News, events and a monthly newsletter direct from the official Darren Shan site. http://pipes.yahoo.com/pipes/pipe.info?_id=0242c7b404572ad6499a37fdb351a1f8 Thu, 01 Oct 2015 22:48:16 +0000 http://pipes.yahoo.com/pipes/ http://www.darrenshan.com/news/shanville-monthly/issue-182-september-2015 GREETINGS!   Hi everyone, and welcome to the September issue of the Shanville Monthly. The big news this month, of course, is that ZOM-B FUGITIVE GOES ON SALE -- HURRAH!!!! It seems like an age since Zom-B Bride enjoyed its debut, but the new book is finally here, hot as a howling wind out of hell! Expect shocks, death, twists, revelations and more. We're almost at the end of the series (just one more book to go) and as you might expect, things are getting apocalyptic! I'll be hitting the road in September, October and November to tie in with the release of Zom-B Fugitive, so check out the Tour Dates below to find out if Im coming to a venue near YOU... I'm featuring more exclusive interior art for Zom-B Fugitive... a new competition... there's the reveal of the title of the final Zom-B book... and lots more!! So let's not waste any more time with this prologue -- time to get the show on the road!     BRING ON THE FUGITIVE!       The eleventh Zom-B book, Zom-B Fugitive, goes on sale in the UK and Ireland on September 10th, in the USA on September 22nd, and Canada on September 29th. Those are the American and British covers above, by series regular Cliff Nielsen. Below are a couple of roughs for the interior art, by our other series regular, Warren Pleece. In the first, someone is offering B a ride in a boat -- is she about to leave her worries behind and set off on a pleasure cruise down the Thames?!? In the second, an old foe makes an unexpected return and gets the drop on B -- can you tell from the drawing who it might be?!?       Zom-B Fugitive should be available through all good high street and online book stores once it goes on sale, but if you wish to pre-order, here are some handy links. Oh, and if you like to buy online and get a good deal, it's probably worth nothing that at the time of writing, you can pre-order the eBook on Kindle for just £4.99 in the UK, while the hardback is almost half price on Amazon in the USA and the eBook is even cheaper... Amazon UK hardcover, Amazon UK kindle. Amazon USA hardcover. Amazon Canada hardcover.     LIVE CHAT   I'm going to be doing a live online chat on the REDDIT site on September 21st, just ahead of the official release date for Zom-B Fugitive in the USA. For two hours I will be online, answering as many of your questions as I can. I will be starting at 4.00pm Eastern Time (9.00pm UK time), although I will actually be creating the post approximately three hours earlier, so you will be able to post your questions a little in advance if you can't be online during the live part. To take part, you will need to joing Reddit (a very quick, easy process) by CLICKING HERE. Then come to THIS PAGE (the Books page) on September 21st, any time between 4.00pm and 6.00pm ET (9.00pm and 11.00pm UK time), look for an AMA (Ask Me Anything) post by TheRealDarrenShan, click on that, ask your questions, and away we go!! I'll answer as quickly and fully as I can. This is the longest online chat that I will have done to date, so hopefully we won't be quite as rushed as usual, so I can be a bit more elaborate with my answers... Please note, although the chat has been set up to tie in with the American release of Zom-B Fugitive, it is open to fans everywhere in the world.     BOOK 12 TITLE REVEAL   We've kept it a closely guarded secret, but I'm delighted to finally be able to reveal the title of the 12th and final Zom-B book, and it is going to be called...   ZOM-B GODDESS   As usual, there's a good reason why I've chosen the title, and it ties in neatly with the story being told, but you'll need to read the book to find out exactly what the title refers to, and why it's so apt. All I'll say for now is, it's not as straightforward as you might expect...     ZOM-B CHRONICLES II     In the USA, the second volume of the Zom-B Chronicles collection goes on sale on September 22nd, the same day as the release of Zom-B Fugitive. This collects the fourth, fifth and sixth books in the series (Zom-B Angels, Zom-B Baby, and Zom-B Gladiator), and is a brilliant, low-cost way to catch up on the first half of B's story. You should be able to buy or order this in your local bookshop, or else you can get it online -- I'd recommend Amazon, where the paperback is currently on sale for less than $7 -- yep, more than 500 pages of story, for less than $7!!! CLICK HERE for the deal of the year!!     TOUR DATES   I'm on tour this autum to tie in with the release of Zom-B Fugitive. I'm also going to be appearing at the Dubai Literary Festival in March 2016, and the USA World Horror Convention in April 2016, and of course there will be a big Irish/UK tour when Zom-B 12 goes on sale next spring. Here are the details as they currently stand. School events are only for invited school groups (although individuals can sometimes get in too, if they contact the school/library in advance). Public events are open to anyone who wants to come, though you usually have to book tickets in advance to be certain of a place. Public signings are open to everyone -- just turn up on the day and take your place in the line. If you plan to come to any of my events or signings, please note that I never impose any limits on the number of my books that I will sign, so feel free to bring your whole collection from home or buy loads of them on the day!   Friday 25th September Time TBC -- school event, ISLE OF MAN, part of the Manx Litfest. CLICK HERE Time TBC -- school event, ISLE OF MAN, part of the Manx Litfest. CLICK HERE 7.15pm -- PUBLIC event, ISLE OF MAN, part of the Manx Litfest. CLICK HERE   Thursday 1st October 9.45am -- school event, Warden Park School, Cuckfield, Haywards Heath. Thursday 1st October pm -- school event, Shoreham Academy, Shoreham-by-Sea, West Sussex. Thursday 1st October 5.00pm -- PUBLIC signing, Waterstones BRIGHTON, 71-74 North Street. CLICK HERE Friday 2nd October 9.30am -- school event, Trafalgar School, Hilsea, Portsmouth. Friday 2nd October 1.10pm -- school event, Hounsdown School, Totton, Southampton. Friday 2nd October 5.00pm -- PUBLIC signing, Waterstones SOUTHAMPTON, West Quay Shopping centre. CLICK HERE Saturday 3rd October 10.00am -- PUBLIC signing, Waterstones BOURNEMOUTH. CLICK HERE Saturday 3rd October 1.30pm -- PUBLIC signing, Waterstones YEOVIL, 37a Middle Street. CLICK HERE Saturday 3rd October 6.30pm -- PUBLIC event with Charlie Higson, BATH Children's Literature Festival. For more info and to book tickets CLICK HERE. Sunday 4th October 10.30am -- PUBLIC signing, Waterstones WORCESTER, Unit D, The Shambles. CLICK HERE Sunday 4th October 1.30pm -- PUBLIC signing, Waterstones COVENTRY, 50-52 Smithford Way. Sunday 4th October 6.15pm -- PUBLIC event, CHELTENHAM Literature Festival. For more info and to book tickets CLICK HERE. Tuesday 6th October am -- school event, St Patricks Gateway Centre, Patrick Street. Tuesday 6th October pm -- school event, St Patricks Gateway Centre, Patrick Street. Tuesday 6th October 4.00pm -- PUBLIC signing, The Book Centre, 25 John Robert Square, WATERFORD. Saturday 24th October 6.00pm -- PUBLIC event with another author, DUBLIN. More details TBC.   Monday 9th to Thursday 12th November 2015 I'm going to be appearing at the SHARJAH International Book Fair. More details TBC closer the time. CLICK HERE   March 2016 I'm going to be appearing at the DUBAI Literary Festival. More details TBC closer the time. CLICK HERE   28th April to May 1st 2016 I'm going to be a guest of honor at the World Horror Convention, PROVO, UTAH, USA. More details TBC closer the time. http://www.whc2016.org/home.html     BOO-HOO!!!!   The following link to a very short video clip was posted by a fan on Twitter last month, to show how they felt when reading Killers Of The Dawn -- I suspect it's a feeling shared by many readers of that book!! Be warned -- Zom-B Fugitive might elicit some similar reactions!!!!! https://pbs.twimg.com/tweet_video/CM5dNcQU8AARUwH.mp4     ADULT MATTERS   There was a brilliant plug for my City Trilogy last month over on the Barnes & Noble blog: CLICK HERE. I was especially delighted that they picked up on the Coen Brothers influence, because the book actually started life when I was watching Barton Fink for the second or third time, and felt inspired to create something equally weird and idiosyncratic. It ended up being VERY different to that movie, but I'm thrilled that some of its vibe obviously shines through, since this reviewer noted it! For those who don't know, my City books are for older readers. I've also released a one-off thriller called Lady Of The Shades under the Darren Shan name, and two more (The Evil And The Pure and Sunburn) under the name of Darren Dash -- see www.darrendashbooks.com to find out more about those. But my adult career all started with The City, a year before Cirque Du Freak was first released, so those books will always bear a special spot within my heart...     HUNGARIAN ZOM-B     There was a double delight for my fans in Hungary last month, because not only did the first Zom-B book go on sale there -- the second book ALSO went on sale! at the same time! Yes, the first two books in the series have hit stores in Hungary, and are available nationwide NOW! Sorry I didn't give you guys more notice, but I only found out myself the night before the release date -- now that's the sort of surprise I LIKE!! Some of my most passionate fans live in Hungary, and I've always had a brilliant time when I've gone there on your, so I hope you all like Zom-B as much as my other books. And if you do, please spread the word and share the grisly joy!!!   If you prefer to buy Zom-B online, you can buy it directly from my publisher, Mora, at a 25% discount: http://www.mora.hu/konyv/zom-b   And you can buy book 2, again at a 25% discount, here: http://www.mora.hu/konyv/zom-b-2-alvilag     PAUL WEITZ SPEAKS!   There's an interesting comment on the Cirque Du Freak movie by its director Paul Weitz in THIS INTERVIEW. It's the first time I've come across him talking about the movie -- as he says, it lost a load of money (primarily, I think, because they overspent on the sets, costumes and effects), and I guess people don't like talking too much about their failures. (I had nothing to do with the making of the film, so it wasn't a failure for me, which is why I've always been happy to talk about it!) I know a lot of you guys hate the film because it was so unfaithful to the books, and I can understand that -- I also would have preferred it if it had stuck more closely to the story of the books. But as I've continually stated, on its own terms I think it's a quirky, interesting little movie that does things very differently to other films of it type. When you hear a director talking about trying to make a version of a German Expressionist film, you know he's not working to formula! I think Cirque's detractors have underplayed just how experimental the film was. It didn't entirely work (largely, I think, because it tried to work in more popular, funny elements too, which clashed with the darker tones) but it TRIED to be much more than the norm, and that's why I like it, flaws and all.     FAN ART           I always like to share cool fan art, so here's a very striking picture of everyone's favourite orange-haired vampire, posted on Twitter by a fan called Jin. Plus a cool drawing of Grubbs, Kernel and Bec, the three narrators from my Demonata series, by a fan whose online handle is Saucy Morsel! The third image is a fan-created cover for Cirque Du Freak, by a talented Shanster called Steph Bral. And the fourth, of evil Lord Loss, is by Darragh Brennan. For LOTS more fan art, of Mr Crepsley and many of my other characters, click here: http://www.darrenshan.com/fanart/ Please note, I haven't updated the fan art pages on my site for quite a while, so if you've sent anything to me over the last few years and are waiting for it to appear on my site, my apologies for the lengthy delay. I keep meaning to get round to it, but other stuff keeps getting in the way. But one day, folks.... one day.     A FAN WITH STYLE   I don't get spotted by fans very often when I'm out and about, but one Saturday night last month I was out in Limerick, doing a little pub crawl, and it actually happened several times. I didn't mind -- quite the opposite in fact. I'm always happy to chat with my fans and pose for a photo. Usually, when someone recognises me, they'll ask if I'm Darren Shan (it always pays to make sure!) then tell me they like my books. But one guy had a different approach that Saturday. I was at the bar, about to take a couple of drinks through, when the man beside me said, "I thought you'd be drinking ale." When I looked at him uncertainly, he added, "Aren't you the prince of ale?!?" And THAT, dear Shansters, is the way to impress an author and make him really smile!!! (For anyone who doesn't get the reference, check out Hunters Of The Dusk.)     FREACH PARTY!     Doesn't this sound like the coolest beach party ever?!? I'm not sure Mr Crepsley or Mika would approve, but I imagine Vancha and Evanna would have a great time at it!!!! The flyer was spotted by a fan called Natalie who lives in Australia, although the party was in Bali -- they clearly do things with freakishly fabulous style over there!!! I'm always looking for non-book-related mentions of Cirque Du Freak -- the phrase seems to have entered the global consciousness since I coined the phrase all those years ago, and has been used to promote discos, theme park Halloween events, political incompetency, and a whole lot more - so if you ever see anything like this, do please let me know.     GIVE SHAN THE BOOT!     I have scoured the ends of the Earth and finally found the coolest looking pair of shoes on the planet!! OK, in all honesty, that's not a quest I was engaged in, and the photo above just happened to be sent to me by super-Shan-fan Christie Rodgers. But either way, they're still the coolest pair of shoes on the planet! Christie had them especially made, instead of getting a tattoo, though I think she plans to get a tattoo too when she's saved up enough. Personally, I'd prefer these shoes to a tattoo, but maybe that's just because I'm too much of a wimp to let anyone stick a needle in me!!!!     MAKE A DATE     A fan called Krisztian in Hungary brought the above photo to my attention -- one of my quotes has appeared in a diary there! That's a first for me as far as I'm aware, and quite a nice little first too -- I always enjoy reading short quotes like that in my own weekly diary, and never imagined that a line of mine would pop up in one! The rough English translation is: " Life is one big challenge,and only those people really know what it means to live, who accept the challenge." The actual quote in English appeared in Vampire Mountain, and it was something Mr Crepsley said to Darren: "Life is a challenge, and only those who rise to the challenge truly know what it means to live." (Thanks to Howard Kwok for reminding me where it came from!)     BARGAINS!     I always like to give you guys the heads-up when my books are on sale, and there are two great deals relating to my earlier work which I've highlighted before, but are worth another mention, since they offer such amazing good value. First, if you want to pick up all 22 books from my first two series, The Saga Of Darren Shan and The Demonata, you can buy them as a single collection from Lowplex, for just £34.99!! It's a quick, cheap way to pick up about half of my published work, ideal if you want the books for yourself or are thinking of giving them to someone as a present. CLICK HERE Second, if you're only interested in vampires, you can get the whole Saga Of Darren Shan series through The Book People UK for just £14.99!! CLICK HERE This actually works out a little bit cheaper than the Lowplex deal, but they don't offer The Demonata as a set, which means you'd have to order that through Lowplex if you wanted it. Both companies ship worldwide, and although it's obviously not going to be cheap to have that many books posted if you live outside the UK, the rates are competitive, and given the low cost of the books, the overall price is still remarkably low. It's worth comparing the shipping prices on both sites before purchasing, just in case there's a significant difference.     LIZ     I went to a friend's wedding last month, where I was snapped (along with Mrs Shan) in a most unusual appearance, as you can see in the attached photo!!! The lady getting married was called Liz, who the character (and cover star) in Zom-B Mission was named after. Liz used to complain a lot, because lots of characters in my books were named after friends who never read my books -- whereas she read them all, yet was never mentioned! To remedy the situation, I named a character in Sunburn (my latest Darren Dash book) after her, but the character was only ever mentioned in the story, never actually appeared, which was a fun in-joke. But then I relented and decided she needed a proper appearance, which is why I put her into Zom-B Mission and pushed to have her on the cover too -- consider it an early wedding present, Mrs Marney!!!!     A THIN REVIEW   I enjoyed THIS sweet review of The Thin Executioner which was recently published on Wevrul's Book Blog. Of course, I like ANY positive review for my books! But as I've often stated, The Thin Executioner is my personal favourite out of all my books, so I get an extra buzz of pleasure when it has the sort of reaction that I hoped it would provoke when I wrote it.      COMPETITION WINNERS   I drew the winners for the August Shanville Monthly competition, and the eight lucky Shansters who each received signed copies of The City trilogy are, in the order drawn:   Christines Stanley, UK. Elizabeth Eade, Canada. Caitlyn Ahrens, USA. Anders Ugland Engen, Norway. Talina Boyer, USA. James Williams, UK. Charlie-Ann Bates, UK. Shannon Tighe, UK.   There were 295 entries in total. Thanks to everyone who entered, congratulations to the winners, and better luck next time to everyone else.     COMPETITION     To tie in with the release of Zom-B Fugitive, the eleventh book in the series, I'm offering eleven prizes in this month's competition, so you've an even better chance of winning than normal. First prize will be a set of the first three audio books in the series -- these are the UK audio editions of Zom-B, Zom-B Underground and Zom-B City, which are very rare, because the publisher went bankrupt and had to stop making them! Second, third and fourth prize will a hardcover copy of Zom-B Bride, either an American or Canadian edition. Fifth, sixth, seventh and eight prize will be a hardcover copy of Zom-B Family, either an American or Canadian edition. Ninth prize will be a paperback copy of Zom-B Bride, UK edition. Tenth and eleventh prize will be a paperback copy of Zom-B Family, UK edition. All of the prizes will be signed by me. Read the entry guidelines below, answer the question... and good luck!!   1) Answer this question: "What is the title of the twelfth, final Zom-B book?" (Hint -- the title was revealed earlier in this newsletter, so scroll up!!!)   2) Send your entry to: compseptember2015@darrenshan.com   3) Put your NAME in the SUBJECT BOX when you send your e-mail -- I will not accept your entry if you don't. And make sure you INCLUDE YOUR FULL POSTAL ADDRESS in the body of the e-mail, as well as the answer. This is so that I can easily send your prize to you if you win. Please also include your age, although this is not mandatory.   (4) Closing date is midnight, UK Time, Sunday, September 13th, 2015.   (5) This competition is open to everybody, everywhere in the world, unless you work for one of my publishers or are one of my relations.   (6) You can only enter the competition ONCE. If you try to enter more than once, ALL of your entries will be disqualified.   (7) Only one entry per household -- if you send in more than one entry, ALL of your entries will be rejected. If more than one person in a house wants to enter, you'll need to make a joint entry.   (8) The draw for the winners will be made on or after Monday, September 13th, 2015. It will be a completely random draw, made by Darren Shan personally (I use an online number generator to pick the winners). I will try to notify the winners by e-mail, and will post their names in the Shanville Monthly, and on Facebook too.   (9) Information submitted by entrants WILL NOT be shared by me with any other individual or company.   (10) My decision will be final.     IT'S A WRAP   And that's it for September. Although this is an exciting month for you guys, with the release of Zom-B Fugitive to look forward to, last month was a momentous one for me. On August 4th I started the first draft of what will hopefully be the second book of my new, post-Zom-B series. This is the first new book I've worked on since Dante came along last year -- I've pretty much been on paternity leave since then, even though I've been doing plenty of editing, as well as working on the Koyasan musical. (Even in my so-called down time, I manage to be busier than most "active" writers!) I can't say anything more about the new books at the moment, or even when you can expect to see the first one in print (I'm holding back until I have more of a clue where I'm going with the story) but rest easy in the knowledge, folks, that I'm back in the saddle -- woo-hoo!!!!  I'll be back here at the start of October with all the latest news and updates. Until then, all my bloody best, Darren Shan. x x x     Follow Darren Shan on Facebook and Twitter. He also has a (very rarely updated!) YouTube page. http://www.darrenshan.com/news/shanville-monthly/issue-182-september-2015 Tue, 01 Sep 2015 03:37:00 +0000 http://www.darrenshan.com/news/calendar/uk-zom-b-12-paperback The 12th (and final) Zom-B paperback book goes on sale in the UK and Ireland in May, 2017. The title will be revealed closer to the time. http://www.darrenshan.com/news/calendar/uk-zom-b-12-paperback Thu, 04 May 2017 10:04:00 +0000 http://www.darrenshan.com/news/calendar/uk-zom-b-11-paperback The 11th Zom-B paperback book goes on sale in the UK and Ireland in February 2017. http://www.darrenshan.com/news/calendar/uk-zom-b-11-paperback Thu, 02 Feb 2017 10:06:00 +0000 http://www.darrenshan.com/news/calendar/zom-b-chronicles-iv-uk The fourth volume of the Zom-B Chronicles, collecting books 7 and 8 (Zom-B Mission and Zom-B Clans) goes on sale on 6th October 2016 in the UK. http://www.darrenshan.com/news/calendar/zom-b-chronicles-iv-uk Thu, 06 Oct 2016 14:05:00 +0000 http://www.darrenshan.com/news/calendar/uk-zom-b-10-paperback The 10th Zom-B paperback book goes on sale in the UK and Ireland on September 8th, 2016. http://www.darrenshan.com/news/calendar/uk-zom-b-10-paperback Thu, 08 Sep 2016 10:07:00 +0000 http://www.darrenshan.com/news/calendar/uk-zom-b-9-paperback The 9th Zom-B paperback book goes on sale in the UK and Ireland on June 30th, 2016. http://www.darrenshan.com/news/calendar/uk-zom-b-9-paperback Thu, 30 Jun 2016 18:54:00 +0000 http://www.darrenshan.com/news/calendar/uk-zom-b-8-paperback The 8th Zom-B paperback book goes on sale in the UK and Ireland on April 7th, 2016. http://www.darrenshan.com/news/calendar/uk-zom-b-8-paperback Thu, 07 Apr 2016 13:10:00 +0000 http://www.darrenshan.com/news/calendar/uk-zom-b-12 The 12th (and final) Zom-B book goes on sale in the UK and Ireland on April 7th, 2016. The title will be revealed closer to the time. http://www.darrenshan.com/news/calendar/uk-zom-b-12 Thu, 07 Apr 2016 13:08:00 +0000 http://www.darrenshan.com/news/calendar/usa-zom-b-12 http://www.darrenshan.com/news/calendar/usa-zom-b-12 Tue, 22 Mar 2016 19:50:00 +0000 http://www.darrenshan.com/news/calendar/usa-zom-b-chronicles-2 http://www.darrenshan.com/news/calendar/usa-zom-b-chronicles-2 Tue, 06 Oct 2015 00:00:00 +0000 http://www.darrenshan.com/news/calendar/usa-zom-b-11 The 11th Zom-B book goes on sale int he USA on September 22nd, 2015. http://www.darrenshan.com/news/calendar/usa-zom-b-11 Tue, 22 Sep 2015 18:52:00 +0000 http://www.darrenshan.com/news/calendar/canada-zom-b-fugitive Zom-B Fugitive goes on sale in Canada on September 29th, 2015. http://www.darrenshan.com/news/calendar/canada-zom-b-fugitive Wed, 19 Aug 2015 08:35:00 +0000 http://www.darrenshan.com/news/calendar/tour-details-see-shanville-monthly The most up to date tour details can always be found in the Shanville Monthly, so please check for info there rather than here. http://www.darrenshan.com/news/shanville-monthly/ http://www.darrenshan.com/news/calendar/tour-details-see-shanville-monthly Fri, 07 Sep 2012 00:00:00 +0000 http://www.darrenshan.com/news/article/the-big-tips-off I received a really nice email from a fan today:   I just wanted to say "Thanks". I am an aspiring writer, as most of us are, and the Writing Tips portion of your blog really helped me get through my writer's block of my novel. I have had some mediocre success locally with my short stories and tackling a novel seemed out of my reach. I had a thirty page detailed outline, I had written my prologue and the first four chapters. Then I hit a brick wall. I felt uninspired for around four months, so I didn't write a single word. After reading your Writing Tips, I have gone back to forcing myself to write by pages rather than time. I have found myself very much enjoying my time and making astonishing fast and steady progress. As of now I am working on Chapter 7. So thank you. Your blog inspired me and has helped me march onward.   I get a lot of emails from budding authors asking for advice, so over the space of a few years I did my best to answer as many of them as I could, covering every aspect of the writing process that I could think of. You can find the results here: http://www.darrenshan.com/writing-tips/ It's the length of a book, but it's not really a "How To" book, more of a "This Is What I Do" book. I don't think there is any one "correct" way to become an author, and I am always suspicious of people who offer definitive answers. The best I think writers like me can do is report back on what we have experienced in the trenches, and hopefully that will prove of some assistance to those who are out there fighting the good fight. http://www.darrenshan.com/news/article/the-big-tips-off Tue, 30 Jul 2013 08:26:28 +0000 http://www.darrenshan.com/news/article/movie-thoughts There were lots of posts over on my Twitter account last night, from UK fans who caught the "Cirque Du Freak" movie on ITV2. I know lots of hardcore Shansters hated the film, but I have to be honest -- I liked it. As film adaptations go (and I think a film always needs to be compared with other films, not with books) I think it worked quite well, and although you might not know it by reading boards where most of the users are full-on Shansters, there are actually lots of people out there who thought so too -- I meet quite a few new fans on tour who had never heard of me, but saw the film, enjoyed it, and decided to check out the books -- which for me is the best thing about having a book adapted. Of course I would have liked it to have been more faithful, and I think it might have fared better if it had been, but Hollywood works to its own rules and I'm of the opinion that you either accept that and go along for the ride, or just don't watch films of books you like. As for the actors, I thought they were well-cast overall, but John C Reilly for me was the standout -- I thought he was excellent as Mr Crepsley. He also really got into the books -- he read them all, and kept trying (with very limited success) to get the makers to be more faithful to them. Anyway, if you happen to be in Ireland this weekend, come see me at the Dublin Writers Festival on Sunday May 26th at 4pm if you can make it, where you can throw a question or two about the film my way if you wish. I'll also be answering questions about my books, of course!!! http://www.dublinwritersfestival.com/event/zom-b-with-darren-shan http://www.darrenshan.com/news/article/movie-thoughts Wed, 22 May 2013 08:58:49 +0000 http://www.darrenshan.com/news/article/zom-b-city-posters UK fans - my publishers, Simon & Schuster, have created an extremely cool poster for Zom-B City, which is now on selected platforms in train stations all over the country. Check the list below to find out if one of them is appearing at a station near YOU!! All of the posters will be in place until March 24th. CITY OF LONDON    CANNON STREET STN, PLATFORM 2 CITY OF LONDON    FENCHURCH STREET STN, PLATFORM 1 CITY OF LONDON    LIVERPOOL STREET STN, PLATFORM 1 BARKING    BARKING STN, PLATFORM 1 BEXLEY    SIDCUP STN, PLATFORM 2 BEXLEY    WELLING STN, PLATFORM 1 BRENT    WEMBLEY STADIUM STN, PLATFORM 2 BROMLEY    BROMLEY SOUTH STN, PLATFORM 1 BROMLEY    BECKENHAM JUNCTION STN, PLATFORM 2 BROMLEY    CRYSTAL PALACE STN, PLATFORM 1 BROMLEY    KENT HOUSE STN, STATION APPROACH BROMLEY    BROMLEY NORTH STN, CONCOURSE BROMLEY    PENGE EAST STN, PLATFORM 2 BROMLEY    PETTS WOOD STN, PLATFORM 3 BROMLEY    WEST WICKHAM STN, PLATFORM 2 BROMLEY    BICKLEY STN, PLATFORM 3 BROMLEY    CHELSFIELD STN, PLATFORM 2 BROMLEY    SHORTLANDS STN, PLATFORM 3 BROMLEY    ORPINGTON STN, PLATFORM 2 BROMLEY    SUNDRIGE PARK STN, PLATFORM 1 CAMDEN    EUSTON STN, PLATFORM 1 CAMDEN    HAMPSTEAD HEATH STN, ON FOOTBRIDGE CAMDEN    KING"S CROSS STN, PLATFORM 9 CAMDEN    WEST HAMPSTEAD STN, PLATFORM 1 CROYDON    COULSDON SOUTH STN, STATION APPROACH CROYDON    EAST CROYDON STN, PLATFORM 2 CROYDON    NORWOOD JUNCTION STN, PLATFORM 4 CROYDON    PURLEY STN, PLATFORM 2 CROYDON    PURLEY OAKS STN, PLATFORM 3 CROYDON    WOLDINGHAM STN, PLATFORM 1 CROYDON    WEST CROYDON STN, PLATFORM 2 ENFIELD    EDMONTON GREEN STN, PLATFORM TWO GREENWICH    ELTHAM STN, SUBWAY GREENWICH    GREENWICH STN, PLATFORM 1 HACKNEY    DALSTON JUNCTION STN, BOOKING HALL NEAR HACKNEY    HACKNEY DOWNS STN, SUBWAY HACKNEY    HAGGERSTON STN, BOOKING HALL BY CYCLE RA HACKNEY    HOXTON STN, CORIDOOR TO STAIRS VIA BKNG HAMMERSMITH    WILLESDEN JUNCTION STN, PLATFORM 1 HAMMERSMITH    SHEPHERDS BUSH STN, PLATFORM 1 HARINGEY    SEVEN SISTERS STN, PLATFORM 1 HARROW    HEADSTONE LANE STN, PLATFORM 2 HAVERING    GIDEA PARK STN, PLATFORM 2 HAVERING    HAROLD WOOD STN, PLATFORM 4 HAVERING    ROMFORD STN, PLATFORM 2 HAVERING    UPMINSTER STN, OVERBRIDGE HILLINGDON    WEST RUISLIP STN, PLATFORM 4 KENSINGTON & CHELSEA    KENSINGTON (OLYMPIA) STN, STATION APPROA KINGSTON UPON THAMES    KINGSTON-UPON-THAMES STN, PLATFORM 1 KINGSTON UPON THAMES    NEW MALDEN STN, PLATFORM 1 KINGSTON UPON THAMES    SURBITON STN, PLATFORM 1 KINGSTON UPON THAMES    WORCESTER PARK STN, PLATFORM 2 KINGSTON UPON THAMES    NORBITON STN, PLATFORM 2 LAMBETH    STREATHAM COMMON STN, PLATFORM 1 LAMBETH    TULSE HILL STN, PLATFORM 1 LAMBETH    VAUXHALL STN, PLATFORM 1 LAMBETH    BRIXTON STN, PLATFORM 1 LAMBETH    WATERLOO EAST STN, PLATFORM 1 LAMBETH    WATERLOO STN, PLATFORM 14 LAMBETH    WEST NORWOOD STN, PLATFORM 2 LEWISHAM    BLACKHEATH STN, PLATFORM 2 LEWISHAM    HITHER GREEN STN, PLATFORM 6 LEWISHAM    LEWISHAM STN, SUBWAY LEWISHAM    NEW CROSS STN, PLATFORM 2 LEWISHAM    NEW CROSS GATE STN, PLATFORM 2 LEWISHAM    CATFORD BRIDGE STN, PLATFORM 1 LEWISHAM    SYDENHAM STN, STATION APPROACH LEWISHAM    GROVE PARK STN, PLATFORM 3 MERTON    MOTSPUR PARK STN, PLATFORM 1 MERTON    WIMBLEDON STN, PLATFORM TWO MERTON    RAYNES PARK STN, PLATFORM 3 NEWHAM    FOREST GATE STN, PLATFORM 1 NEWHAM    MARYLAND STN, PLATFORM 1 NEWHAM    STRATFORD INTERNATIONAL STN, PLATFORM 2 REDBRIDGE    GOODMAYES STN, OVERBRIDGE RICHMOND UPON THAMES    BARNES STN, PLATFORM 3 RICHMOND UPON THAMES    MORTLAKE STN, PLATFORM 1 RICHMOND UPON THAMES    ST MARGARETS STN, PLATFORM THREE RICHMOND UPON THAMES    WHITTON STN, PLATFORM 1 RICHMOND UPON THAMES    TEDDINGTON STN, PLATFORM 2 SOUTHWARK    LONDON BRIDGE STN, PLATFORM 1 SUTTON    CARSHALTON BEECHES STN, PLATFORM 2 SUTTON    SUTTON STN, PLATFORM 1 SUTTON    WALLINGTON STN, SUBWAY TOWER HAMLETS    WAPPING STN, BOOKING HALL FACING TICKET WALTHAM FOREST    CHINGFORD STN, PLATFORM 1 WALTHAM FOREST    WALTHAMSTOW CENTRAL STN, PLATFORM 1 WANDSWORTH    BALHAM STN, PLATFORM 1 WANDSWORTH    EARLSFIELD STN, PLATFORM 2 WANDSWORTH    PUTNEY STN, PLATFORM 2 WESTMINSTER CITY OF    CHARING CROSS STN, PLATFORM 5 WESTMINSTER CITY OF    MARYLEBONE STN, CONCOURSE WESTMINSTER CITY OF    PADDINGTON STN, PLATFORM 8 WESTMINSTER CITY OF    VICTORIA STN, PLATFORM 5 BRACKNELL    BRACKNELL STN, PLATFORM 1 BRACKNELL    SUNNINGDALE STN, PLATFORM 2 WINDSOR & ETON RIVERSIDE STN, PLATFORM 1 WINDSOR & MAIDENHEAD    ASCOT JUNCTION STN, PLATFORM 1 SOUTH BUCKS    DENHAM STN, PLATFORM 2 WYCOMBE    HIGH WYCOMBE STN, PLATFORM 3 BASILDON    BASILDON STN, PLATFORM 1 BASILDON    BILLERICAY STN, PLATFORM 2 BASILDON    WICKFORD STN, PLATFORM 3 BRENTWOOD    BRENTWOOD STN, PLATFORM 1 BRENTWOOD    SHENFIELD STN, PLATFORM 3 CASTLE POINT    BENFLEET FOR CANVEY ISLAND STN, PLATFORM CHELMSFORD    CHELMSFORD STN, PLATFORM 1 HARLOW    HARLOW TOWN STN, PLATFORM 2 SOUTHEND ON SEA    CHALKWELL STN, PLATFORM 2 SOUTHEND ON SEA    SOUTHEND CENTRAL STN, PLATFORM 3 SOUTHEND ON SEA    SOUTHEND VICTORIA STN, PLATFORM 2 THURROCK    CHAFFORD HUNDRED STN, SUBWAY TO LAKESIDE BROXBOURNE    BROXBOURNE STN, PLATFORM 1 BROXBOURNE    CHESHUNT STN, PLATFORM 1 DACORUM    BERKHAMSTEAD STN, PLATFORM 4 DACORUM    TRING STN, PLATFORM 4 BISHOPS STORTFORD STN, PLATFORM 1 STANSTED AIRPORT STN, CONCOURSE THREE RIVERS    CARPENDERS PARK STN, SUBWAY WATFORD    BUSHEY STN, PLATFORM 2 WATFORD    WATFORD HIGH STREET STN, PLATFORM 1 WATFORD    WATFORD JUNCTION STN, PLATFORM 5 DARTFORD    EBBSFLEET INTERNATIONAL STN, PLATFORM 2 GRAVESHAM    GRAVESEND STN, PLATFORM 1 SEVENOAKS    LONGFIELD STN, PLATFORM 2 SEVENOAKS    SEVENOAKS STN, OVERBRIDGE SEVENOAKS    SWANLEY STN, PLATFORM 2 ELMBRIDGE    ESHER STN, PLATFORM 1 ELMBRIDGE    WEYBRIDGE STN, PLATFORM 2 ELMBRIDGE    OXSHOTT STN, PLATFORM 2 ELMBRIDGE    CLAYGATE STN, PLATFORM 1 ELMBRIDGE    HINCHLEY WOOD STN, PLATFORM 2 ELMBRIDGE    COBHAM & STOKE D"ABERNON STN, PLATFORM 2 ELMBRIDGE    HAMPTON COURT STN, PLATFORM 1 ELMBRIDGE    WALTON-ON-THAMES STN, PLATFORM 1 EPSOM AND EWELL    EPSOM STN, PLATFORM 1 GUILDFORD    FARNCOMBE STN, PLATFORM 1 GUILDFORD    HASLEMERE STN, PLATFORM 3 GUILDFORD    ASH VALE STN, PLATFORM 1 GUILDFORD    EFFINGHAM JUNCTION STN, PLATFORM 2 GUILDFORD    GUILDFORD STN, PLATFORM 1 GUILDFORD    HORSLEY STN, PLATFORM 2 MOLE VALLEY    DORKING STN, PLATFORM 1 MOLE VALLEY    LEATHERHEAD STN, PLATFORM 1 REIGATE AND BANSTEAD    HORLEY STN, PLATFORM 1 REIGATE AND BANSTEAD    REDHILL STN, PLATFORM 1 REIGATE AND BANSTEAD    REIGATE STN, PLATFORM 1 RUNNYMEDE    CHERTSEY STN, PLATFORM 1 RUNNYMEDE    VIRGINIA WATER STN, PLATFORM 1 SPELTHORNE    SHEPPERTON STN, PLATFORM 1 SPELTHORNE    STAINES STN, PLATFORM 2 SURREY HEATH    CAMBERLEY STN, PLATFORM 2 TANDRIDGE    KENLEY STN, PLATFORM 2 WAVERLEY    FARNHAM STN, PLATFORM 2 WAVERLEY    GODALMING STN, PLATFORM 1 WOKING    WEST BYFLEET STN, PLATFORM 1 WOKING    WOKING STN, PLATFORM 3 CRAWLEY    CRAWLEY STN, PLATFORM 1 CRAWLEY    GATWICK AIRPORT STN, PLATFORM 2 CRAWLEY    THREE BRIDGES STN, PLATFORM 2 BIRMINGHAM    ACOCKS GREEN STN, PLATFORM 2 BIRMINGHAM    BIRMINGHAM MOOR STREET STN, PLATFORM 2 BIRMINGHAM    BIRMINGHAM NEW STREET STN, PLATFORM 2 BIRMINGHAM    CHESTER ROAD STN, PLATFORM 1 BIRMINGHAM    SHIRLEY STN, STATION FRONT BIRMINGHAM    SUTTON COLDFIELD STN, PLATFORM 2 BIRMINGHAM    FIVE WAYS STN, PLATFORM 2 COVENTRY    COVENTRY STN, PLATFORM 1 DUDLEY    STOURBRIDGE JUNCTION STN, PLATFORM 3 SANDWELL    SANDWELL & DUDLEY STN, STAIRWAY/ESCALATO SOLIHULL    SOLIHULL STN, PLATFORM 1 WOLVERHAMPTON    WOLVERHAMPTON STN, PLATFORM 3 AYLESBURY VALE    AYLESBURY STN, PLATFORM 3 DERBY    DERBY STN, PLATFORM 1 REDDITCH    REDDITCH STN, GENERAL STATION AREA WORCESTER    WORCESTER FOREGATE STREET STN, PLATFORM WORCESTER    WORCESTER SHRUB HILL STN, PLATFORM 1 WYRE FOREST    KIDDERMINSTER STN, PLATFORM 1 CHARNWOOD    LOUGHBOROUGH STN, PLATFORM 2 HARBOROUGH    MARKET HARBOROUGH STN, PLATFORM 1 LEICESTER    LEICESTER STN, PLATFORM 1 SOUTH KESTEVEN    GRANTHAM STN, PLATFORM 1 NEWARK & SHERWOOD    NEWARK NORTHGATE STN, PLATFORM 2 CHERWELL    BANBURY STN, PLATFORM 2 THE WREKIN    TELFORD CENTRAL STN, PLATFORM 1 EAST STAFFORDSHIRE    BURTON-ON-TRENT STN, PLATFORM 1 LICHFIELD    LICHFIELD CITY STN, SUBWAY STAFFORD    STAFFORD STN, PLATFORM 1 STOKE ON TRENT    STOKE-ON-TRENT STN, STAIRWAY/ESCALATOR TAMWORTH    TAMWORTH STN, PLATFORM 1 NUNEATON    NUNEATON STN, PLATFORM 2 WARWICK    LEAMINGTON SPA STN, SUBWAY WARWICK    WARWICK PARKWAY STN, STATION FORECOURT MANCHESTER    MANCHESTER PICCADILLY GARDENS STN, PLATF STOCKPORT    STOCKPORT STN, PLATFORM 1 WIGAN    WIGAN NORTH WESTERN STN, PLATFORM 1 LIVERPOOL    LIVERPOOL LIME STREET STATION STN, PLATF CREWE & NANTWICH    CREWE STN, PLATFORM 6 MACCLESFIELD    MACCLESFIELD STN, PLATFORM 1 WARRINGTON    WARRINGTON BANK QUAY STN, PLATFORM 2 WARRINGTON    RUNCORN STN, PLATFORM 2 LANCASTER    LANCASTER STN, PLATFORM 3 PRESTON    PRESTON STN, PLATFORM 1 DONCASTER    DONCASTER STN, PLATFORM 1 SHEFFIELD    SHEFFIELD STN, PLATFORM 2 LEEDS    LEEDS STN, PLATFORM 1 WAKEFIELD    WAKEFIELD WESTGATE STN, PLATFORM 1 CHESTERFIELD    CHESTERFIELD STN, PLATFORM 1 LINCOLN    LINCOLN CENTRAL STN, PLATFORM 6 SOUTH HOLLAND    SPALDING STN, PLATFORM 1 YORK    YORK STN, PLATFORM 1 MANSFIELD    ALFRETON STN, STATION APPROACH NEWCASTLE CENTRAL STN, PLATFORM 3 DARLINGTON    DARLINGTON STN, FRONT OF STATION DURHAM    DURHAM STN, BOOKING HALL GLASGOW CITY OF    GLASGOW CENTRAL STN, CONCOURSE EDINBURGH CITY OF    EDINBURGH WAVERLEY STN, PLATFORM 11 BOURNEMOUTH    BOURNEMOUTH STN, PLATFORM 2 CHRISTCHURCH    CHRISTCHURCH STN, PLATFORM 2 BRIGHTON    BRIGHTON STN, PLATFORM 1 EASTBOURNE    EASTBOURNE STN, PLATFORM 1 HASTINGS    HASTINGS STN, PLATFORM 3 HASTINGS    ST LEONARDS WARRIOR SQUARE STN, PLATFORM HOVE    HOVE STN, PLATFORM 1 ROTHER    BEXHILL STN, OVERBRIDGE BASINGSTOKE    BASINGSTOKE STN, PLATFORM 4 EAST HAMPSHIRE    PETERSFIELD STN, PLATFORM 1 EASTLEIGH    EASTLEIGH STN, PLATFORM 2 HAVANT    HAVANT STN, PLATFORM 1 NEW FOREST    BROCKENHURST STN, PLATFORM 4 NEW FOREST    LYMINGTON TOWN STN, PLATFORM 1 PORTSMOUTH    FRATTON STN, STAIRWAY/ESCALATOR PORTSMOUTH    PORTSMOUTH HARBOUR STN, PLATFORM 2 PORTSMOUTH    PORTSMOUTH & SOUTHSEA STN, CONCOURSE SOUTHAMPTON AIRPORT PARKWAY STN, PLATFORM ??? SOUTHAMPTON    SOUTHAMPTON CENTRAL STN, PLATFORM 1 WINCHESTER    WINCHESTER STN, PLATFORM 1 MEDINA    RYDE ESPLANADE STN, STATION APPROACH CANTERBURY    CANTERBURY EAST STN, PLATFORM 1 CANTERBURY    CANTERBURY WEST STN, PLATFORM 2 DOVER    DOVER PRIORY STN, PLATFORM 1 GILLINGHAM    RAINHAM (KENT) STN, PLATFORM 2 MAIDSTONE    MAIDSTONE EAST STN, PLATFORM 1 MAIDSTONE    MAIDSTONE WEST STN, PLATFORM 1 MAIDSTONE    STAPLEHURST STN, PLATFORM 1 MEDWAY    STROOD STN, PLATFORM 2 SHEPWAY    FOLKESTONE CENTRAL STN, PLATFORM 4 SWALE    FAVERSHAM STN, PLATFORM 2 THANET    WESTGATE-ON-SEA STN, PLATFORM 2 THANET    RAMSGATE STN, PLATFORM 1 TONBRIDGE & MALLING    HILDENBOROUGH STN, PLATFORM 2 TONBRIDGE & MALLING    TONBRIDGE STN, PLATFORM 2 TUNBRIDGE WELLS    PADDOCK WOOD STN, PLATFORM 2 TUNBRIDGE WELLS    TUNBRIDGE WELLS STN, PLATFORM 2 ADUR    LANCING STN, PLATFORM 1 CHICHESTER    CHICHESTER STN, PLATFORM 1 HORSHAM    HORSHAM STN, PLATFORM 2 MID SUSSEX    HASSOCKS STN, PLATFORM 2 MID SUSSEX    HAYWARDS HEATH STN, PLATFORM 1 MID SUSSEX    BURGESS HILL STN, PLATFORM 1 WORTHING    WORTHING STN, PLATFORM 2 MILTON KEYNES    BLETCHLEY STN, PLATFORM 4 MILTON KEYNES    MILTON KEYNES CENTRAL STN, PLATFORM 1 PETERBOROUGH    PETERBOROUGH STN, PLATFORM 2 BRAINTREE    WITHAM STN, PLATFORM 2 COLCHESTER    COLCHESTER STN, PLATFORM 1 TENDRING    CLACTON STN, PLATFORM 3 GREAT YARMOUTH    GREAT YARMOUTH STN, CONCOURSE NORWICH    NORWICH STN, PLATFORM FIVE KETTERING    KETTERING STN, PLATFORM TWO NORTHAMPTON    NORTHAMPTON STN, PLATFORM 2 IPSWICH    IPSWICH STN, PLATFORM 2 ST EDMUNDSBURY    BURY ST EDMUNDS STN, PLATFORM 1 WEYMOUTH & PORTLAND    WEYMOUTH STN, PLATFORM 1 CARLISLE    CARLISLE STN, PLATFORM 4   http://www.darrenshan.com/news/article/zom-b-city-posters Tue, 12 Mar 2013 14:39:50 +0000 http://www.darrenshan.com/news/article/my-final-vampire-tour It's a bit late for a round-up of my Brothers To The Death tour, I know, given that it ended more than a week ago, but better late than never! Since this was my final tour (for the time being) for HarperCollins, and the last time (again, for the time being) that I would be touring with my vampire books, I was keeping my fingers crossed that I would be able to end on a high -- and happily that's how I did! It was a smooth, enjoyable tour. I did more fan events this time than I have done on recent tours, and it was a lot of fun to read out some of my favourite extracts to hardcore Shansters, from old, current and future books. Many thanks to everyone who turned up to them, along with all those of you who came along to my signings too.   There was an average crowd of about 100 people at most of the events, although we got about double that in Kettering, where the event was held in a cool church that had enough space to hold a couple of hundred fans. Some of the many school events I did during the tour had far bigger crowds than that -- the nice thing about school events is that you have a captive audience!! The average signing time at stores where I just signed instead of doing an event was over 2 hours, although I was signing for 3 hours on the very final day of the tour in Liverpool -- a nice way to finish up!   Touring is still the most enjoyable part of the job for me. The actual travelling around from A to B is a pain (if only we had transporters like in Star Trek!!) but meeting the fans make all the hours on the road more than worthwhile. It's such a treat to be able to chat for a little while with you guys, and to see the impact that my books are having. I get a certain sense of that at home, from all the letters and e-mails that i receive, but that's not the same as meeting people in the flesh and seeing by the expressions on their faces that my stories have touched them maybe even more than they have touched me. It's elating and humbling all at the same time.   I'd like to say a BIG thank you to everyone who made this tour happen, all the teachers, librarians, booksellers and others who worked hard behind the scenes to set up the events and signings. And a MASSIVE thank you to the team at HarperCollins who made this tour just as much of a triumph as all of the others they have set up for me over the years -- take one final bow, please, Geraldine, Mary, Sam and Rosi!!! And finally, of course, as I've already said, MONUMENTAL thanks to everyone who came along and waited patiently -- without you guys, none of it would matter a damn! I know we live in a world full of tempting distractions, so I really do appreciate it when you choose to spend an hour or two in my company when you could be off doing something else. You have made, and continue to make, my days on the road a thrilling adventure rather than a cumbersome bore!!! Three cheers for the Shansters -- hip! hip! hooray!!!!! http://www.darrenshan.com/news/article/my-final-vampire-tour Sun, 20 May 2012 13:08:48 +0000 http://www.darrenshan.com/news/article/brothers-to-the-death-on-sale-on-amazon-uk-now Amazon UK are showing Brothers To The Death as being In Stock NOW!!! If you want to buy it early, click here: www.amazon.co.uk/The-Saga-Larten-Crepsley-Brothers/dp/0007315945/shanville http://www.darrenshan.com/news/article/brothers-to-the-death-on-sale-on-amazon-uk-now Fri, 20 Apr 2012 19:40:42 +0000 http://www.darrenshan.com/news/article/guest-blog-alexander-gordon-smith For the first time ever, I'm going to allow someone else to post on my blog -- maybe this will make up for me not posting much here myself recently!! Our guest blogger is ALEXANDER GORDON SMITH, author of the Furnace series, who has a new book out called The Fury. I haven't yet had a chance to read the new work, but I'm a big fan of Furnace -- it rocked with a vengeance! So, I hope you all enjoy Gordon's guest blog, and that it intrigues you enough to go out (or go online) and pick up a copy of The Fury. High-quality young authors like Gordon need all the support that we can give! I’m so excited! This is the first post on my blog tour, to celebrate my brand new book, The Fury, and it’s on the website of one of my heroes, Darren Shan! How awesome is that!! Thanks, Darren, for letting me kick-start my blog tour in Shanville! :-)   The Fury, my eighth book, was released exactly five years to the day after my first. So April 5th was a double book birthday this year! I had a little party to celebrate, with all eight books sitting in a circle wearing paper hats and holding tiny little teacups. Needless to say, as most of them are horror books, it ended up in a mass brawl with shredded paper and spilled ink everywhere… But it was still a cool day!   And it almost never happened. I almost gave up.   That’s what I want to talk about, but I’d better start from the beginning. I’ve always dreamed of being a writer. For as long as I can remember it’s the only job I’ve ever wanted – well, that and lorry driver. I used to publish my own little books when I was a kid, giving them covers and hand-drawn bar codes. I wrote stories all through school, usually gruesome ones about serial killers that murdered my teachers (I remember my English teacher once kept me after class to ask me if everything was okay at home), and by the time I was seventeen I decided that I was going to start writing my first novel.   This novel was a nice, gentle piece about angels… that ate people. It was called Asylum, and funnily enough it was set in a place called the Furnace Penitentiary for the Criminally Insane. The plot revolved around the idea that the owner of this prison (Alfred Furnace!) had found a way to bring angels back to earth, but these angels were actually ferocious winged predators who would tear people to pieces before gorging on them. Lovely! I had absolute faith that this novel was going to instantly make me incredibly rich and famous, the next Stephen King. I was so convinced of this, in fact, that I decided I didn’t actually need any qualifications, and that I was too cool for school. I stopped working, stopped revising for my exams, and ended up failing my A-Levels. At the same time I got my results, I also began to get rejections for my novel. These weren’t nice rejections, either, they were brutal. I remember one said something along the lines of, ‘This is disgusting, what’s wrong with you? Please never send us anything again.’   I was devastated. Not only had I failed in my bid to become a multi-squillionaire author, I also had to go back to school for another year and re-sit all my exams (I did eventually pass and go off to university). And I did the worst possible thing you can ever do in life: I gave up. I thought, ‘Nobody wants to publish my books, nobody cares, I’m an awful writer, there’s no point in me ever putting pen to paper again!’ And I stopped writing, for years, because I was convinced I couldn’t do it. I had tried, and I had failed. Game over.   And that could easily have been the end of my writing career – no Inventors, no Furnace, no Fury. But I was lucky, because a few years later one of my little brothers wanted to write a book and convinced me to write it with him. That book was The Inventors, and it made me realise how much I’d missed writing. The other reason was that I started to read The Saga of Darren Shan books, and I loved them. I devoured them, like a zombie devouring a nice, fresh brain. They made me realise how much I loved stories, the pace of them, the action, the emotion, the incredible journey they take you on. More importantly, they gave me the confidence to believe in myself as a writer, the knowledge that as long as I was telling the stories I wanted to tell, and that I was enjoying telling them, then what I was doing was worthwhile whether I got published or not. And that’s what’s important, I think, believing in yourself, believing that you can do it. I swore, right then, that I’d never, ever give up on anything ever again.   That’s why stories are amazing, as well, because the theme of so many books is never giving up – fighting for what you believe in, fighting for your life, fighting for your freedom, fighting for your friends and family, fighting for what is good and just and right. The Fury is a horror novel about what would happen if everyone in the world suddenly turned against you and tried to murder you – your mum, your dad, your brothers and sisters, your friends, your teachers, everyone becomes a mindless, bloodthirsty savage intent on killing you and only you, and once they have, they go back to their lives as if nothing has happened. In this book (and in most of the books I love), if you give up then you get torn to pieces! But even in the real world there’s a certain truth to that, only it isn’t you that dies, it’s your dreams.   Giving up is the worst thing you can ever do. Humans are amazing creatures, we’re capable of doing incredible things, of achieving absolutely anything we put our minds to – anything. I honestly believe the only thing that can stop us is ourselves, that little (and sometimes huge) part of our brains that tells us we’re no good, that we’ve got no talent, that we’ll fail, that there’s no point even trying, that we should just give up right now. That self-doubt is like a nagging voice that never stops for breath, refusing to let us really go for the things we want. It’s a little bad guy that lives in our heads and doesn’t want us to achieve our goals. We have to learn to banish that voice, to lock it away in a part of our minds where we just can’t hear it any more. Because once it’s gone you realise that there is nothing to stop you, that you can make your dreams come true.   And don’t let other people tell you that you can’t do it either. If you get rejections, just remember that every single writer in the world has had them (including Darren Shan!). Put them behind you and move on, never let it make you believe that you can’t do it. Like I said, the only person who can stop it from happening is you, and that little bad guy in your head. It doesn’t matter what you want to be – writer, doctor, artist, acrobat, athlete, musician, truck driver, bank robber – just wake up every morning and say ‘I AM AMAZING, I CAN DO ANYTHING, NOBODY CAN STOP ME FROM MAKING MY DREAMS COME TRUE!’ You’ll be amazed at how those few little words can help you unlock your full potential.   I had the honour of meeting Darren Shan last year – not only meeting him, but doing an event with him at the Edinburgh International Book Festival. It was so incredible to be able to say thanks in person, and being there on stage next to my hero made me realise how lucky I had been to find the right inspiration at the right time to shift those doubts, to silence that bad guy in my brain, and to finally believe in myself again. Of course there are still days when I think I can’t do it, when that voice breaks free and starts yelling at me to give up. But at least now I know how to ignore those doubts and focus on the things I really want. I know that giving up is the only way those dreams will remain just dreams.   So thanks again, Darren, and to everyone out there, you CAN do it, just never, ever give up! :-)   To find out more about The Fury, visit my website at http://www.alexandergordonsmith.com/   And if you’re aged between 13 and 18 and are interested in filmmaking, then you might want to enter The Fury trailer competition over on Facebook! http://www.facebook.com/stayfurious   http://www.darrenshan.com/news/article/guest-blog-alexander-gordon-smith Thu, 19 Apr 2012 15:33:28 +0000 http://www.darrenshan.com/news/article/midlands-signings-added Shansters in the UK Midlands take note!! I have added two new signing sessions to my Brothers of the Death Tour, both on Saturday May 5th, the first in Wolverhampton, the second in Birmingham. For full details, see the updated tour schedule in the Shanville Monthly: http://www.darrenshan.com/news/shanville-monthly/ http://www.darrenshan.com/news/article/midlands-signings-added Thu, 19 Apr 2012 13:33:40 +0000 http://www.darrenshan.com/news/article/news-talk I will be interviewed by Tom Dunne on the Irish NEWS TALK radio channel on Thursday 19th April, shortly after 11.00am. http://www.newstalk.ie/ http://www.darrenshan.com/news/article/news-talk Wed, 18 Apr 2012 13:17:58 +0000 http://www.darrenshan.com/news/article/irish-times-article You can read my article in the Irish Times about Bram Stoker online here: http://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/features/2012/0418/1224314868286.html   Darren. http://www.darrenshan.com/news/article/irish-times-article Wed, 18 Apr 2012 08:44:38 +0000 http://www.darrenshan.com/news/article/zom-b-cover The stomach-churning UK cover for Zom-B has been released, so you guys can check it out NOW!! I hope you love it as much as I do!!! https://twitter.com/#!/simonkids_UK/status/191917921629519873/photo/1 http://www.darrenshan.com/news/article/zom-b-cover Mon, 16 Apr 2012 17:21:44 +0000