The blog of author Matthew J. Kirby

Category: The Clockwork Three

  • Travels, Part 2

    This post has been a long time coming, but I do still want to talk about some of the trips I took last fall. One of the things I’ve loved most about my writing career has been the opportunity to travel, to meet new people and have wonderful experiences I wouldn’t otherwise get to have.…

  • Claymation! Plus, Scholastic HQ.

    Just a couple of videos today. The first is a book trailer that a fan made for The Clockwork Three. In claymation! I love that the door to Alice’s cabin is yellow, just like in the book. Now that’s attention to detail! The second video is of the Scholastic headquarters in New York City. Having…

  • Travels, part 1

    I’ve been doing a fair amount of traveling recently to promote Icefall. The first trip was to the Baltimore Book Festival in Maryland. Having lived in Maryland for several years, it felt a bit like going home. I stayed near the Inner Harbor, a place I really liked as a kid, especially the National Aquarium…

  • A very talented young composer.

    I recently received an amazing email from a young reader named Alessandro, who is 11 years old, a violinist, and a composer. He shared with me a video, the premiere of a quartet he wrote for flute, clarinet, cello, and viola. The piece is called “The Clockmaker, the Hotel Maid, and the Italian Violinist.” From…

  • One month away!

    I’m pretty sure I’ve mentioned this, since I mention it to everyone these days, but I am under deadline. And being under deadline, I have learned that deadlines are an effective way to time-travel. As they approach, time speeds up, bringing them rapidly closer, and before you know it you’re in the future and they’re…

  • Where did July go?

    I knew it had been a while since I posted anything new to the blog, but I was honestly surprised to see that it’s been almost a month since my last entry.  That was followed quickly by the surprise that the month of July is nearly over.  I don’t know where it went.  But the…

  • Turkish Delight

    Summer is here.  And once again I’m reminded that I find the idea of summer to be much more appealing than the real thing.  I like playing in the water, I like barbecuing, and because I work in education, summer still has that childhood association with “No school!”  But ultimately the heat just kills me. …

  • BEA – Before

    As I mentioned in my last post, I’ll be going to BEA this year.  Next week, actually.  I’ll be doing some speaking, and also some signing at the Scholastic booth.  I fly in on Tuesday, and on Wednesday my editor, Lisa Sandell, will be talking about my forthcoming novel, Icefall, on the Middle Grade Editors…

  • First Review of Icefall

    Things have been pretty hectic lately.  And by lately, I mean the past eight months or so when the school year began.  Writing books while working full-time as a school psychologist can be pretty daunting, exhausting, and stressful.  I try my best, but it can be difficult to wear so many hats. One thing I’ve…

  • The Clockwork Three in German, and also a contest

    I recently posted the Complex Chinese cover for The Clockwork Three. It’s been a lot of fun seeing how the foreign publishers handle the cover – different approaches work for different audiences. I recently came across the German cover, which is entirely different from the U.S. cover. Here it is: The elements of the book…