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!!!!!

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!!!!!