I've added one more New Zealand event, in Auckland, to my Australia / New Zealand itinerary, on the evening of 12 March, at a school in Epsom.  Bookings through Jabberwocky Children's Bookstore.  Be great to see you there.

And don't forget if you're in London this week, I'll be appearing at the LSE Literary Festival discussing "The Future of Teen Fiction" with Mark Walden (of H.I.V.E. fame) and Alex Scarrow on Thursday, 11 Feb.  It's free, but you'll need to request a ticket here.

And finally, hello to the new commenters:  Maude (the French version of Ask will be called Le cercle et la fleche and looks to be out in April), Megan, Danielle, Lara and Stef.

The "really cool" thing that I referred to as part of my tour of Australia and New Zealand has been confirmed: I'm going to be on TVNZ's Good Morning programme!  What fun, eh, live TV?  I'll be appearing the morning of Thursday, 11 March, and I'll also doing a public event later that day.  I've added both to my Events page and hope to be confirming a Wellington event soon, too.

I can also announce that the German version of Monsters of Men will be called Das brennende Messer ("The Burning Knife", and not to be confused with The Knife of Never Letting Go) and will be out in October!  They've done a great job in Germany.  Can't wait to see it.

Don't forget I'll be appearing at the LSE Literary Festival on Thursday, 11 February (next week).  It's free, but you'll need to request a ticket here.

And hello to all the new commenters:  Denise, Amber, Ann, Ellen, Damla, Lauren, Ness and Isabelle (yes and no, Arcade Fire's a good starting point...)

Yesterday's interview on Waterstone's Twitter page @Waterstones was great good fun.  Lots of great questions, and they've laid them all out nicely today on their Facebook page if you'd like to see how it went.

I've also updated some of the Australia/New Zealand schedule, including adding (at last) an event in Wellington, NZ.  There should be more to come for New Zealand, too, so stay tuned!

And a quick hello to the new commenters:  Jesse, Angie, Emma, Emily and Matt (Mr) Bakewell.  Cheers!

Just a quick reminder that I'm being interviewed on Waterstone's Twitter @waterstones tomorrow, 1 February at 5pm and the questions are coming from you!  You can log on live and ask questions there, or send questions in advance to tag #patrickness.  Lots of good questions already coming in.  Don't miss out!

And, equally importantly, my Australia Schedule for my visit in Feb/March is up on the Events page.  These are all my public events (I'll also be visiting tons of schools), and booking and ticket info are included.  So, if you're an Australian fan and want to see me, here's your chance!

I expect to be doing at least one public New Zealand event, too (and possibly something else extra-cool in NZ as well), so stay tuned.

In the meantime, hello to the first-time commenters:  Luke, Stephenie, Chris and Eliza.

I went to the Costa Book Awards Ceremony last night, which was great good fun.  The Ask and the Answer won the Children's Book Award, and the very nice Christopher Reid, from the Poetry Category, won Book of the Year.  Saw lots of celebrities and went home with a big cheque!  Can't complain.  And ended up, too, with a surprisingly good photo of myself in a suit.  A rare sighting indeed.

Don't forget I'm answering your questions on Waterstones Twitter @Waterstones on Monday, 1 February at 5pm.  You can come on live or twitter your questions in advance with the tag #patrickness.

And hello to the new commenters:  Cambria (great picture!), Megan, Ingrid, Ashley, Alicia, Lauren and Ian.

This could be fun.  On Monday, 1 February, at 5pm (GMT), I'll be taking over I’ll be taking over the @waterstones twitter for an hour to answer your questions about The Knife of Never Letting Go, The Ask and the Answer, and Monsters of Men. Come online then with what you'd like to ask.  Or you can tweet them in advance, making sure to include tag #patrickness.  See you there!

Tuesday (26 Jan) is the announcement of the Costa Book of the Year, which I'm up for as winner of the Costa Children's Book of the Year.  Only one children's book has ever won, and it's tough competition, so fingers crossed.  It'll be a fun night whatever happens, though.

And a quick hello to the new commenters:  Damla, Maggie, LaylaViolet, Christie, Annie (and her daughter), Sean, Garrett and Zead (you've heard more than I have, Zead, so let's call that a tentative date for now and when I get final word, I'll put it up here). 

I've just got my very own Author Page on Waterstones.com.  It's got downloadable chapters and podcasts and a nifty new picture of yours truly.  Check it out.  And maybe buy some books while you're there. 

Busy week ahead (more when I'm allowed to tell you).  The Costa Book of the Year is announced on Tuesday.  A children's book has only won it once, but you never know!

And hello to the new commenters, Jo, Heather (May for UK, Ireland, Aust; Sept for the US), Michelle, LaylaViolet (he's talking to both him and us, I think), Chris, Mickayla, Doel (love to hear what your uncle thinks!), Stacey and Emily.  Great to hear from you all.

In addition to the Arvon Foundation writing course I'll be teaching that I mentioned earlier, I've also added a new appearance to the Events page.  I'll be appearing in London at the LSE Literature Festival on a panel discussing "The Future of Teen Fiction".  It's free, but you will need a ticket.  Hope to see there!

And hello to the new commenters (I can't answer every questions, I'm sorry!):  Skyler, Philippa (good luck with the writing), Sophie (not really, it's usually painful but necessary, you have to be fearless about it), LadyViolet, Cambria, Sian (search my name and "Booktrust" and you'll find a whole set of writers' tips I wrote for new writers!), Ciara (do a web search, you'll find loads), and Lance.

Just to say that I've added an Arvon Foundation course to the Events page that I'll be teaching the week of 14 June with Celia Rees (and Meg Rosoff as the guest writer).  It's for adults only this time (sorry!), but if you're familiar with the Arvon Courses (which are weeklong writing courses in beautiful locations), check it out.

And hello to the new commenters:  Tab, Zead (I should know soon!), Marisa (I put in your short comment, too many spoiler questions in the long one, sorry, but thanks!), Robyn, Nick and David T.  Cheers.

Lots of stuff to do about the Costa Book Awards this week, including an appearance on Swansea radio (and that interview on the BBC).  I've also been:  writing, writing, writing (new stuff, but still secret, shhhh), reading lots, having a review printed in the Guardian, slipping on a frozen country, and gearing up for a busy week ahead.  Things are percolating, but there'll be announcements soon, including my full Australia/NZ itinerary.

In the meantime, hello to all the new commenters I couldn't name individually over the holidays, and special hellos to Amber (In 'Knife', it's mentioned that the Spackle prefer to be buried in the swamp, which works best with their bodies) and a hi to Luke Campbell.  And thanks to everyone who's been leaving them!  I do read every single one.