Joseph O’Connor to be inaugural Chair in Creative Writing at the University of Limerick

Joseph O'Connor has been announced as the inaugural Frank McCourt Chair in Creative Writing at the University of Limerick (UL). The position was named in honour of the late Limerick-born writer Frank McCourt.

Professor O’Connor will officially join the Faculty of Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences this Summer and will teach students of the new UL Masters in Creative Writing programme set to commence in September 2014. As part of the role, he will also present public literary events in the Limerick area.

Commenting on his new position, O'Connor said: "I am thrilled, grateful and deeply honoured to be entrusted with this new position at the University of Limerick. 

"Frank McCourt was a writer of immense gifts and extraordinary achievements. But he was a teacher first and last. He knew teaching can change lives."

O'Connor added: "With my colleagues I look forward to building a first-rate Creative Writing department at UL, a programme that is fit for 21st century purpose, and working hard for all lovers of literature and storytelling in Limerick."

Joseph O’Connor is the author of the internationally acclaimed STAR OF THE SEA, as well as many other novels including GHOST LIGHT and REDEMPTION FALLS, and several short story collections. He was born in Dublin. His latest novel, THE THRILL OF IT ALL, will be published by Harvill Secker later this year.

Praise for Joseph O’Connor:

 ‘Joseph O’Connor is a fantastic writer…[STAR OF THE SEA] contains the whole echelon of society, as if Ireland actually is that creaking hull.’ -- David Morrissey, Actor, BAFTA winner

‘A fine storyteller’ – Sunday Times 

‘The most exciting writer of his generation.’ -- Sue Leonard, The Irish Examiner 

Visit Joseph O'Connor's website.

A US home for Edward Carey’s IREMONGERS

Tracy Carns of Overlook has acquired US rights to Edward Carey’s acclaimed IREMONGER TRILOGY. Chosen as a Book of the Year by Booker 2013 winner, Eleanor Catton, the first title in the trilogy, HEAP HOUSE, will be published by Overlook in the US in October 2014 and will include cover images, endpapers and character portraits by its multi-talented author.

Tracy Carns says: “I’m absolutely delighted to be the US publisher of The IREMONGER TRILOGY and among the team of publishers around the world that Isobel is putting together for the darkly brilliant, stunningly talented writer/illustrator Edward Carey. As the publisher of Mervyn Peake, Overlook feels like a particularly apt fit for Clod Iremonger and the rest of Edward’s eccentric and extraordinary Heap House world.”

Edward Carey says: “I am so thrilled to be published by Overlook, the American home of Mervyn Peake and of Walter Moers, two genius writer-illustrators who've inspired me for years. (Overlook's edition of the final part of the Titus books, is so beautiful, they designed it so extraordinarily it looked as if Peake himself had done the cover.) I'm enormously happy that Overlook is taking on the Iremongers, I know they're going to love their new home.”

Isobel Dixon says: “Edward has created an exceptional world and characters readers completely fall in love with. Tracy knows just how to publish this special series and bring it to an eager American readership – I can’t wait for its autumn publication!”

Edward Carey lives in Austin, Texas, with his wife and two children.

Visit Edward Carey's website.

Follow him on twitter.

Praise for HEAP HOUSE:

‘Edward Carey's HEAP HOUSE-- delightful, eccentric, heartfelt, surprising, philosophical, everything that a novel for children should be.’ – Eleanor Catton, author of THE LUMINARIES

‘IREMONGER torques and tempers our memories of Dickensian London into a singularly jaunty and creepy tale of agreeable misfits. Read it by gas lamp, with a glass of absinthe at your wrist and a fireplace poker by your knee. ’    -- Gregory Maguire, author of WICKED

'I cannot recommend HEAP HOUSE by Edward Carey enough. The best book of its kind since GORMENGHAST (& more exciting)' – Gregory Norminton

‘Fabulously strange and in the tradition of Mervyn Peake... Astonishing and inventive, it calls out to be read.' – Sunday Times Best Children’s Books of 2013

Great start to 2014 for Peter James!

DEAD LETTER DROP, Peter James’ very first novel, is set to enter the bestsellers charts in 11th position, just 3 days after its reissue.  This is the first of three reissues by Macmillan of his earliest novels, to be followed by ATOM BOMB ANGEL and BILLIONAIRE.

DEAD MAN’S TIME, the 9th in the Roy Grace series, is still seeing booming sales, and is 23rd in the bestsellers charts months after publication, as well as being the 95th best-selling book of 2013 in the Guardian, even though it was only published in October.

Peter James’ play THE PERFECT MURDER opens on Wednesday 8 January at the Dartford Orchard theatre and will be touring until 26 April, playing at many venues including Brighton, Glasgow and Cambridge. For more details and to purchase tickets, please go here.  And to win a ticket to see the play in Brighton see here.

Praise for Peter James

'Peter James is one of the best crime writers in the business.' -- Karin Slaughter

'Exceptional, knock-your-socks-off.' -- Washington Post

WIN a chance to see Peter James’ The Perfect Murder in Brighton!

UPDATE 20/01/2014: This competition is now CLOSED - we have a winner!

Winner has been contacted by Twitter Direct Message.

We are now offering a chance to win a PAIR of tickets to the 27th January Theatre Royal Brighton performance of THE PERFECT MURDER, the exciting new stage play featuring Peter James’ famous detective, Roy Grace.

To be in with a chance of winning the ticket, all you have to do is log on to Twitter, retweet this tweet and answer our Roy Grace quiz question correctly by tweeting it at us (@BFLAgency):

What is the middle name of Roy Grace’s first wife?

and, just because we're feeling generous, here's a clue as well:

You can find the answer in the 7th Roy Grace novel in the series, DEAD MAN'S GRIP

If you get it right, you’ll be entered into the random prize draw, which will take place on Monday 20th January. We’ll get in touch with the winner via Twitter on that day.*

It’s DEAD SIMPLE (see what we did there?) - get tweeting!

*Terms and conditions

One pair of tickets is available for winning, and will be awarded to a single entrant. Winner will be selected at random. Winner is responsible for their own transport and/or accommodation costs and arrangements. Ticket will be sent via first class post to the winner ONLY IF the winner provides their postal address upon request, by 23rd January 2014 at the latest. Winner will be contacted via Twitter on 20th January 2014. Performance starts at 7.45pm on Monday 27th January at the Theatre Royal Brighton. To be entered into the prize draw, entrants must retweet the competition announcement tweet AND answer the question correctly.