Guest Blogs
Down the Rabbit Hole, Flourish and Blogs
A blog by Flourish & Blogs
Flourish & Blogs is a blog all about writing for children. It's run by Olivia Hope and Niamh Garvey. Olivia Hope is a children’s writer from Killarney, Co. Kerry. She was once a hammer thrower, Sometimes a teacher of all subjects; from English to ice-cream making, And has worked in a variety scenarios, from nurseries (plants and children, although not at the same time, unless you count the daffodil incident) to nursing homes. She is unreasonably fond of cheese, French Fancies and is prone to cartwheels. She writes for all ages, and her picturebook “Be Wild” will be published by Bloomsbury. Follow her on Twitter @OliviaMHope Niamh Garvey loves everything to do with children’s books; from reading them, to writing them, and even to smelling them. Except for really boring books… she doesn’t even smell those. She writes stories for children and young adults, plus poetry for adults. She wrote the storyboard for the childrens storybook app “A Raindrop’s Tale” published by Gramercy Consultants on iTunes. She is working towards her dream of getting a novel published. Niamh is a full-time mum and a part-time nurse, living in Cork. She thinks stories are the best way to discover the world, and possibly the only place children should be encouraged to get lost in. Follow Niamh on twitter @msniamhgarvey or on her blog niamhgarvey.com
Kelly McCaughrain interview – three times a winner. PART 2
The second part of an interview with Belfast writer Kelly McCaughrain, fresh from her unprecedented triple win at the Children’s Books Ireland’s book awards for her book Flying Tips for Flightless Birds (Walker Books). Since its publication, her debut that has been nominated for more than seven awards, including the prestigious Carnegie Prize and since the original interview has also won the Northern Irish Book award 2019, as voted for by pupils across Northern Ireland. As a debut,...
Read the full article >>Kelly McCaughrain interview – three times a winner. PART 1.
This week on Flourish and Blogs we have Belfast writer Kelly McCaughrain, fresh from her unprecedented triple win at the Children’s Books Ireland’s book awards. I first heard Kelly reading from her young adult book ‘Flying Tips for Flightless Birds’ (Walker Books) as a New Voice at the CBI’s annual conference, last September, and was struck by how witty and fresh the story was. Since its publication, her debut that has been nominated for more...
Read the full article >>Judith Kerr – picture book royalty.
When I was little we used to go to the library every Saturday morning. In the early 80s, I lived on a healthy diet of the Milly Molly Mandy, Dr Doolittle and Mary Poppins series. More often than not, my sisters and I had different tastes, but there was one book that came home again and again ‘Mog – the forgetful cat’. We always had tabby cats and I guess the artwork of a cat...
Read the full article >>LISTOWEL WRITERS’ WEEK – for Children’s Writers too!
It’s a new look for the children’s blog Down the Rabbit Hole on Writing.ie, now renamed ‘Flourish and Blogs’ as a nod to one of the most famous bookshops in children’s literary fiction. As a Kerry person I’ve always felt I had part ownership of Listowel Writers’ Week. In fact, ask any Kerry person – this is our festival, founded by Kerry greats, attended by publishing giants and neatly set in a local town square. It...
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