Category: Writing

  • The Clockwork Three book launch report, as well as a few other cool things

    Last week, The King’s English Bookshop in Salt Lake City hosted the official launch of The Clockwork Three.  It was truly a wonderful experience.  The event was well-attended, with lots of family and friends there to show their support.  My parents and my sister even traveled in from out-of-state, and it meant a lot to…

  • Deseret News interview, and a few more nice reviews

    The Deseret News interview I gave should be in the Sunday Arts section of the paper tomorrow.  But it’s also up online, and if you’d like to read it, click here. The journalist who interviewed me also reviewed the The Clockwork Three, and you can read that here.  I like the line, “Part mystery, part…

  • My first review, and a couple of interviews

    I received my first review of The Clockwork Three.  It’s from Publisher’s Weekly, and it’s starred, which makes me very, very happy.  Here’s a nice quote: …debut novelist Kirby has assembled all the ingredients for a rousing adventure, which he delivers with rich, transporting prose. Mixing fantasy and steampunk elements with subtle urban mythology, Kirby’s…

  • The Clockwork Three – Launch Party

    I just received something amazing in the mail from Lisa, my editor.  It’s this: I cannot tell you how satisfying and surreal it is to hold that in my hands.  Years of hard work, rejection, more hard work, more rejection, finally culminating in this.  A book.  That I wrote.  For all the writers out there…

  • 2010 Writing for Charity

    If I was a better blogger, you would already know about the 2010 Writing for Charity event.  And unfortunately, this is not a case of better-late-than-never, because you really don’t want to miss this.  It’s coming up this Saturday, on August 21. Last year, I participated in the Writing for Charity event held at the…

  • ALA 2010

    I’ve been meaning to post about my first conference of the American Library Association for a while now.  I had an amazing time. Scholastic brought me in to promote The Clockwork Three.  It was the first real publicity for the book, with a reading and signing, and ARCs handed out.  But the weekend was also…

  • The King’s English Book Group

    Last week I went to a book group at The King’s English in Salt Lake City.  I’ve said it before, but it’s worth repeating over and over that The King’s English is a wonderful bookstore.  I wish I lived closer to Salt Lake because I would love to browse and shop there more than I…

  • What’s in a name… or a middle initial?

    My name is not uncommon.  There are, in fact, several men out there who share my first and last name.  A simple google search (is there anyone left who has not googled themselves at least once?) reveals that Matthew Kirby designed the game Apples to Apples.  Matthew Kirby is an Anglican priest.  And there are…

  • Some upcoming events

    Just a little update about where I’ll be and what I’ll be doing this summer, writer-wise. First, next week is the Writing and Illustrating for Young Readers Workshop. I’ve written about it before, about what a great event this conference has been for me, and will continue to be for other writers. I’ll be […]

  • NYC – Part 4

    Part 1, here.  Part 2, here.  Part 3, here. So, after a long day of filming and a good night’s sleep, the next morning we rode the subway down to a recording studio.  There I met Mary Gruetzke, the audiobook editor for The Clockwork Three, and Cheryl Smith, the audiobook producer.  Both women were very…