NEWS FLASH!!! Fans revolt at author signing!! Try to strangle Darren Shan to death!!!! Bookseller cries: "There's nowhere to hide when a book event goes wrong!!!!"

Heh heh!! No, don't worry, these two Shansters (Jasmine and Leslie) HAVEN'T tried to finish me off!! I posted some photos a few days ago, in which I was pictured "strangling" fans at my events, so I figured I'd post a couple more to prove it isn't always one-way traffic, and sometimes the delighted and excited fans are the ones doing the strangling!!!

I think the strangling started very early in my touring years. I've never enjoyed smiling for cameras -- I can't force a natural-looking smile, and always feel awkward if I just sit and smile down a lens. But I could see that getting a photo meant to much to my fans -- in some cases I suspect the photo even meant more than a signed book! So I just kind of naturally figured out a way to make it fun for me as well as the fans. And hey, it makes the photos different, right -- I mean, what other author out there even THINKS about strangling their fanbase?!?

That said, if any of you are coming to my event in Tunbridge Wells (in England) this coming Saturday, April 30th, at 2pm, and you'd like to get a photo with me, but don't want to be strangled (amazingly, some people DON'T like letting a total stranger wrap his hands around their throat!!!), that's absolutely fine -- you just have to politely ask me not to strangle, and I'll keep my hands well clear of your neck. I might even smile, too, though it won't look anywhere near as natural or as cool as my strangling scowl...

For more info about that event, and to book tickets if you'd like to come catch me in action, click here: https://theamelia.co.uk/tw-lit-fest/darren-shan/