Arthur Quinn: The Card Game

The Arthur Quinn website will be rebooted in the next couple of months in the lead-up to Hell’s Keeper. And when it is, you’ll be able to download this Trumps-style card game to print and play. These aren’t all the cards but here’s a sneak peek anyway!

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Then and now

Back in the early nineties, my uncle who lived in America at the time brought back a book for my younger brother Paul. It was the Best Word Book Ever by Richard Scarry. Paul loved the book (mainly because it had pictures of fire-fighters!) and I remember flicking through it myself from time to time. I don’t think it was ever sold in this side of the world. I never saw it in any bookshops then and haven’t now.

Anyway, this flickr account grabbed my attention when I stumbled on it. Turns out that there are two versions of Scarry’s book. The first was released in 1963 and then his revised version came out in 1991. (We owned the revised version.) It’s interesting looking at what he decided to change nearly thirty years later and will tell you a little about how the world changed too. Have a look.

 

Skype School Events

Michelle Moloney-King drew my attention to this blog on Twitter yesterday. Essentially it’s a listing of authors – all based in the States – who offer 20 minute Skype calls to schools for free.

It’s an interesting premise and would certainly help raise the profile of your book abroad. But I’m not sure there would be much call for Irish writers to Skype Irish schools. The country is so small that you can travel anywhere, meet a few classes and be back home easily within a day. One of the great things about being a writer is getting to meet the readers who’ve enjoyed your book. I’m not sure if this work quite as well through a computer screen.

So what do you think? Teachers and parents out there – would you be interested in Skype school events? Authors – do you feel that these Skype events could work?

Either way, I’m willing to give a Skype even a try if anyone out there is interested. You can contact me about a Skype event or ordinary school visit here!

New Blog!

I’ve redesigned the blog a bit.

Well, quite a bit.

I figured it was time to move away from the dark and dreary cave of Arthur Quinns world since this blog has come to be more about me than about that one book. (Although I will continue to blog about said trilogy!)

 

Anyway, what do you think?