After a nice Irish breakfast in local restaurant, the Cherrywood Inn, Bas and I took our Taiwanese guests to meet my Dad and grandparents. We then went for a short walk (the walk Bas and I do most days) -- our neighbour's dog, Goldie, came along to keep us company, which added to the fun!! Then we went to Limerick to do the Angela's Ashes walking tour, in which a guide takes you to some of the places mentioned in the famous book, and talks about Frank McCourt, Limerick, etc. I was very impressed by it, even though I haven't yet read the book -- highly recommended to anyone who visits Limerick. After that we had a bite to eat, then took the ladies to the airport and waved them off. Back to normal life now!!!

I received an email from a fan a while ago complaining that I only printed emails from converts, i.e. people who didn't like reading before they read my books!! So, for those of you who are natural lovers of reading, here's one from a fan in the States, called Angela, who wasn't a reluctant reader before encountering my novels!!!

I read your blog entry from a mother who was ecstatic because you got her child hooked on reading, and I'm in the same boat...except I'm the child. In my eighth grade literature class, we had to pick out a book for "free reading" or whatever they called it back then. I have always had a love for vampires and demons, so when I found "Cirque Du Freak," I had to get it. I then found myself reading book after book, due to the fact that they are so hard to put down. Unfortunately I only got up to about book 4 when school got out, and my life got somewhat preoccupied over summer. I've always had that "special" place in my heart for "Cirque Du Freak", but for some reason I never went back and finished the series. That was when I was about 13, I'm now 16 and this year I went to the library and found "Lord Loss" from The Demonata series. When I realized it was yet another book written by none other than you, I had to get it. I fell in love by the tenth page. Once I finished that book, I had to wait to get "Demon Thief", and the wait was killing me. And when I finally got it, I finished it in a day. The next day I got "Bec" because my school library only has one copy of "Slawter", which was already checked out. I figured that I'd be able to read "Bec" and then go back and read "Slawter" because they're all... connected, but not in any specific order. I just finished "Bec" last night, and now I'm sad. That's how I always am when I finish one of your books. I have the tendency to get caught up in the story, pretending I'm actually a part of it. And because I'm so in love with your books, I want to keep reading them all day long. Then when I'm done I get that kind of... "Awwwww, it's over already" feeling. And now I'm anxious to read "Slawter" and "Blood Beast", especially because the next book comes out so soon.

I guess I'm basically just emailing you to express how amazing your works are. Not only are your books so good simply because of your writing ability, but there are other, more specific reasons I'm in love with them. I think one of the reasons I love The Demonata is, of course due to the demon-packed action, but also because if you read "Lord Loss", the uncle is this mysterious man named Dervish. You don't learn much about who he is, or what his past was like. But then you read "Demon Thief" and you meet Dervish as a teenager. I love that, I didn't expect him to show up at all. When I started the book, I thought they'd all be completely different. And to a certain degree, they are. Yet you find a way to tie them all together.

It's kind of strange for me to be so into books aimed towards young-adults more or less. I'm the type of person who is usually interested in non-fiction (usually about serial killers and such... I want to be a criminal psychologist), or books that are fictional, but based on something real in history. The Hobbit was actually my favorite book-until I read The Demonata! Your stories are just so well written and interesting that I can't help but fall entirely in love with them. As I'm reading I wish I was in that world, where demons, vampires and all other sorts of imaginary creatures exist.

Well, enough about me. I'm sorry this is so lengthy. I just thought I should tell you that you are such an amazing author, and I plan on reading every book you've ever made available to the public.

Awww ... that's lovely!! But just to prove that I'm still reaching the reluctant readers too, here's another email from a fan who wasn't a big reader until she found her way into my dark, twisted world!! Let's hear from Katie, in the UK:

I started reading in year 6/7, and it really helped me with my literature and it also helped with getting good grades, as before your series I wasn't interested in english and books, but when I read them, I got in to english literature straight away! Now I am in year 7 it really helps, and your books left me in amazement, awe, excitement and on several events tears! Thank you for writing these books -- they are the best books ever! I look at the world differently, in a good way!, and I am on to your demonota series now (Lord Loss etc.) My parents can see an improvement with my english too, so I'm really happy!

That last line from Katie also explains why I print more emails from fans in her situation than I do from long-term fans of reading. I don't feel the need to preach to the converts -- those of you who have always had the reading bug don't need to be told how exciting reading can be. I get lots of emails from fans every day, saying how much they like my books -- if I printed them all, I'd just be acting like the most egotistical man on the face of the planet -- "Look!! Here's another letter to prove how brilliant I am!!!!!" The reason I print letters by people like Katie is to hopefully help other reluctant readers find their way into my world -- and, no, it's not just so that I can make money from them!!!! Like most people involved in the world of books, I love reading, and I love to see other people reading. I think there's a book for everyone, that even the most reluctant of readers can be converted if you give them the right book -- the book that's right for them. I know a lot of teachers and parents mistrust my books, and dismiss them as horrible horror tales, devoid of depth and meaning. By printing emails like Katie's, I hope to reach some of those, that they'll come across this blog, or have it pointed out to them by their students. And if they read testimonials from kids who had reading problems, or from parents or teachers or librarians of kids like that... kids who overcame those problems when someone took the time to introduce them to a book that would excite them and fire their imagination... then maybe they'll take a chance on my work and give a copy of Cirque Du Freak or one of my other books to the "problem" child. I'm not saying I'm the answer to every reluctant reader out there -- of course I'm not!!! But there ARE lots of kids who will be more willing to gamble on a blood-and-guts type story than on other, more traditional tales. My books have a kind of dangerous, forbidden feel -- and that's exactly what appeals to a lot of children and teenagers who think that reading's only for geeks!!