When in #Dublin - popped into @childrensbooksireland.ie #CBIconf25 & @gutterbookshop.bsky.social let me sell a book! Great catch-up chats with lovely people incl. @louiestowell.bsky.social & @littleislandbooks.bsky.social & got a proof of @rurooie.bsky.social 's debut #YA novel #shorelines ! #BobWin

I'm starting to plan things to do in the lead up and around the publication date of my book (Feb 2026) Children's and YA book folks, what advice would you give to someone with a debut?

I can hardly believe I'm saying this. I'm so beyond thrilled and grateful to be appointed the Emerging Writer in Residence alongside the wonderful @evemcdonnell.bsky.social as the Established Writer in Residence at Dun Laoghaire CoCo Arts www.dlrcoco.ie/arts/writers...

The Lonely Only Dinosaur by @oliviahopewriter.bsky.social and @annasuessbauer.bsky.social I'm just on the way back from the lovely launch of this book at Dubray Grafton (at which I took exactly zero photos oops)

I LOVE the @dublinbookfest.bsky.social so much, in many ways it started my career in books back in 2017 (I think) when I first volunteered at the festival. I'm unbelievably excited to be doing a school event this year with the festival, and of course it's all about poetry!

I share the opinion as pretty much any artist in Ireland; it is crucial that the BIA scheme continues and is expanded. This is just a poem about “why” for me. I’m not sure of the benefit of sharing this, other than I hope that one other person might feel heard with it. #BasicIncomeForTheArts

I love tattoos

Best part of working in a bookshop are the themed displays 📚

Me: you know children's books, name one picturebook Himself: Ehm, that one, "Well..." Me: What? Himself: You know, by Chris Haughton

I love them so much you know?

I started a new job today, and while I don't believe in signs, there were a lot of kind people who made my day brighter and made it feel all just right. A barista who gave me a mini muffin with my coffee, an adorable 3yo boy who wanted to show me his toy car and play a bit before my shift...

BREAKING: At least 50 Palestinians, including 10 aid seekers, have been killed in Israeli attacks across Gaza since dawn, sources in the besieged enclave’s hospitals say. 🔴 LIVE updates: aje.io/x0kczn

Folks I'm so late to this train but I think Breakfast On Pluto might be my new favourite film

Me: Do you think Freddie would be a f@scist? Himself: I assume all cats would be

“Carrie is a refreshingly real protagonist; she is single-minded to a fault, but is driven by immense dedication” ‘Any Way You Slice It’ will be out this September 🍰 @meabhmcdonnell.bsky.social

New @booksireland.bsky.social article is out and this time it's all about Irish young adult literature! 💛 Matched Up 💜 A Fix of Light 🩵 Rani Choudhury Must Die 💙 Skipshock 💚 Any Way You Slice It ❤️ Songs For Ghosts Link below, happy reading!

Overwhelmed to say @rurooie.bsky.social and I raised €9000 for @medicalaidpal.bsky.social... But we didn't do it alone. Thank you to our donors, without whose generosity none of this would have been possible. Thank you to our brilliant, amazing supporters for your help in making us visible!

Thank you. ▪️ 52 items listed ▪️ 32 authors, illustrators, and bookish organisations involved ▪️ 163 individual items sold ▪️ 169 donations made ▪️ €9000 (on the dot!) raised for @medicalaidpal.bsky.social

Folks we are €165 away from hitting €9000 total. Could you imagine?? 40 mins left to go... www.justgiving.com/page/irish-k...

The fundraiser ends in 2 HOURS + closes at MIDDAY TODAY. If you want to donate, now is your last chance, link below. Also, if got an email from us about the picturebook masterclass with @sarahwebbwriter.bsky.social but haven't donated yet, now is your last chance! www.justgiving.com/page/irish-k...

Hi fiction YA writers, don't sleep on this AMAZING opportunity www.ruthennis.com/irish-kidlit...

Cannot believe this. We have made more than what was possible to make with the fundraiser items, because yee are so generous with your extra donations. Thank you. We'll still be going right up until midday on Sunday. Let's see what we can do. All proceeds go direct to @medicalaidpal.bsky.social

The stuff of nightmares. You've seen so much news coverage of people in Gaza being shot at while looking for aid. Ahmed is a real person this happened to. If you have the means to donate please consider supporting him and his four children at the link below ❤️🖤🤍💚

I think about this a lot, about the people in Gaza who spent years studying and working on their craft, just to have it all stolen from them. It's so unbelievably unfair. If you have the means to support Nabil, and his children Moein, Leen, and Reem, please consider donating below.

With only 48 hours left of the Irish KidLit for Palestine Fundraiser open, we are opening up our donation link publicly, so anyone can donate directly to @medicalaidpal.bsky.social www.justgiving.com/page/irish-k...

This fundraiser for Medical Aid for Palestinians by the Irish children's books crowd is running until the 17th. It's been a runaway success and a lot of the mentoring, kids' sessions and books have been snapped up (including mine), but there's still some left. www.ruthennis.com/irish-kidlit...

I'll be very honest, I fully didn't expect us to hit this number. But yee are so close to selling out every single item in the fundraiser AND an awful lot of you have been extra generous when donating. Thank you thank you thank you.

Quick! Last couple of signed copies of @kelmenton.bsky.social's YA novel, A Fix of Light, and/or a Query Letter Critique with Kel, up for grabs on www.ruthennis.com/irish-kidlit-for-palestine. Just donate to @medicalaidpal.bsky.social and one or both or all could be YOURS! @rurooie.bsky.social

There’s a public survey open for the general public to give input as to whether the Basic Income for the Arts scheme should continue. I implore you to take the 2 mins to fill out this survey and call for the BIA scheme to be continued and further developed. ec.europa.eu/eusurvey/run...

As yee know, I do this all the time for free on social media, so to make this one stand out a bit more I'll be giving 10 book recs for each child / teen and linking you up to your local bookshop or library to make it that bit easier for you to access it.

Teachers of Ireland! If you want to start the school year off with a bang & support @medicalaidpal.bsky.social then you should take a look at these excellent school events with talented authors and illustrators. Or if you're a parent / guardian, this would make a lovely gift to your kid's school!

I'm excited. Are you excited?

I've been to one of Dave's group information sessions and he's just a WEALTH of knowledge and joy when it comes to working as an author for children's books. If you're an aspiring, emerging, or even mid-career, you'd learn a whole lot from this one-to-one session ❤️🖤🤍💚

This is why I think KidLit people are the very, very best people. They give with their hearts. They support the important things. (And well done, @rurooie.bsky.social & @sineadohart.bsky.social ...a brilliant idea, well executed & so incredibly urgent.) SIX. THOUSAND. EURO. 💖📚🇵🇸

Yee have done it again! Thank you so much to everyone who keeps donating to the campaign. It's been a whole week now, we're at the halfway mark. www.ruthennis.com/irish-kidlit... @sineadohart.bsky.social

Sometimes we forget how rich the lives were of Palestinians before this genocide. Imad, Aya, and their daughter Lara deserve to have basic dignity afforded to them that's been stripped from them along with their work, home, and access to basic needs. If you have the means, please consider donating

Explosive bullets are some of the most cruel inventions by man, a real horror to see Majd subjected to this pain just while trying to feed their daughters. If you have the means to donate, this is one way to make an impact to just one Gazan family. www.gofundme.com/f/support-22...

As someone who attended workshops by @oisinmcgann.bsky.social I can say that he's wonderful teacher and mentor who will make you a better writer (and also he's an illustrator so you get a full range of expertise! ) All proceeds go to @medicalaidpal.bsky.social www.ruthennis.com/irish-kidlit...

Five. Thousand. Euro. 🤯 Raised by children's books, and going straight to @medicalaidpal.bsky.social. I can't get over the generosity of the KidLit community - thank you all. The ##IrishKidLitForPalestine fundraiser remains open until Aug 17th, so please: keep giving! @rurooie.bsky.social 💜

What a way to end the week. €5000 going straight to @medicalaidpal.bsky.social I'll be honest, I had big hopes to reach this goal. But it's the first time either myself or @sineadohart.bsky.social have run a fundraiser like this, so I had no idea how it'd go.

Spotlighting this gorgeous Picturebook Bundle from @theobrienpress.bsky.social, still available at www.ruthennis.com/irish-kidlit-for-palestine - grab it before it's gone! Four gorgeous tales, the perfect gift for a small reader in your life. @rurooie.bsky.social #IrishKidLitForPalestine

Are you working on a novel for teens / young adults and need some guidance on your manuscript? Then why not get a manuscript critique from multi award winning @kellymccaughrain.bsky.social ?

This fantastic Query Letter Critique with @kelmenton.bsky.social is one not to miss. You can learn all Kel knows about querying (i.e. LOADS) in exchange for a donation to @medicalaidpal.bsky.social - and @rurooie.bsky.social and I will 💜 you forever! www.ruthennis.com/irish-kidlit-for-palestine

Okay no but this masterclass is an actual STEAL. You can learn from some of the best picturebook makers ever (@pforde123.bsky.social and Paddy Donnelly and @chrishaughton.bsky.social) in an online session led by host extraordinaire @sarahwebbwriter.bsky.social

My dudes, folks, people of all denominations, we have climbed the hill of FOUR THOUSAND EURO together. A team effort. Thank you all. Every cent goes to @medicalaidpal.bsky.social. And there's loads more on offer! Check us out: www.ruthennis.com/irish-kidlit-for-palestine @rurooie.bsky.social

€4000 in THREE DAYS! I'm starting to think you're all just a bunch of book nerds the way you carry on. We're flying through the donations, but don't worry if you haven't gotten to check it out left, there are STILL loads of bookish treats you can get in this fundraiser.

Alright TEACHERS this one is for you! The wonderful @chrishaughton is one of the best picturebook makers of our time and he has incredibly generously donated a CLASS SET of all his picturebooks PLUS his most recent non-fiction title A History of Information

An excellent fundraiser is being run by CBI pals @rurooie.bsky.social and @sineadohart.bsky.social to raise vital funds for @medicalaidpal.bsky.social Lots of great bookish bits on offer for teachers, aspiring writer and children’s literature enthusiasts alike www.ruthennis.com/irish-kidlit... 🍉

This is such a rare gem in the #IrishKidLitForPalestine fundraiser. How often can you say you have an ORIGINAL piece of artwork that a whole book was made from?