We were thrilled to get the chance to sit down with Peter Donnelly, one of Ireland's foremost illustrators and picturebook makers, to discuss life, work, inspiration, and everything in between! Listen in for a chance to hear about how Peter was inspired by a mountain, and how NOT getting into art college was the best thing that ever happened to him. If you've ever wondered: how did Peter Donnelly come up with the brilliant idea to write a picturebook about the President of Ireland, then you've found your happy place. Come and join us as we winkle out Peter Donnelly's Storyshaped secrets!

Books mentioned in this week's episode include Peter's own:

The President's Glasses

The President's Cat

The President's Dog

The President's Surprise

The Dead Zoo

The Great Discovery

Up on the Mountain

Little Wolf

And the stories that shaped him include:

The Cat in the Hat, by Dr Seuss

The Selfish Giant, by Oscar Wilde, illustrated by Lisbeth Zwerger

The Selfish Giant, by Oscar Wilde, illustrated by PJ Lynch

The work of PJ Lynch

Monty Python, British TV comedy

The Prince of Egypt, animated movie on which Peter worked

Anastasia, animated movie on which Peter worked

Tilly and Friends, by Polly Dunbar

This is Ireland, by Miroslav Sacek

The work of Mac Barnett

The work of Jon Klassen

The Fairy Isle, by Síne Quinn, illustrated by Dermot Flynn

Beanie the Bansheenie, by Eoin Colfer, illustrated by Steve McCarthy

Our podcast bookshop in Ireland is Halfway Up the Stairs: www.halfwayupthestairs.ie. You might also like to check out www.kennys.ie for free shipping within the Republic of Ireland!

In the UK, check out our storefront on: https://uk.bookshop.org/shop/Storyshaped. Disclaimer: If you buy books linked to our site, we may earn a commission from bookshop.org, whose fees support independent bookshops.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Get ready to pull on your nonsense shoes and go dancing on the kooky side of the street as we chat to the brilliant Nathanael (Nate) Lessore, author of the hilarious Steady for This and King of Nothing for teen readers, and Solving Crimes is NOT My Superpower, for slightly younger readers. This conversation will answer all the questions you have about life, including the most important one: how DO you give CPR to a mosquito? I mean, you can't deny it's something we've all wondered about...

Find Nate online HERE

Books mentioned in this week's episode include Nate's own:

Steady for This

King of Nothing

Solving Crimes is NOT My Superpower, illustrated by Simran Diamond Singh

And the stories which have shaped him include:

Avocado Baby, by John Burningham

Burglar Bill, by Janet and Allan Ahlberg

Double Act, by Jacqueline Wilson

The Lottie Project, by Jacqueline Wilson

Tracey Beaker (TV series), original novels by Jacqueline Wilson

Vicky Angel, by Jacqueline Wilson

Scribble Boy, by Philip Ridley

Harry Potter, by JK Rowling

Noughts and Crosses, by Malorie Blackman

Knife Edge, by Malorie Blackman

The work of Flannery O'Connor

The Chronicles of Narnia, by CS Lewis

Glasgow Boys, by Margaret McDonald

TV Shows:

Scrubs

Friends

Boondocks

Fresh Prince of Bel-Air

Family Guy

Spiderman (comic books)

The work of Spike Milligan

Conn of the Dead, by Dave Rudden

The Door of No Return, by Kwame Alexander

Happy Head, by Josh Silver

Our podcast bookshop in Ireland is Halfway Up the Stairs: www.halfwayupthestairs.ie. You might also like to check out www.kennys.ie for free shipping within the Republic of Ireland!

In the UK, check out our storefront on: https://uk.bookshop.org/shop/Storyshaped. Disclaimer: If you buy books linked to our site, we may earn a commission from bookshop.org, whose fees support independent bookshops.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This Storyshaped chat is a feast for the soul. We were delighted to get a chance to sit down with Kel Menton, debut author, and talk to them all about their brilliant first novel, A Fix of Light, and the stories that have shaped not only the book, but Kel themself. We went on a fantastic trip from local ghost-lore to titans of the fantasy genre all the way to the Prose Edda and Poetic Edda - because, of course you'd end up there! Come on and join us for a fantastic meander through a marvellously Storyshaped life.

Find Kel on their newsletter, Marginalia

Books mentioned in this week's episode include Kel's own:

A Fix of Light

And the stories which have shaped them include:

The Sleeping Giant, by Marie-Louise Fitzpatrick

Cailín an Bhúrna/Colleen of the Barley, a local ghost story

The Raven Boys, by Maggie Stiefvater

Shiver, by Maggie Stiefvater

The Demon's Lexicon, by Sarah Rees Brennan

The Inkheart trilogy, by Cornelia Funke

Reckless, by Cornelia Funke

Wintersmith, by Terry Pratchett

Shadow and Bone, by Leigh Bardugo

Six of Crows, by Leigh Bardugo

The work of John Green

The Ruby Redfort books, by Lauren Child

Beowulf, the Old English epic (HWAET!)

Judith and Holofernes, the Old English poem

The Poetic Edda

The Prose Edda, compiled by Snorri Sturluson

Summer Sons, by Lee Mandelo

All For the Game, by Nora Sakavic

Don't Let the Forest In, by CG Drews

The Three Body Problem, by Cixin Liu

The work of NK Jemisin

The work of Ursula le Guin

The work of RF Kuang

Sentimental Garbage podcast - The Phantom of the Opera with Rebecca Kuang

Our podcast bookshop in Ireland is Halfway Up the Stairs: www.halfwayupthestairs.ie. You might also like to check out www.kennys.ie for free shipping within the Republic of Ireland!

In the UK, check out our storefront on: https://uk.bookshop.org/shop/Storyshaped. Disclaimer: If you buy books linked to our site, we may earn a commission from bookshop.org, whose fees support independent bookshops.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.