Darren Shan Blog

Shan's gone to WordPress!!!

Thu, 13 Aug 2009 19:46:11 GMT

After a number of happy years here at BlogDrive, I have decided to switch my blog over to WordPress. Partly it's because it's a bit of a snazzier option. Mostly it's because I've been having problems with BlogDrive recently (the page doesn't always load for me), and the staff at BlogDrive never bothered to respond to my email asking for assaitance or reassurance that the block-outs would cease!! Anyway, I'll be leaving my old blog entries here for the time being, in case anyone is feeling nostalgic and wants to check out an old entry. But for new entries on WordPress, please click on the following link:

http://therealdarrenshan.wordpress.com/

You can set up an RSS feed on WordPress if you wish, or sign up to be sent an email alerting you every day that I post a new blog. Alternatively, I duplicate every blog on my MySpace page, so if you prefer MySpace to WordPress, click on the following link:

http://blogs.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=blog.ListAll&friendId=122843779

Cheerio!!!!

Something smells fishy!!!

Wed, 12 Aug 2009 21:17:33 GMT

Bas and I were walking back from visiting my grandparents and parents tonight. Goldie, my neighour's dog, came with us for the walk. On our way, he ran into another dog and they started sniffing each other's bum, as dogs worldwide are wont to do. Bas wrinkled her nose and said that was disgusting, and she couldn't understand why dogs did that. I explained that it's a social thing, their version of shaking hands. I said it was like us having to bow when we went to Japan, in order to fit in with local customs.

Then I started chuckling. What if there was a country where, if you wanted to be polite, you had to sniff a person's bum when you met them for the first time?!? Bas, of course, snorted at my infantile sense of humour, but hey, it COULD happen!!! People have all sorts of weird customs. In fact, who's to say there isn't a country out there someplace where that already IS the norm?!?

Then I thought, if I did travel to such a place, would I engage with the locals? The answer, I think, is a resounding yes!!! It's not that I particularly LIKE the idea -- but I always try to adjust to the local mentality when I travel. Indeed, one of the joys of travelling for me is seeing how other people live and trying to get on with them by adopting their ways, rather than expecting everyone everywhere to act as I do. In Japan, it's impolite to pick your nose in public, but polite to slurp when you're drinking soup, so when I'm there, I keep my fingers away from my nose, and slurp loudly when dining -- it's the polite thing to do! I wouldn't want to go around sniffing bums if I was the only person doing it (and I doubt that I would be allowed to!!!), but if everyone was doing it, I wouldn't want to be the stuffy, xenophobic, odd one out!!!!

But THEN I started thinking -- what sort of a state would people keep their bums in if that was the case?!? Would everyone wash deeply and use perfume and deodorant, to keep their posteriors smelling nice and fresh, to make a good impression?!? Or would that be considered flashy behaviour?? Maybe a bit of a whiff would be like a good, firm handshake. Maybe people wouldn't wipe too hard after going to the toilet, in order to cultivate a dark, dank smell!!!!! How would you find the balance between an interesting odour and an offensive one?!? Could you be trained to get the smell JUST right?!?!? Would you be expected to comment on the smell of another person's bottom after you'd sniffed it???? Would one's stench be a topic of smalltalk, the way that the weather is in most countries???????

Sometimes I think I think too much.....

Dratted distractions!!

Tue, 11 Aug 2009 20:51:17 GMT

Wrote 10 more pages of the new book yesterday. This one features a lot of dialogue-heavy scenes, which are at the same time both frutrating and intriguing to write. Frustrating because the plot moves forward a bit slower than I like and I don't have a sense of advancing at any great speed. Intriguing because you can learn so much just by having characters chatting to each other. I never know much about my characters when I start writing. They grow out of the story-telling process, and I find out things about them as I proceed, by having them chat to each other and behave however they please. As long-term fans know, I prefer not to go overboard describing my characters, as I find, when I'm reading a book, that the specifics of their looks don't really stick in my mind. Obviously you need a few pointers in most cases (e.g. with Mr Crepsley -- orange hair, a scar, red clothes), but I find that their speech patterns and mood swings make far more of an impact. There's no point spending half a page describing in great detail what a character looks like, only to find that he or she has nothing interesting to say once they open their mouth and start speaking!!!

I meant to do another full day of writing today, but things kept getting in the way -- emails that had to be answered, meetings that had to be kept. I got a little bit of editing of yesterday's pages done, but ultimately I had to write the day off. A pity, especially as I have other things that I have to do for the rest of this week, meaning this was my last opportunity to do some new writing until I return from Edinburgh and London. Oh well, I've made a good start, I'm happy with the characters, and the pace picks up in the second half, so I've plenty to look forward to when I come back!!!!

Regarding the shift to WordPress, the response so far has been overwhelmingly in favour of it. I'll still be duplicating my blog on MySpace, as I've been doing for a long time now, but I think I'm going to stop my Blogdrive blog in a few days and switch over to Wordpress. I'll still keep the Blogdrive pages active, at least in the near future, so that fans can still check out old blogs. In the meantime, you might want to bookmark the new page -- you can also use the links on it to be updated by email every day that I post a new blog. There's an RSS feature on it too, for those who know what that means!!! If you have any advice or wishes where the new, Wordpress blog is concerned, do please let me know. This is the link for it: http://therealdarrenshan.wordpress.com

Can you name the top 116?!?

Mon, 10 Aug 2009 20:31:06 GMT

Yesterday, Bas and I took my cousin, Tiernan, on a long 14 kilometre trek, which took us to the peak of Keeper Hill. It was a very nice walk, with some stunning views, but what really tickled my fancy was the official blurb for the trail. If you haven't gone trekking before, you might not be aware that there are lots of signposted walks all around the place (certainly in Ireland and the UK, and I think in most other countries too). They're highlighted, maintained and advertised by different agencies, and they're absolutely fabulous. You can normally found out about them online, or in brochures, which usually tell you a bit about the trail, what you might find, anything noteworthy about the area or what you're likely to encounter. In the blurb for this trail, which you can find by CLICKING HERE, it stated proudly that Keeper Hill was the 117th tallest mountain in Ireland!!! That both cracked me up and filled me with admiration!!!!!

First, it cracked me up because (a) the idea that somebody counted all the way from the highest mountain, down 117 places, is pretty ludicrous!! And (b) who the hell would boast about being 117th about ANYTHING?!?!?

But at the same time I admired the sheer in-yer-face-ness of the boast!! I heard a line, many years ago, that I've often thought about in my travels -- those with the least to boast about are proudest of what they have. In my experience that's very true, and I think it's a wonderful thing, one of the joys of travelling. I love meeting people who don't have a huge amount to brag about, but who are filled with pride by what little they DO have. It's very easy to be cynical if you live in a quiet, unspectacular part of the world (as I do). I love the people who knock that cynicism on the head. "Everst? Kilimanjaro? K2? You can keep them!!! WE have the 117th tallest mountain in Ireland- so there!!!!!!"

I think there's a lesson in that blurb for all of us -- we shouldn't spend our lives dreaming about glories that exist in other parts of the world, but make the most of what we have close to hand. Our society promotes a dream world -- holidays to exotic climes, beautiful size zero models, luxury houses full of all the mod cons -- and tells us that we have to chase those dreams to be truly happy. But maybe true happiness comes with being able to look at what you possess and be absolutely content with it.

I've got to be honest -- I'm doing more preaching than practising on this one. I DO chase dreams. I DO yearn for more, in my work and in my play. I DO sometimes feel that the great party of life is taking place somewhere else, and that I have to go hunt it down if I want to take part. But reading that line about Keeper Hill being the 117th highest mountain in Ireland... well, it made me realise, as I often have realised before, that I should be doing more to appreciate what I have, rather than hungering after what I haven't.

It also made me want to go climb the other 116 tallest mountains in Ireland, but that's a moral for another time!!!!!

By the way, I'm thinking of moving this blog over to Wordpress, as I have been having problems with Blogdrive recently. I have set up a new page to trial it, at the following address: http://therealdarrenshan.wordpress.com/ Any feedback or advice would be much appreciated...

Hughes the daddy?!?

Sat, 08 Aug 2009 15:31:07 GMT

Right -- back to normal business!! I've been busy on the first draft of the fourth book of my future series (i.e. the one that follows my one-off fantasy book and the four-book series which follows that). I spent Wednesday plotting the book in detail. If the movie trailer hadn't broken that day, I was going to write a blog that night saying how good it was to sometimes share your thoughts about the writing process with others, or at least put them down clearly in print. As I said in my Tuesday blog, I'd been frustrated by my failure to crack the big secrets of this new series. When I sat down to write that blog, I was feeling bitter about the day's work, not sure if I was going to be able to make this series work. Then, as I set my thoughts in order and wrote them down, I realized that I was bitching about nothing. I'd plotted out TWO NEW BOOKS!!!! I had been looking so hard at the Big Picture, that I'd failed to give myself credit for figuring out the main kinks and twists in not just one new book, but two!!! That's no small thing -- in fact, it's huge!!! By the end of writing that blog, I was grinning broadly. I don't really discuss my work much with anyone until I've done at least a first draft and shown it to my agent. And I always tell young writers not to worry about showing their work until they feel ready, not to crave the opinions of family and friends. But sometimes you need to provide your thoughts with an outlet, to give yourself a bit more of an objective view of your work. I think that's where a blog or diary can come in useful. It's a chance to assess what you've done, to note the good things that you've achieved, rather than obsess inside your head about what you have fialed to do. That blog on Tuesday gave me the shot of confidence which I needed to move forward immediately and with purpose. So if you ever find yourself brooding gloomily about your work -- or anything else, come to that matter -- try blowing off steam in a blog (or diary, if you don't want to share it with other people). You'll probably find that things are nowhere near as bleak as they seem.

Having plotted out the fourth book in detail (that's generally how I work -- I'll write down a very rough outline of the plot on one or two sheets of paper, then break it down into rough chapters and plot it out in more detail), I started writing on Thursday. I got down 11 pages that day, 8 on Friday, then 9 today. Usually I aim for a 10 page per day average, over a five day working week, but in recent years I'm a bit more flexible, given the amount of travelling that I do. Sometimes, if I have a limited spell at home to deal with, I'll work for more than five days in a row, and write more than 10 pages per day. But I'm happiest when I'm working to the five day, 10 page rule, so as long as I'm not too far off of that, all is well with my world. The book has started well. It requires quite a lot of explanations (it's one of those books where I have to explain some of the things that have been going on in earlier books), but it seems to be moving along at a fair enough speed. It won't have a lot of action for most of the way, but as I always tend to do when I write a book like that, I'll compensate by throwing in a truly nightmarish, frenetic scene near the end!!!!! Happy days!!!!

I was saddened on Saturday to learn that the film director, John Hughes, had died at the relatively young age of 59. Even though he withdrew from Hollywood in the 1990s and stopped working on films, I still considered him a key director of my time, and was always hoping that he would return to crank out another classic or two. In truth, he didn't make a whole load of great films in his time, and his most successful, Home Alone, was perversely probably one of lesser efforts. But those that struck true struck brilliantly. Different people have their favourite John Hughes films, for different reasons. For me, the three stand-outs are, in ascending order, Planes Trains And Automobiles, The Breakfast Club, and Ferris Bueller's Day Off. Planes is nice, goofy fun, with John candy in probably his best ever role. The Breakfast Club resonated strongly with me when I was a moody, lonely teen who felt out of place in a big, uncaring world. And Ferris... well, that's just class!!! It makes me chuckle from start to finish, while having some deeper points to make too. I saw it at the cinema in Limerick with my best friend at the time, Larry, when it was first released, and 23 years later, I love it every bit as much as I did back then, and it always unleashes a flurry of happy memories when I watch it. To honour the passing of its key creator, Bas and I watched it again last night, and although I laughed as much as I always do, my heart ached a little this time too as I thought, "No chance of there ever being another film like this made by John Hughes."

Heh -- I just had an image of John Hughes standing in line at the gates of Heaven. St Peter steps forward, the keys to the Pearly Gates held tightly in his hand. He looks at the long line of hopefuls and says: "We're only going to let some of you through. Can you guess who those lucky few are going to be?

"Anyone... ? Anyone...?"

The great divide!!

Fri, 07 Aug 2009 21:21:09 GMT

Heh heh!! Judging by the responses to my last email, the neutrals are far happier with the trailer than a lot of you guys are!!! But to be honest, I can't really feel any sympathy for you!! And I don't mean that to sound rude -- I'm just being pragmatic. From day one, nearly ten years ago, the most asked question from fans (after where do my ideas come from?) has been, "Is there going to be a movie?!?" Most of you have asked for this, and longed for this, for a long time now. And, well, I hate to throw a cliche your way, but you should be careful what you wish for!!!!

The hard, cold reality of life is that this is what happens when books are turned into films. Changes are made. Plot lines and characters are dropped. The logic of the book is turned on its head. The film-makers slip in their own ideas and twist things round to suit them. It all sounds horrible, I know, but the thing is, that NEEDS to happen if a movie is to work on its own terms. A movie doesn't have the same time or space that most books have to tell its story. A book is intended to be read in several sitting, usually over the space of at least a few days, with readers investing a lot of time and thought in what's going on -- so a writer can afford to take their time, to introduce a plethora of characters and plots. A movie is made to be seen in a single sitting, and most viewers will be munching on popcorn and slurping coke -- so stories have to be simplified and presented in a way that a less involved viewer can appreciate. And before anyone accuses me of being derogatory about movies -- I love movies. LOVE them!!!! Simplifying is NOT the same as dumbing down. I love movies that are complex and twisting and challenging. But even the cleverest movie can't usually compete with its literary counterpart.

A good example (especially given that Brian Helgeland, writer of the original script for the film, wrote that one too) is L.A. Confidential. It's a dark, labyrinthine, intelligent beast of a movie -- yet it was a vastly simplified version of the story told in the book. The novel wasn't dumbed down for the screen -- but it WAS drastically altered and chopped up and reassembled, in order for it to work in a new, visual medium, where the demands of the viewer are far less than then demands that can be made of a reader.

There are basically four types of movie adaptations (with an endless scale, from rubbish to brilliant, applying to each). They are:

Good, faithful adaptations.
Bad, faithful adaptations.
Good, unfaithful adaptations.
Bad, unfaithful adaptations.

As soon as it was announced that the movie was to be made from the first three books of the series, the first two options went out the window. No single movie could incorporate all of the characters and scenes from three books, not without being 5 or 6 hours long!!! To drive that fact home, I've stressed ever since I announced that the rights had been sold, that the movie would NOT be faithful. To get upset about that at this stage is to betray your innocence or ignorance or both -- so, again, as I said above, I don't have any sympathy for those who moan that Mr Crepsley doesn't speak the way he does in the books, or that Cormac Limbs has become a woman, or... Those sorts of changes were ALWAYS going to be made. And there will be many more changes which aren't apparent from the video.

Would I have loved it if a movie company had made a good, faithful film just based on the first book of the series? Of course. I think any writer would be lying if they said otherwise. But I'm also realistic enough to know that that could never happen -- there has never been a linear, linked series of 12 movies made by a Hollywood film studio. The Harry Potter films, I think, are the most there's ever been, and that really only happened because of the phenomenal success of the books -- it created a situation where demand existed for so many movies. To tell the whole story of the 12 books of my vampire series (which I'm sure we all hope happens, even if it's in a shortened, very different version), major cuts and changes HAD to be made. It was either let them do this, or not let them make a film at all.

That leaves us with two possibilities -- a good, unfaithful adaptation, or a bad, unfaithful adaptation. I'm hoping for the former, and the quality of the trailer makes me think that it might happen -- though I won't make up my mind one way or the other until I see the finished, complete film. I suspect, even if it IS good, that it might appeal more to people who haven't read the books, since they won't be looking out for all of the changes and cuts to the storyline -- they'll be prepared to accept the film on its own terms. That might sound like the fans of the books are getting a raw deal, but I don't see it that way. As I said in my last post, for me the main reason in agreeing to let my books be filmed was to hopefully attract a crowd of new fans to the books. Movies and books are two completely different media, with different strengths and drawbacks. I always think it's better to see a film first, then read the book afterwards -- that way the film whets your appetite, while the book takes you further into the world of the story. In a way, a movie is like a very extended trailer for a book. If people like the movie of Cirque Du Freak, they will then be able to come to the books are discover far more characters and story-lines, and experience the story again, but in its purest, most advanced form. If you go at the story the other way young, i.e. read the book first and watch the movie later, then you have to accept that you're going to be getting less for you buck second time round -- in a way, you're going from swimming in an Olympic size swimming pool, to swimming in a paddling pool, albeit a paddling pool in which you can hopefully have a lot of fun!!!!

You guys are my TRUE fans. We all know that. And you guys know, from the amount of time that I spend blogging and working on the web site, that I love each and every one of you, and appreciate the time and love that you devote to the worlds which I have created. I'm always looking to give more back to you guys, through competitions, news snippets, doing lots of touring, signing as many books as you choose to bring to any of my events, etc. But the thing is, the best thing I can give to you is the thing I gave to you first -- the books. Everything after that -- the touring, the web site, the comps, the movie -- is a simple extra. The books are what truly bind us together. The stories are the only real reason why you're reading this long-winded blog in the first place!!! You've been great to me over the years, and I like to think that I've been great to you. I spend a lot of time trying to produce the very best books that I can, to give you value for money and feed your dreams. But, just like the vampire clan, I need to keep adding fresh blood to the ranks!! The bigger a fan base I have, the more I can stay in control of my destiny and write the books that I WANT to write. We all live in the real world. We all have bills to pay, families to raise, etc. Many writers are forced to write for cash, as a straightforward job. I'm in the very lucky position of being able to write for fun, but I never take that position for granted. The movie will bring new fans on board, and hopefully some of them will become true fans, like you guys, and that, for me, is the whole point and purpose of the thing. It's a way of hooking in new readers and ensuring that our freaky, fabulous journeys together can continue for many years to come.

The movie might be good. The movie might be bad. That is yet to be decided. The one thing that IS certain is that it will be radically, drastically, necessarily different. Either don't go and see it if you can't handle that simple, essential fact. Or, like me, learn to live with it, and take it on its own terms, for what it is.

Right -- that's going to be my last word on the trailer and movie for the time being. My next blog will be all about writing again -- hurrah!!!!! Enjoy your weekend, folks!!

Movie whirlwind

Thu, 06 Aug 2009 21:24:58 GMT

Phew!!! The last couple of days have been pretty manic! The craziness started yesterday morning, when I found out that the trailer was due to hit the web later in the day. While I cautioned everyone to be patient, in case the rumours weren't true, I have to admit that I kept checking the web a couple of times an hour (sometimes a bit more!!) to see if it had gone live yet. When it did, in the evening, I was kept busy responding to it, sending out emails about it, and checking out the feedback from fans and people in the movie industry. I was particularly interested in what the neutrals had to say -- those of us involved with the books can't be truly objective about the film. For me, the main reason for agreeing to let my books be filmed was to try and lure new readers into my world. Finding new fans is always the hardest job for any writer -- our publishers don't have the same sort of widespread connections or cash chests as their counterparts in the mega-bucks movie industry!!! A very successful book might reach maybe a hundred thousand people, where a moderately successful movie can reach millions of people!! If even a small percentage of a movie's audience pick up the books afterwards, that can result in a sharp influx of fans -- which, for me, is what it's all about. I write stories to be read -- I want as many people as possible to be aware of my books, to have the option of at least giving them a try. So, I'm very keen to see what people who know nothing about my books think of the trailer, and later the film.

The response, I'm pleased to admit, has been mostly very positive. Movie sites can be VERY bitchy, and many movies get completely trashed by reviewers who can't wait to sink their claws into anything that doesn't take their fancy!!! But most seem to have taken an admiring view of the trailer -- some have even said that while they were ready to pounce on the movie prior to seeing the trailer, now they're prepared to give it a fair go!! As I said yesterday, I really think Universal did a top-notch job on the trailer. It does a good job of giving people just enough information to intrigue them, without giving TOO much away. I know some of you were a bit worried after seeing it, since there was very little of Steve, Mr Tiny or Murlough in the trailer -- but don't worry, they ARE all in the film, and feature prominently!! Much has been changed, as I've said before, but not THAT much!!!! And although Darren seems to glibly accept Mr Crepsley's offer to become his assistant, that was just the way the trailer made it look -- in the film, as in the book, it will be an agonising decision. A good trailer is an artform in itself -- it has to tell a short story in a couple of minutes. Many fail because the makers try to cram too many details in. I think this one pitched itself just right, and by the response of the neutral movie web site folk, others seem to think so too. Of course, that doesn't stop SOME fans from moaning, but hey, you can't please everyone!!!

Today was quieter, more a return to normal, although I was still kept busy catching up with reviews of the trailer and responding to emails. It was a busy day for me, work-wise, as was yesterday, but I'll talk about those in my next blog, once the movie trailer whirlwind has died down a little more!!!!

I must say, I was far more excited by the release of the trailer than I thought I would be!! As I've said all along, I deliberately distanced myself from the movie-making process, as I prefer to focus my time and energies on my books -- I'm a writer, not a movie-maker, and I think I can best serve you guys by ensuring my books come out on time, and honed to the finest possible edge by months and years of editing. I thought I'd be very laidback about the trailer and movie, but when I first saw it yesterday, I got a surprisingly big buzz!!! I really hope the film fulfills the promise of the trailer. While I'm not going to start taking credit for the film if it's good, there's no denying that it's much nicer to be attached to something cool than to something that stinks!!!!! I'm keeping my fingers crossed!!!!!!!

Movie trailer heaven!!

Wed, 05 Aug 2009 22:36:30 GMT

At last -- the moment so many of you have been waiting for!!! The movie trailer for Cirque Du Freak: The Vampire's Assistant is now online, and I think it looks pretty kewl!!!

You can check it out on YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MJL2wP1GagI

Or on Moviefone, where you have a choice of watching it in different HiDef formats: http://www.moviefone.com/movie/cirque-du-freak-the-vampires-assistant/32123/main

Universal also now have am official site for the movie, although there isn't a lot on there yet: http://www.thevampiresassistant.net/

I have also added an image of the first movie poster for The Vampire's Assistant to my site, and will be adding more posters and any other movie-related images that are released over the coming months in various countries -- so keep checking back!!! You can find the Movies page in the Covers part of the Vampires section of the web site, by CLICKING HERE.

If you want to see a larger image of the poster, CLICK HERE. As you can see, in America the movie is rated PG-13. Also, please note that this is what those in the industry call a TEASER poster, designed to whet people's appetite. Another poster, with more images and info, should follow in due course.

In response to the big question -- YES, I do like the trailer!!! In fact I think it's top-notch!! As I've been saying all along, the movie is going to be VERY different to the books. For instance, you can see, even from this short trailer, that it has more humour in it than the books had. But at the same time it's recognisable as the world of the Cirque Du Freak which we all know from the books -- it has taken many liberties with the story (more than are actually apparent in the trailer), but most of the main characters are there, the darkness is there, and the freakiness is definitely there!!!

I know the differences will come as a shock to a lot of fans -- they certainly came as a shock to ME when I first read the script!! -- but we have to live with the fact that the movie is its own beast. It's not a true adaptation of the books, but a re-imagining of them. You can moan about what the movie-makers haven't done, in which case you're doomed to go away miserable -- or you can treat it as a whole new story and give it a chance to win you over on its own terms. And I don stress the word "chance" -- the movie will have to win ME over too!!! I haven't seen it yet, and as the author of the original books, I'm probably going to be harder to please than anyone else in the world!!!! But I'm prepared to accept it on its own terms and to give it a chance. When I sit down to watch the film, I'll be leaving all of my memories of the books at the door and putting them far from my mind -- and I suggest that everyone else who has read them should do the same thing!!

You can never tell from a trailer what the final version of a film will be like, but I think there's grounds to be hopeful based on what we've seen here -- it looks smart, it looks funny, it looks stylish, it looks spooky, it looks freaky!! Roll on October!!!!!!

My brain hurts!!!

Tue, 04 Aug 2009 18:39:57 GMT

Thinking hard all day -- ouch!!! This is simultaneously the most exciting and frustrating part about being an author -- the excitement of venturing into the unknown and discovering an entire new world of ideas, and the frustration of being at the mercy of those ideas until they reveal themselves. You don't have any control over an idea until you have it clear in your head. Once it's in place, you can play around with it, extend it, add to it, cut it -- whatever the hell you like. You are its master and it does what you tell it!!! But when you're not entirely certain of where you want to go with an idea, or how to link it in with other ideas, then it's almost like it's teasing you, mocking you -- "I'm over here, just behind you, but you can't find me!!!!"

To be honest, it was a very successful day on the thought front. I plotted out most of the major parts of the next two books in the new series. Most authors would be thrilled to plot out two books in a single day, and rightly so -- it's an incredible achievement!!! But I always like to ask more of myself, to challenge myself and push myself hard. I was hoping to unlock the secrets of the later books today too, to outline exactly where I wanted to go with the story, so that by close of business today I would know precisely what I wanted to do, and how many books it was going to be. I plotted out books 4 and 5 in the morning, so when I returned after lunch I was feeling extraordinarily confident -- this was going to be a doddle!!! But the afternoon turned out to be a vague mishmash of conflicting ideas. I kept getting whiffs of the series outline, but couldn't quite pin it down, and in the end I had to admit temporary defeat and leave it where it was for the time being. My brain obviously isn't quite ready to take the whole series forward at the moment.

But what it IS ready to do is tackle books 4 and 5, so that's what I'm going to do, starting tomorrow. I always think it's important to forge ahead whenever possible where writing is concerned -- if, for instance, you have a very clear idea of what you want to do with the first book of a trilogy, but you're not sure where you'll go with the second and third books, don't sit around trying to figure out the later books -- crack on and write book one. In my experience, you pick up ideas as you go along, as characters develop and the story throws surprises at you. If you sit thinking for too long, it can start to seem like an impossibility, like spitting and hitting the moon. But if you start to chip away at it and do what you can, you'll find the next step much easier to take when you get there. The stubborn part of me would love to sit down tomorrow and keep stabbing away at the later books, to try and bend them to my will. The practical part of me knows that they'll sort themselves out further down the line, and that my time will be much better utilised by starting work on book 4 ASAP. So that's what I'm going to do!!

I don't know if this is an old proverb, or something I just made up, but this just popped into my head -- if you try to swallow an apple whole, you'll choke -- you need to devour it one small bite and swallow at a time.

Happy chomping!!!!

At the verge of the unknown

Mon, 03 Aug 2009 21:55:04 GMT

Edited the first half of the third book of my new series on Friday. On Saturday I put together the Shanville Monthly -- it took a bit longer than usual, because I had to add my October tour dates to it. I'm travelling all around England, Scotland and Ireland, from Brighton up to Dundee!!! If you haven't checked it out yet, click here for all the dates and times. It also has all the latest news, info about an unbelievably cool new competition, and more!! After that, Bas and I went to a birthday party for my cousin Ronan's little girl -- it was her first. We spent a nice few hours there, then Kenny and I went for a few drinks in Limerick, then we all met up a bit later to see a band called Last Days Of Death Country -- I know the lead singer, Pa, and wanted to check them out. They were pretty damn fine!!! If you're interested, you can check out their MySpace page by CLICKING HERE. On Sunday, after a nice lie-in, Bas and I took a couple of my cousins hiking in the hills around Killaloe, a nice spot in southwest Ireland. The weather was crappy, and we got a bit lost (lesson learnt -- don't try to map-read when you have a hangover!!!), but it was good to get out and about rather than just sit around the house all day. Stopped at my favourite Chinese restaurant, the Dragon I, in a village called Patrickswell on the way home -- they never disappoint!!!

Today I edited the second half of the third book of my new series (as I've said here before, the books in this series are short!! I'm going for sharp and punchy, with each book ending on a cliffhanger!). Which brings me up to speed. I now have to plot out what happens next, and I'm still far from 100% sure!!! I've been stringing together ideas over the past few days, and I'm fairly confident that it will all click into place when I sit down with my plans over the next few days -- or at least enough of it to allow me to sketch out the next chunk of storyline. That's usually how it works with me -- I'll spend a lot of time vaguely playing around with ideas, bouncing them off of each other, idly wondering where they lead. Then, when I feel ready to jump in, I sit down and seriously apply myself, and things tend to coalesce nicely. The brain's a bit like a computer -- you can have a lot of different programmes running in the background at the same time. You might be unaware of them while they're running, but that doesn't mean that your brain isn't hard at work! While I don't know exactly where I'm going next with this story, my brain has been chipping away at the ideas for the last several months, so hopefully when I sit down and focus tomorrow, the ideas will flow like water and plotlines will fall neatly into place.

If they don't, I'm scuppered!!!!

But hey -- that's all part of the unpredictable excitement of being a writer!!!!!!

Further into the darkness

Thu, 30 Jul 2009 18:27:35 GMT

Finished my edit of the second book of my new series. This one really excited me!! I never know, when I complete a first draft, how it will read several months down the road. Does it all hang together? Does it need to be ripped apart and re-structured? Does it work? It's not until I return for my first edit that I get a sense of whether or not I achieved what I set out to. Sometimes I think I've done a great job, only to realise I have a long way yet to go. On other occasions (Lord Loss was one such time) I feel like I haven't done a story justice, only to realise with delight that it's far stronger than I suspected. This fall into the latter bracket. I though the book was pretty good back when I first the first draft in January, but reading through it half a year later, it got me buzzing!!! It's very dark, a true descent into an underworld of viciousness, madness and murder. But, hell, it's FUN!!!! The first book of the series had to deal with racism, so it wasn't as much of a riot. But having got the ground rules out of the way, I was freed to cut loose a bit more in the second book, and I think it's a good 'un!!!

I'm also starting to run with the new idea I had the other day -- much of the series is still a mystery to me, but I've seen the way I need to go in the next book (or at least part of the way), and I've got a better scent of the story now. Young writers often ask me how do I get ideas, as if there's some magic involved in the process. And I guess, in a way, there is -- but it's not in getting the ideas. As I often say, EVERYONE has ideas -- we all day-dream and dream at night and let our imaginations drift off during quiet moments. What you do differently as a writer is fix onto a few specific ideas and push them further, bounce other ideas off of them, run them through a mental mill and start interrogating them, asking what would happen if you do THIS with the idea, what would happen if you do THAT with the idea. Like a detective following the trail of a clue, you can't teach yourself to always spot a vital clue, but you CAN teach yourself to make the most of it when you do. The more you write and play around with stories, the more you'll be able to do with a good idea when it comes to you.

I've said it before, but I'll say it again. Ideas are NOT the key to being a good writer. Knowing how to handle a good idea, and how to turn it into a lean, mean moster of a story IS. You can have a great idea for a book at any stage of your life, at any age, under any set of circumstances. But to turn that into a great book, you need to have the experience that only comes with lots of writing. Wannabe writers who sit around asking, "How is it done?" are going to stuggle to advance. Wannabe writers who actually push ahead with their stories and struggle with them and tease them into shape will learn and figure out by themselves how it's done -- and they will soar. The magic's in the doing, dude -- you've got to find it for yourself!!!

Preparation H -- for Horror!!!

Wed, 29 Jul 2009 18:56:48 GMT

I've been busy editing the first couple of books of my new series over the last two days - I finished off the first and am almost halfway through the second. They're fairly short, especially the first one -- I want them to be breakneck, swift reads, so I won't be spending much time dawdling in them!! I also cleared my fan mail pile again -- hurrah!!

I've spent the last few nights preparing for my appearance at the Edinburgh festival. I always like to do one or two world-exclusive readings at Edinburgh, and this year I'm actually going to be reading out three pieces for the first time anywhere in the world!!! Before I do that, though, I had to choose which extracts to read, and then edit them down (I never read directly from a book, but trim it down for a live reading). I still want to edit the extracts a bit more, and then I'll have to practise a few times, but I've chosen the parts I want, which is the most important thing. New readings, generally speaking, aren't as much fun for me or an audience as the old reliables (nothing in my canon beats my Cirque Du Freak or Lord Loss scenes). But, hey, they're NEW!!!! I think the thrill of hearing an extract from an unpublished book, knowing you're beating everybody else in the world to the punch, more than makes up for it being a bit stiff and unwieldy!! At least that's the way I see things...

Watched Jackie Brown again last night, which I enjoyed more than I thought I would. I liked it first time round, but it had dwindled in my memories and I wasn't sure if it would hold up. It's certainly not as much fun as Tarantino's first two films, and it's a bit slower and longer than it should be, but it was still an enjoyable flick. I saw a 1970s horror film called The Sentinel this afternoon. It was directed by Michael Winner, so it was never going to be a classic (Winner made one or two interesting movies, but he a very poor director generally speaking!), and the two leads were dreadful. But it had an amazing supporting cast, made up of old movie legends and up and coming stars, and some interesting story quirks, so it was never less than watchable. It also gave me a germ of an idea for my new series, which I'm warming up to the more I think about it -- a good (or desperate!!!) writer can find inspiration in the most unlikely of places!!!!!

I like to boogie... boogie-woogie!!

Mon, 27 Jul 2009 16:18:29 GMT

Had a family party at the weekend -- it was my aunt Maureen's 25th wedding anniversary. We held it at the Woodlands House Hotel, which is fairly close to where I live. Had a great night -- the room was the perfect size, the food was tasty, the band (Keep In Touch) were top-notch, the company was ideal!! I was up dancing for much of the night, which is a rare enough sight! I have to admit, I haven't been naturally blessed in the dancing department, and am fairly graceless on the dance floor. But when I've had a few drinks, I don't care -- in fact, I start to think I'm John Travolta in Grease!!! So up I hopped and off I boogied for a night of swift-footed fun!!! Hola!!!!!

Went to see the new Harry Potter film on Saturday morning. It was nice and dark, so of course I enjoyed it!! In truth, I don't think any of the films fully capture the magic of the books, but they take a bloody good stab at them!!!! Given the size of the novels, I don't think anyone could have done much of a better job of them. I also think they improved once they stopped being overly faithful to the source material -- I remember watching the first movie and thinking they just tried to cram too much in. To make a thick book work as a 2 hour movie (or even a 2 and a half hour movie!) you have to cut lots of it out and focus on the parts that will work for a movie audience. Fans who can't accept that, who moan about characters or plot lines being dropped, are simply being unrealistic, and don't understand the fundamental difference between a book and a movie. It never bothers me if a movie isn't faithful to its source material -- I only care whether or not it works on its own terms. Something worth bearing in mind when you come to watch The Vampire's Assistant, because it's going to be a film which is VERY different to the books!!!!

I also saw Pulp Fiction again over the weekend. What a great movie!!! I don't know if I'd still consider it one of my Top 10 favourite films of all time, as I did when I first saw it back in the mid-90s, but it's certainly not too far outside! If only all of Tarantino's films could work as effortlessly and majestically as this one...

Today I started editing the first book of the series which I'm working on to follow up my one-off fantasy book and four-books series. Even though I've completed first drafts of the first three books of the sereis, most of the rest of it is still in the dark -- I've no idea whether this will be a short or long series, or where exactly I want to go with it. I have some ideas, and scraps of scenes which I want to write, and I had an idea for what might be the end of the series a few days ago. But for the most part, it's not there yet. This is fairly common when it comes to writing a series (at least in my experience). I know everything looks neat and straightforward when the books are published, but the creation is often a chaotic, uncertain time, with long periods of struggle to make breakthroughs and take things forward. I wrote the first book of the series more than a year ago, and I'd been playing around with ideas for at least a couple of years prior to that. Right now I'm bouncing ideas around like crazy, exploring different angles, piecing things together a bit at a time, deciding on how I plan to proceed. There's no simple way of making ideas flow -- you just have to keep punching away and exploring until things begin to link up. And if they don't? Well, you just have to keep believing that they will -- a lot of writing is self-faith. Without that, you're sunk before you begin!!!!

Two fingers up to Twitter!!!

Fri, 24 Jul 2009 20:15:28 GMT

Finished my latest edit of my fantasy book (I'll be revealing the title and a bit more info about the book in just a few weeks, so bear with me!!). My editors notes definitely helped me patch up some problem areas -- including a few problems areas that I didn't know WERE problem areas until she pointed them out!!! There were no glaring, major flaws, but a series of small tweaks and twists which help the story flow more smoothly and make more sense. It's always good to get another's person's thoughts on your story when you bring it to an advanced stage -- by the time of the 4th or 5th edit, you've spent so long inside the story that it can be difficult to be objective about it. Things which make perfect sense to you might not make perfect sense to readers who aren't as immersed in the world of the tale as you are. It helps to have someone come along and ask questions and poke sticks into the ribs of the book. I was happy with the book book prior to this latest edit, but I'm a lot happier now, and I hope you guys will be too when you read it!!

I got asked in one of my comments today whether or not I Twitter. The short answer is -- no!! To be honest, I think Twitter is for people who are either lazier or less wordy than I am!!!!! Now, I don't mean that to sound as critical as it probably does!! Twitter is great for the vast majority of people who just want to post a few lines about themselves on a regular basis, and who either don't have the time to do into further details, or find it hard to swiftly string a few paragraphs together. As you've probably gathered by this stage, I have NO problem writing quickly!!!!! I rarely spend more than 10 or 15 minutes on any of my blogs, and I usually find something to write about in at least a bit of depth, even if it's only to comment on what films I've been watching. Only laziness could drive me to Twitter -- if I got bored of waffling on (and I'm all too aware that most of the time I DO just waffle, which is pretty inescapable if you're going to blog as regularly as I am -- life just isn't especially interesting for most people most of the time!!), then perhaps I'll switch to Twitter. Until that day, make mine BLOG!!!!!

Speaking of films and TV... I watched True Romance again last night. I didn't love it as much as I did when I first saw it -- I can remember coming out of the cinema with a HUGE grin on my face first time round -- but it's still a hugely entertaining flick, with some absolutely brilliant moments and dialogue. I also saw the end of season 2 of House today. I wouldn't normally watch a series like this, but I think Hugh Laurie and the writers have created a truly brilliant character in House, so I watch it primarily to catch him in action. Having said that, in this episode a guy's eye popped out of his head (literally -- and we got to see it!!!), and one of his testicles exploded (thankfully, they didn't show that one!!!), which made it play out a bit like a Demonata episode!!!! I was in my element!!!!!!!!

Shan is watching!!

Thu, 23 Jul 2009 18:29:37 GMT

I've been working away on my latest edit of the fantasy novel over the last few days -- I should hopefully wrap up work on it tomorrow. It's almost at its final stage -- my editor's notes have helped me iron out the last few remaining kinks (including a few I was previously unaware of!!), so if all goes according to plan, it should need just one more overall edit, then a quick check at the page proofs stage -- and that will be that!!

I finished watching all of the Coen Brothers movies -- what an amazing collection!! They aren't all classics, but there are no out-and-out duds anywhere among them -- even their less successful films are interesting and original in one way or another. Now I've started back on Quentin Tarantino's films. Watch Reservoir Dogs again the other night -- what a stunning debut!! The first time I saw it was at the cinema when it was originally released. I was at university and saw it in a cinema theatre in the Elephant & Castle, where I was staying at the time. The sound quality was absolutely DREADFUL and I came away liking it but not sure what all the fuss was about. It was only when I was actually able to properly listen to the dialogue when I saw it on video (remember video???) that I realised what a powerful piece of work it was!!! Can't wait for Pulp Fiction -- it's been quite a few years since I watched it, and I'm curious to see whether or not I'll still consider it one of my Top 10 films this time round...

A fan posted a comment today questioning whether or not I ever read the comments that are made about my blogs. The true and honest answer is -- yes!! I read every single one! It's very rare that I respond to a blog or email because of the sheer numbers which I receive every day (which I state openly on my profile and on the contact page of my web site), but I DO read them all -- I like to keep a close eye on you guys!!!! If that situation ever changes, I'll let you know (I believe in being open), but for the time being, SHAN IS WATCHING YOU!!!!!!

Thumbs up for Furnace!!

Tue, 21 Jul 2009 19:44:30 GMT

Finished reading the first Furnace book by Alexander Gordon Smith. Top-notch stuff!! VERY dark, fast-paced, action-packed, with a cliffhanger to die for!!! It reads very smoothly, which is one of the highest compliments I can pay a book. I know that many people think that the mark of a great book is the complexity of the language, that if you don't have to struggle to read it, it can never be anything other than average. I think that's elitism gone mad!! The very best authors -- Shakespeare, Dickens, Tolstoy -- always wrote in a way which was accessible to the people of their time. They were crowd-pleasers who knew how to keep their audience entertained, even while exploring all sorts of dark, complex areas and themes. It's extremely difficult to get a story to "flow", to create a true page-turner that will drag readers along without them even being aware of how much they're reading in any given stretch. As I've often said on this blog, I spend between 2 and 3 years working on any individual book, trimming it down, fine-tuning it, trying to get it to move from A to B to C as swiftly and effortlessly as possible. At the end of the day, I'm sure some people sniff at what I've created and dismiss it for being such an easy read, mistaking the ease of the read for the ease of creation. But there's nothing easy about what I do!!! The art of good writing is to MAKE it look easy! That's what Gordon has done here, the same thing that Anthony Horowitz does so well -- he put in a lot of hard work to create a swift, exciting ride of a story. I highly recommend it!!!

On my own front, I edited another 50 pages of my fantasy book. This one actually doesn't move as swiftly as most of my books. The nature of the story is such that I have to slow things down quite a bit and let the story ebb along rather than rush forward at breakneck pace. That's not to say it's a stagnant, slow story -- I very much hope that it isn't!!! It just works in a different way to most of my other published novels. It's good to try different approaches every now and then. There's always room for improvement in a writer's career, but you generally learn a lot more by experimenting than you do by simply sticking to what you're good at. For the most part, I prefer writing books like The Saga and The Demonata, where I can roar along at maximum speed, throwing twist after twist out at my unsuspecting fans!! But every so often it's nice to move down a few gears and try something a little less hectic. But for those of you who might be worrying that I'm moving into sweet Jane Austen sort of territory -- there's no need to panic!!! This book features beheadings, slavery, grave-robbing, religious zealots, and killer bats galore!!!!! There are slow, easy-going books -- and then there are slow, easy-going books Darren Shan style!!!!!!!!

Namechecked in Furnace!!

Mon, 20 Jul 2009 18:41:21 GMT

I read a bit more of Furnace: Lockdown last night, and was tickled pink to see myself namechecked in the book -- the characters are discussing movies at one point, and make mention of the seeing the third Darren Shan movie!! I'm hoping Master Smith has strange powers of insight into the future and that this prediction of his will be a reality in a few years time -- I'm quids-in if they make movie sequels!!!!!! It was a good job I posted that blog before spotting my own name in the book, or people might have accused me of being vain and only mentioning it because of my mention!!! I'm hoping to finish it off later tonight, and will report on it here once done.

Edited another 50 pages of my fantasy book. My editor's notes, as usual, are proving extrmely helpful. I always scowl when I get notes through from an editor -- I always have a completely uncontrollable, sniffish moment of "How DARE she suggest that my work isn't absolutely perfect as is!!!!" Then I generally have a quick read-through of the notes, and again my hackles rise and I mutter angrily to myself -- "Well, I won't be taking any notice of THAT point!! Or THAT one!!!! Or...." Then, a bit later, when I actually sit down to edit again, I generally find that pretty much each one of her points is valid, and by paying attention to them, I help improve the book!! It's one of the things I think a lot of young authors worry about -- an interfering editor who tries to make them change everything that they like about their story!!!! Now, that DOES happen, so I won't say that it doesn't -- but in my experience it's quite rare. Editors want to help writers bring their work up to as high a point as they can, and usually they can spot things as a reader that you have missed as a writer -- it helps to be able to view a book from the outside. There will almost certainly be times when you don't see eye to eye, but in most cases a good editor is happy to go along with an author's wishes if an author feels very strongly about a certain point. But you do need to BE certain before making a stand -- you should always do as I do, and give yourself time to process an editor's feedback (or anybody else's), and really have a good think about it, before replying in haste and regretting it afterwards when you realise that the editor was actually right!!!

Saw No Country For Old Men again last night, which was absolutely fabulous, and The Happening this evening, which was a big pile of heaping elephant crap!!! I remember being so excited about M Night Shyamalan when The Sixth Sense and Unbreakable first came out, though I did worry at the time whether or not he'd be able to keep bringing out films with incredible, intriguing twists, or if he'd be able to produce interesting work in the absence of a decent twist. The answer, it has become clear, is that no he can't, on both counts. The Happening was awful, a film so bad that Ed Wood might have been partly responsible for it!!! I hope, if my standards ever drop away at such an alarming rate, that Lord Loss crosses over and eviscerates me before I can torment the world with any more creative crud!!!! From "I see dead people..." to "Plants talk to each other..." Give me strength!!!!!

Bittersweet

Sun, 19 Jul 2009 17:59:38 GMT

Finished my latest edit of the fourth book of my 4 book series on Friday. There's a scene near the end that always chokes me up a bit when I come to it. I don't sit here blubbing or anything (I'm not THAT soft!!), but I do get a little lump in my throat, even at this, the fifth time round. It's one of the saddest things I think I've written, a truly tragic, heartbreaking moment. I won't say any more about it (don't want to spoil the surprise), except to say to keep a handkerchief at the ready when you come to read this in May 2012 (which is when the fourth book should be going on sale in the UK, if we stick to our current schedule).

Went out with my friend Kenny on Friday night. Had a few drinks, chatted about movies and football and music, the same old things we've been chatting about for more than 20 years now -- the mark of a true friendship is the limitless number of times you can share the same sort of conversation!!! I rounded off the night with a doner kebab and taco fries from Abrakebabra (the best name for a fast food restaurant EVER!!!). They always taste so sweet slipping down, yet so vile when I wake up the next morning with the taste still thick in my throat!!!!!

Took it easy on Saturday, just sat around, read a bit, watched a couple of films, surfed the web a while. I'm reading Furnace: Lockdown at the moment, by Alexander Gordon Smith. I'm enjoying it so far, which I'm pleased about, because Alex is a Shanster of many years standing!!! Assuming I like the second half as much as the first, I plan to give him a quote for the book, to hopefully be used in the American edition when it comes out. The book is already on sale in the UK, so check it out if you haven't already!!

Today I returned to editing duties on my one-off fantasy book, which comes out in the UK in May 2010. My editor has given me her general notes, so I'm going through with those in mind. As I'm sure I've said on here before, the first draft of this book was MUCH longer than it is now. I included all sorts of details about the world which I had created for the story. In subsequent edits I trimmed back and cut out most of what I'd written, as it wasn't necessary for the main story. But it seems I excised a little bit more than I should have a in a few places, so part of what I'm doing this time round is filling in a few of the blanks. That's the good thing about writing more than you need in the beginning -- if it turns out you need to add a bit more later, you've already done most of the hard work, so it's simply a case of carefully restoring slivers of what you took out, which is much easier than having ot come up with entirely new material!!! I've said it often on this blog, but I'll say it again -- never worry about including more than you need when you're writing the first draft of a story or novel. Even if you know you're probably not going to use something, if it feels like you should put it in, then go with your instincts. You might thank yourself later for taking the time and trouble -- in my experience, it's always easier to write a lot of new material in a first draft than it is in a later edit. First time round, you're resigned to having to come up with new material every day, so you're in a very creative mindset. Further down the line, you just want to tighten up and fine-tune, and it can be a right royal pain if you have to slip out of that mindset and back into the creative zone!!!!!

Just say the version of Journey to the Center of the Earth which came out last year and which co-starred Josh Hutcherson. It was an OK movie, easy-going family fun but a bit too far-fetched for my liking. Far more interesting, however, was Hutcherson, who proves again that he's one of the strongest teen actors around at the moment. I'm really looking forward to seeing what he does with the role of Steve in the upcoming The Vampire's Assistant movie...

Auction Queen!!

Thu, 16 Jul 2009 18:33:19 GMT

With all the news of the last couple of days, I didn't get a chance to report on the outcome of the eBay auction of a signed set of my vampire books, in aid of Autism Speaks. Bidding was fierce and furious, and I'm delighted to be able to announce that in the end the winner bid a grand total of �440 for them!!! (That's a bit more than $715!!!) The winner, Jennifer, actually lives in Germany, which just goes to show that no matter where you live in the world, you'll find avid Shansters everywhere you turn!!! I was obviously very pleased that my books managed to raise so much money for such a good cause, but I was doubly pleased because they also made a lot more than any of the other books in the auction -- heh heh heh!!!! I don't believe in professional jealousy or oneupmanship when it comes to things like this, but at the same time, there's no denying the little stab of extra satisfaction that comes with being top dog!!!!!!! Thanks to everyone who took part in the auction, and better lukc next time to those of you who were unsuccessful on this occasion!

I edited more of the final book of my 4 book series today. I should hopefully wrap up work on it tomorrow, if all goes according to plan. Then it's back to my one-off fantasy book for another edit, and then (hopefully!!!) on to something new. The only problem with having as many books on the go as I normally do is that editing can sometimes get in the way of writing new material. I wrote two new books early this year, and had hoped to have at least another one written by now, but editing has kept getting in the way. Still, that's just the way it goes -- I suppose it's better to have plenty of work to be getting on with, than sitting there struggling to come up with something new!!!

I received a very nice email today from the mother of a boy who's just caught the reading bug:

I just want to say Thank You. My son, Brandon, is 14 and has a very difficult time finding books to read for his age. He's dyslexic and just will not follow through with any books normally. The other day I went into my local "Border's Books" store and found your books through a store associate. My son picked out the first book in the series and as of this morning, he is up to Chapter 9 and cannot wait to finish this so he can go get your next book. FINALLY!!! All he is talking about is your book now. Thank you... you reached a lost boy and now he is reading!

Heh heh -- that made me think of the Ghostbusters theme tune -- "If you've got a lost boy... who just won't read... who you gonna call?!?" I love printing letters and emails like this, because I know how difficult it can sometimes be to convince reluctant readers to give books a try. I firmly believe that just about every child CAN be convinced to read, IF you can find a book that can capture their imagination and excite them. My books have done that over and over again, so -- at the risk of it sounding like blatant self-promotion -- I really do recommend trying Cirque Du Freak out on any reluctant readers if you're reading this and are a parent, teacher, librarian or whatever. If you're suspicious of my motives, go rent a copy from a library!!! I never intended for my books to appeal to reluctant readers -- I don't ever think about an audience when I write -- that's just the way they turned out. But they DO work, as the email above proves, with children who, for all sorts of reasons, don't like to read. I'm not saying my books will work in EVERY case -- each reader is different, drawn to different sorts of stories -- but they're a pretty damn good place to start in most cases...

What's in a name?!?

Wed, 15 Jul 2009 18:34:18 GMT

It seems certain now that Universal are going ahead with their October 23rd release date for the movie in the States (no word yet on other countries -- I'll keep you posted once I find out), and also that the name has now been changed to The Vampire's Assistant. There's still a slim chance that they might retain the Cirque Du Freak title, but it's looking VERY slim -- even slimmer than a Size Zero model!! I have to admit, I'm disappointed by the decision to change, especially at this late date, as I think Cirque Du Freak is a much better and more fitting title. Unfortunately, the marketing people in the movie business often have the final say on key decisions like this. It shouldn't happen that way, but it does -- which is one of the reasons I took such a hand-off approach to the film, since I knew that time invested in the project would very likely turn out to be time wasted!!! A movie involves dozens, if not hundreds of people, and unlike with a book, it's very rare that one individual will have a complete controlling say over any given project. Rather than get closely involved from the start, and risk coming away bitter and twisted by the experience, I chose to stay distance from it -- and I'm delighted now that I did!!! Instead of feeling angry or betrayed or anything like that, I'm in a position where I can just smile ruefully and marvel at the shifting sands of the Hollywood mindset!!!

Mind you, having said all that, I'm going to have to show some decency and allow myself a little bit of a blush at this stage!! Because the good Hollywood folk aren't the only ones who can change their minds when it comes to names -- I'm going to have to hold up my hands too on this one!!!! Most of you are probably aware that I started to re-release my adult novels last year, starting in the UK. I decided to release them under the name of D B Shan, since I wanted to make it clear that they were not for younger readers. At the time, my publishers, HarperCollins, argued strongly to keep the Darren Shan name. They made some very persuasive arguments, but I stuck to my guns and thus my first two adult books came out under the D B Shan moniker. Last month, my American publishers, LittleBrown, asked if I would consider using the name of Darren Shan for when Procession of the Dead is released next year. At first I was going to reject the proposal out of hand -- but then I realised that there were putting forth the exact same arguments that HarperCollins had!!! Now, when one person contradicts you and lists their reasons why, you can choose to ignore their advice and forge ahead as you are. But when another personal contradicts you, independently of the first party, and makes the exact same argument... well, that's usually time to pause and re-assess the situation.

Basically, to cut a long story short, I've decided to stop publishing my adult books under the name of D B Shan, and will instead be releasing all titles in future as Darren Shan. In the UK, the paperback of Hell's Horizon will come out under the Darren Shan name in a few months, and Procession of the Dead will also be rebranded once it is reprinted. I'm not sure what publishers in other countries will do, but I suspect they will fall into line with the UK and USA, and that all titles from me in future will come out under the Darren Shan name. We will take great care to make clear on the adult books that they are intended for older readers. One of the advantages of having just one name is that I will now be able to have a single web site, and it will be easier for me to collate all the news and information about the books, so that fans can more easily keep abreast of all the Shan goings-on.

Phew!! It all sounds very complicated, doesn't it?!? But it's a complication of my own making -- if I'd just listened to my publishers in the first place, we could have avoided the whole brouh-ha-ha!!!! Oh well, better that I see sense later rather than never!!