Gill Books signs deal for new series by acclaimed UCD Creative Writing graduate Dave Rudden
Posted 19 November, 2024
A new series by a graduate of UCD's Creative Writing Masters is set for release next year following a two-book deal with Gill Books.
Venetia Gosling, children’s publisher at Gill Books, has acquired the English-language rights outside of North America to the latest work by Dave Rudden, best known for his Knights of the Borrowed Dark trilogy.
The Cavan young adult author wrote the first chapter of the acclaimed series while undertaking the Masters' Degree in Creative Writing at UCD in 2013, and is one of had several notable graduates to come to national and international attention in recent years, including 2024 Booker Prize nominee Colin Barrett.
His new series Tales of Darkisle debuts in 2025, with the first novel Conn of the Dead coming releasing next May. The second book, Nell on Earth, will follow in early 2026.
The “spooky” new books are aimed at nine to twelve-year-olds, and follows creatures from Irish folklore in a modern setting.
The synopsis to the first book reads: “Conn of the Dead follows 11-year-old serial miscreant Conn, who accidentally releases the Abhartach monster while poking around UCD’s National Folklore Collection.
“A terrifying chase through the university ensues, as the bodiless sorcerer hunts Conn through every piece of technology it can find. Can Conn work out how to defeat the Abhartach before it regains its true power?”
Publisher Gosling said they were delighted to have acquired the “new junior horror series from Dave Rudden – set in Ireland, with contemporary characters encountering legendary monsters from Irish mythology, it’s creepy and funny and full of heart – and kids are going to love it”.
“Dave is a brilliant writer, and fantastic at events, so I know we’re going to have a lot of fun promoting it, too.”
Dave added: “Darkisle… [is] my love letter to the short, snappy, accessible horror I devoured as a kid, but with cool Irish locations and the weirdest Irish folklore at its heart. Horror is essential for kids – it tells them monsters can and should be defeated. I hope the readers enjoy the ones I’m about to unleash."
As a Creative Fellow of UCD, Dave mentors for various organisations including Words Ireland and CBI’s Raising Voices – a national mentorship focusing on uplifting marginalised voices.
He was also recently DCU’s Young People, Children and Education (YPCE) Artist in Residence, during which he delivered workshops as part of the Write to Read programme and Fighting Words, as well as did open day consultations for staff and students, and large-scale talks for local schools.
His Knights of the Borrowed Dark trilogy won the Best Senior Children’s Book of the Year at the Irish Book Awards in 2016, and was selected by the city of Dublin for its UNESCO-affiliated Reading Campaign for Children in 2017.
By: David Kearns, Digital Journalist / Media Officer, UCD University Relations
To contact the UCD News & Content Team, email: newsdesk@ucd.ie
