Sorry it's taken me so long to get round to this, but the last half of the tour was full-on, and I've been bouncing about the place since finishing!! Anyway, after a hugely successful stint on the south coast, I flew up north and had an equally enjoyable and busy time up there. Newcastle was first up, where I did a couple of schools and a big public signing in the massive Metro Centre -- how big IS that place?!? I did a multi-school event in Kendal the next day -- several schools came to the Kendal leisure centre and I addressed them all at the same time. I really like this format, and we're going to try and do most of our school events this way in the future in the UK and Ireland -- because we get so many requests, it's the fairest, easiest and only way to fit in even a fairly good number of them. By bringing several schools together at the same time, we give far more groups a chance of seeing me -- it's impossible to visit every single school or library that asks for me. So any of you thinking of sending in a pitch for me to my publishers, please note that a willingness to travel (or if you have access to a large venue and you're prepared to help accomodate other groups) will bump you WAY up the waiting list ...

I did a talk and signing in Preston on Friday evening, in a court!! No, not a tennis court -- a court where a judge and jury hear trials!!!!! It was a fun, interesting location, a bit different to my usual type of venue, and I enjoyed the setting tremendously!! It was on to Leeds after that. I got a good night's sleep, while my publicist Geraldine was up dancing the night away with Chris Moyles (heh heh -- sorry, Geraldine, I couldn't resist!!!!). Did two good signings the next day, in Wakefield and Leeds, then went on to Manchester, where I did a big public signing on Sunday at WHSmith in the Arndale centre, then signed stock at 3 more shops later in the day. On Monday we finished up in York, where I did one final school event (I finished with my favourite scene, the hand-biting one from "Cirque Du Freak"), and one last public signing in the afternoon ... and that was that!!! Overall it was an excellent tour -- huge turnouts, lots of copies of "Demon Apocalypse" bought by fans, no crap schools (I usually get at least one stinker, but this time they were all top-notch!), nice hotels, perfect organisation. It was busy, but much less so than my massive "Blood Beast" tour, and I enjoyed it much more than I thought I would. Also, because it was half the length of the BB tour, I never got to the stage where I was sick of signing copies of the book! I have to admit, after 3 weeks of writing similar messages in endless copies of BB, I could have quite happily never looked at another copy of that book again!!! But I don't feel that way with "Demon Apocalypse". Maybe I'll stick to the 10 or 11 day tours in future, to keep things more interesting for myself -- I always think that if an author's having fun on the road, that comes through, and people enjoy his events and signings more. I was able to do a lot more talking to people in lines on this tour, because I wasn't as exhausted as I was in the last half of the BB tour four months ago!!!!

As always, endless thanks to Geraldine, Mary, Catherine and Emma for organising the tour, escorting me around, and ensuring everything passed as smoothly as possible. And everybody else who helped out in any way, shape or form along the way -- you're too innumerable to mention, but I appreciate the input of each and every one of you!!! And, of course, my greatest thanks as ever to those of you who turned up to say hello to me, whether you were a long-established fan who'd seen me before (and I met some fans who'd seen me 7or more years ago!!), or a brand new fan who was coming to meet me for the first time. You guys are what it's all about at the end of the day, and as long as you lot keep turning up, so will I!!!!

Got back to London on Monday night, then went to visit Bas's aunt the next day. Mary is a Carmelite nun -- she lives in an enclosed order in a convent near Norwich. We spent a couple of days there, chatting with her and relaxing. It was a nice way to calm down after the tour! We also got to visit Banham zoo, which impressed us both -- if you're in the area, it's definitely worth a visit! We got back to the flat late on Wednesday, then strolled around central London for a while today, before going to see a new version of "Glengarry Glen Ross" at the theatre. Jonathan Pryce is the star. I've seen him before on stage and he was electric, and he was brilliant as usual tonight -- he's one of the most commanding and charismatic actors I've seen live. If you can ever catch him (in anything), do. He could make even the dullest of plays seem like a classic! And in a strong play like GGR, he leaves you feeling dazed and slightly awed.

The tour is over -- and it's been a brilliant one!!! I planned to write up a full report of what I've been up to for the last few days, but it's after 11 at night and I'm exhausted -- so I'm afraid it'll have to wait! And I'm off to spend a couple of days with Bas's aunt (she's a Carmelite nun, who lives in an enclosed order in the middle of nowhere) so it'll be Wednesday night or Thursday before I can get round to it. Sorry -- but that's one of the downsides of life on the road!

Apologies also for not being able to reply to any of your emails over the last ten days or so. As I make clear on my site, I don't respond to most emails, since it's just not possible. But (off the record -- so don't tell anyone!!!) I DO try to reply to at least a few of the more interesting emails that I receive each day. To be honest, most days the emails I get aren't overly exciting -- the vast majority simply want to know more details about the movie (it's as if they think I'm holding back secret info from the general public, but that I'm going to share it exclusively with THEM!!!!), or just say how much they like to read my books (I always love getting feedback like that, but there's not much I can say in the way of a reply, except "Thanks!", and if I said that to every fan who wrote to me saying they liked my books, I'd end up doing little else most days!!!). Sod's Law, of course -- while I've been on tour, there have been quite a lot of interesting emails which I would have normally responded to under different circumstances!!!!! Sadly, there wasn't time while on the road, and saving them to respond later wasn't an option, as that would have meant a backlog of emails, something I try VERY hard never to let happen -- it's bad enough having a backlog of letters, but if I let the emails back up too, I'd be in REAL trouble!!!!! So, sorry if you sent me a thought-provoking email over the last week and a half  but didn't get a response. Unfortunately, unlike Mr Tiny, I can't bend the laws of time ...

Typing this at Gatwick airport, before my flight up to Newcastle, so have to be quick!! The tour's going excellently -- no bad events or signing so far! Did a small but enjoyable school event in Winchester on Tuesday, then signed stock in Waterstones stores in Eastleigh and Portsmouth. Then my publicist Mary and I went to Hayling Island, where we had a nice hour's walk, befor doing a very big public event in the community hall -- I was speaking for almost an hour, then signing for two and a half hours!! It was nearly 11.00pm before we got to Worthing -- a LONG day, but a good one. Today was quieter -- did a nice school event in the morning, then had a break. Went for a walk around Worthing -- the pier and beach were nice, but the highlight for me was finding an old cinema with a pair of 1920s and 1930s projectors in the window -- VERY cool!!!! I love old movies and anything associated with them, especially cameras of the period -- they're works of art in my view!!! After that I did a signing at Waterstones -- was there for an hour, which was a good crowd for a town of Worthing's size. And now I'm about to board my flight -- onwards and upwards!!!!

Went out for a meal with my cousin Davina, her boyfriend Mark and a couple of their friends, and my publicist Emma last night. It was nice to catch up with Davina, and the grub was pretty good too!! Did a good school event in Southampton this morning, then a lunchtime signing at Waterstones. There was a very good crowd for lunch -- a few kids had a half-day, another few skipped school altogether, some others were brought by their teachers, and a lot of Mums, Dads and grandparents also turned up to get books for their young ones. I was there an hour, and also signed plenty of stock. Then I went to Winchester, where I did an evening event. A good crowd, not huge, but very sizeable for a town of Winchester's size. Did a short talk, answered some questions, then signed for everyone -- it took an hour and a half in total. After that myself, Bas and my other publicist, Mary, went to a pub to see Spurs play Aston Villa. With 20 minutes to go, we were losing 4-1, so I left in disgust -- only to find out later that we made a late comeback and drew 4-4!!!!!! I give up -- you just can't win when you're a Spurs fan!!! Demon Apocalypse has been selling like hot cakes on Amazon UK -- the last time I checked, it was Number 1 on the children's chart, and Number 6 on the overall chart!!! That's incredible, even if it's only the first day -- the highest I've ever been on the Amazon chart!! Hopefully it's a good omen for the book's future success ... I'd like to say farewell to Emma, my publicist, who did her last event with me today -- she's moving to another company in a couple of weeks. She's been an important part of the Shan team over the last couple of years, and was always good company on the road. I'll miss her, but wish her well in her new position, and lots of luck in the future. Now I'm off to bed early, before day 4 of the blisteringly paced Apocalypse tour. Night all!!!

Yes, it can finally be revealed -- the title of book 6 is DEMON APOCALPYSE!!!! With as bold and ambitious a title as that, you need a pretty strong story to match, but I don't think this little monstrous baby is going to disappoint too many of you! I had a ball launching it at Bath. I travelled there on Friday and had a nice meal with some of my publishers and fellow authors Nick Butterworth, Louise Rennison and Rob Scotton. On Saturday I rose bright and early and went to the Forum, where I did an interview with radio show Go4it, then met the winners of the Bath competition. We didn't have a huge amount of time together, but I answered as many questions as I could before I was whisked away. Then I did my event, chaired by Damian Kelleher. I read extracts from book 5 and book 6, took some questions from the audience, then did the big reveal -- there were lots of excited gasps and a massive round of applause when the gruesome cover (it's one of my favourites!!) and title were revealed!!! I rounded things off with a reading from the book I was working on earlier this year (I'm keeping it a secret on this blog, in order to heighten the impact when I read the extract out live at events), then signed for 3 hours -- busy busy!!!! After that I went to see Eoin Colfer give a talk -- he was brilliant. Then I went to see Rob Scotton -- it was fun sitting in on an event for little children -- I got to baaaa loudly like a sheep, and some of the kids stared at me as if I was mad!!! Then I went to see Neil Gaiman, which was as neat a way to round off the day as any!!! I drove on to Bournemouth with my publicist Emma, then did a signing at Waterstones this morning -- was in the chair for 3 hours!!! This looks like it's going to be a manic tour, so I'm not sure how often I'll get to update my blog over the next week -- so don't panic if I'm a bit on the quiet side! In the meantime, Book 6 goes on general sale on October 1st in the UK and Ireland, so I guess all that remains to be said is, "I hope you enjoy the APOCALYPSE!!!!!"

Flew over to London this morning, ahead of the UK leg of my upcoming tour. Got to the flat, checked emails, sorted out my flights to and back from Canada, tried to print out details -- printer wasn't working. Finally fixed it. Then did the October issue of the Shanville Monthly and sent out an email to everyone (though lots of fans won't get it for another 6 or 7 hours -- it takes a LONG time to send out emails to a list as long as this one!!!). Got some treats from a noodle house after 9.00pm and had a late dinner while watching "Evan Almighty", which was harmless enough fun -- no classic, but then I don't think there was any danger that it might be! Ideal for late night munching, when you don't want to use your brain too much!!!

And now here I am, at the start of another tour. It seems like only a few weeks since I was saying much the same thing at the start of June, when my "Blood Beast" tour was about to begin!! The last 4 months have whizzed by at a crazy pace. While I'm sure I'll have fun on this tour (it's always a buzz to meet my fans), I have to admit I'm looking forward to some time away from the road after this. Come mid-October, that's it, end of the promotions for a while -- in fact, I don't plan to do any more touring until a short trip to Hungary next April, then probably an Irish and UK tour for Book 7 next June. Famous last words???? I hope not!!! I never like saying no to tours when the opportunities arise, because I know how fortunate I am to be in demand -- there are untold thousands of writers out there who would give their right arm to be able to go on a book tour like mine -- but sometimes you've got to take a break, just to keep things fresh, or you can run out of steam and start operating on miserable auto-pilot, which isn't good for anybody. A winter break from touring, some real time spent writing, and I'm sure I'll be itching to get back on the road by next spring!!! But in the meantime, I have the UK tour to get through, and then the Canadian tour -- so come on, anyone living anywhere near any of the venues where I'll be hitting -- come on out and give me your support, and help me close out the year (touring-wise) on a frenzied, happy high!!!!!!!!

Spent the morning adding more photos to my site. Managed to get through all that I had available, so now I'm officially all-photoed-out!!!! You can check them all out by going to my web site and clicking on the PHOTOS link.

A couple of statues for my garden arrived in the afternoon, so I was busy overseeing the installation of them. (Well, busy fetching cups of tea for those doing the hard work, but "foreman" is a far nicer position than "teaboy"!!!) They're big, gorgeous pieces -- very imposing!!! Although I decided to put one of them down at the end of my garden, and it's rather diminished when viewed from the house. It'll be great when you're up close to it, but people looking at it from my kitchen will be going with mild curiosity, "What's that?" rather than exclaiming "What the hell is THAT?!?!?!" Oh well, too late to change my mind now -- it weighs 560kg, so I can't just move it around willy-nilly!!!!!!!

Time got away from me later. I'd planned to go to with my friend Kenny, but the statues were late arriving and took longer to install than normal, so I had to cancel. I then thought I'd watch a film, visit my parents and grandparents, and have a nice long bath. Nope!!! Wasn't time for that either! I managed to squeeze in a quick visit, but the film and bath had to be forgotten. Instead I packed my bag (I've got two tours almost back-to-back, so I have to make sure I don't forget anything), and made sure I had all the pens, business cards, and everything else I need for life on the road. I THINK I've remembered everything ...

Came across a fun web site the other day. It allows you to virtually "marry" the fictional character of your choice! So if any of you have ever faniced being Mrs Larten Crepsley, Mrs Darren Shan, or Mr Arra Sails, click on the following link and may your nights be long and happy and blessed with freakish joy!!!! MARRY HERE!!!

Spent much of today uploading photos to my web site. I always like looking through old(ish) photos -- they revive lots of happy memories, make me smile when I recall something I haven't thought about in ages, remind me of friends and acquaintances I might not have seen in a long time. In today's case there were photos from my brother Declan's wedding in Cyprus last year ... my tour of the States in April ... holidays to Boston and Italy ... and lots more! You can check them all out (along with my vast library of photos from the last 7 or 8 years) here: PHOTOS LINK

Answered more fan mail tonight. I picked up a load of letters from Pablo at the weekend (including some from my trip to Japan, which had got mixed in with more recent mail -- sorry for the long wait, folks!!). I answered 20 letters last night and another 20 tonight. There are more than 20 still waiting on my shelf -- I'll try to answer them tomorrow, before I set off on tour, but I can't make any promises! As I always say to people who write to me -- you WILL get a reply, but it can take 2 or 3 months sometimes!!! It's usually NOT that long, but it can be -- so be prepared to be patient!!

Saw the movie of "Miami Vice" last night. Very disappointing. I used to like the old TV show, and while that was often all style and little substance, I thought writer/director Michael Mann would bring something new to the mix this time round, given the experience he's accrued since then (on such great films as "Heat" and "Last of the Mohicans"). Sadly, this was as heartless as Lord Loss. While the style was admirable in parts, I didn't give two hoots about any of the characters, and the whole thing just felt hollow. Today, on the other hand, I saw a film with LOTS of depth -- "This is England", a UK film set in 1983, about a young boy who gets linked with a group of skinheads. It's a fascinating look at alienation, friendship, nationalism, and a whole lot more. Like all of Shane Meadows' films to date, this one comes highly recommended by me. It has some flaws, certainly, but its strength far outweigh them.

I'm coming to Canada in less than 3 weeks.

Heh heh -- thought that might throw a few of you!!! Yup, you read it right, Canadian Shansters -- I'll be with you in mid-October!!! I'm coming to Vancouver and Toronto. Sorry for the late notice, but the offer to go came up only very recently, and while I normally like at least a few months in which to warn fans that I'm coming (to give them a chance to try and get me to come to their area), in this instance it was either jump at the opportunity or not get there until at least October 2008. I decided to throw caution to the wind and sign up for the trip -- if it goes well, I can hopefully come again within the next couple of years and give more warning next time. For a list of where I'm going to be and when, click here: CANADA TOUR

A day for office work. I tend to let paperwork -- contracts, royalty reports, bank statements, etc -- pile up on the floor next to my printer, then go through it all over the space of a day or two, filing it away neatly where it needs to go. Not the most efficient way to go about things, I know, but that's how I've been operating thus far in life and I doubt if I'm going to change any time soon. Though then again ...

... I got thinking about a couple of ways in which I've consciously changed my life in recent times. Nothing major, but noticeable nonetheless. First, a year or two ago, I switched from laced shoes to slip-ons. I got sick of having to unlace my shoes at airports and then lace them up again -- since I travel a lot, this became a major annoyance. So one day, after a lifetime of preferring laces on my shoes, I said to hell with it, and went for a slip-on option. Now I'm very happy with my laceless shoes (Skechers are my favourites) and wear them almost all the time.

In July, when I was in the Far East on tour, I had to sign lots of books. That's nothing new, but because their books are printed in the opposite direction to ours (i.e. the back cover is the front of the book, and the text runs from right to left), the cover was on my right-hand side every time I signed a book. Ever since I was 11 or 12, I've worn my watch on my right hand. I don't know why -- I used to switch it around a lot when I was young, and just decided I preferred it on my right. But when signing in Japan and Taiwan, my watch strap started catching on the covers of the books. It irritated me, so I switched my watch to my left hand for the duration of the tour -- and I've left it there ever since. Not a big thing, I know, but still, having done something a certain way for more than 20 years, it's odd to now be doing it differently!!!

We all change in many, MANY ways over the course of our lives. A lot of the times we aren't aware of the changes taking place -- they just happen unknown to us. But other times we consciously decide to implement them. Either way, I think it's the best thing about being human, this certainty that no matter what sort of a state we're in, things are going to change somewhere down the line. Some people don't like change, and I think most of us fear it from time to time. But for the most part I think it's hugely positive, something we should embrace and cherish. Because change keeps life interesting and varied. It might be as small as switching a watch from your right hand to your left ... or getting rid of laces on your shoes ... but over a life of 30, 40, 50, 60 years or more, those small shifts in your own personal universe can be as liberating and delicious as a slave shaking off their shackles and experiencing freedom for the first time.

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!!!!!