A quieter day, crowds-wise. Went to Stony Point 9th Grade Center in the morning. The event had been arranged by the Texas Book Festival, and they hadn't bothered to liaise throughly with us. I thought I would be doing just one event, but the people at the school had been told I'd be doing two events. I was furious -- not with the folks at the school (who were great, and well organised) but with the organisers at the festival who hadn't bothered to run their plans by me first. I'm looking forward to my events at the festival tomorrow, but I'm VERY unimpressed with the communication levels of the people running it -- in addition to this boo-boo, they've signed me up to do a panel event without asking me about it first! I'm perfectly happy to do the event, and quite looking forward to it -- it just would have been nice to have been asked first!!! Festivals are devilishly difficult to organise, I know, and this is a BIG festival, so I appreciate the effort that's gone into setting it all up, getting so many authors together, and trying to make all the times and venues fit. The organisers seem to have done a top-notch job on that score, so it's a pity they've shot themselves in the foot by not actually communicating better with their visiting authors -- or at least with ME!!! (And for all I know, I'm an exception and every other author has received in-depth briefings on their events!! But I doubt it!!!!!)

Anyway, the events at the school went well. The kids were on the old side, which meant they didn't get as involved as younger teens probably do, but they listened quietly and asked some good questions. I'm getting better at doing events for older teens. On my last tour of the States, I struggled at events like these, since all my talks were geared towards younger readers. Now I have some material prepared which plays well with 16 and 17 year olds too, so I feel more confident and I think they enjoy it more.

Went to the O Henry Middle School later. Had a larger crowd at this one. It was held in a large hall in the school, and I was on stage. The kids were well behaved (I sometimes have to quieten them down at larger events, since I can get kids who don't really have any interest in the books, just in skipping class), and I put on an enjoyable show.

Finished up at Barrington School. This was a very small group, of quite young kids (10/11 year olds). They were very enthusiatic, and even though I don't really like doing such close-encounter events most of the time (for me a tour like this is all about publicising the books, so I like to cram in as many kids as possible), it was kind of nice to have a relaxed, small-scale end to the day.

I don't have any events tonight -- my first night off in what feels like an age!!!! (Of course it isn't, but when you're on the road, your perception of time can warp!) My lovely media escort, Sabrina, is taking me to the cinema, to see the new George Clooney movie. My bullying publicisit, Jennifer, on the other hand, is hitting the town to paint it red with an old friend of hers. It's at times like this that you find out who your true friends are!!!!!    :-(

p.s. only joking about Jennifer -- she's a star!!! But don't ever tell her I said that!!!!!!!!

Whew -- it's the end of another exhausting day!!! Started off by sleeping through my wake-up call (again!) then having to rush to make it to my first event. Luckily I got there on time, and signed LOADS of books at Moorhead/Caney Creek School. Then it was back to the airport and a short flight to San Antonio, where I did another event, in Jackson Middle School. The kids were very lively, full of questions, and VERY excited to meet me!!! The librarians had decorated the library with life-size drawings of Darren, Mr Crepsley, Mr Tall and some other, and had even recreated the Tunnels of Blood inside the library!!!!! I love it when school and libraries go to such great effort to make me feel welcome. It's a pity that I don't always have a lot of time to stay and truly appreciate the work, but I always appreciate it!! Had a few hours off, which allowed me to eat with Jennifer and my new driver, Sabrina. Had Mexican food. I've been eating a lot of that recently, since it's just so good over here in Texas!!!! Then I went to a public event and signing at Barnes & Noble at 12635 IH 10 West, Had a HUGE turn-out, including a bus-load of over 50 kids for a school a two and a half hour drive away!!!!!!!! I did my rarely performed "Ballad of Darren Shan" piece (the first three acts -- basically the story of the first 3 books set to rhyme). I don't perform it too often since it's quite demanding on the kids who volunteer, since they pretty much have to recite a poem without ever having seen it before. But the kids tonight were brilliant and read expertly. I had lots of fun with it, and I think everybody else did too. Answered lots of questions, then went into signing mode. I've just finished up (9.45p.m.) and am typing this up on the PC in the back room of B&N (thanks, Ellen!!!). After this, it's a one hour drive to my next hotel, then an early start in the morning -- I have to be leaving by 7.30 or thereabouts -- OUCH!!!!!!

Flew to Houston this morning. Brought my blog up to date once I'd checked into my hotel, then hit the road and did three events. The first was at Kingwood Middle School, for a small group of hand-picked fans who call themselves Shananigans!!!! A self-contained room in the library had been decorated spookily, and the kids all chipped in to create a ghoulishly delicious feast, with treats such as "icky eyeballs" and "Sam's remains"!!! (A bit different than the treats Rosy and her friends in Irving are used to!) I had great fun -- just a pity I had to dash off before I had time to smaple some more of the delights on offer!!!!

Next up was a large event at Fort Settlement Middle School. It was open to the public and LOTS of fans came. I was on a big stage, where I did my "Cirque Du Freak" scene and answered questions. Then I was signing for about an hour and a half afterwards.

Finally I did another talk and signing at Border at Fountains on the Lake in Houston. We weren't expecting a big crowd, because the Houston Astros were playing a World Series game, but we actually got a decent turnout and I signed quite a lot of books in the end. I also signed plenty of stock copies, so if you live in the area and want a signed Darren Shan book, get to Borders ASAP!!!!!

Overall, I'm very impressed with the Shan-fan level in Houston -- excellent crowds and enthusiastic fans. I'd certainly return here in the future, if the opportunity arose!!!

Oh -- forgot to mention yesterday that I stopped at a Sonic restaurant for the first time!! I had tots, which I'd never had before, and liked them!!!!!!

Despite my patchy night's sleep, and snoozing through my wake-up call (I knocked my mobile phone off of my bedside table during the night!), I felt pretty good in the morning. My nose was bunged up, but my throat was fine, so I could talk OK. Had 4 excellent events. The first two were school events, in Irving, in Lamar Middle School, and The Academy of Irving ISD. Lots of kids, plenty of fans, and loads of them bought books. I was signing for ages, especially at the second event, which is just how I love it when I go on tour!!!!

Had a nice Mexican lunch with Jennifer and Rosy, then drove over to Fort Worth Public Library, Summerglen Branch, for a public event. There was a good turnout and some VERY excited fans!!! Signed lots more books, then made our way up to Frisco for the final event at Barnes & Noble at 2601 Preston Road. Had a large turnout -- especially for a Tuesday night -- and was there about two hours, giving a reading, answering some questions, and signing LOTS of books.

This was my busiest day of the tour so far, and thus my most enjoyable. I'm never happier on tour than when I'm working hard, meeting lots of fans, and signing stacks of books!! This was my first time in the Dallas region, and based on this response, I certainly hope to return some day soon!!!!!

... Shan rested!!! I didn't speak much, taking care of my throat. Went for a look around a few of my favourite Vegas hotels -- the Venetian (my #1 pick), New York New York (where I went on the roller coaster) and the MGM Grand. Did a small bit of gambling and won a few dollars at roulette, but wasn't really in a gambling kind of mood.

Flew out in the early afternoon, to Dallas. Met my publicist, Jennifer, there, and we went for a meal and some treats with a librarian called Rosy Bee-Atch and a few of her friends. Got to our hotel late, after 11p.m. -- only to find out they'd over-booked and given our rooms away!!!! That's the first time that's ever happened to me, and I was mad as hell!!! The hotel, people, is the Omni Mandalay, 221 E Las Colinas Blvd, Irving -- my advice is to NEVER go anywhere near it!!!!! And warn off all your friends too!!! Luckily we found temporary lodgings in a nearby hotel, but it was VERY late when we got to bed, and naturally we were both quite agitated, so I don't think either of us slept particularly well. Life on the road -- it isn't all glamour and fun!!!!!!

Sorry for the delay in updates, folks -- when I'm on tour, I don't get the chance to go online every day!!!

My Las Vegas events all went well. I'm always nervous at Sunday events -- it's usually the quietest day of the week for crowd turn-outs, in my experience, but I got good crowds at all 3 of the libraries and the store I went to. Started with a mix-up -- the driver who picked me up took me to the wrong library!!! And his company didn't have the correct details on file, so they weren't going to allow him to take me to the correct place!!!!! Luckily Jennifer, my publicist, sorted everything out by phone, and I made it to Henderson about half an hour late. There was a nice sized crowd and I signed their books for them.

I got my largest crowd of the day at Sahara West library, and also two of my most dedicated fans! A couple of teenagers had FLOWN up from MEXICO -- JUST to see me!!!!! They had to get a connecting flight, and were heading back straight afterwards, because they had school on Monday!!!! I always appreciate the effort fans go to when they come to one of my public events, but this was dedication far above and beyond the call of any normal duty!!!!

Having said that, there were some more die-hard Shansters at the Green Valley Library -- they'd driven over 4 hours from Orange County in California to be at the event!!!! I got another good crowd there, then went for something to eat with one of the librarians (Andrew) and a couple of his colleagues. (Sorry, guys -- I'm terrible with names!!) Did my final signing of the day at Borders North Rainbow Road. Not a huge crowd at this one, but more than I might have expected for late on a Sunday night, so I was pleased enough with it.

Only downside of the day was that I picked up a sore throat from the air-conditioning during the day!! The one thing I fear most about tours is catching a cold and losing my voice during them!!! My throat wasn't especially bad by late Sunday night, but I could tell I had a small dose of a cold coming on, so I took care not to go too crazy. Went to check out the Bellagio water fountain display, then strolled back to my hotel (Mandalay Bay), popping in to have a look at one or two casinos along the way, before turning in for a relatively early night.

Had my best public event so far at the Barnes & Noble shop in University Village on Saturday. Had a good turn-out, loads of fun questions, and was signing for nearly an hour. I also had the pleasure of meeting one of my favourite comics creators, the incredibly imaginative Jim Woodring -- check out www.jimwoodring.com for more info about him and samples of his incredible works. I wish we could have had a bit of a longer chat, but I had to make tracks to catch my plane. Flew out of Seattle at 6.31pm. Had a good time up there. Would have liked it if a few more fans had turned up at some of the public events, but those who did turn up were first-rate fans and made the events a pleasure for me.

Flew into Las Vegas, the next stop on my tour. Checked into my hotel, had a relaxing bath, put my ear-plugs in (hotels in Vegas can be noisy places sometimes!!) and hit the sack.

***I'm entering this on Saturday. I wrote it yesterday, to post, but there was a problem with my PC, so I couldn't add it until now!!***

Had a fun event at the Secret Garden bookshop last night. There wasn't a huge crowd, but there were some hardcore fans present, and the store was lovely. And it only just clicked with me that one of my favourite chilhood books was "The Secre Garden"!!! Why didn't I think of that and comment on it last night, when I was there?!? DOH!

Ended up doing FIVE events AND a signing today!!! The first was in the Youth Service Center in Seattle. This was my first time doing an event in a correctional facility and it was a fascinating experience. I had to enter via a metal detector, and leave my passport at reception. I was speaking to a small group, but almost all of them had read my books. Some had even read all 12 of my vampire books! We had a nice intimate chat about the series. In fact, this was the first time I've talked in-depth with fans about book 12 -- when I went on tour in the UK and Ireland last year, it was mostly just signings, so I never got a chace to really discuss the finale with fans!!!! So this event was a LOT of fun for me!

I popped into a book supplier after that, to sign lots of copies to send to stores. Then I went to Auburn High School. I was only meant to be doing one event, but they wanted me to do two. I wasn't happy about that in advance (it's never nice to be surprised with an "extra" event when you're on tour!), but the staff were lovely when I got there, and had decorated the library especially. In the end I had a great time and did two very different events, one focusing on "Cirque Du Freak", the other on "Lord Loss".

After that I did two more store events, at All For Kids and Third Place Books. The turn-outs were small, but again the fans who did turn up were really committed Shansters, and the shop staff were fab. I think the people who work in children's book stores (particularly indepedent stores) are some of the nicest in the world!!!!!

I'm quite tired right now, but I only have one event tomorrow, so it's not too bad!!! I certainly plan to sleep well tonight though!!

Oh, almost forgot to mention! My "escort" (the person who drives m from one event to the next) is a lovely lady called Tracey. She used to star in a local TV comedy show which was hugely successful in NorthWest America several years back! She now mostly gives talks about heart problems (she almost died from a heart problem while on air one night!), but takes around authors her spare time. This is the first time I've had a celebrity escort -- I have to say, it's pretty cool!!!!!!

 

Flew to Seattle from NY last night, after going to see Spamalot (HUGE fun -- I loved every zany minute of it, though my favourite part was probably the song about needing to find some Jews!!). Flew on Delta Song for the first time -- I thought they were pretty good, and didn't mind having to pay for food or movies. We have that system in Europe now, on many airlines, and if it keeps the costs of tickets down, HURRAH!!!!

I'm staying at a cool hotel in downtown Seattle, and an even cooler room -- the John Lennon suite!! I feel like a rock star!!!!

Did my first two events of my America 2005 tour this morning, in Salmon Bay School, and Whitman Middle School. Enjoyed them both. The students were older at the second event, so I varied my act from the first -- I try to pitch my events to the age level of my audience when I go to a school, having learned (the hard way) that a reading that works for 11 and 12 year olds might not go down at al well with 13 or 14 year olds!!!! I don't get the same sort of kick out of school events that I did when I first started touring, because I've done so many of them by now. But I still enjoy them -- each event is different, and I like the uncertainty of not knowing what the questions-and-answers session is going to bring!!!! I have my first public event later, so I'm keeping my fingers crossed and hoping for agood turnout ...

Found out that one of my best friend's brother-in-law died in a motorcyle accident today. The friend is Liam Fitz, the guy behind Xeropoint and the designer of my web site. I write a lot about death in my books, because I think it's important to dwell on it and get to terms with it through fiction, since that can help you deal with it when it happens in real life. But it's still always a shock when it happens unexpectedly to someone you know. I've got to get on with my tour and keep my show on the road, but my thoughts will be with Liam and his family for the next few days.

Went to the Metropolitan Museum yesterday -- it's ENORMOUS!!!! Absolutely huge, full of stunning collections. We only got to see a few slices of it. Started off with a new, limited Van Gogh exhibitions -- over a hundred of his drawings. Fine stuff. Then we checked out the Egyptian section. It just kept going on and on and on ... full of amazing artifacts. Had a quick waltz through their African collection, then some of their modern art collection. After that we were just too exhausted to continue!!! We'll definitely be coming back for more the next time we hit NY!!!!

Went for pizza at a cool little pizzeria called Patsy's, up on 1st Ave, between 117 and 118th street. It's an old-style pizzeria, with huge, thin, delicious New York style pizzas. YUM!!!!

Then we went to see "Wicked". We saw it a couple of years ago, with the original cast. Bas loved it. I thought it was good, not great, though I enjoyed listening to the CD afterwards. This time, the actress playing Elphaba wasn't so strong (very good, but Edina Menzel (spelling??) was spectacular), but most of the other actors were fine. The sets are cool and the costumes are great. But I stand by my original verdict -- a fine, amusing, catchy, original play, but no classic!!!

Now I'm off to see "Spamalot", then flying on to Seattle for the start of my tour. I had a fab time in NY and can't wait to return!! Oh, and for those who were curious, I stayed in the Sofitel, and highly recommend it!!!!!!

Toodle-pip, Big Apple!!!!!!!