Category Archives: Children’s Books

Safe Harbour and Greystones

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It’s exciting as Safe Harbour my book about World War 11 has another lovely new edition with a great cover by artist Philip Cullen coming out this week.

The book is about Sophie and Hugh who live in London during the blitz. Their dad is a soldier away fighting in the war. When their home gets bombed their mum is badly injured, they are evacuated to Ireland to stay with their grandfather, in a big old house overlooking the sea in Greystones, Co Wicklow.

However their grandfather is a man they know little about and have never met.  He is crusty and difficult and doesn’t really want the two children foisted on him. It seems to Sophie she is caught up in another war ….

I spent so much of my own childhood in Greystones I knew it was the perfect place to bring Sophie and her younger brother Hugh who are scared, upset and lonely at having to leave their mother and home.

I will be visiting Greystones and Halfway up the Stairs, my favourite children’s book shop, on Saturday 13th May at 4.00 pm to talk about Safe Harbour and meet young readers and sign books. Please come along as I love meeting young readers. 

There is also a big Zoom with about 80 schools on Thursday 11 May at 11.30 am with the amazing Hannah Gold author of The Last Bear and I with author Sarah Webb, also organised by Halfway up the Stairs bookshop. 

Larry O’Loughlin-Farewell to a Friend

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I am so sad this week at the death of my dear friend and fellow writer Larry O’ Loughlin.  We have been friends for more years than I can remember. Larry, a big man with the kindest heart and wisest words had a great sense of fun and mischief. Kids and adults alike adored him and were drawn to him. Passionate about writing Larry wrote everything from witty and fun rhymes and stories for little kids  ‘Worms Can’t Fly,’ ‘The Yuckee Prince’  to challenging fiction for young adults ‘Breaking the Silence’ and ‘ Is Anybody Listening?’ . He loved visiting schools and meeting and encouraging young readers and writers.

He was also a talented playwright.Actor Stephen Jones giving an incredible performance, in his powerful stage play ‘100 More Like These‘ was based on the  Irish Soldiers, many of whom  fled famine Ireland only to find themselves having to enlist in the American  army.    A large group of 500 of them led by John Riley deserted it during The Mexican – American War (1846- 1888) and instead fought on the Mexican side. They were known as the San Patricio’s.

Then there was the brilliant and hilarious Stone Mountain Band musical with Larry even writing all the music for it.

He cared deeply about the world and making it a better place for everyone.  He was a joy to spend time with and I loved meeting up with him and talking to him. I was blessed to have had such a friend. My thoughts at this time are with his wife Monica and children Roisin, Sean, Aislinn and Sinead and all his much loved grand- children.

      Sad by Larry O’Loughlin

It is sad to think that lots of toys

that moms and dads buy girls and boys

are made by little girls and boys

who never get to play with them.

Poem from ‘Something Beginning with P’, A book of New Poems from Irish Poets published by O Brien Press.

Larry O’Loughlin and I with writer Don Conroy and his daughter Sarah at Launch Party in RIAC Club, Dublin

Larry and I in ‘Halfway Up the Stairs’ Children’s Bookshop in Greystones.

All the Fun of a New Book!

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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

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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.

New Year and a New Book

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Happy New Year to All My Readers!

Here’s hoping that 2023 will be a better year for the World and the Planet and that Peace, Justice, Care and Kindness will prevail across the Earth.

It is an exciting time for me as my new children’s book Fairy Hill  is due to be published at the end of February 2023.

The story has been in my head and heart for the longest time and it was a joy to write about Anna who comes to stay with her Dad in Ireland. Upset at first Anna gradually comes to know and love the old house and the fields and lake, beach and woods. There are new friends and she learns to surf and to ride but Anna senses that she is being watched. As she begins to uncover the mysteries of Fairy Hill and its secrets Daniel, the mysterious boy she meets down by the lake, warns her that her little half- brother Jack may be in danger.  Soon Anna is caught up in a desperate fight to find her brother and save him from a powerful and magical foe. 

The story is inspired by one of my favourite poems The Stolen Child by W.B Yeats which I first read when I was about eleven or twelve and has stayed with me ever since.