With a new book by horror author Darren Shan out almost every season (good man) we asked him about his writing practice, and found out a little more about his up and coming book, Wolf Island.

Have you ever thought of going back to the vampire series or writing some more books as a sister series?

Yes. There will a short series about Mr Crepsley in the near future, telling the story of his life up until the time he met Darren at the Cirque Du Freak.

Any clues as to what we'll see in your new book?

My next few books will be tying up all the loose ends of the story-lines that I've been exploring in my Demonata series. I don't want to talk too much about them, as I don't want to spoil any of the many surprises which are lying in wait for readers who've been there since the start!!

Demonata versus vampires - what's your favourite series?

The Saga of Darren Shan was probably more fun to write, since it came together much more smoothly and easily. But I love the ambition and scale of The Demonata, the way the story moves backwards and forwards in time, how it all starts to come together in the middle of the series, then powers ahead at full-storm after that. So I guess you could say I like them both equally, for different reasons.

Do you have plans to move onto something else?

Yes. There will be a one-off fantasy book when The Demonata finishes, then a new series.

Can you give us any clues about the film?

It's an adaptation of the first three books of The Saga. It will be VERY different to the books -- it's more a film that was inspired by them, than it is an actual adaptation of them. And it's due to hit cinemas here in early 2009 -- February has been talked about a lot, although that hasn't been given the definite go-ahead yet.

How long does it take you write a book?

Each books takes on average 2 to 3 years, but I juggle several books around at the same time, which is how I can bring them out so quickly!

Any advice for someone wanting to write something as gruesome as yours!

Don't focus too much on the gruesome aspects of the story. Readers of horror don't simply want to be grossed out -- they want to read interesting stories, about interesting characters. The grotesque bits should provide extra delights -- they shouldn't be the core of your story.