Robert Paul Weston

The story (and research) of A Rhyme in Time

As mentioned elsewhere, A Rhyme in Time was my “lockdown novel“. Unfortunately, the economic pressures of the pandemic also saw Zorgamazoo‘s publisher, Razorbill Books, cease operations, merging with…

A Rhyme in Time

As some reading this may know, in 2008 I published the small, strange, children’s fantasy-in-verse, Zorgamazoo. It’s the story of Katrina Katrell, an adventure-obsessed girl, who teams up…

The Stinging Fly Summer 2024

On returning to short fiction

This post is about going back, after many years, to writing short stories. I’ll include some insights into my process that may be of use to writers wrestling…

How much money does a book make?

At the time of this writing, Penguin Random House, one of the largest publishers in the world, seeks to purchase Simon & Schuster (which, after PRH and Harper…

Joining the University of Lincoln

Lincoln. Not just the name of a dead president. For nearly a thousand years before his John Wilkes Booth put a bullet in him, “Lincoln” mostly referred to…

Bank Street College’s Best Children’s Books of the Year, 2021

For over a century, New York’s Bank Street College of Education has been a bastion of childhood achievement. Their programmes “combine the study of human development, learning theory,…

Zorgamazoo on The New Yorker Radio Hour

Back in the spring of 2020, a little twitter thread made me smile: It still cracks me up. It also makes me wonder. How would you take Zorgamazoo?…

Natsumi’s Song of Summer

A pair of cousins separated by language, continent and culture meet for the first time when Jill travels to Japan to visit her far-flung cousin. Natsumi’s nervousness about…

10 great picture books about Japan

In collaboration with illustrator Misa Saburi, I’ve put out my first picture book! Having only published novels and short stories, it was a welcome change. It’s so gratifying…

Prince Puggly in French

I’m proud to announce the French translation of Prince Puggly of Spud and the Kingdom of Spiff is now available from Editions Seuil in Paris. In French, Prince Puggly is…