Went to the London Aquarium in County Hall on Saturday. I really enjoyed it -- loads of cool-looking fish! Also, Bas sponsored a piranha in my name as a birthday present this year, so my name is up on one of the Sponsor plaques dotted around the walls!!! If you're there any time in the near future, look out for me! I'm always amazed by the variety and types of sealife that you find in a good aquarium. Of course land creatures are just as incredible too, but the bizarre quirks of nature are emphasised, I think, in an aquarium, where you can see so many wondrous forms of life in close proximity to each other. I mean, how the hell did stuff like this evolve?!? Can it all just be a fluke of nature or is it the work of a greater power? An aquarium might seem like a strange place to find yourself asking big religious questions, but I've been mulling over the majesties of the universe for most of the last 36 hours, inspired by my sight of sea horses, sharks, rays and co ...

Flaw back home to Ireland in the afternoon. Picked up fish and chips along the way (seemed like the most appropriate meal, given my morning's expedition!), and ate them while watching a horror film called "The Dark". It was nothing special, but it did have some creepy scenes, and a nicely gloomy finale. Sorted through my post and had a long, relaxing bath later -- my first of the autumn. I tend to avoid baths in the summer, preferring showers, but now that the coolers, longer nights have arrived, it'll be long, hot soaks from here till April or May!!!

Did some office work this morning, then went to pick sloes. Bas and I have started brewing sloe gin every year -- it's something my Granny has done for a long time, and I like the idea of keeping up the tradition. So off I headed about 3.00pm with a plastic bag and a long umbrella with a hooked handle in case I needed to pull down any high-up branches (I didn't use it in the end). Picked 2kg of sloes before I decided to call it a day -- that will be good for 4 bottles of gin, though we're only keeping one for ourselves -- 2 went to my Granny, and one to my next door neighbour, Sheila. I love a glass of slow gin in the winter, especially when I'm having a bath -- it's WAY better than bubbles or bath oils!!!!!

Went to see "Knocked Up" at the cinema yesterday. It was quite good, but it went on WAY too long -- by the end I felt it had long outstayed its welcome, which was a pity, as I did enjoy much of it. Alas, that's a modern curse of the cinema -- as with many plays, the people involved seem to think that longer is better. But the trouble is, it almost never is.

Went to see the "Star Wars" exhibition in County Hall with my brother Declan after the film. It features lots of sets and costumes from the film. Very entertaining, though at £16, ridiculously over-priced -- very poor value for money. The best part was going to a Jedi training school, where I got to have a light-sabre duel with Darth Vader -- COOL!!!!!!

Met Maiko again after that and we went to see "Billy Elliot". This is one of the best musicals in London at the moment -- strong story, a nice mix of politics and the personal, good songs, great dancing. Only complaint (no surprise!) is that it runs a bit on the long side. Otherwise you won't get much better than this on the West End stage right now.

This morning I pottered around the flat for a while, then got the tube out to Heathrow to spring a surprise on Bas! She's been away in Bali for a couple of weeks on work, and flew back to London today. I'd told her I was going to be in Ireland, so she thought she was coming home to an empty flat. Instead, up I popped in Heathrow to give her a nice shock and escort her home. I'm just a soppy old romantic at heart!!!!! We went for a nice meal in the Skylon restaurant on the South Bank later, and now we're going to watch the Jonathan Ross show before hitting the sack. I hope you all have a fab weekend, Shansters. I'm going to be heading home on Saturday, then working hard on Sunday and the rest of the week, before I start into my "D6" tour!!!

Had an easy morning, doing bits and pieces around the flat. Uploaded lots of new covers to my web site and added some other info too -- you can find the links on my message board news forum at: NEWS FORUM

Then went to see a play called "All About My Mother" at the Old Vic, which is based on a Pedro Almodovar film. A great cast, wonderful sets, and a top-notch script made for an intriguing afternoon's viewing. Only criticism would be that it goes on too long -- it could easily have been shaved by half an hour. Unfortunately that's a flaw of many plays these days -- theatres seem to think that they'll be shortchanging customers if plays run less than two and a half hours!!!

After popping back to the flat to check my emails, I met up with my friend Maiko, who is over on a business trip from Japan. We went to the OXO tower, where we had dinner. It was my first time in there and I was impressed -- a very stylish restaurant, great views, and nice food. Enjoyed catching up with Maiko. Afterwards we walked back along the river to Embankment, where we parted company -- so, with a bit of exercise under my belt, I don't feel TOO guilty for eating so much food!!! I must say, I'm enjoying my relaxing time in London -- this is a magnificent city when you have the free time to appreciate it!!

Went for a walk down the Southbank with my brother Declan this morning, and popped into the Eyestorm art gallery to see a Willard Wigan exhibition. It's amazing stuff -- HIGHLY recommended if you're in the area!! It's next to and slightly behind the Tate Modern. The exhibition hasn't been greatly publicised by the gallery, which is a shame, but Willard's going to be on This Morning on TV on Thursday, and I think the exhibition will be featured in some of the UK papers and magazines during the next week, so hopefully that will let more people know that it's on. Unfortunately the gallery isn't open at weekends (doh!!!) but if you can get along on a weekday you won't be disappointed! For those who haven't yet been introduced to the wonders of WW, click here for a taste: WILLARD WIGAN SITE But nothing can actually compare with seeing one of his pieces in the flesh and wondering how the hell anybody could sculpt on such a tiny scale.

Went to see a play called "Emperor Jones" at the National at lunchtime. An early Eugene O'Neill play, it's a hard-hitting piece about the abuse of power. An ex-prisoner becomes ruler of an unnamed country, but is undone by his quest for power. Not a brilliant play in my view, but it got more mesmeric as it went on, and the acting was first-rate. Sets were fab too, as one would expect from the almost always A1 National.

Visited my grand-aunt Nora and her hubby Davey after the play, then did some bits and pieces back at my flat in the evening. Then I went with Declan and his wife Emma to the cinema to see "Superbad". It was a bit too long, but I haven't laughed and grinned that much during a film in a LONG time!!! At its best it's absolutely first-rate, a teen comedy that captures the carnal tunnel-vision of teenage boys, but which captures their other emotions too. If only all films were this funny and this spot-on. If you're of an age to watch it, don't miss it!!!! This reminded me of my reaction to "Ferris Bueller's Day Off" when I first saw it as a teenager 20 years ago. Fab!!!!!

After doing some stuff online this morning, I went to see "1408" at the cinema. Based on a Stephen King short story, it's a pretty neat scare flick, superior to most of its kind. No classic, but very well acted, and more intelligently and stylishly handled than most shockers. Had a nice little twist at the end too. King has used that sort of twist a bit too often at times in his short stories, but it works well here.

Walked around London a bit after that and went into a couple of art galleries on New Bond Street. They're private galleries -- i.e. works for sale -- but they're free to walk in and look around, so why not?!? I used to feel nervous walking into places like that, as if I didn't belong there, but not any more! Life's too short to worry about people looking at you snootily. I was in scruffy trousers and a T-shirt, and I'm sure the staff thought I was just some layabout killing a bit of time, but who cares? We should never be afraid to go where we like, and damn the opinions of others!!! Easy to say, I know, and I'm not a tenth as carefree as I might be sounding right now, but it really IS as simple as just taking a deep breath and stepping in. Very few things in life are as scary as we might imagine them to be ...

Assembled a shoe cabinet back in my flat (it had been sitting in its box for months, awaiting its moment to shine), then went to see a play called "Elling" at the Trafalgar Studios theatre. It's a life-affirming play about two men with mental problems who, after a couple of years in an asylum, are put into a halfway house to see if they can adjust to normal life and take their own place in the world. I absolutely loved it!!! Without being overly simplistic or cloying, it painted a picture of a world where even the most confused and lost of us can find redemption and a purpose. Highly recommended. It was a book and film previously, and the first thing I did when I got back home was order the film online. If you're in London any time over the next few months, go see it -- and that's an order!!!!!

Oh, one last thing -- check out D6 WEB SITE if you haven't already. Only fans in the UK and Ireland can enter the competition, but it's still worth having a look no matter where you live in the world ...

Went to see Spurs play Arsenal (our arch-rivals) yesterday. We started brightly, went a goal ahead, but ended up losing 3-1. SIGH. It's always bad when we lose, but even worse when we lose to a team we hate!!! Consoled myself in the pub afterwards by drinking far too many beers, and ended the night with a KFC that didn't agree with me at all -- I threw most of it back up the following morning!!!!! It's been a bad few weeks for me on the sporting front -- Limerick, Ireland and Spurs have all lost. Like many sports fans before me, I've got the feeling at the moment that I'm something of a jinx for all the teams I support ...

Was very sore-headed this morning -- felt really ill, and just lay in bed until about 3.00pm!!! Then, luckily, I recovered and went for a long walk along the South Bank with my uncle Derek, his wife Shirley, and their son Pearse (who has a VERY extensive vocabulary for a 3 year old -- one might even say he's a child prodigy!!!!). There was a big festival along the southern part of the river Thames in London today, so the bank was full of stalls, performers and people. It got a bit congested in parts, but overall it was lovely to see so many people out and having a good time. Enjoyed a leisurely stroll, had a few drinks (but only a few!), ate a pork bap and an ice cream, then got back home about 9.00pm and had some noodles for supper.

I often get emails and letters from people claiming to be my 1 fan, but one guy's who's gone quite a way further in his fanship than most! His name is Justin, and he decided to get a large tattoo of the cover image of "Lake of Souls" on his shoulder!!!! You can check it out here: Justin's Tatoo Justin isn't the first fan to get a tatto from one of my books (Leah in Edinburgh beat him to the punch) but to the best of my knowledge this is the largest to date. Now, before any of you set out to try and "beat" Justin, let me just state for the record that tattoos are for life and you shouldn't rush into gettting one without giving it a LOT of thought. But if any of you DO decide to get a tattoo based on one of my book covers, do please let me know and I'll post the efforts here for everyone to admire.

Came over to London yesterday to spend a bit of time in my flat -- I haven't been here much since I bought it. Spent the afternoon planning some shows that I want to go to, and lining up some movies too -- God bless "Time Out", the 1 guide to everything worth seeing in London!!! Stayed in for the night and watched some TV, including a film bu Nick Broomfield called "Ghosts", a true story about illegal Chinese immigrants who died in an accident in England a few years ago. Very well made -- really gave viewers an insight into the lives these people live.

Did a short interview for Waterstones this morning -- just a quick few words of thanks, to be shown to a lot of Waterstones staff at their next sales conference. Bookselling is a huge and complex business. Books don't just magically appear on shelves in book stores -- publishers have to pitch, get book stores interested, keep trying to get them enthusiastic ... I don't have much to do with that side of things, but I'm always happy to get involved when asked -- after all, you guys can't get your hands on my books if we don't first persuade booksellers that it's worth their while stocking them!!!

Went to collect some paintings that I bought a while ago after that. It's nice walking through London now -- the weather is lovely, but because it's September, there are nowhere near as many tourists as there were a month ago, so you can walk about much more freely. I actually saw the Queen's Guard setting out for the changing of the guard -- the first time I've ever seen that!! It's a real touristy thing, something most Londoners would never bother going to see, but they happened to be setting off when I was walking past, so I stopped for a minute to join the crowds of tourists and have a quick peek. It was surprisingly quite impressive! I wouldn't go out of my way to catch it, but if I'm around that area again at the time they march, I'll certainly pause to have a look.

After my brief flirtation with tourism, I then went to have a look at the British Art Fair exhibition at the Royal College of Art. Lots of cool stuff on display, though I didn't buy anything. Nice to just look around and see a very differing display of styles. After that I walked back to my flat, all the way through Hyde Park and St James' Park. It was a lovely, hour-long walk. I don't know that part of London very well, so I was seeing much of it for the first time -- at least by foot (though I've driven by it all before). There really is no better way to see a place than by walking around it.

Checked my emails back home, then went for dinner in a nearby noodle bar called Aji, which is almost the same as Wagamama. I got a shock when I walked in -- I was the only customer there!!! That's the first time that's ever happened to me! Another guy came in during my meal, but for most of it I was all on my ownsome! I liked it, to be honest. I always feel a bit awkward if I eat by myself in public. It's fine in a fast food place, like Burger King or KFC, but I feel strange in a proper restaurant. This was ideal -- there was nobody to stare and give me "Awww ... he's eating all by himself ... he must have no friends and must be the loneliest guy in the world" looks!!!!!

I finished the day off by going to see the musical adaptation of "Lord of the Rings". Oh dear. They've spent a fortune on the sets, and I have to say they ARE impressive. But telling the whole LOTR story in less than 3 hours was never a good idea. I didn't mind the fact that they trimmed it down so much (they had to), but what they left in didn't really work. The story is epic, most of it taking place on the road, and it was difficult to capture that movement on stage. At times, if you had never read the books or seen the films, I doubt if you would have known what was supposed to be happening! Most of the acting was pretty lame. The songs were forgettable. The script was laughably bad in places. Apart from the sets, a well-cast Gollum, and a fairly decent last half hour, it was a poor piece of theatre. The National did a great two-part adaptation of "His Dark Materials" a few years ago, a trilogy of books almost as epic in scale as LOTR, which proved it IS possible to put a top-notch fantasy book onto the stage. But where that struck every good note (starting with a decent script and a good cast), this one unfortunately hit mostly bum notes. I suspect a lot of people will continue going to it, purely because they're curious to see what it's like, but I definitely wouldn't recommend it, especially not at the prices they're charging!! Read the books or watch the films again -- they're FAR superior to this glossy, expensive turkey.

Finished editing book 10 of "The Demonata"!!! Didn't think I'd finish it today -- I figured I'd be working on it for at least another couple of days -- but I got sucked into it and ended up working on it until 11.00pm!!!! I'm not going to say too much about it (since it's not going to be published for another two years!!), except I think it may well be the epitome of all thing Darren Shan! Action, bloodshed, betrayal, twists, cosmic shenanigans, death (LOTS of death) ... all the ingredients of my best books, all mixed up in one furiously paced, brutal little package. I know some of you were disappointed by the end of "Tha Saga", since you were expecting more action and violence, and a climactic showdown that never quite materialised (because that wasn't the way I wanted to end that particular storyline; personally I loved and still love the ending, and wouldn't finish the series any other way even if I was given the chance to do it all over again, but I can certainly see why some of you didn't share that view). But I don't think anyone's going to be in two minds about this one. It kicks ass. BIG TIME. And I think you're all going to have as much of a ball with it as I have!! A brave, foolish, dangerous prediction, I know, but I'm going to stand by it -- and in two years, you'll all see why!!!!!

Saw the end of season 7 of "Frasier" last night. Once again, I thought it was an excellent season overall. I've kept expecting the levels to drop, but so far so good. From reports from other fans, I think it's peaked now and the remaining series aren't so good. But for the moment I'm in Frasier-heaven and loving it!!

Watched another episode of "House" today and saw Ireland lose 1-0 to the Czech Republic, which just about guarantees that we won't qualify for the European Championships now. So it's going to be another summer of disappointment for me and all the other Irish fans next year. *SIGH* Oh well, we're pretty used to that by now. We just have to hope the FAI get in a decent manager ASAP and that he manages to turn around the fortunes of a team in football freefall ...

Pretty chuffed with myself for finishing book 10 today. It's been quite a while since I pushed myself that hard. I'm going to treat myself to a few days off now, catch some shows, go to a match, take things easy. I've earned it!!!!

Edited more of book 10 of "The Demonata". It's hot stuff!!! I'd forgotten most of what happens in the book, having only written one draft prior to this and not having worked on it for a year. I'm surprised by just how smoothly paced, action-packed and nerve-tingling it actually is!!! I'm pretty sure that book 9 will leave some fans muttering about its slow middle section, but I think after the last third of that book and the first half of book 10, all mutterings will be swiftly forgotten!!! I think this may well be my favourite book out of the entire series, delivering the sort of kick-ass, all-guns-blazing finale that many readers thought book 12 of "The Saga" would be like. At the risk of jinxing myself, I believe this series will end on a triumphant, fan-pleasing high ... albeit with a nice, unpredictable twist at the very end, of course!!!!!

Saw another episode of "House" and the movie "28 weeks later". I wasn't expecting too much from it -- I liked the first film, but didn't think it was as great as many people did -- but was pleasantly suprised. While the second half was quite standard zombie fare (small group on the run, encountering one gang of zombies after another), the first half worked brilliantly -- it was incredibly dark, revolving around Robert Carlyle's character, the grim choice he made, and the price he paid. A pity that the second half couldn't match the first, but still, overall, it was one of the better zombie flicks I've seen in recent times, and I'd definitely recommend it for those with a HIGH gross-out factor!!!!

Received the following email from the winner of a recent Shanville Monthly competition:

I just wanted to say thank you for the t-shirt and book from the Shanville August contest. I'm actually sorry I didn't get to write this sooner after I received them but going back to Uni for the autumn term occupied most of my free time. So, thank you; but not just for the book and t-shirt, but for writing these two series. I can't actually believe I've been reading Darren Shan for 8 years now. That, and following everything else in the Darren Shan universe: reading the Shanville Monthly religiously pretty much every month, entering most contests, interacting with Shan-fans on the message board (under the guise manufan, ages ago), seeing you in person at the Elizabeth Library in New Jersey for the book 7 USA tour, and even at one point creating interactive flash quizzes for your books. Thank you once again, David Hitchings. p.s please tell Mr. D.B Shan that I cannot wait for the third book, that the first two were two of the best books I'd read in a while.

I really like it when a genuine fan wins one of my competitions. I also like it when I hear from fans who've been with me over the course of several years -- I always hope that readers will stick with my books as they grow older, but I'm sure the vast majority don't. I get a real buzz when I hear that a fan has stuck by my stories even while their lives are changing, as they're growing up and going to uni or getting jobs or having kids or ... It's an amazing privilege to be part of the life of you guys, to have you give me your time and attention when there are so many other things in the world you could be focusing on. So, many thanks David for reminding me of why I spend so much time sitting at a PC in a little world of my own. There are times (I'm sure every writer feels this way) when I feel like I'm wasting my life, that I'd be better off working in a job where I got to have more social interaction with other people. But when I get emails or letters like this from you guys, or when I get to meet you in person at a signing or event ... then I realise that there isn't anything else I'd rather be doing with my time. Telling a load of tall stories might not matter much in the grand scheme of things. But those stories matter to you guys. And that matters to me. And that makes me feel worthwhile.

Night night folks, and thanks -- for giving this writer's life meaning.

Finished my cleaning duties by sweeping and vaccuming downstairs. Also ran a duster over the blinds -- oh the excitement!!! I wonder if all writers lead as thrilling and action-packed a life as me?!? Actually, I'm pretty sure most writers are much the same as I am, doing their own chores around the house when they're at home, mowing their lawns, etc. No matter how extraordinary a writer's world might be in their stories, in real life we share the same world as everyone else. We go through the same daily routines as everyone else, preparing meals, taking out the rubbish, brushing our teeth, and so on. Maybe some successful authors go the celebrity route and have household staff to see to their every need, and just lie around doing nothing and being waited on when they aren't working. But I think they're few and far between. To make it as a writer, you need to work hard and be very disciplined, and I think that hard work and discipline helps keep the vast majority of us grounded. I've met a lot of writers over the last 7 or 8 years, and they've virtually all been very polite, nice, normal types of people. Maybe that's why the general media takes such little notice of us -- we're just too ordinary to be of common interest!!! And that's a good thing. Fame is, for the most part, a distraction, and distractions are bad for writers. A dusty floor that needs sweeping -- that will only take a few minutes out of your day, and leave you free to focus on your work. A team of papparazi camped outside your front door -- that's going to seriously affect your writing!!!! Crave not the attention of the mass media, O young and dreamy authors, or you might just get what you wish for -- and live to regret it ...

Saw the film "You, me and Dupree", which was so-so -- easy-going entertainment, but half an hour longer than necessary. I much preferred "Office Space" which I saw yesterday -- I've still been chuckling over bits of that today! Also saw another episode of "House" and I'm off to watch a few more episodes of "Frasier" in a while.

On the reading front, I finished reading "H.I.V.E." by Mark Walden and I can thoroughly recommend it. A neat idea, cleverly executed, with plenty of cool gadgets and a nice smattering of action. Not as tight as it might have been, but I think that's a common flaw of most debut novels. It was certainly the case with me -- I'm sure if I went back and re-edited my first few "Saga" books that I could find lots of ways to sharpen things up. It's amazing the difference a bit of tweaking can do. I'm editing book 10 of "The Demonata" at the moment, and although I'm not making any big changes, I find things to adjust in virtually every paragraph. The more experience you get under your belt, the more ways you find to make your stories flow. It's often tiny things, like not using the same word twice in successive sentences, or not just putting HE SAID or SHE SAID after quotation marks all the time but finding something more expressive, or taking a few words out of a line. Tiny, tiny changes, but over the course of a book they all add up, and they make the difference between a book flowing smoothly and a book moving forwards in fits and starts. You can never over-estimate the importance of the editing process. I only truly began progressing as a writer when I went back and wrote second drafts and edited them. First drafts are a crucial part of the writing process, but there's so much more about the business that you only learn by editing. For those looking for advice, here's a big tip -- the sooner you make the decision to move on to the editing process, the quicker you'll make the leap from being able to write a halfway decent first draft to being able to write a polished, professional, PUBLISHABLE finished book ...