When I announced late last year that I was working on my first ever picture book, The Terrified Troll, I said it had been inspired by my children and their love of chewing on stones when they were little! I'm sure lots of people thought that I was making that up, but Mrs Shan recently unearthed some old photos which verify what might have seemed like a wild, fanciful claim!!!

Dante was especially fond of stones, and chewed on them for quite a long time. That was when I originally came up with the opening line of a poem: "My son is a troll, he loves eating stones." Years later, when I spotted Gaia also chewing on stones, I was drawn back to that line and finally got round to finishing the poem, which went on to become the basis for the book.

The artist, Eva Byrne, and I fundraised to raise the money we need to produce a limited edition of the book. While the fundraiser is currently inactive, a few of the perks ARE still available to those who enquire. They include: a one-to-one 40 minutes Zoom chat with me... a 2 hours meeting with me in Limerick or London... a Bec-inspired tour with me in Craggaunowen Park in Ireland... or a Zom-B tour with me in London.

If you're interested in any of the above,email me at [email protected], and I can provide you with prices and more info. But be warned -- you don't get personal time with Darren Shan on the cheap!!!