Bah! Delays!

Okay, fine, I HAD wanted to unveil the new cover sometime this week, but obviously that hasn't happened. I've been assured that I'll be able to do it sometime NEXT week, though, so hopefully that'll work out.

In the meantime...

I'm feeling much better these days. I haven't gone back training yet- I haven't recovered THAT much- but I went in for a few tests on Wednesday and they have pronounced me fit as a proverbial fiddle and told me that I'm pretty much immortal, which I knew already. But still, always good to hear a second opinion.

I did an event last night with John Connelly in Easons in Dublin that was a LOT of fun. John is a crime writer by day, but at night he writes the wickedest books for younger readers- he's written The Book of Lost Things and The Gates, and has just come out with his new one, Hell's Bells. He read an excerpt from Hell's Bells and, for the first time ever, I read an extract from one of MY books. I normally don't read aloud because I have a stutter, and I much prefer to just walk around the stage and ramble on about cats and dogs and weird-looking children. But last night I thought I'd do something new, so I read, and it was actually a lot of fun- but what made it cooler was the fact that it was an excerpt from the new book. I decided that it wouldn't be an action scene or a chase scene, or in fact anything to do with the actual plot. Instead, it was Valkyrie at home with her parents and her baby sister- so there was a LOT of her dad being his usual oddball self, which really seemed to go down well.

Afterwards there was a signing session which, ahem, kind of went on until AFTER the store had actually closed... But the Easons staff were all really cool about it, even though they had to stay late, and they seemed to be having a good time while I chatted and doodled and signed. I even met some people who visit this Blog- so say hello in the comments section, dammit! Especially you, Elizabeth, who came up to me after I'd signed her books and asked for a hug. Awwww. I LOVE giving hugs. Elizabeth now has a special place in my heart...

I'm just looking at my calender here for May... Let's see... Okay, I'll be at the Brighton Festival on the 8th, then I'll be doing something with Children's Books Ireland on the 22nd, and I'll be at the Wicklow Festival on the 28th. So if you're around, drop by and give me a hug.