Issue 23 - June 2002
01 June 2002GREETINGS!
Welcome to the June issue of the Shanville Monthly! This is the first issue to be launched on the new site (though last month's also appeared here, after I'd uploaded it to the old site). I hope you all like the new-style Shanville -- so far the response has been overwhelmingly positive! We're still working on ironing out minor creases, but the site is about 95% complete now -- if not more so. If you have any comments to make, you can send them to me using the new contact page, or by posting a message on the Message Board. In the meantime, on with all the latest news ...
BOOK 7 ON ITS WAY!!!
Book 7 - Hunters of the Dusk - officially goes on sale in the UK and Ireland on July 1st, but it will be shipped from the warehouse on June 17th, so some shops might have it in stock before July. So keep your eyes peeled in your local shop from the middle of June! And remember, if your shop doesn't stock my books, ASK THEM TO ORDER A COPY FOR YOU!!! Shops are there to meet their customers' needs, but they can't supply books if they don't know you're looking for them! Also this month, the first 5 Darren Shan books are being re-released in the UK with brand new covers (see New Covers below). I love the new cover style -- the books look MUCH cooler now!! Watch out for them, then let me know what you think!!!!
U.S.A. & CANADA - BOOK 1 IN PAPERBACK
In America and Canada, Cirque Du Freak is being released in paperback this month. Of course, Cirque was released in the States in hardback last year (and got to the New York Times top 10!), but this is its debut in Canada -- I hope it proves as popular north of the border as it has in the south! And to those of you in America with friends who were maybe put off by the price of the hardback edition of Cirque -- tell them to go buy it NOW!!!!!!!!!!
NORWAY
The latest country to jump aboard the Shandwagon (*groan!!!*) is Norway. I'm not sure what the publication date will be, but I'd imagine it'll be hitting shops in Norway later this year or in the first half of 2003. And HarperCollins Australia have bought the Australian and New Zealand rights to my books from #7 onwards (up until now, copies have had to be imported from the UK), which should mean they get much more exposure Down Under. I hope to be unveiling more international news very soon ...
POSTER UPDATE
I've been in touch with the people at HarperCollins who are organizing the free posters (see last month's Shanville Monthly), and they say the deadline is going to be May 31st. The posters should be shipped to customers before the end of June -- but since more than 1300 people have responded, it's going to take quite a while to send them all out, so please be patient!. Because of the way the posters are being shipped, I won't be able to sign each poster individually. Instead, I'll sign the "master" poster, so a copy of my signature will appear on all the others. Oh, by the way, in case any of you are curious -- of the 1300 people who filled out the questionnaire, over 40% were 20 years old or older!!!!!! Darren Shan -- working hard to bridge the generation gap .... :-)
JAPAN EVENTS
I will be in Japan in June to follow Ireland's progress in the World Cup. While there, I'm also doing a weekend of publicity events, to promote my books. On Friday, June 7, I'll be doing interviews with magazines and maybe TV shows. Then, on Sunday, June 9, I'm doing a public appearance at the Asahi Yashoten bookshop in Ikebukuro, where I'll be signing books for people, talking about myself and answering questions. If you wish to come, please check with the bookshop first, as I think it's a ticketed event.
EDINBURGH FESTIVAL
I'll be back in Edinburgh for the annual Book Festival in August -- this is my third year in a row! I had a great time there in 2000 and 2001, and I can't wait to return! My first event is on Monday, August 12, at 10.30. I'm going to be focusing on the first 3 books at this event, and will be performing (with some help from audience members!!) a brand new mini-play, based on the plots of the first 3 books!! Later that day, at 14.30, I'm taking part in another event, organised by the NCH, where I'll be talking about one of my favourite childhood books -- there will be other authors at this event, also talking about their favourite books. On Tuesday, August 13, at 13.30, I'll be performing "The Song Of Darren Shan", covering books 4, 5, 6 and 7!! This is a follow-up to last year's events, where I treated audience members to verses 1, 2 and 3. Basically, it is the plots of the books set to rhyme. At the events, I'm also going to be taking questions from the crowd, and I'll be wrapping up each event (except the NCH event) with a reading of an extract from Book 8 of the Saga (a different extract at both events). It should be lots of fun -- if you're in the area and have the means to be there, miss me at your peril!!!!!!
HELP WANTED!!! Those who came to the previous shows know that I like to involve audience members as much as possible, and get volunteers up from the crowd to help me out. This year, to give Shanville users an advantage over everybody else, I'm going to offer you the chance to volunteer early! On Monday and Tuesday, I'm going to be at the entrance to the Author's tent (normally in one of the corners of the square) a half hour before the event begins (i.e. 10.00 on Monday, and 13.00 on Tuesday). If you want to participate in the play or song, come along at the stated time and I'll pick my volunteers from among those who turn up -- we'll also do a bit of rehearsal beforehand!
MESSAGE BOARD CHANGES
Because certain people were pretending to be other people (and even holding conversations with themselves!!), I've decided to make the Message Board a Registered Users Only site. This means you now have to register with EZBOARD before you can post new messages or reply to others. It doesn't take long to register, and once you do, nobody can use your user name except you. Also, when you're logged in, you can see what new messages have been posted since you were last on the board. I have nothing to do with the Ezboard registration process, so if you run into problems, you need to get in contact with Ezboard, not me. One piece of advice: you DO NOT have to enter your correct details when registering -- Ezboard can't check!! So make stuff up if you like!
NEW COVERS
I've added lots of new covers to the site recently! Check out the COVERS sections in the Shanville GALLERY for all the latest Darren Shan covers from around the world, including the new-look UK covers for books 1, 2 and 3!! Then, check out a Brand New web page at http://www.darrenshan.com/newcovers.htm I've added new covers of books to this page, but also a few work-in-progress covers -- so you can see the new UK covers for books 4, 5 and 7, and the USA cover for Book 4!! I'll be adding this page to the regular Shanville site later, but for now it's a stand-alone page, so if you wish to access it, you'll either have to bookmark it, or come back here and click on the link above.
NATE'S "STRANGE" E-MAG
It's not often that I promote somebody else's work here (hey -- it's MY site!!!!), but one young Shanster has put together a most excellent e-magazine which is well worth checking out. Nathan Brown - Nate to his mates! - is a regular Message Board contributor, and has now started up his own e-mag, in which he intends to publish strange stories each month, such as urban myths and ghost tales. The first issue was really interesting and well put together. To subscribe, all you have to do is send him your e-mail address and he'll post you new issues by e-mail every month. His address is [email protected]
DEJÁ VU!
A new, regular addition to the Shanville Monthly! Because there's so much material on Shanville, some of you might not be aware of certain features and articles. Each month, I'm going to draw your attention to one particular area of the site which you might have missed out on. This month I'd like to draw your attention to the EXTRAS section in Shanville UK -- in particluar, the part in the Trials Of Death extras entitled What's In A Name? This provides a list of character names and the correct way to pronounce them. So, if you're not sure about how to say Mr Crepsley or Murlough (and LOADS of readers mispronounce the latter!), check this out now!!!!!
IT'S A WRAP
And that's it! Good luck to those of you who decide to go hunting for an early edition of Hunters Of Dusk -- I hope you enjoy it!! I'm off to Japan for the World Cup in June, so I'll be away from my regular computer most of the month (which means I won't be answering e-mails, or posting on the Message Board). But I'll be back in time to put out the July issue of the Shanville Monthly. Until then, all the bloody best, and COME ON YOU BOYS IN GREEN!!!!!! Darren Shan x x x
Welcome to the June issue of the Shanville Monthly! This is the first issue to be launched on the new site (though last month's also appeared here, after I'd uploaded it to the old site). I hope you all like the new-style Shanville -- so far the response has been overwhelmingly positive! We're still working on ironing out minor creases, but the site is about 95% complete now -- if not more so. If you have any comments to make, you can send them to me using the new contact page, or by posting a message on the Message Board. In the meantime, on with all the latest news ...
BOOK 7 ON ITS WAY!!!
Book 7 - Hunters of the Dusk - officially goes on sale in the UK and Ireland on July 1st, but it will be shipped from the warehouse on June 17th, so some shops might have it in stock before July. So keep your eyes peeled in your local shop from the middle of June! And remember, if your shop doesn't stock my books, ASK THEM TO ORDER A COPY FOR YOU!!! Shops are there to meet their customers' needs, but they can't supply books if they don't know you're looking for them! Also this month, the first 5 Darren Shan books are being re-released in the UK with brand new covers (see New Covers below). I love the new cover style -- the books look MUCH cooler now!! Watch out for them, then let me know what you think!!!!
U.S.A. & CANADA - BOOK 1 IN PAPERBACK
In America and Canada, Cirque Du Freak is being released in paperback this month. Of course, Cirque was released in the States in hardback last year (and got to the New York Times top 10!), but this is its debut in Canada -- I hope it proves as popular north of the border as it has in the south! And to those of you in America with friends who were maybe put off by the price of the hardback edition of Cirque -- tell them to go buy it NOW!!!!!!!!!!
NORWAY
The latest country to jump aboard the Shandwagon (*groan!!!*) is Norway. I'm not sure what the publication date will be, but I'd imagine it'll be hitting shops in Norway later this year or in the first half of 2003. And HarperCollins Australia have bought the Australian and New Zealand rights to my books from #7 onwards (up until now, copies have had to be imported from the UK), which should mean they get much more exposure Down Under. I hope to be unveiling more international news very soon ...
POSTER UPDATE
I've been in touch with the people at HarperCollins who are organizing the free posters (see last month's Shanville Monthly), and they say the deadline is going to be May 31st. The posters should be shipped to customers before the end of June -- but since more than 1300 people have responded, it's going to take quite a while to send them all out, so please be patient!. Because of the way the posters are being shipped, I won't be able to sign each poster individually. Instead, I'll sign the "master" poster, so a copy of my signature will appear on all the others. Oh, by the way, in case any of you are curious -- of the 1300 people who filled out the questionnaire, over 40% were 20 years old or older!!!!!! Darren Shan -- working hard to bridge the generation gap .... :-)
JAPAN EVENTS
I will be in Japan in June to follow Ireland's progress in the World Cup. While there, I'm also doing a weekend of publicity events, to promote my books. On Friday, June 7, I'll be doing interviews with magazines and maybe TV shows. Then, on Sunday, June 9, I'm doing a public appearance at the Asahi Yashoten bookshop in Ikebukuro, where I'll be signing books for people, talking about myself and answering questions. If you wish to come, please check with the bookshop first, as I think it's a ticketed event.
EDINBURGH FESTIVAL
I'll be back in Edinburgh for the annual Book Festival in August -- this is my third year in a row! I had a great time there in 2000 and 2001, and I can't wait to return! My first event is on Monday, August 12, at 10.30. I'm going to be focusing on the first 3 books at this event, and will be performing (with some help from audience members!!) a brand new mini-play, based on the plots of the first 3 books!! Later that day, at 14.30, I'm taking part in another event, organised by the NCH, where I'll be talking about one of my favourite childhood books -- there will be other authors at this event, also talking about their favourite books. On Tuesday, August 13, at 13.30, I'll be performing "The Song Of Darren Shan", covering books 4, 5, 6 and 7!! This is a follow-up to last year's events, where I treated audience members to verses 1, 2 and 3. Basically, it is the plots of the books set to rhyme. At the events, I'm also going to be taking questions from the crowd, and I'll be wrapping up each event (except the NCH event) with a reading of an extract from Book 8 of the Saga (a different extract at both events). It should be lots of fun -- if you're in the area and have the means to be there, miss me at your peril!!!!!!
HELP WANTED!!! Those who came to the previous shows know that I like to involve audience members as much as possible, and get volunteers up from the crowd to help me out. This year, to give Shanville users an advantage over everybody else, I'm going to offer you the chance to volunteer early! On Monday and Tuesday, I'm going to be at the entrance to the Author's tent (normally in one of the corners of the square) a half hour before the event begins (i.e. 10.00 on Monday, and 13.00 on Tuesday). If you want to participate in the play or song, come along at the stated time and I'll pick my volunteers from among those who turn up -- we'll also do a bit of rehearsal beforehand!
MESSAGE BOARD CHANGES
Because certain people were pretending to be other people (and even holding conversations with themselves!!), I've decided to make the Message Board a Registered Users Only site. This means you now have to register with EZBOARD before you can post new messages or reply to others. It doesn't take long to register, and once you do, nobody can use your user name except you. Also, when you're logged in, you can see what new messages have been posted since you were last on the board. I have nothing to do with the Ezboard registration process, so if you run into problems, you need to get in contact with Ezboard, not me. One piece of advice: you DO NOT have to enter your correct details when registering -- Ezboard can't check!! So make stuff up if you like!
NEW COVERS
I've added lots of new covers to the site recently! Check out the COVERS sections in the Shanville GALLERY for all the latest Darren Shan covers from around the world, including the new-look UK covers for books 1, 2 and 3!! Then, check out a Brand New web page at http://www.darrenshan.com/newcovers.htm I've added new covers of books to this page, but also a few work-in-progress covers -- so you can see the new UK covers for books 4, 5 and 7, and the USA cover for Book 4!! I'll be adding this page to the regular Shanville site later, but for now it's a stand-alone page, so if you wish to access it, you'll either have to bookmark it, or come back here and click on the link above.
NATE'S "STRANGE" E-MAG
It's not often that I promote somebody else's work here (hey -- it's MY site!!!!), but one young Shanster has put together a most excellent e-magazine which is well worth checking out. Nathan Brown - Nate to his mates! - is a regular Message Board contributor, and has now started up his own e-mag, in which he intends to publish strange stories each month, such as urban myths and ghost tales. The first issue was really interesting and well put together. To subscribe, all you have to do is send him your e-mail address and he'll post you new issues by e-mail every month. His address is [email protected]
DEJÁ VU!
A new, regular addition to the Shanville Monthly! Because there's so much material on Shanville, some of you might not be aware of certain features and articles. Each month, I'm going to draw your attention to one particular area of the site which you might have missed out on. This month I'd like to draw your attention to the EXTRAS section in Shanville UK -- in particluar, the part in the Trials Of Death extras entitled What's In A Name? This provides a list of character names and the correct way to pronounce them. So, if you're not sure about how to say Mr Crepsley or Murlough (and LOADS of readers mispronounce the latter!), check this out now!!!!!
IT'S A WRAP
And that's it! Good luck to those of you who decide to go hunting for an early edition of Hunters Of Dusk -- I hope you enjoy it!! I'm off to Japan for the World Cup in June, so I'll be away from my regular computer most of the month (which means I won't be answering e-mails, or posting on the Message Board). But I'll be back in time to put out the July issue of the Shanville Monthly. Until then, all the bloody best, and COME ON YOU BOYS IN GREEN!!!!!! Darren Shan x x x
Darren Shan USA
Darren Shan Japan
Darren Shan Taiwan
Zom-B UK Site
Darren Shan Sweden