The blog of author Matthew J. Kirby

Category: Travel

  • Thoughts from a Book Tour

    I’ve been traveling quite a bit, off and on, over the last month or so. I visited several cities, a few amazing bookstores, and numerous schools. The people I meet often wonder what a book tour is like. Some people assume it’s glamorous, and on occasion it does kind of feel that way. Some people…

  • Finally, a post about my book tour!

    Hey, everyone! I just thought I would poke my head up from writing and post something I’ve been meaning to put up on the blog for a while. Back in September and October I spent about three and a half weeks on the road, touring for The Lost Kingdom and Cave of Wonders: Infinity Ring…

  • The Quantum League cover reveal!

    Over the weekend, the lovely Betsy Bird at Fuse #8 kindly hosted the cover reveal for my next middle grade project, The Quantum League. It’s a magical crime saga that I’ve talked about a bit before. I’m really excited for it, and I’m happy to now put the cover up here: What do you think?…

  • The Edgar! Also, butterflies, a space shuttle, and a really big snake.

    As some of you may have heard, last week Icefall won the Edgar Award in the Juvenile Fiction category! I am honestly still a bit stunned. The nomination alone took me completely by surprise, to say nothing of actually winning. But I’m so thrilled and honored, and I’d like to say thank you to the…

  • 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.…

  • 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…

  • Autumn at Sundance

    Just some photos from a trip to see the fall leaves at Sundance.  We rode the “scenic lift,” which in the wintertime is a “ski lift.”  At one point the lift passed over a couple of moose, which was pretty cool.  I love autumn, and here in Utah it’s always over much too quickly…  …

  • 2011 SCBWI Annual Summer Conference

    Earlier this month I went to the annual summer conference of the SCBWI, and I had a wonderful time. It’s always great to catch up with old friends, some of whom I only see once a year at the conference. Lin Oliver and Steve Mooser pulled out all the stops this year in celebration of…

  • My BEA Report, or, How I Met Hercules

    Last week, I had a whirlwind few days in New York City at BookExpo America.  I hadn’t ever been to BEA before, and it was a really great experience. I took an afternoon flight out of Salt Lake City on Tuesday, and got into NYC close to midnight.  My publicist, Lauren, had arranged for a…

  • 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…