Cavan author lands six-figure international book deal

Jenny McGovern

Bawnboy native Dave Rudden (26) has landed a lucrative book deal which hopefully will rival the Harry Potter series. The Borrowed Dark is a fantasy adventure trilogy aimed at youngsters aged 11 upwards, and has secured Dave a six figure, three book deal with Puffin Publishing.
Dave has lived in Dublin for the past eight years but assures the Celt that despite being labelled a Dub by the Irish Independent, he’s 100% a Cavan man.
“My feet haven’t touched the ground,” he says in a soft Cavan accent, of his book deal. “I’m completely overwhelmed by it, it’s just incredible. You don’t dare to dream that something like this could happen.

'The idea for the book has been knocking about in my head for a few years, I’ve always wanted to write for teenagers. The original idea was very different, it started to come together when I was doing my Masters in Creative Writing in UCD, I had to complete an assignment where I had to write the first chapter of a novel, so it’s been germinating ever since and has been in its current form for about a year.”

Orphanage

The Borrowed Dark focuses on the life of Denizen Hardwick who, on his 14th birthday, is summoned from the orphanage he grew up in by a mysterious aunt he never knew existed. It becomes immediately obvious that there is more to his world than Denizen ever imagined and he soon finds himself among the Knights of the Borrowed Darkness, an ancient order that protects the world from the dark realm of the Tenebrae and their powerful master, the Endless King.

Incredible
On the subject of his trilogy rivalling J.K Rowling’s hugely successful Harry Potter collection, Dave remains humble.
“Her books are incredible and I’m a huge fan of the series, they brought a generation back to reading,' said Dave.

'Now there’s a huge upsurge in young adult books and it’s because of her writing. If in a few years people are talking about my books the way they talk about the Harry Potter series, I’ll be over the moon.”
Dave, who happened to do a stint of work experience with The Anglo-Celt many moons ago, has signed the three book deal with Puffin Publishing which will distribute to Ireland, the UK and the United States, it will be available in Spring 2015.