Again, I have to apologise for my lack of a blogging presence, but I've been immersed in the move back into my house for most of the last fortnight. I've been chasing my tail around pretty much every day, trying to juddle a dozen different problems at the same time, coordinating the finishing touches to the house while living in the middle of the pandemonium. It's been crazy!!! I can't remember the last time I've been so exhuasted -- although we do seem to have cleared the worst of the wreckage by now, and the past couple of days haven't been too tiring. Still lots of little bits and pieces to sort out, but we're getting there! One of the big things still to be done is the unpacking and re-shelving of all my books. This is where being a prolific, globally successful author becomes a bit of a drag!! I have HUGE piles of copies of my books, in all sorts of languages, and it's going to take me quite a while to restore them all to their rightful places on my shelves. It's times like this that I wish I only released a book every couple of years or so!!!! Oh well, it's a good complaint to have!!

I enjoyed a nice break from the house last weekend, when I went to London with Bas and my cousin, Meara. Another of my cousins, Olivia, joined us there and we have a relaxing, carefree weekend, full of West End shows, a trip to Winter Wonderland in Hyde Park, and lots of good food. I hadn't even thought about Christmas until then, but now that I've been reminded that it's just around the corner, I'm starting to look forward to it. Now I just need to try and summon the energy to go get and decorate a Christmas tree...

For those who have not yet checked it out, please note that my Shanta Claus story is now back online, for two weeks only. It's my personal favourite out of all my Shanville short stories, so if you want to catch it before it disappears for another twelve months, act quickly and click on the following link: http://www.darrenshan.com/extras/feature/short-stories-shanta-claus-only-available-at-christmas-yuletide-favourite/