About

Celine Kiernan is an award-winning author of fantasy novels for young adults, and is represented by Mulcahy Associates, London. Her critically acclaimed work combines fantasy elements with the exploration of political, humanitarian and philosophical themes. She is best known for The Moorehawke Trilogy, a dark, complex trilogy of fantasy YA books set in an alternative renaissance Europe. First published in Celine’s native Ireland in 2008, the trilogy has since been published in 15 different territories, and translated into 10 different languages. In 2009 the first book of the Moorehawke Trilogy, The Poison Throne, won The Readers’ Association of Ireland Award for best book; it was included in the White Raven Collection and short listed for the 2009 Irish Book Awards in two categories (Best Newcomer and Best Children’s Book senior category). In 2010 it was long-listed for an Australian Silver Inky Award.

Celine’s fourth novel, Into the Grey (aka Taken Away) – a YA ghost story set in 1970′s Ireland – won the 2012 CBI Book of the Year (formerly The Bisto award) and the CBI Children’s Choice Award. It is the first book to have won both categories. It won the RAI Book of the Year 2013, and has been shortlisted for the Sakura Medal (English High) 2014. In 2013 the Irish Times named it as one of the best children’s books of the past 25 years. It was listed An American Library Association (ALA) Best Fiction for Young Adults title 2015.

Born in Dublin, Ireland, 1967, Celine has spent the majority of her working life in the film business, and her career as a classical feature character animator spanned over seventeen years, before she became a full-time writer.

18 Responses to About

  1. TommieKelly says:

    Hi there,
    Tommie Kelly from http://www.irishcomicnews.com here. Would you be interested in doing one of our QUICK QUESTIONS WITH interviews for the site? If so email me at irishcomicnewsATgmailDOTcom.

    Cheers, Love your work
    T

  2. Poppy Drummond says:

    Hi Celine
    Congratulations on The Moorehawke Trilogy. What a great accomplishment! I know you’re interested in the Brontes, so thought I’d let you know about a fascinating ‘debunker’ book I just read called ‘Charlotte Bronte’s Thunder.’ The author uses scholarly research and biographical clues to prove that Emily and Anne never wrote at all. What! Can it be so? Apparently. We also find out that Charlotte spoke with an Irish accent because her father was born in County Down. Not nearly as shocking as the other bits.
    Keep up the excellent work.

  3. Sanjay says:

    Hey Celine, I couldn’t find an email address for contact but I just wanted to ask you whether you recently commented on my blog?

    The link is: http://heyheyitssanjay.blogspot.com/2011/08/jiggle-dance.html
    and you supposedly commented on my post. The hyperlink in the name led me to this wordpress account which I know is you. If you did then can you please reply? I kinda need a confirmation 🙂

    Thank you!,
    Sanjay

  4. Hi Celine,
    I live 5 mins down the road from you, we share the same local bookshop! I am a newbie writer who has written my first book and just started doing the rounds with publishers and agents. Any tips?
    Really loved Into the Grey, by the way!
    Alison

    • Hi Alison, it’s a very tough market at the moment – depressingly tough – so write yourself an excellent synopsis and cover letter, make certain that your MS is as clean as possible, and follow the publisher’s submission guidelines TO THE LETTER ( you can find these on their websites) Then start subbing to the big publishers and work your way down, not stopping until you’ve exhausted every single legitimate publisher out there. Meanwhile start writing your next one and keep writing, even if you can’t find a home for this one.

      GOOD LUCK
      Celine

  5. Hi Celine
    I was lucky enough to attend one of your Fantasy Fiction workshops in the IWC a couple of years ago. The positive feedback and support I received from you encouraged me to send my work out into the world. And I am happy to report that an extract of one of my children’s stories was published in the newly formed The Looking Glass magazine recently. I attended the official launch in Trinity College last week, and met with many enthusiastic writers and illustrators! I just wanted to say thanks to you for running the workshop and I hope you continue to inspire emerging writers.
    Kind regards
    Julianna O’Callaghan

    • Juliana, I’m so sorry to have taken this long to get back to you! My (SECOND!!!) laptop died and I’m such a web-trog that it’s taken me this long to figure out how to get back into wordpress!

      I’m all over a-squee with excitement for you re the writing progress. Where can I track down a copy of The Looking Glass and get to see your work on print?

      Huge congratulatory hugs to you!!!!
      Celine

  6. Tien says:

    Hi Celine,
    I was trolling twitter when I stumbled upon Allen & Unwin tweet which led me to check your blog and then your book (The Poison Throne) on GR. I noticed one of my fave fantasy author (Kate Forsyth) rated it 5 stars, I need no further rec to add to my TBR. It looks FAB & btw, I also liked your drawing (comic?). Can’t wait to see it fully colored 🙂
    Cheers,
    Tien

    • Oh that’s so cool! Thanks so much for coming over and letting me know. I hope you enjoy the books now! (I’ll have to go give Kate Forsyth a great big internet hug 😀 ) Thanks for the lovey comment re the comic (It’s set five years after the end of the trilogy btw, so beware spoilers!!)

  7. Matthew Doyle says:

    Hi Celine I’m from Athy College, I would just like to thank you for coming and talking to us

  8. Yohana Rojas says:

    Hola Celine
    Felicitaciones por la trilogia Moorehawke he leido el primer libro y ha sido imposible encontrar LA AMENAZA DE LAS SOBRAS en Español

    • Hola Yohana,

      Muchas gracias por contactarme. Estoy encantada de escuchar que disfrutaste El Trono Envenenado. Siento mucho que la respuesta haya tomado tanto tiempo, pero la verdad es que he estado esperando para responderte una vez escuchara noticias de mi publicador.

      Tengo entendido que el nuevo publicador en español (Edición B) están en procesos de volver a traducir El Trono Envenenado (¡Una nueva traducción! ¡Genial!), y eso es todo lo que ellos han avanzado en cuanto a traducción. Sé que La Amenaza de las sombras y el Príncipie Rebelde también (Pero la verdad es que no sé cuándo). En el momento en que sepa las fechas de lanzamiento te escribiré de vuelta.

      Un abrazo enorme y gracias de nuevo.

      C

  9. Ella McFarlane says:

    Hi Celine,
    I’m just wondering if you are going to start a fourth book for the Moorehawke trilogy, i really enjoy reading these books.

    • Hello Ella, I’m so sorry for the lateness of this reply! I thought I’d got back to you ages ago and now I realise I’d just left you hanging! I apologise again and hope you don’t think me unbearably rude.

      I had actually always planned to write and sequel to Moorehawke (in fact two sequels: one a graphic novel which deals with how Christopher finally gets his vengence on the wolves, and one set a few weeks after the epilogue of Rebel Prince in which our friends travel to the snowy north to deal with a supernatural threat amoung the Merron)

      Sadly the trilogy, while having many wonderful and dedicated fans, never made the kind of money that encourages publishing companies to invest in sequels or prequels. So my plans fell to the side. It didn’t help, I think, that the sequel had zombies in it and that GOT (with all that snowy zombie action) became as big as it did 🙂

      I’ve been happily working away and publishing other projects since. But I’m still very fond of these characters and their story still itches inside me. I hope one day I might have a chance to return to them. Until then, they are the readers to play with, and I love to see the many drawings and creative projects with which Moorehawke readers keep Wyn, Chris, Razi and Sól alive

      big hugs to you

      Celine

Leave a comment

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.