When I post my SHANTA CLAUS story every year, I like to update some of the references. I wrote the first draft more than two decades ago, and the world has changed a lot during that time. While there aren't many references to real-world trends, I usually throw in a few mentions of current movies, songs, TV shows and the like -- just for fun.

Last week, when I posted the link to the 2022 edition of the story, a fan called MORGAN jokingly posted on Twitter: "Shanta is still watching Tiger King??"

Morgan was absolutely right -- while Tiger King was all the rage in 2021, I don't think ANYONE was watching it in late 2022. I'd missed that reference from last year's story and left it in by mistake. Thanking Morgan, I quickly went in and tweaked the story to include a reference to WHITE LOTUS instead -- that series has made me howl with laughter in recent weeks!

I don't think too many authors have this kind of relationship with their fans, where they can make a mistake, have it pointed out, and then quickly change it with nothing more than a rueful chuckle. I take my writing very seriously, but I also like to have fun with it, and you guys are very much a part of the fun, so when you catch me out on that rare occasion where I make a minor slip, I'm also happy to hold up my hands and then correct things if I can. The customer, after all, is always right, right?!?

Anyway, if you haven't yet read this year's version of SHANTA CLAUS (or have never read it!!), you can find it by clicking on the following link -- and if you spot any small errors, like Morgan did, do please let me know!! :-)

https://darrenshan.com/extras/feature/short-stories-shanta-claus-only-available-at-christmas-yuletide-favourite2