has been longlisted for the William Hill Irish Sports Book of the Year 2011 and the shortlist will be announced next week!

And rounding things off nicely, The Real Rebecca is the winner of the Irish Book Awards Senior Children’s Book category! Debut author Anna Carey was astounded when it was announced last week at a gala dinner (with Michael D. Higgins, Seamus Heaney and Bill Clinton!) and was also winner of the best surprised face on the night! Two more fabulous OBP children’s books – Sally Go Round the Stars by Sarah Webb and Claire Ranson (illustrated by Steve McCarthy) and Marco Moves In by Gerry Boland (illustrated by Aine McGuinness) – were both shortlisted for the Irish Book Awards this year too.

Enormous congratulations to all our authors. Such a bundle of success really makes it all worthwhile and the recognition is a tribute, not only to our authors, but to the whole OBP team, especially those that are kept hidden behind heaps of paper at their desks – our editors and editorial administrator, designer, production manager, publisher, sales team, accounts and Laura, who packs up all our books and keeps the belly of the OBP ship afloat down in the stockroom!

With an end to 2011 like this, we are looking forward to 2012!

Full details of all these awards can be found on the Press Releases page of our website.

Máire Mhac an tSaoi accompanied by her translators, Michael O’Brien and Micheál Ó Conghaile of Cló Iar-Chonnachta. From left to right: Biddy Jenkinson, Michael O’Brien, Máire Mhac an tSaoi, Peter Sirr, Eiléan Ní Chuilleanáin, Louis de Paor, and Micheál Ó Conghaile.

Last Monday saw the launch of Máire Mhac an tSaoi’s much anticipated poetry anthology, The Miraculous Parish. The definitive collection of the work of  Ireland’s greatest living Irish-language poet was launched in collaboration with Irish publishers Cló Iar-Chonnacht  in the State Departments of Dublin Castle.

Despite some seriously dodgy weather (even by Irish standards) the evening was well attended, with Arts Council Director and Deputy Chair both showing their support, alongside RTE, Raidió na gaeltachta,  TG4, Raidió na Life and Newstalk FM.

The Miraculous Parish is Máire’s first major bilingual collection of poetry, assembled with the help of poet, former editor of Innti and Director of the Centre of Irish Studies in NUI Galway, Dr Louis de Paor.

Máire was interviewed by Fiach Mac Conghail, Director of the Abbey Theatre, and read from her poetry in Irish. Translators Eiléan Ní Chuilleanáin, Peter Sirr, Biddy Jenkinson and editor Louis de Paor also read their own English versions of Máire’s poetry.

Máire talked at length about her extraordinary life and poetry, and her encounters with key figures in the Irish fight for independence, including a young encounter with Eamon de Valera.

The daughter of Irish republican parents (Sean MacEntee, a founding member of Fianna Fáil and Margaret de Brun), and niece to Monsignor Padraig de Brun, a major 20^th Century Irish language scholar, Máire has been steeped in Irish culture throughout her entire life.

Here it is folks! Our big announcement at Frankfurt, as seen today in The Bookseller and Book Trade publications…

The O’Brien Press, Ireland’s leading independent publisher, has announced its acquisition of distinguished Irish press Brandon Books, a year after its founder, Steve MacDonogh, died suddenly, leaving Brandon leaderless.

This important deal includes the purchase of the Brandon name and a significant number of their key titles, their contracts and book stock. Brandon Books will continue trading as an imprint of The O’Brien Press as of October 2011.

Publisher and founder of The O’Brien Press, Michael O’Brien, noted that The O’Brien Press looked forward to welcoming many of Brandon’s writers to their new home at The O’Brien Press and commented:

‘Steve was a man of many talents. From a small base in beautiful Kerry, he created an international literary press. He was a lifelong friend and colleague.’

Brandon Books has been a leading imprint in Ireland since 1982, during which time it has established an international reputation for both fiction and non-fiction. It has enjoyed a colourful and often controversial history and its list includes bestselling authors such as Alice Taylor, whose 1995 book, To School Through the Fields, quickly became the biggest-selling book ever published in Ireland.

Looking forward to 2012, Ivan O’Brien, Managing Director of The O’Brien Press, commented:

‘We will be focusing on fiction of literary quality and will actively seek out new original talent, bringing to our Brandon imprint the care, flair and fresh thinking that has helped O’Brien become Ireland’s leading independent publisher. Of course, we will continue to publish established authors like Alice Taylor, Gerry Adams and Sam Millar. Brandon authors will benefit from our worldwide literary agency network and from our in-house design, editorial and production management.’

The O’Brien Press, founded in 1974, is an independent, award-winning book publisher with almost 600 titles in print. With over 500 active translation agreements in 50 territories, O’Brien Press has built a reputation for books of quality and integrity both at home and abroad.

 Visit the Brandon Website to see their excellent list.

One Liberties One Book Literary Festival is a brilliant spin-off of the Department of Education’s Home School Liaison programme. The festival was celebrated in style in historic St. Catherine’s Church in Thomas Street where Robert Emmett was executed. Children from 10 schools from the Liberties Medieval Dublin districts packed in to hear the North Strand Klezmer Band playing Jewish soul music, an exciting blend of jazz and oriental dance music, and then to listen to Marilyn Taylor talk about her novel 17 Martin Street, the chosen book for the school project. The book features a Jewish immigrant family and how they related to their Christian neighbours during World War II. Each school developed creative projects based on the book, including the poster (left) illustrated by Yana Kulizhskaya, a local school pupil.

Denis McCarthy, head of the Home School Liaison programme, told how 400 teachers across Ireland have devised programmes locally, often based on books, to promote reading in the home and in school. Marilyn Taylor’s Faraway Home has also been used for a major One Ballymun One Book project with Our Lady of Victories BNS.

Look at all these lovely blogs!

Starting tomorrow, Jane Travers will be packing her metaphorical bags and traipsing off all over the interweb with her tasy little book Tweet Treats, which will be published in one short week!

Three weeks of fun, food (well, imaginary food I guess) competitions and much more start tomorrow, so do head over to http://tweet-treats.blogspot.com/to find out more about the book, the tour and the whole Tweet Treats project which has contributors such as Paula Abdul, Donal Skehan and The Script!

TWEET TREATS WILL BE IN SHOPS FROM NEXT WEEK!

All royalties go to Médecins Sans Frontières, who do incredible work, so show your support!

The O’Brien Press is delighted to announce that four of its children’s books have been shortlisted for this year’s Reading Association of Ireland Children’s Book Awards.

The four books make up our vibrant Bridges series of multi-cultural stories, published last year to great acclaim.

Congratulations to Peter Prendergast (author of The Romanian Builder), Natasha Mac a’Bhaird (author of Olanna’s Big Day), Eithne Massey (author of The Dreaming Tree) and Enda Wyley (author of I Won’t Go To China).

The winners will be announced on Thursday 29th September at a special ceremony as part of the RAI’s annual conference in Dublin. Fingers crossed everyone!

In celebration of the publication of the beautiful Sally Go Round the Stars, first-time author Claire Ranson shares her 10-year journey through rhyme and her experience of working with co-author Sarah Webb and illustrator Steve McCarthy to create this timeless collection…

As a first time author, I am thrilled beyond measure that my first book Sally Go Round the Stars, has finally made it into print in such a beautiful form. This book has been a long time labour of love for my co-editor, Sarah Webb and I, as we first came up with the idea of creating a collection of nursery rhymes about ten years ago. We gathered street rhymes, lullabies, songs and jingles from many sources, from dusty library books to the older generations of our families, but mostly from children and our own memories of the rhymes and poems that were important to us when we were children. It wasn’t possible for the book to be published at that stage, but when the O’Brien Press approached us last year to see if we would be interested in talking about a nursery rhyme book again, we leapt at the chance!

Interestingly enough, despite both having busy lives, and Sarah having published many books in the meantime, we both still had all the research that we had done, and had each added to it since the project had been shelved. Over the years, I would always jot down any new rhymes or versions that I heard and Sarah had done the same. Our only problem was in choosing which rhymes would make it into the book, as we had enough material for three or four books! The selection and editing process was very enjoyable, and although we mostly agreed on which rhymes should go into the book, at other times we were trading backwards and forwards to make sure our favourites were included. Ide, our editor at O’BP, was referee when the discussions got heated!

For a nursery rhyme book, the illustrations are, of course, all important, and we had very particular requirements for the illustrations. We were enormously lucky to get Steve as our illustrator, and I am just blown away by his fantastic illustrations. I love the quirky inventiveness of his pictures and they bring a fresh vision of the familiar rhymes.

As the book is published, it is a very exciting time, and we hope that readers, both young and old, will enjoy sharing the book as much as we enjoyed creating it.

Sally Go Round the Stars is available now from all good bookshops and www.obrien.ie priced €14.99!

The O’Brien Press is delighted to announce the publication of Dublin: City of Literature, a complete guide to literary Dublin in celebration of the UNESCO City of Literature designation, written by Muriel Bolger.

Please join us for the official launch of the book at City Hall, Dublin on Tuesday 13^th September at 6pm. We are honoured to have the Minister for Arts, Heritage and Gaeltacht Affairs, Jimmy Deenihan, to launch this landmark publication. Celebrated Dublin writer Lee Dunne is our guest speaker and will be sharing his thoughts on how Dublin has influenced his body of work that stretches back to 1965, with the publication of the controversial novel Goodbye to the Hill.

This event is open to all and will be a celebration of all things literary in Dublin, with an important chance to reflect on Dublin’s literary future with Minister Deenihan. We would be delighted to welcome you along and look forward to seeing you there.

You can RSVP to Donna Sorensen on donna@obrien.ie – we’d like to make sure we have enough wine and glasses for you all, so please do RSVP!