I've started scheduling the first of my Terrified Troll Zoom chats with those who purchased that perk early. It's not too late for YOU to get in on the act, if you want an up-close-and-personal 40 minute online chat with the one and only... Darren Shan!!!

Hmmm... I just realised that paragraph might read as pure gibberish for those of you who haven't yet heard about my forthcoming picture book, and the fundraiser I'm running to make it happen! OK, to vey quick recap...

I'm working on a picture book called The Terrified Troll, with an artist friend of mine called Eva Byrne. We're fundraising to produce a signed, numbered, limited edition of the book, before hopefully then finding a traditional publisher for it. You can pre-order the book, and there are also a number of really cool perks, including the chance to have a Zoom chat with ME.

All up to speed?!? Good!

So, there are two options. For €50 you can take part in a very small GROUP CHAT. There will be a maximum of three other fans taking part in any session -- it might even be less. For 40 minutes, I'll be all yours. I'll do a short reading, then answer questions from all those taking part. (If you don't want to ask a lot of questions, and would rather just listen, that's absolutely fine too!)

If you don't want to share me, even with just three other Shansters, then for €150 you can have me all to yourself! The 1-TO-1 ZOOM CHAT is exactly that -- just you and me, chatting online for 40 minutes. I'll do a reading if you want (no problem if you'd rather I didn't -- you're the boss!), then we'll shoot the breeze and I'll answer all the questions that you can squeeze into our time together.

I've never before made my available in such an intimate fashion -- normally, when I do a Zoom event, it's for dozens or hundreds of people at a time. This is your chance to have a very rare, very personal online event with me, either as one of a group of (at most) four, or all by yourself. If you don't grab this chance while it's going, it's unlikely a similar opportunity will ever present itself.

If you're interested in signing up for a Zoom chat, or want to pre-order The Terrified Troll, or have a look at the other perks, search for INDIEGOGO, and then, when you're on their site, search for DARREN SHAN.