Something’s About To Blow Up was published earlier in the summer. It has been lovely to see the reaction and to get the opportunity to discuss it, and more, on various platforms. Here is an overview of some of the coverage it received over the last few months. I am so very grateful to everyone who has read and reviewed Something’s About To Blow Up – without your support, readers might not be aware of it – so THANK YOU!!
#DiscoverIrishKidsBooks: New releases for May with RTE Learn
RTÉ Learn is a dedicated resource for teachers and educators showcasing a diverse range of educational content from across RTÉ, so I was delighted to feature as one of their May picks in conjunction with the fabulous #DiscoverIrishKidsBooks campaign
Read more: https://www.rte.ie/learn/2024/0516/1449541-discover-irish-kids-books-may-2024/
On the Radio with East Coast FM
I had a lovely chat with Andrea Hayes on The Morning Show on East Coast FM. We chatted about Something’s About To Blow Up and so much more.
The Sunday Times (May 26th 2024)
Massive thanks to Aoife Barry for this brilliant, insightful interview, and her fabulous questions – I feel like she’s really captured me and my raison d’être here!
NEWSTALK FM (May 29th)
It’s always a pleasure to chat to Pat Kenny about writing so I was delighted to be on his show discussing Something’s About To Blow Up and why I decided to enter the YA world for fiction.
You can listen back here (at 02:28)?- https://link.goloudplayer.com/s/pGjMsVgPUPN2
The Six O’Clock Show – Virgin Media (May 29th)
What a fabulous fun evening I had on the Six O’ Clock Show! I’ve always wanted to get dinner served up to me on TV, and Jolene Cox’s four cheese ravioli was absolutely delicious!
Brian Dowling and Katja Mia are brilliant hosts, we talked explosions and research and the music I listen to when I’m writing. It was also wonderful to share the sofa with the fantastic Vicki Notaro, author of Reality Check.
Watch back here – https://www.virginmediatelevision.ie/player/show/723/219622/0/
Meath Chronicle/The Anglo Celt – First Chapter with Anne Cunningham (June 22nd)
Reading for the kids during the summer holidays
It’s summer holiday time for the kids – the secondary schools are already on their break and primary schools are out soon, so this week I’m looking at some recently published children’s books by Irish publishers. For the adults, there’s a marvellous anthology of short stories about the weary and pot-holed journey of finding true love.
Read: https://www.meathchronicle.ie/2024/06/22/reading-for-the-kids-during-the-summer-holidays/
Something’s about to Blow Up, Sam Blake, Gill, €12.99
For the teenage/YA crowd who have been out of school for a while now, Sam Blake’s new novel is an absorbing adventure, the second of her Raven’s Hill School novels. When an explosion in the school’s chemistry lab leaves six girls injured, the first theory is that it’s an experiment that went badly wrong. But when the gardaí launch their investigation, they suspect the explosion was caused by a bomb. But who would put a bomb in an exclusive private secondary school? Who were they targeting? And why?
Sam Blake, aka Vanessa Fox O’Loughlin, is the founder of the Writing.ie website and also The Inkwell Group and Murder One. She has a string of successful adult thrillers to her name and has been shortlisted for the Irish Crime Novel of the year three times. Her first YA thriller, set in the same school, was shortlisted for the Great Reads Award and Teen and YA Book of the Year. In this, her second Raven’s Hill book, along with a ripping yarn she tackles issues relevant to teens, like social media and toxic relationships. Highly recommended for the secondary school kids.
