Mrs Shan recently insisted on having some professional photos taken of the Shan clan. I resisted because... well... I kind of HATE having my photo taken! I don't mind fun snaps, where I'm strangling my fans and can just growl manically into the lens. But I don't like posing for "proper" photos, which is why there are very few "ofificial" Darren Shan photos in existence, and why the same old few tend to get recycled any time one is required for an interview or news story. (Actually, Dante doesn't like having his photo taken either. And the almost always smiling Gaia swiftly sombres up whenever she spots a camera lens. So maybe they've inherited my anti-photos gene.)

But Mrs Shan can be very persuasive, and kept on wailing and insisting that the children would grow up to hate me if I didn't agree to get some nice photos taken of them when they were young and innocent and carefree. And eventually my defenses crumbled, and a grumpy Vampire Prince decamped with the missus and kids to our local park in Curraghchase, where a friend of ours who happens to also be a professional photographer snapped away as swiftly as she could, knowing that I (and my progeny) would likely revolt, tear her to pieces and feed her to the swans if she dawdled.

Much as it pains me to say it... I think they turned out pretty well.

But never again!!!

Well... never until Mrs Shan starts wailing again, I suppose...

:-) :-) :-)