When people ask me ‘is it hard work, getting published?’ I like to tell them yes, of course it is – but the real work comes afterwards. The Eye of the North is one month old now, and I’ve had a fun-packed few weeks of it, meeting readers and doing writing workshops and answering Twitter Q&As and basically pinching myself at least ten times a day, as it all seems too amazing to be real. I’ve had so many wonderful experiences, but I think the most special, for me, was speaking in front of almost 300 third-, fourth- and fifth-class pupils at Bunscoil Loreto in Gorey, which is the primary school I attended a very (very) long time ago. I enjoyed telling the children all about my journey from their school to published author-dom, and I hope they had as much fun as I did! I’ve been interviewed on radio, filmed in a library, and congratulated by practically everyone in my hometown – their pride in me and their support has been invaluable, and I’m so thankful.
Also, excitingly, The Eye of the North has been chosen as the #PrimarySchoolBookClub book of the month for March. This means that primary school teachers all over the United Kingdom will be reading my book during the month, and we’ll be convening on the 31st to discuss it, all on Twitter. If you’re a Twitterer, do check it out – and join in using the hashtag, if you like. I’d love to see you there!
And – as if that wasn’t enough – I also had the honour of being chosen as the Sunday Times Children’s Book of the Week for the week beginning February 25th! All this, on top of the absolutely incredible support I’ve received from bloggers, reviewers, librarians, teachers and fellow authors… it’s all a bit overwhelming, at times. Thank you to everyone who has Tweeted, emailed, sent me a picture of the book in the ‘wild’, allowed me to see photos of their children enjoying the book, bought a copy for themselves or borrowed it from their local library, and who’ve helped me to squeeze every last drop of joy out of the first month of living my dream. It’s been hard work, for sure – but it’s also been the greatest happiness I’ve ever known in my working life, and I’m grateful for every moment.
I’m now working on editing my second book, which isn’t a sequel to The Eye of the North but a new story entirely… As soon as I can share the details, I will! Stay tuned for more – and thank you, again, for welcoming The Eye of the North into the world in such style.
Whoop! Let the adventurin’ begin!
SJ O'Hart 