Patrick Ness's Blog, page 11

Bath and Glasgow Events!

I can announce of few of my upcoming events to talk about The Crane Wife (there are more, but I'm not allowed to say yet).  First, I've got an evening at the absolutely wonderful Mr B's Emporium of Books in Bath on 2 April.  Mr B's is like no other, and the evenings (I did one for A Monster Calls) are one of a kind.  Come along, if you're in Bath.  Tickets here.

I'm also appearing with Matt Haig at the Aye Write Festival in Glasgow on 16 April at 6pm.  Tickets available here.

I'll announce more as soon as I can.  Greetings to all the new commenters, some of which are really lovely.  More soon, including something on World Book Day...

Lots of stuff

Just got back from some time away (which was lovely), so here's some updates!  Lots and lots of things in the works for the publication of The Crane Wife (6 April in the UK, Ireland, Australia and New Zealand, so getting very close) including events and tours in a lot of places.  I'll put them up here as soon as I can.  In the meantime, you can still read the first chapter here.

Over the past few days, I've been presenting awards!  Which is good fun.  On Saturday, I presented the Red House Children's Book of the Year, and on Tuesday, I presented the Red Tentacle at the Kitschies.  And at the Kitschies, I made the audience do a foot-stomping drumroll, just like at the Red House.

There really is SO MUCH STUFF coming up.  Not just Crane Wife stuff, but two (count 'em, two!) cool things in May that I can't tell you about yet.  Plus, of course, a brand new YA novel in September called More Than This.  2013 is a busy year for Paddy, let me tell you.

Greetings to the new commenters, I do read them all, you lovely creatures.  More soon, and I mean it!

Requests (and other things)

I've started to get quite a few requests through the comments pages (which I don't put up on the site) for events and appearances and contacts and all manner of really, really wonderful things, that I'm so grateful for that you're even interested!  But could I just gently direct you, if you have a request, to the Contact page?  Those nice folks are the best place to start.  Otherwise, I wouldn't have time to write!

It's a tough balancing act, and I try really hard - I try to answer every single fan letter I receive, for example, and put in school events in every trip I make.  Please forgive me if I don't always get it right!  I really am touched and amazed by all the interest, and I'll do my best, I promise.  It's particularly strange for writers, who are hermits, basically.

On the same note, I'm planning a whole bunch of stuff for The Crane Wife in April and May and a bunch more stuff for the new teen book in September.  So stay tuned!

Read The Crane Wife's opening chapter

Canongate have put up the opening chapter to The Crane Wife!  You can also download a poster of cover.  All cool stuff.  The book is out in April in the UK, Ireland, Australia and New Zealand and later on in North America.  Let me know what you think!

Back from Taiwan!

Well, Taiwan was great!  I met SO many lovely people, the events were really packed, lots of press interviews (including one here in the China Times, if your complex written Mandarin is up to scratch!).  A total pleasure all around, and what a lovely place, too.  You should visit!

More news to come soon (currently catching up after having been away), but greetings to all the new commenters, some really lovely stuff, and as I've said before, any news on Chaos Walking auditions (if and when) will be right here, so don't worry!

Taiwan reminder and lots to come

Just a reminder that I'm in Taiwan next week for the Taipei International Book Exhibition and have a few public events.  Details here.  Hope to meet some of you!

Also, I've got lots of things in the works for promotion of The Crane Wife in April, including some London appearances (which are surprisingly rare for me, considering I live here), so keep an eye out for that.  It's also likely I'll be in Australia and New Zealand in May, and I should be in the US this year as well.  Lots of things bubbling.

In the meantime, greetings to all the new commenters (including those who asked not to have their comments public!) and now off to beautiful Taiwan!!

Kitschies shortlists

I've spent the last several months reading many, many, many, many novels as a judge for the Kitschies (which A Monster Calls won last year).  We've announced our shortlists!  And they're quite good.  Lots of interesting books for the daring reader.  The Guardian also wrote about it.  Have a look!

Trip to Taipei! Updated!

My fantastic Taiwanese publishers Linking have invited me to attend the Taipei International Book Exposition for the first few days of February.  A few of my events will be open to the public, so if you're at the TIBE, here are the (updated!) details of where and when:

Monsters of Men launch: 15:30-16:30, 1st Feb., Hall 1 101 Theme Square
Signing session: 16:45-17:15, 1st Feb., Linking’s stand D1031, Hall 1
Recital session: 16:00-16:45, 2nd Feb., Hall 1 105 Reading Corner
Signing session: 17:00-17:30, 2nd Feb., Linking’s stand D1031, Hall 1 
 

Really looking forward to it, hope to meet some of you there!

Greetings to the new commenters and more soon...

Trip to Taipei!

My fantastic Taiwanese publishers Linking have invited me to attend the Taipei International Book Exposition for the first few days of February.  A few of my events will be open to the public, so if you're at the TIBE, I'll be launching Monsters of Men on Friday, 1 February from 1530-1630 and doing a reading (with accompanying translation) on Saturday, 2 February 1600-1645.  I believe both are at the Linking exhibit stand, but stay tuned in case that changes.

Really looking forward to it, hope to meet some of you there!

Greetings to the new commenters and more soon...

Thank you

So I've been in the usual idle pre-publication nerves about The Crane Wife and, later this year, More Than This (nothing odd, just the normal stuff with any book you're about to send out into the world), and I had a thought that this wasn't actually the right way to look at it.

I've been tremendously lucky to be able to do what I love the most for a job, especially coming from the background I did, and even publishing a book is a privilege for which I'm hugely grateful, every time (I really am, to hold a finished book in your hand is still the most amazing part of the whole process for me).

So before either book comes out, before anyone's read a page of either one, before any of that, I just wanted to say thanks.  Thanks to all you people who come here and have a look at this site, all those who leave comments, all those who tweet, all those who write, but mostly of course, all of you who read and will read and have read.

I tend to be on the quieter end of the online spectrum (one, because I'm actually rather shy, and two, how do writers who network a lot find any time to write?), but I am genuinely grateful for all you guys out there.  Really, I mean it, thank you, from the bottom of my heart. 

Onward.  More writing to do...