M. G. Leonard to appear on BBC's The Big Scottish Book Club this Christmas

M. G. Leonard, Graham McTavish, Damian Barr and Jenny Coglan

I am so excited to be appearing on the BBC's Big Scottish Book Club next week, on the 13th December, with the fabulous Jenny Colgan and Graham McTavish, hosted by the one and only Damian Barr.

I would just like to point out that we children’s authors rarely get the opportunity to appear on ‘grown up’ literature programming as people seem to think it is easier to write a children’s book than a story for adults. For the record, it isn’t. It’s much harder. This is why I was so pleased to have this opportunity to talk with the ever-impressive Damian Barr about my wintery book.

This show is so much fun. Get into the mood for Christmas as we chat about magical Christmas bookshops, Raymond Briggs, Outlander, Clanlands in New Zealand and The Ice Children. I even do my Pordis impersonation.

If you love books and men in kilts then top up your mulled wine and join us!

WATCH HERE


M. G. Leonard contributes story to climate anthology

I’ve always wanted to work with the illustrator David Litchfield because I love of his style of art, in particular the way he treats light. Look at that beautiful cover! I’m delighted to be a part of this story anthology. The book is published in March 2024. The blurb is below. As you may be able to guess, my story involves eating insects.

In this collection of compelling short stories, authors including M. G. Leonard, Neal Shusterman and Tolá Okogwu offer hope for our planet in the face of climate change.

Skyscraper farms. Insects for dinner. Guerilla gardening. Nine authors pose ingenious and thought-provoking solutions to the climate crisis in this anthology of climate fiction. Rooted in real-world science and technology, the stories offer a roadmap for a future where our planet can thrive. From a rewilding project with unexpected consequences to a rebellion against augmented reality, these wide-ranging stories will leave the reader feeling a little less powerless in the fight to save planet Earth.

Full list of contributors: Eli Brown, L. R. Lam, M. G. Leonard, Rebecca Lim, Oisín McGann, Tolá Okogwu, Neal and Brendan Shusterman, Louie Stowell and Bijal Vachharajani

Find Out More

Festive Prize Draw with Waterstones

My publisher is running a festive prize draw with Waterstones.

Order your special signed edition with unique endpapers and snowflake sprayed edges of The Ice Children before 23:59 on Wednesday 1 November to be in with the chance of winning:

  • A family day out for 2 adults and 2 children to an ice skating rink of your choice.

  • A festive dinner at your choice of restaurant.

  • A travel allowance of up to £150 is included.

Enter prize draw

My time at Setanta Records

If you read my biography, you’ll learn that once upon a time, I worked in the music industry.

It was the nineties and the record label I helped run was called Setanta Records. The label specialised in music from Ireland. It was run out of a council flat and set up by a man named Keith Cullen. The bands I worked with included The Divine Comedy, The Catchers, Edwyn Collins, The Frank and Walters, and A House.

RTE (the Irish BBC) have made a half-hour programme about the label, which I was pleased to take part in. They were happy years for me and I learned a lot.

If you are a fan of music from the nineties or interested in indie record labels, this show might interest you.

LISTEN HERE


Cover Reveal for FEATHER

I revealed Paddy Donnelly’s incredible cover for the fourth and final book in The Twitchers Quartet at the Cheltenham Festival this weekend. Behold the beauty of Feather, the winter adventure for my birdwatching detectives.

I think it could be my favourite one, but it is so hard to pick between them. They are all incredible.

Feather will be coming to bookshops in February. If you would like to preorder a copy - and I’d be very grateful if you did - then here are all the places you can do that.

Look at these four beauties. I’m so indebted to Paddy Donnelly and Walker Books for making my stories look so glorious. I always wanted to write four Twitchers Mysteries, so that if you read them, you’d experience a year of birdwatching, and now I have. I couldn’t be more proud. I hope you like them too.

Cheltenham Literature Festival 2023

I had a very busy couple of days at the Cheltenham Literature Festival and I loved it.

It’s always such a pleasure to meet readers (young and old), and Cheltenham puts on one of the very best festival in the country.

I made a video of my adventures for each day I was there. Take a look, and if you’re wondering whether or not to go along to your local festival, I hope they pursuade you to give it a go.

I will be at the Guildford Festival in November. Come along. It will be fun.

DAY ONE of the Cheltenham Literature Festival 2023

DAY TWO of the Cheltenham Literature Festival 2023

The Week Junior Book Awards

This week I attended The Week Junior Book Awards. The Ice Children audio production was shortlisted for the Best Audiobook and although it didn’t win, we impressed the judges enough for them to award it one of only two Highly Commended badges given out that evening. I was overjoyed. I’m very proud of that Audible production.

It was a brilliant evening and I bumped into lots of lovely Author and Illustrator friends. I was especially delighted to see Penny Neville-Lee, the artist responsible for making The Ice Children into a beautiful book.

The Ice Children is Editor's Choice in The Bookseller November Issue

To my delight and relief, The Ice Children is one of the Editor’s Pics for Children’s Fiction coming to bookshops this November. I cannot wait to get my hands on a copy and see Penny Neville Lee’s Illustrations. It’s going to be so beautiful. I am hoping it’ll be the perfect gift book this Christmas for young (and old) readers. Find info on the special editions HERE.

A German Puppet Show of The Tale of a Toothbrush

The wonderful puppetry company Wolfsburger Figuren Theater, in Germany, are creating a show based on my picturebook The Tale of a Toothbrush - a story of plastic in the ocean. It will be called Sammy - Die ungewohnliche Reise einer Zahnburste.

I was sent some early production shots. It looks amazing!

The show premiers in September and will be a part of their repertory throughout the Autumn as well as touring to schools in northern Germany. You can find out more HERE.

An Introduction to The Wind in the Willows

To my great delight, I was approached to write an introduction to the new Oxford Children’s Classics edition of The Wind in the Willows. This book has been a touchstone at many pivotal points in my life, and so it feels like a great honour to introduce it to new readers.

So if your young readers are fans of my stories, but haven’t read this classic, why not get them this edition in which I wax lyrical about the importance of Mole, Ratty, Badger and Toady in my life.

The Wind in the Willows is one of my top five favourite children’s books of all time, but it’s much more than that to me. It is a sort of talisman, a song, a signpost, a crutch and a hug, bound in paper, but printed on my soul. We all have books that made us, and this one, more than most, made me.

Brilli-ANT! New exhibition at The Story Museum

My picturebook with illustrator Daniel Rieley, The Tale of a Toothbrush, features in the new exhibition at The Story Museum ‘Brilli-ANT!’  about how small creatures can make a big difference.

It was selected by a mix of young story curators, climate advisors & the museum team, as a story tackling ideas for climate action.

If you’re in Oxford, England, this summer you should visit the museum. It’s magical and one of my favourite places. You can find out more HERE.

Spark is shortlisted for the Wainwright Prize 2023!

Eeeep! Spark has been shortlisted for the Wainwright Prize for nature writing 2023! I’m hopping about like a merry cricket!

Last year Twitch was longlisted and I can’t pretend I wasn’t disappointed when it didn’t make the shortlist.

Much of my work is about attempting to conjure up stories that children will adore, and forges a relationship between them and the natural world, whilst desperately trying to avoid being didactic and keeping things hopeful. It isn’t easy.

To be shortlisted for this particular award is a dream come true and the kind of pat on the back that brings tears to my eyes. I daren’t dream of winning, but keep everything crossed for me because it would mean the world.

This is a special year for the James Cropper Wainwright Prize as it’s their tenth anniversary. To celebrate the awards will take place at the Kendal Mountain Festival in the Lake District, in September. I will be there, along with the other fabulous authors on the shortlist, talking about birds, beetles and my love of nature. If you are interested in being part of the festivities, you can find information about tickets HERE.

If you enjoy hearing a happy author talking about her book being shortlisted for the Wainwright Prize, drop in at 2:50 to the Sarah Gurnell show on BBC Radio Sussex. It was the 1st time I'd spoken about it, which suddenly made it real. That's why I keep giggling.