Patrick Ness's Blog, page 12

Essay Prize for undergrads (and a bit of the Crane Wife)

Just a reminder that the entry date for the London Library Student Prize (open to final year undergraduates in the UK and worth £5000!) is midnight on Friday, so just a couple more days to get your essay in.  I'm one of the judges, so do please enter.  Again, five grand!

Also, if you're interested, there's a sound clip available of me reading from The Crane Wife, to give you a little sneak preview.  Comes out first week in April.

Greetings to all the new commenters (a big batch!) and I've been working on secret things that I may be able to talk about more soon...

Happy New Year! Things to come...

Well, Happy New Year, everyone, welcome to 2013.  Have you watched all your blu-ray boxsets that you got for Christmas yet?  Me, neither.

There's no Olympics in 2013 (boo), but there's lots to come anyway.  I - to take a completely random example - have not one but two books coming out this year.  In April, my first adult novel in a while, The Crane Wife, comes out in the UK, Ireland, Australia and New Zealand (the US is a bit later on).  AND my next big YA novel, which is called More Than This, comes out worldwide in September.

I'll be busy.  Greetings to the new commenters.  Roll on January...

And hear the story...

Really quick (on Christmas Eve!), you can now hear the conclusion of my Radio 4 story on iPlayer (though possibly not internationally, I'm never sure how that works).  Merry Christmas, everyone!

Story part 2!

Thanks for all the kind words about part 1 of The Apocalypse Clock on Radio 4 (still one day left to listen to it here).  Part 2 is on tomorrow night at 745pm.  Hope you like it.

And in case I don't get back here before the holidays, I hope they're joyous and peaceful and full of all the people you love.

Hear the new story!

Hi, all, so the first of two new stories by me was read last night on Radio 4 (by the wonderful Lindsay Duncan), and you can hear it - for the next six days or so - on BBC iPlayer if you missed it.  (Might be UK only).

Hello to all the new commenters!  And yep, I do read them all.

New stories on Radio 4 this weekend

 Yeah, I know, my updates have been terrible of late, but I wonder if people who update all the time are just better at procrastinating than I am?  How in the world do they keep with all that stuff and still have time to do ANYTHING ELSE?  A real question?

Anyway, I'm busy as ever, writing my socks off on a bunch of different things, most of which are currently secret, so this is just a reminder that you can in fact hear some of this stuff this very weekend on Radio 4.  On Sunday at 745pm, the wonderful actress Lindsay Duncan reads the first of two stories of mine to mark the Mayan End of the World Day.  They're called "The Apocalypse Clock" but probably different than what that title makes you think.  Part 2 is next Sunday at the same time.  Let me know what you think.

In the meantime, some terrific new comments (including really wonderful heartfelt stuff and a new website or two), so thank you all for those, I do read every single one.  More soon, and if I'm not updating, that means I'm writing, so who can complain, eh?

Hey there

I know!  I've been a bit missing-in-action online recently.  Well, I've been busy (two books don't write themselves, plus LOADS of cool stuff I can't talk about yet), but also, you know, don't you sometimes find half a day has passed and you've done nothing but sit in front of your computer or check your phone 10,000 times?  Balance!  I've been reading a lot more books, seeing a lot more plays (and not tweeting about them), and spending rather more time outdoors.  It's been lovely!

Don't worry, not disappearing!  And not complaining or judging, either, I'm so lucky to be able to write for a living, the very definition of my wildest dreams come true.  That wouldn't happen without you guys, and I'm sooooo appreciative, all the comments, all the nice things you tweet, all the great writing you're doing, too.  More here soon, I promise, and in the meantime, the top news is in the two entries below.  Enjoy the weekend!

Brand new short stories (by me!) on Radio 4

In addition to all the new stuff announced below, I've also been commissioned for two brand new short stories on Radio 4 to mark the Mayan End of the World Day.  It's two related stories called "The Apocalypse Clock", part 1 airs on Sunday, 16 December, 7.45-8pm, with part 2 a week later.  They'll be on iPlayer, too, so check 'em out!  If the world doesn't end...

Greetings to the new commenters (and it includes some amazing folks, thank you all so much for taking the time, I do read every single one) and more soon.

Title and date of my new YA novel announced! Plus, Crane Wife cover! Plus, hi to Kyle from Houston!

LOTS of news today (I told you, I kept promising, and here it finally is).  First up, as previously announced, I have a new adult novel called The Crane Wife coming out in April in the UK and Australia/NZ.  Want to see the cover?  It's here.

But in even BIGGER news, I can now announce that that's not the only book I'll have out next year.  In September 2013, I'll be publishing a brand new, big YA novel called...  drum roll... More Than This.  And for the first time ever, it's being published simultaneously in the US, the UK, Australia and New Zealand. 

I told you I've been busy.

There's also some cool news that A Monster Calls has won both the Oldham Book Award and the Stockport Book Award, which is great.  And finally, just a big hello to Kyle from Houston, who wrote me a fantastic handwritten letter, but didn't include a return address to write back to.  So I hope he sees this.

By the way, if you want to write me a letter, all you have to do is open the front of a book of mine in whatever country you live and write to me care of ("c/o") that publisher.  They forward the letters on to me, and I see them all.

Greetings to the new commenters and (even) more soon...

Webinar today!

Just a reminder that the Webinar ("web seminar", ahem) I'm doing for Booklist in America is today at 2pm EST.  Looks there'll be a couple of short videos by me, a live audio interview, presentations from US librarians on using the books in libraries, and I understand a chance for questions for participants (i.e. you).  Join in, if you like!

Greetings to the new commenters, and I've got some news coming up in the next week or two, so stay tuned!