E.R. Murray's Blog, page 10

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Publication Day: The Book of Learning

In 2009, I started a story about a girl called Ebony Smart. Today, that story, The Book of Learning, hits the bookshops – and I can hardly believe it’s real.

I didn’t work on The Book of Learning every day of those six years. It took around one year to write and another to perfect, but that’s how long it’s taken to see the book in print.

So a huge thank you to everyone at Mercier Press for making it happen, and to everyone who has supported me along the way.

For me, this is such a huge day.

Share it with me by taking an extra hour for yourself, to do something you love.

Win a Limited Edition Copy of The Book of Learning

I have some very exciting news for readers in Ireland…

A few days ahead of publication day (Sept 2nd), you have the chance to win a special Limited Edition version of The Book of Learning over at Eason’s!

These Limited Edition covers are SILVER, they’re SHINY, and they’re just GORGEOUS (see below)!

To be in with a chance to win, read my blog post over on Eason’s and then answer the question – good luck everyone!

  

An update – this is getting real!

They’re real!

I’ve been a little slow updating this blog lately, and for that, I apologise. This debut author thing seems to be taking up rather a lot of time! As soon as I signed my first deal with Mercier Press, I knew the hard work would begin. And when I signed my second deal with Alma Books, I knew I’d just upped the stakes somewhat. But the truth is, it’s incredible and I wouldn’t change it for the world.

Yesterday, was the moment every aspiring author dreams of; I saw the first ever physical book with my name on it. Well, piles upon piles of them, if truth be told, as I signed several hundred to be unleashed on the world. It was one of the most exciting days of my life. Imagine… I’ve always loved books. They’ve been a part of my life forever, and now, there are some emblazoned with my name. It’s incredible, but I’m still soaking it all in.

Adding personal notes to review copies

Other little things that mean a lot are happening. Such as my first newspaper interview in The Southern Star. My first review from a 13 year old boy who loved the book. Congratulations from my neighbours in the village. Email requests and PMs asking where the book is available. Radio interviews are starting to roll in, and the review copies have left the building. I’ve got my launch lists underway and a little surprise for readers too (to be revealed shortly).

Meanwhile, I’m at my computer like clockwork, completing the edits for my next book (due out in March) and writing the second book of my trilogy. And all the while I’m pinching myself. Seriously – is this real?

This is what the five years of hard work has been for. And now, with review copies arriving on people’s doormats, and publication day (Sept 2nd) just around the corner, it’s about to get very real indeed. It is the most exciting yet most terrifying bit – hearing what people think. There’s no going back – it’s out there. Thankfully, I can bury my head in my future books and hope for the best.

For those of you aspiring to be in this position, remember – it’s a fine line between wanting a book deal and signing a book deal. You can be teetering on that line for a long time and it’s frustrating and terrifying and exciting all at once – but you have to just keep going. For what it’s worth, here’s a post I wrote on not giving up.

#MGiechat: Let’s talk middle grade books & authors!

One of my own personal favourites of 2015

If you love reading or writing middle grade books (books for a readership aged 8-12), and you’re also a twitter user, then there’s a new twitter chat starting tonight at 7pm – 8pm that may well be of interest to you – #MGiechat.

Now, I’m a staunch believer that children’s books aren’t just for children, and seeing as you need to be 13 to have a twitter account, this chat is aimed at the adults among us who still believe in the magic of storytelling and recognise the value of middle grade books.

The initial #MGiechat tonight is a meet and greet, so people can say hi, introduce themselves, talk about their favourite middle grade books and authors, and set some parameters for future chats – How often? What time? What topic? Does the chat need it’s own blog or can I wedge it onto my website?

This all came about because I recently realised that most of my chats on twitter about middle grade books were on #ukmgchat – a wonderful chat (don’t worry, I’m not abandoning you guys), but where was the equivalent in Ireland?

It wasn’t until the wonderful Michelle Moloney King (of #YAie brilliance) pointed out that I could start a chat here in Ireland, that I even considered it. So, consider the gap filled! Hopefully tonight will be the first of many, so do come along and say hi. We’re a friendly bunch.

If you’re new to twitter chats, here’s how: open twitter, search for the hashtag #MGiechat in the search bar, and click on the All option to see all the chats. Keep refreshing the page to stay up to date. You’ll see all tweets that include that hashtag – just RT, reply & tweet as usual.

Hope to see you there!