The blog of author Matthew J. Kirby

Category: Books

  • 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…

  • 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 Clockwork Three Cover

    The cover for The Clockwork Three is finalized and I can now officially reveal it.  It’s already been floating around out there on the internet in various stages of completion.  But I’m excited to share with you the version you will actually see in the bookstores. What do you think?  I’m thrilled with it, and…

  • 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 speaking…

  • May I recommend…

    The Boneshaker, by Kate Milford.  Kate is a friend of mine.  We met a few years ago on the SCBWI discussion boards in a post that involved steampunk.  Since then, we’ve exchanged critiques on a few manuscripts and so I’ve enjoyed her work for a while.  We met in person on my recent trip to…

  • 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…

  • NYC – Part 3

    For part 1, click here, and for part 2, click here. After putting in a day-and-a-half of sightseeing, it was time to get down to the business that brought me to NYC in the first place.  So Thursday morning the Scholastic Book Fairs film crew came to pick us up at our hotel.  The members…

  • Scholastic Librarian Preview – Fall 2010 Webcast

    Publishers often hold seasonal previews to get librarians and educators excited about upcoming titles.  These are what Elizabeth Bird (AKA Fuse #8) often reports on, like this one.  But normally you have to live close to the publisher to attend, which usually means New York City.  But this year, Scholastic did something pretty cool.  They…