Nicola Pierce tells us all about the research and making of her latest children’s novel, In Between Worlds, and her fascinating events for libraries and schools. Nicola Pierce by City Headshots Dublin In Between Worlds opens in the year 1935 with a frail but still feisty Margaret Gaffney who is reluctantly celebrating yet another birthday, her hundredth, in an old folks’ home in Australia. The reader quickly discovers two things about Margaret: firstly, that she hails from Skibbereen in west Cork and secondly, that she survived the Irish Famine. In 2021, my publisher, The O’Brien Press, approa ..read more

Kate Sheehy tells us all about the inspiration behind her wonderful new picture book Too Many Cats! There is no denying that I have always loved cats, but my daughter is the real cat person in our house. It was her love for them that inspired me to write Too Many Cats. We have three cats: Puss, Tigger, and Goose. Observing their relationship with Alice gave me plenty of ideas for the book. As well as adoring our own cats, Alice loves spotting all the cats in the neighbourhood. There are so many different types and she used to want them all! So, I began writing a story about a girl who thinks ..read more

Alan Nolan tells us all about the inspiration behind his latest adventure book series about Molly Malone and Bram Stoker! “What do you want to be when you grow up?” Between the ages of six and ten, I must have been asked this question a couple of times a week, and I always gave one of two answers. Depending on the time of day, the month of the year and what I might have had for breakfast that morning I’d either say ‘an archaeologist’ or ‘a dog.’ Neither of those two very worthy and well-thought-out career choices came true, of course. I decided I didn’t want to be a dog when I realised that I ..read more

Debut author Amy Clarkin tells us all about her experience writing her first book, What Walks These Halls, and the inspiration behind this chilling story. Amy Clarkin by City Headshots I wrote What Walks These Halls while I was shielding during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic. I’m high risk for COVID, and spent almost fifteen months shielding in my family home while waiting for a vaccine. What Walks These Halls was an anchor during that difficult time. My chronic illness, ME, means I can’t work full time, or reliably to a fixed schedule. But on the days I was well enough, I sat at my desk ..read more

Author and photographer Carsten Krieger tells us all about his new book, Wild Ireland. Carsten chats about his inspiration for his latest book and the stories behind some of the stunning photographs. Wild Ireland is the book I always wanted to make. It’s also the first book where I could properly indulge in writing, a passion that has been growing over the years. This book has been in the making for almost two decades. After I had finished my first book, The Fertile Rock – Seasons in the Burren I wanted to explore Ireland’s nature further; the mountains, the peatlands, the forests, the coast ..read more

O’Brien Press is seeking a highly-organised, sales-driven person to help run a busy sales office, as part of our sales and marketing team, reporting to the Managing Director. Responsibilities include preparing and distributing sales materials for national and international sales teams, handling orders and providing support for key clients, as well as book trade communications and website content management. The successful candidate will have a passion for books, an interest in sales, and excellent computer and communication skills, and will be encouraged to help identify new sales opportunitie ..read more

For this blog post, author and illustrator Tatyana Feeney tells us all about the inspiration for and creation of her latest picture book, Mr Wolf Goes to the Ball. by City Headshots Dublin Mr Wolf Goes to the Ball is the second installment in the Mr Wolf series. For anyone who isn’t familiar with Mr Wolf from his first story, Socks for Mr Wolf, he is a carefree and charismatic character who follows his own path. I knew after writing his first book that I really wanted Mr Wolf to have a second one but it took a while to figure out what his next story would be. I’m not exactly sure where the ins ..read more

For this blog post, author and illustrator Conor Busuttil tells us all about creating his latest book, Billy Conker’s Nature-Spotting Adventure. From a young age, I was absolutely fascinated with nature and the wildlife around me. Growing up in the countryside near Strangford Lough in County Down, there were plenty of opportunities to explore and learn about nature. So, when given the nudge to write my own book, it simply had to be about animals and the issues they currently face. It was my lovely agent Gill McLay who suggested that I should do some sort of hide-and-seek book – she knows I lo ..read more

by Alan Nolan “Here, Alan,” said my Granny, tossing a book in my direction, “you like the scary stuff, don’t yeh?” I made an effort to intercept the fast-moving paperback missile, but like every GAA ball, rugby ball and basketball that had ever been thrown to me, I fumbled the catch and the book hit the floor. I picked it up, looked at the cover, and was immediately sorry that I did. The cover was an illustration of a white faced, shiny-haired fright of a man, with red rimmed eyes, jet-black hair and a wide open mouth filled with razor sharp teeth. His overall demeanour suggested that he was q ..read more

Debut author Catherine Drea talks us through her experience writing Solace – Life, loss and the healing power of nature and picks out her favourite photographs from her first book. A year into the pandemic I sat down to write my first book, Solace. Looking back on those very early conversations with the O’Brien Press, the name for the book, Solace, meaning consolation or comfort, was there from the beginning. There is no doubt that the loss of a close family member to Covid, and the eerie isolation of that time, formed the basis of what I was going to write about. A huge part of the inspirati ..read more