Ernest Hemingway’s House in Key West, Florida

Posted on 04/05/2023 by fionaconlonmckenna

Taking a break from a busy book schedule it was great to escape to the stunning beauty of the Florida Keys and chill out in Key Largo, Islamorada and Key West. Everywhere we travelled was paradise,surrounded by water and nature, so it was the perfect place for a great holiday.

In Key West I visited the home of one of America’s greatest writers Ernest Hemingway –a literary hero of mine ever since I first read ‘The Old Man and the Sea’ when I was a teenager. Hemingway was a winner of both the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction (1953) and the Nobel Prize in Literature (1954).

I am always curious and fascinated by great writer’s homes as they provide a glimpse into their lives. The Hemingway house, a French colonial style house built in 1851, did not disappoint for it is a beautiful house on Whitehead Street, close to the lighthouse and to the water where Hemingway loved to sail and fish. Climbing the small stairs to his outside separate study it was great to see the place where he created so much of his work. Descendants of his original six toed cat still laze around the house and garden. Another famous and influential American writer Judy Blume lives in Key West and is a co- founder of the busy local bookstore ‘Books and Books’ and often can be found there. I can’t wait to see the film version of her classic book ‘Are You There God, its Me Margaret,’ which is due out later this month starring Rachel McAdam and Kathy Bates.

We also visited The Little White House ‘- the Truman home which is only a few minute walk away from the Hemingway home and is also well worth a visit. President Harry S. Truman was a regular visitor to Key West and loved spending time down there. Truman was one of the most influential American presidents. The House is a Presidential Museum with beautiful furnishings and design and is still used sometimes by American presidents.

All the Fun of a New Book!

Posted on 02/04/2023 by fionaconlonmckenna

With Sarah Webb, Trish Hennessy and Meriel O’Toole in Halfway Up the Stairs Bookshop in Greystones, Co Wicklow.

The first few weeks after Fairy Hill’s publication have been great fun, meeting lots of lovely readers and booksellers, librarians and teachers, visiting schools and bookshops to talk about the book and encourage everyone to write and to Keep Reading.

I had a brilliant time with lots of lovely readers in a very packed Halfway up the Stairs book shop in Greystones (one of my favourite places a book shop that specialises in children’s books).

It was great to get along to meet so many friends at the Children’s Writer and Illustrator’s Lunch organised by the wonderful Sarah Webb in the Royal St George Yacht Club last week.

Then I was back in the North Wicklow Educate Together School only a few days later meeting a great bunch of First Year students.

I love meeting my readers and talking about books and words, and the pictures we all get in our head that inspire stories and poems, plays and songs, scripts and even comics and graphic novels. The one thing I notice is all the really talented young writers out there with great stories to tell…..

Fairy Hill Book Launch

Posted on 06/03/2023 by fionaconlonmckenna

Marita and publisher Ivan O’Brien

What an exciting and busy day! First, there was an enormous ‘World Book Day’ Zoom organized by the amazing Sarah Webb and Halfway Up the Stairs Children’s Book Shop in Greystones in Wicklow and publishers O’Brien Press with 80 schools and classes from not only Wicklow all over Ireland taking part.

Ivan O’ Brien and Trish from the bookshop welcomed everyone and Sarah, Judi Curtin and I all talked about our favourite thing….Books… It was such fun and some classes had dressed up as their favourite book characters. I even got the chance to read a little bit from my new book Fairy Hill to everyone.

Then into town for the official launch of Fairy Hill in Dubray Books on Dublin’s Grafton Street. It was such a special night as so many friends and family turned up along with some wonderful young readers to celebrate my new children’s book Fairy Hill, which was sheer joy to write.

The joy was tinged with a little sadness as my late publisher Michael O’Brien was not there to see the book in print but his son Ivan of O’Brien Press did a wonderful job launching my book with his thoughtful and kind words. Huge thanks are due to Susan and all the Staff in Dubray Books for arranging the launch and to Dubray books for the great window displays for Fairy Hill. Thanks also to the great team in O’Brien Press for organising a night to remember.

Marita with friends authors Sarah Webb and Tom McCaughren in the Dubray Bookshop, Grafton Street, Dublin.

World Book Day…Keep Reading!

Posted on 01/03/2023 by fionaconlonmckenna

World Book Day is one of my favourite days of the year as it is the one day that celebrates all the things I love, books, reading and writers…. There are events being held all over the county and in schools everywhere with book quizzes, fancy dress and lots of fun. Bookshops all around Ireland are taking part and there are special World Book Day Euro 1.50 tokens being issued for every child to put towards buying a book or to exchange for one of the selection special of World Book Day books. World Book day was founded in 1995 and started in Ireland and the UK in 1997 and has continued to grow and expand over the 25 years.

On World Book Day this year it’s very exciting as my new book Fairy Hill will be launched on 2^nd March and I will be taking part in massive schools zoom with writers Sarah Webb and Judi Curtin in the morning with also a number of events in schools and bookshops over the coming weeks meeting lots of young readers and classes.

First off this week I met the girls from Loreto on the Green Junior School in Dubray Bookshop on Grafton Street to talk about books and writing and the next day a class from D7 Educate Together School in Dubray Book shop on Henry Street. I love meeting readers of all ages and encouraging everyone to just Keep Reading!

It’s official! ‘Under the Hawthorn Tree’ was the most borrowed Irish book in Irish Libraries in 2022

Posted on 24/02/2023 by fionaconlonmckenna

Under the Hawthorn Tree Covers

Finding out that ‘Under the Hawthorn Tree’ was the most borrowed Irish book in Irish libraries for 2022 is the best news ever. The list covers both adults and children’s books so it is a really big deal. I am at number 4, the highest book by an Irish writer, just behind Harry Potter, the Mister Men and Little and Diary of a Wimpy Kid…I am so proud of all my readers who have gone to the library and borrowed my book. Thanks to all my lovely readers

Nineteen of the twenty most borrowed books on the list are children’s titles which shows that children are reading and are going to the library. It is great to see so many young readers using those all important library tickets .

I love libraries and getting my first library tickets for Greystones Library was a momentous game changing moment for me as a kid as I didn’t grow up in a bookish house. Once I got those magic tickets in my hand I was up and down to the library borrowing books cycling on my bike with my back carrier bag full of books to read and imagine that I was in the story.

Without those library tickets and those books I’m not sure I would ever have become a writer! I dreamed of writing books and someday seeing one of my books on a library shelf. So dreams do come true….. I love big libraries like the National Library, Boston Public Library, Trinity College Library and all the lovely local libraries I visit and use, school libraries, classroom libraries and best of all, the very special small shelf in a child’s bedroom which holds their very favourite books.

It is wonderful to see that libraries play such an important part in our lives and reading choices.

Top 10 Most Borrowed Books 2022 (Previous year in brackets)

1. Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone by JK Rowling (10)

2. Little Miss: My Complete Collection Box Set by Roger Hargreaves (4)

3. Diary of a Wimpy Kid: The Getaway by Jeff Kinney (-)

4. Under the Hawthorn Tree by Marita Conlon-McKenna (1)

5. Dog Man: A Tale of Two Kitties by DAV Pilkey (-)

6. Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Double Down by Jeff Kinney (-)

7. Beautiful World, Where Are You by Sally Rooney (-)

8. Diary of a Wimpy Kid: The Meltdown by Jeff Kinney (-)

9. Thomas and Friends: My First Story Time Set (11)

10. Dog Man: Brawl of the Wild by DAV Pilkey (-)