Also, I'm Laureate na nOg at the moment, which is the ambassador for children's literature. My project has been this book, Once Upon a Place. I believe that Ireland is a really magical place, and most of the stories and poems in the book come from very specific places in Ireland. We gathered a roadshow of storytellers and we go to places where you wouldn't normally get a bunch of storytellers. We've been to halting sites and Tory Island and Hook Lighthouse.
Initially, I started writing for adults, but after I started to teach, I realised that I had an affinity with kids. I was able to get through to them by doing things that you're not supposed to do. I was an awfully sarcastic teacher and boys especially loved this. If you insulted them horrendously, they thought it was fantastic. The girls would be offended if I wasn't being nasty to them as well. I think in Ireland we use that sort of slagging as a type of affection.
Read the full article on The Irish Independent website
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The Specsavers Ireland Children's Book of the Year Junior Award goes to Imaginary Fred by Eoin Colfer and Oliver Jeffers.
The Bord Gáis Energy Irish Book Awards are a set of industry-recognition awards set up by a coalition of Irish booksellers in 2007. The awards are owned by Irish Book Awards Ltd, a not-for-profit company.
The over-riding motivation behind the awards is to celebrate the extraordinary quality of Irish writing, to help bring the best books to a wider readership annually, and to promote an industry under severe competitive pressures.
Exclusively Irish, inclusive in every other sense, the Bord Gáis Energy Irish Book Awards brings together the entire literary community – readers, authors, booksellers, publishers and librarians – like no other awards.
Order Imaginary Fred
What stories did you enjoy reading when you were little?
I remember being very obsessed with Vikings when I was young. There was a Scandinavian series of books called Noggin the Nog and Nogbad the Bad and I loved it. My dad used to make up Noggin the Nog stories, which I'm sure was illegal in copyright terms, but we never published them or spread them around! I spent a lot of time trying to draw Vikings and reading about Noggin the Nog – he was my little picture book obsession when I was younger.
Read the full interview on the Scottish Book Trust website
Order Imaginary Fred
This is masterful storytelling by Eoin Colfer, done with a great deal of panache. His imagery and language merge the world of quantum physics and dark material with wild imagination and adventure to create a believable story that is funny, witty, sinister and adventurous.
Read the full review on Stuff.co.nz
Writing for Young Adults and Children With Eoin Colfer, John Connolly and Marie-Louise Fitzpatrick In conversation with Aoife Murray
When: Sunday 15 November, from 1.00pm – 2.30pm
Where: Main Theatre, Smock Alley Theatre
Cost: €5/ €3 concession | BOOK NOW
We invite you to join Aoife Murray, Programme and Events Manager at Children’s Books Ireland, as she discusses the secrets and joys that come with writing for young adults and children with three of Ireland’s best-known practitioners: Eoin Colfer, Laureate na nÓg and author of the world-famous Artemis Fowl series; John Connolly, known to younger readers for his Samuel Johnson supernatural novels; and Marie-Louise Fitzpatrick, author of many picture books and novels including Hagwitch, winner of the Children’s Books Ireland Book of the Year Award 2014. In association with Little Island Books.
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In his role as Laureate na n’Óg, the Children’s Laureate of Ireland, Eoin Colfer created a national storytelling project. Once Upon a Place, a collection of stories and poems by Irish writers, is a selection of the contributions to the project beautifully illustrated by PJ Lynch. Each of the writers tells a story of a magical place although, as Colfer points out in his introduction, “magic doesn’t have to be all skeleton detectives and fairy police forces and Expecto Patronum; sometimes it can be finding a euro, or meeting a lad who is double jointed or discovering a quiet spot to read your favourite book in.”
Read the full article on The Guardian
...For President!
Well, no not really but the Irish Book Awards are now open for voting.
"As you might know Oliver Jeffers and I made a book together called Imaginary Fred, and we have now been shortlisted for a real award. If you have any affection in your heart for either of us, or even sympathy will do, please click or paste the link below into your browser of choice and cast a vote if you liked the book. And if you have any social media minions, we would appreciate their support too.
And as if that wasn’t enough, I edited an anthology about the wonder of Ireland called Once Upon A Place, and that too has been shortlisted. It would be heartbreaking to lose 2 awards so I would appreciate a vote for that one also and it will not hurt Oliver’s chances (different category)."
And remember a vote for Fred is a vote for imaginary friends everywhere!
VOTE FRED!
Marvel recently announced Eoin as the author of a forthcoming Iron Man novel. Anton Savage talks to Eoin Colfer about his plans for the book in this interview from TodayFM on Wednesday November 4th.
Listen to the full interview here
It’s taken 15 years of what Eoin Colfer calls “development hell” but finally, Artemis Fowl is coming to the big screen.
Artemis Fowl, a scheming boy genius who lives in a futuristic world of fantasy and fairies, was first introduced to readers 15 years ago, and since then the eight-book series has sold over 21 million copies. Disney has confirmed the first two books will be made into a film, with Kenneth Branagh at the helm. Talk of an adaptation has been rife ever since the first book was published in 2001, when Tony Blair was still Prime Minister.
Much like Harry Potter, it’s a popular series many have grown up reading – I first picked up an Artemis Fowl book when I was in primary school, and am now a graduate.
“It’s a little worrying that the people who grew up reading Artemis Fowl could be married with kids now,” says Colfer.
Read more on The Telegraph
Coming in fall 2016, this year’s Irish Laureate of Children’s Books, and author of the world-renowned “Artemis Fowl” series, novelist Eoin Colfer will present an electrifying new take on the Marvel universe’s most famous billionaire super hero, Tony Stark, in a towering tale of armor and adventure in a brand new Iron Man story.
Read more on Marvel.com
After spending years in development limbo, Disney’s adaptation for “Artemis Fowl” may have found new life.
Sources tell Variety that Kenneth Branagh has signed on to develop the property and is attached to direct an adaptation of the popular YA novel for Disney, with Irish playwright Conor McPherson in talks to pen the script.
The project is still in early development as McPherson has yet to close a deal to adapt, but signs are pointing to in the right direction for the film to move forward.
Written by Eoin Colfer, the series follows the brilliant and cunning 12-year-old eponymous criminal mastermind Artemis Fowl II, whose plot to extort gold from the secret Fairy People puts him directly in the cross-hairs of some of the most dangerous creatures on earth. Over the series, Fowl becomes a sort of antihero rather than a full-fledged villain, often having to work together with the fairies to stop a slew of treacherous megalomaniacs.
Harvey Weinstein and Branagh are attached to produce.
Judy Hofflund is attached to exec produce. Julie Oh is overseeing for Weinstein while Tendo Nagenda and Jessica Virtue are overseeing for Disney.
Branagh is currently on board to direct a remake of “Murder at the Orient Express” for Fox. He is repped by WME and Becca Kovacik and Laura Berwick.
The Tracking Board first reported the Branagh news.
From Variety - Read the full article
For the first time ever Children’s Books Ireland and Laureate na nÓg will take part in the celebration of music, arts, food, culture and utter madness that is Electric Picnic! Laureate na nÓg Eoin Colfer and a spectacular line-up of authors, illustrators, storytellers and poets will appear in the Literary Tent in the Mindfield arena on Saturday 5th and Sunday 6th of September, alongside Children’s Books Ireland’s Book Clinic and Epic Monster Doodles.
The events will feature contributors from the forthcoming Once upon a Place anthology for children, compiled by Eoin Colfer and published by Little Island this October. Once upon A Place features six new poems by Irish poets alongside stories from many of Ireland’s leading children’s writers including Roddy Doyle and former Laureate na nÓg Siobhán Parkinson, as well as new work by Eoin Colfer himself. Exclusive to Electric Picnic, contributors will tell stories, draw and read from the book for the first time, giving families a sneak peek before publication date. The conversations will be led by children’s author and former Director of the Galway Arts Festival, Patricia Forde.
On Saturday 5th September, see author and Laureate na nÓg Eoin Colfer, former Laureate na nÓg Siobhán Parkinson (2010–2012) and poet Enda Wyley in conversation, with live drawing from author and illustrator P.J. Lynch, twice winner of the Kate Greenaway medal.
On Sunday 6th September, Man Booker prize winner Roddy Doyle, author-illustrators Marie-Louise Fitzpatrick and Oisín McGann and bestselling author for children and adults Sarah Webb join Patricia Forde in the Literary Tent.
Children’s Books Ireland will also be bringing fun book events for all families to Mindfield at Electric Picnic, with the Book Doctor seeing patients and recommending great books. Doctors Louise and Olivia will consult with young patients, diagnose their reading complaints and send them off with a book prescription to be filed at their local library or bookshop. The Book Clinic welcomes all families and is perfect for the bookworm who has finished a long series and doesn’t know what to read next as well as the reluctant reader who is yet to find a book to love.
The Electric Picnic Epic Monster Doodles will also take place in the Mindfield Arena. The Epic Monster Doodle allows families to express themselves and work together to produce a massive piece of art. Meet our resident illustrators, Michael Emberley (Miss Brooks Loves Books!) and Steve McCarthy (Sally Go Round the Stars) to learn how to draw the scariest of monsters and join in a massive communal drawing on a huge roll of paper.
All activities will take place from 1.00 p.m. until 2.30 p.m. on Saturday 5th September and Sunday 6th September. Times are subject to change – see www.childrensbooksireland.ie for most up to date information.
http://www.electricpicnic.ie/
From AFC
Our next giveaway is now live! It’s the same system as our last giveaway, so simply check off what you’ve done below, complete the tasks to earn ‘raffle tickets’ and we’ll choose one lucky random winner on Friday 24th July.
Enter here for a chance to win this great prize!
In this smart collaboration, Colfer and Jeffers introduce Fred, a seasoned imaginary friend. Fred knows the drill: he keeps lonely children company until a human friend appears, then clears out (“Usually by lunchtime on the second day, Fred would be mostly invisible”). Jeffers’s spidery vignettes are perfectly synced to Colfer’s bubbly, confiding narrative, and he underscores Fred’s evanescent nature by giving him a body of half-tone aqua dots that deepen and fade. Secretly, Fred pines for a forever friend; his current human assignee, Sam, shares all of his interests—reading, music, playacting. When Sam meets a girl named Sammi, Fred is downcast, especially when Sam leaves a note that says he and Sammi are working on a comic book. “Comic book? thought Fred. That was our idea. Me and Sam.” But Sammi has her own imaginary friend, Frieda (her half-tone mesh is yellow), and the four thrive. There’s always anguish when a close friend finds someone new, but Colfer and Jeffers show that shuffling allegiances can sometimes multiply the fun.
Review from Publisher's Weekly
Preorder Imaginary Fred
AFC have a great competition to win a very cool prize!
Win a stunning ‘Artemis Fowl’ Gnommish Pendant in our giveaway!
Entering is easy – just like us on Facebook, Follow us on Twitter & tweet about the giveaway, and subscribe to us on YouTube to earn ‘entries!’ We’ll then randomly select a winner and be in contact to arrange prize delivery!
Do all four below for a maximum chance at winning.
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Today is the day!
The final book in the WARP series, titled The Forever Man is out today.
Get W.A.R.P. 3 - The Forever Man online now!
You can't outrun your own history...Still trapped in Victorian London, FBI agent Chevie Savano is determined to help her friend Riley find his long-lost brother. But the WARP wormhole has other ideas...Pulled two centuries into the past, Chevie and Riley find themselves in the village of Mandrake. Under siege from prowling monsters that have escaped from the wormhole, the village's only protector is the sinister Witchfinder - a man with a hidden past and deadly powers. With Chevie branded a witch and sentenced to be burned at the stake, can Riley thwart the Witchfinder's plans before he destroys them all?
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Meanwhile on radio - Eoin reveals some new projects and some of his favourite music to Anton Savage:
Listen now on the TodayFM site
Read the first chapter of W.A.R.P. 3 - The Forever Man which will be published on June 25th.
You can't outrun your own history . . .
Still trapped in Victorian London, FBI agent Chevie Savano is determined to help her friend Riley find his long-lost brother. But the WARP wormhole has other ideas . . .
Pulled two centuries into the past, Chevie and Riley find themselves in the village of Mandrake. Under siege from prowling monsters that have escaped from the wormhole, the village's only protector is the sinister Witchfinder - a man with a hidden past and deadly powers.
With Chevie branded a witch and sentenced to be burned at the stake, can Riley thwart the Witchfinder's plans before he destroys them all?
Click here to download the chapter (PDF Format)
There’s Harry Potter Lego, there’s Star Wars Lego, there’s Lord of the Rings Lego… but nearly 15 years on since the first ‘Artemis Fowl’ novel was released, we’re yet to get a licensed Lego set.
Check out all of the photos on Artemis Fowl Confidential
http://www.artemis-fowl.com/2015/06/18/incredible-artemis-fowl-lego-scenes/
Puffin Books & Eoin Colfer, in association with WexWorlds SciFi & Fantasy Festival, invite you to celebrate the publication of ‘W.A.R.P. 3: The Forever Man’ – the third book in the W.A.R.P. trilogy.
Friday the 19th June, 7pm Wexford Town Library.
This will also mark the opening of the 2015 Wexworlds Festival.
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W.A.R.P. 3 – The Forever Man
Riley, an orphan boy living in Victorian London, has achieved his dream of becoming a renowned magician, the Great Savano. He owes much of his success to Chevie, a seventeen-year-old FBI agent who traveled from the future in a time pod and helped him defeat his murderous master, Albert Garrick. But it is difficult for Riley to enjoy his new life, for he has always believed that Garrick will someday, somehow, return to seek vengeance.
Chevie has assured Riley that Garrick was sucked into a temporal wormhole, never to emerge. The full nature of the wormhole has never been understood, however, and just as a human body will reject an unsuitable transplant, the wormhole eventually spat him out. By the time Garrick makes it back to Victorian London, he has been planning his revenge on Riley for centuries. But even the best-laid plans can go awry, and when the three are tossed once more into the wormhole, they end up in a highly paranoid Puritan village where everything is turned upside down. Chevie is accused of being a witch, Garrick is lauded as the town’s protector, and . . . is that a talking dog? Riley will need to rely on his reserve of magic tricks to save Chevie and destroy his former master once and for all.
WARP 3 - The Forever Man will be available in the UK & the USA on the 15th September, 2015
Preorder Now!
We began life as a small, pokey fan-site, made up of people who shared a huge love and respect for the ‘Artemis Fowl’ book series. I never would have imagined that 10 years on, we were the hive of the Artemis Fowl/Eoin Colfer fandom, generating sometimes hundreds-of-thousands of visits a month, with thousands of subscribers, likers and followers.
To celebrate, we have some great stuff planned for the next week. Tomorrow, you’ll be getting the first part of our two-part Eoin Colfer video interview, where we’ll find out about some of Eoin’s future projects, as well as some tidbits on the Fowl future (and maybe even a slight development on the Artemis movie!) We have got interviews from Andrew Donkin & Giovanni Rigano, as well as some other things!
Read the full article:
http://www.artemis-fowl.com/2015/05/07/its-our-birthday-let-the-celebrations-begin/
Eoin spoke with Neil Delamere on Irish radio station, Today FM recently. There was some mention of the long awaited Artemis Fowl movie and Eoin had a little news but couldn't say too much!
Listen to the full interview on the Today FM website
Meanwhile over at Artemis Fowl Confidential
AFC’s birthday is fast-approaching, so get the 7th May 2015 in your diaries!
If you’ve been keeping tabs on us this past few weeks, you’ll know that we’re accepting questions for our 10th Anniversary interviews with Eoin Colfer, Andrew Donkin & Giovanni Rigano! Well, we’ve already had over 50 submissions, and we’ll soon new to close submissions and start the selection process.
So… get your questions in, as we are officially closing submissions on the 12th April 2015.
Get your questions in now!
Writing in The Guardian, author, Rachel Hamilton lists her top ten explosions in children's books (why didn't somebody do this before?!)
At number four:
4. Artemis Fowl and the Eternity Code by Eoin Colfer
Eoin Colfer’s sonic grenade generates a different kind of explosion: no smoke, no flames, just a solid wall of sound that blows out every window and eardrum within a 10 metre radius of the restaurant where it explodes. To the glee of giggly readers, it shatters the aquarium, “leaving the flagstones slick with water, Perspex and surprised lobsters” and leaving customers “submerged in éclairs, cheesecake and pavlova.”
Check out the others in the list, it's a blast!!!
The cover for Eoin's collaboration with Oliver Jeffers has been revealed on Twitter.
Here's the PR from the announcement last year:
IMAGINARY FRED is a unique take on the concept of imaginary friends. It's the story of two little boys and their shared love of movies, music, and comic books. It is about how a little bit of electricity, a little bit of luck, and a little bit of magic can spark a friendship like no other. The perfect chemistry between Eoin Colfer's text and Oliver Jeffers's artwork will make for a treasured new picture book.
"We're thrilled to help bring to life Eoin Colfer and Oliver Jeffers's IMAGINARY FRED, a story that's sure to become an instant children's classic, with its unforgettable characters and clever storytelling," says Kate Jackson. "It's filled with hilarity and heart, and we knew right away we wanted this dream team on our list."
Rachel Denwood adds, "An Eoin Colfer and Oliver Jeffers collaboration is pretty much the stuff of dreams – they are simply two of the finest children's book creators on the planet. IMAGINARY FRED is completely unique – it's funny, poignant, original. It's genius."
Eoin Colfer is the internationally bestselling author of the ARTEMIS FOWL series as well as several standalone novels, including the highly acclaimed AIRMAN. Eoin was born, raised, and currently lives in Wexford, Ireland.
Oliver Jeffers is an outstanding talent and has won many high-profile awards, including the Nestlé Children's Book Prize Gold Award, the Blue Peter Book of the Year, and the Irish Children's Book of the Year. His most recent book is the New York Times #1 bestseller, THE DAY THE CRAYONS QUIT. Born in Australia and raised in Belfast, Oliver now lives and works in Brooklyn, New York.
Very excited to reveal the real cover for my upcoming book with @OliverJeffers: Imaginary Fred. Out this October. pic.twitter.com/9WYlzQhIvb
— Eoin Colfer (@eoincolfer) March 19, 2015
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