GREETINGS!

Welcome to the slightly early April issue of the Shanville Monthly! The reason I'm putting the Monthly out early this month is that I'm heading off to Thailand on the 23rd (see below). In fact, most of the next couple of months will be spent on the road -- two weeks in Thailand and Taiwan, followed shortly thereafter by three weeks in America. And I hope to do some events in Ireland in late May or early June, to promote the release of book 11 of the Saga (I won't be doing much in the U.K. -- I'll be touring for book 12 there instead) -- so there's definitely no rest for this wicked little half-vampire!!! I've plenty to report on this month, but let's start off with the tours, and all the latest, most up-to-date info ...

THAILAND

I travel to Thailand on March 23rd, for the Bangkok Literary Festival, and it's going to be a jam-packed tour!!! There will be lots of opportunities for fans to meet me and have their books signed. I don't have all the information to hand (such as the names of the book shops where I'll be appearing), but interested fans can check out my Thai publishers' cool web site at http://www.nanmeebooks.com The basic outline is as follows:

March 24 -- 13.00-17.00 -- book shop.
March 25 -- 10.00-12.00 -- book shop.
March 25 -- 14.00-16.00 -- press launch at Nanmeebooks Library.
March 26 -- 10.00-12.00 -- book shop.
March 26-30 -- I will be at the Book Fair, at the Queen Sirikit National Convention Centre, where I will be signing autographs for most of each day. I will also be giving a talk on the 29th, from 14.30-16.30.
March 31 -- 13.00-16.00 -- opening Nanmeebooks House.

All of the above events, except for the press launch and opening on the 31st are open to the public. (UPDATE: In fact, from what a fan who's visited the Nanmeebooks site tells me, these events might be open to the public too! I think it's possible to get tickets -- at least to the press launch! Go to http://www.nanmeebooks.com for more details.)

I'm really looking forward to this trip -- especially since, as well as (hopefully!) meeting lots of Shan fans and converting loads more, I'll also have the great pleasure of meeting the Crown Princess of Thailand, Her Royal Highness Princess Maha Chakri Sirindhorn, not once, but twice!!! Prime ministers and Princesses -- Shan only mixes with the very finest company!!!

TAIWAN

Hot on the heels of Bangkok, I'll be travelling to Taiwan for a short tour there during the first week of April. My schedule there reads as follows:

April 1, Thursday -- 14h00-16h00 -- Conference (that's all the info I have!)
April 2, Friday -- 19h00-21h00 -- Informal discussion in Eslite Bookstore.
April 3, Saturday -- 14h00-15h00 -- autographing in Kingstone Bookstore in Taipei.
April 3, Saturday -- 19h00-20h00 -- meeting readers in Page one Bookstore's café.
April 4, Sunday -- 13h30 -- autographing in Kingstone Bookstore in Taizhuong.
April 4, Sunday -- 17h30 -- autographing in Kingstone Bookstore in Kaoxiong.
For more information about my Taiwanese events (and to read a short note from me, which I wrote especially for the site), visit the official Taiwan Darren Shan web site at http://www.crown.com.tw/darrenshan/index.htm From all the fan mail I've received from Taiwanese Shansters (and the sales figures of my books there!) I KNOW I have lots of dedicated fans in Taipei and beyond!!! I hope to meet as many of you as possible, and I'm looking forward to signing loads and LOADS of books!!!! I've been resting my signing hand, so I should be on top form and ready to jot down an unlimited number of signatures when I arrive!!!!!!!

AMERICAN ROAD TRIP

Ay Carumba!!!! My American tour has turned into a MONSTER!!!!! In the 4 years that I've been touring to promote my books, I've never attempted as heavy and intense a tour as this one!!!! Just about every hour of every day has been filled, with schools, libraries and book store visits galore!!! Obviously, since America's such a vast country, I can only cover a small fraction of it -- but after this mammoth trek I think I'm going to have seen a hell of a lot of the place!!! And hopefully met heap-loads of Shansters old and new too!!!! Here's the schedule as it currently stands (and I think this is very close to being the FINAL schedule!) Please note -- "School Event" means I'll be going in to a school during school time, or schools will be coming to see me in a store, so only the students from that school will be able to attend. (But if the event's being held in a store, it MIGHT be possible for individuals to come too! Or for you to arrange for YOUR class to come! Contact the stores in question for more details!!!) "Public Event" means ANYONE can come to see me in the store.
April:
Monday 26th -- La Jolla Country Day School, La Jolla, CA -- 11.00-16.00 -- school event.
Monday 26th -- Tierrasanta Library, 4985 La Cuenta Dr, San Diego, CA 92124 -- 18.00-19.00 -- public event.
Tuesday 27th -- Yellow Book Road, 8315 La Mesa Blvd., La Mesa, CA -- 10.00-11.00 -- school event.
Tuesday 27th -- Marshall Middle School, 11778 Cypress Canyon Road, San Diego, CA 92131 -- 14.00-15.30 -- school event.
Tuesday 27th -- Mysterious Galaxy Books, 7015 Clairemont Mesa Blvd, Suite 302, San Diego, CA -- 17.30-18.30 -- public event.
Wednesday 28th -- Vista Grande Elementary School, 5606 Antigua Boulevard, Tierrasanta, CA 92124 -- 10.30-13.30 -- school event.
Wednesday 28th -- San Diego Library, Santee Branch, 9225 Carlton Hills Blvd, #17 Santee, CA 92071 -- 15.30-16.30 -- public event.
Wednesday 28th -- Barnes & Noble, 10775 Westview Parkway, San Diego, CA 92126 -- 19.00-20.00 -- public event.
Thursday 29th -- Mrs. Nelson’s, 1030 Bonita Avenue, La Verne, CA 91750 -- 10.00-12.00 -- school event.
Thursday 29th -- St John’s Episcopal School, 30382 Via Con Dios, Rancho Santa Margarita, CA 92688 -- 13.30-15.00 -- school event.
Thursday 29th -- Whale of a Tale, 4199 Campus Drive Suite A Irvine, CA -- 16.00-17.00 -- public event.
Friday 30th -- DePortola Middle School, 11010 Clairemont Mesa Blvd, Tierrasanta, CA 92124 -- 09.00-12.00 -- school event.
Friday 30th -- Milligan News & Sunnyvale Middle School, 108 Mango Avenue, Sunnyvale, CA 94087 -- 16.00-17.30 -- school event (or maybe it's a public event -- not sure!!).
May:
Saturday 1st -- Oakland Public Library, 125 14th St, Oakland, CA 94612 -- 14.00-15.00 -- public event.
Saturday 1st -- Cody’s Books, 1730 4th St, Berkeley, CA -- 19.00-20.00 -- public event.
Sunday 2nd -- Borders, 588 Francisco Blvd West, San Rafael, CA -- 14.00-15.00 -- public event.
Monday 3rd -- Silverado Middle School, 1133 Coombsville Road, Napa, CA 94558 -- 09.00-10.00 -- school event.
Monday 3rd -- M is For Mystery, 86 East Third Avenue, San Mateo, CA -- 12.30-16.30 -- schools event (various classes will be coming to the store, but individuals can proably come to get their books signed too, probably at 16.00 or so -- phone store for more details).
Monday 3rd -- Dark Carnival, 3086 Claremont Avenue, Berkeley, CA 94706 -- 17.30-19.30 -- public event.
Tuesday 4th -- Linden Tree, 170 State Street, Los Altos, CA 94022 -- 10.00-12.00 -- school event.
Tuesday 4th -- American Canyon Middle School, 300 Benton Way, American Canyon, CA 94503 -- 13.30-14.30 -- school event.
Tuesday 4th -- Rakestraw Books, 409 Railroad Avenue, Danville, CA -- 15.30-17.00 -- public event.
Wednesday 5th -- IRA Convention, Reno, NV.
Friday 7th -- Tucson Public Library -- 11.00-13.00 -- school event.
Friday 7th -- Kid’s Center, 1725 North Swan Road, Tucson, Arizona 85712 -- 15.00-17.00 -- public event.
Saturday 8th -- Changing Hands, 6428 S McClintock Dr, Tempe, AZ 85283 -- 14.00-15.00 -- public event.
Saturday 8th -- Southeast Regional Library, 775 North Greenfield Road, Gilbert, AZ 85234 -- 16.00-17.00 -- public event.
Monday 10th -- South High School, 3131 19th Ave S, Minneapolis, MN 55407 -- 10.00-12.00 -- school event.
Monday 10th -- The Bookcase, 607 E. Lake St, Wayzata, MN 55391 -- 12.30-14.00 -- school event.
Tuesday 11th -- Skokie Public Library, 5215 Oakton St., Skokie, IL 60077 -- 10.30-14.30 -- school event.
Tuesday 11th -- Barbara’s Books, 1100 Lake St, Oak Park, IL 60301 -- 15.30-16.30 -- public event (I think!!).
Tuesday 11th -- Schaumburg Township District Library, 130 South Roselle Road, Schaumburg, IL 60193 -- 17.00-18.30 -- public event.
Tuesday 11th -- Des Plaines Public Library, 1501 Ellinwood St., Des Plaines, IL 60016 -- 19.00-20.00 -- public event.
Wednesday 12th -- Chicago International Charter School - West Belden, 2245 N. McVicker,,Chicago, IL 60639 -- 10.00-14.00 -- school event.
Wednesday 12th -- Highland Park Public Library, 494 Laurel Avenue, Highland Park, IL 60035 -- 17.00-18.00 -- public event.
Wednesday 12th -- Anderson’s Bookshop, 5112 Main St, Downer’s Grove, IL 60515 -- 19.00-20.00 -- public event.
Thursday 13th -- Joliet Central High School, 201 East Jefferson Street, Joliet, Illinois 60432 -- 10.00-11.00 -- school event.
Thursday 13th -- Barnes & Noble, NYC, upper east side, 240 East 86th Street, New York, NY 10028 -- 19.00-20.00 -- public event.
Friday 14th -- Just Books, 28 Arcadia Road, Old Greenwich, CT 06870 -- 15.30-17.00 -- public event.
Friday 14th -- Elizabeth Public Library, 11 South Broad Street, Elizabeth, NJ 07202 -- 19.30-20.45 -- public event.
Saturday 15th -- Book House of Stuyvesant, 1475 Western Avenue, Albany, NY 12203 -- 14.00-15.00 -- public event.
Saturday 15th -- North Shire Book Store, 4869 Main Street, Manchester Center, VT 05255 -- 19.00-20.00 -- public event.
Sunday 16th -- Bank Street Bookstore, Broadway & 112th Street, New York, NY -- 14.00-15.00.
Sunday 16th -- Donnell Library Teen Center, 20 West 53rd Street, New York, NY 10019 -- 16.00-17.00.
I don't think there are many dates left to be filled (if any!), but it MIGHT still be possible for YOU to book me!! If you live in or near one of the areas mentioned above, and you want to make a last-minute bid for me, ACT NOW!!!!! See the February issue of the Shanville Monthly for tips on the best way to "snare" me, then ask your teacher, librarian or local book seller to e-mail Jennifer Abbots at [email protected] Please DO NOT e-mail Jennifer yourself -- such e-mails will only be a waste of her time and will be ignored!

AMERICAN PAPERBACKS

Books 1 and 2 of the Saga are being released in the States on April 1st in new mass market paperback editions (in perfect time for my tour!!) -- so they're now small and reasonably priced!!! Cool covers too!!!! If you don't own the books yet, and want to pick them up for a bargain, or have friends you'd like to recommend them to, this is the ideal time!!!! You should be able to find the books in your local store, or else you can buy them through Amazon or Barnes&Noble by clicking on the following links:
Book 1 - Amazon - http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/0316905712/qid=1078913879/sr=12-6/104-4396226-2523926?v=glance&s=books
Book 1 - B&N - http://search.barnesandnoble.com/booksearch/isbnInquiry.asp?userid=387RPDE2OZ&isbn=0316905712&itm=14 (N.B. B&N have the wrong image of the cover on the site! But you should still be able to order it from them without any problems!!!!)
Book 2 - Amazon - http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/0316905720/qid=1078913879/sr=12-2/104-4396226-2523926?v=glance&s=books
Book 2 - B&N - http://search.barnesandnoble.com/booksearch/isbnInquiry.asp?userid=37RV2DDQJ4&isbn=0316905720&itm=18

JAPANESE FAN BOOK

If anybody wants to buy the Japanese Darren Shan fan book (see the February issue of the Monthly), I've found out that you can order it through Amazon Japan by clicking on the following link: http://www.amazon.co.jp/exec/obidos/ASIN/4092903197/qid%3D1075739319/sr%3D1-1/ref%3Dsr%5F1%5F10%5F1/250-4656710-0786602
Although it's a Japanese site, there's a link you can press to receive instructions in English, and they'll ship anywhere in the world. Also, it's set up just like the American and British Amazon sites, so if you've used either of them, you should have no problem with this (though you might have to register your details with them, the way you had to when you first used the US or UK sites). Shipping will probably be quite dear ... Approximate exchange rates of the Yen are as follows: 1 euro = 140 yen. 1 pound sterling = 200 yen. 1 US dollar = 110 yen.

Although the book's printed in Japanese, I highly recommend it for anyone -- it's full of cool pictures of me, and looks absolutely amazing!! And you can read all the stories that are in it by going to the Extras section of Shanville UK or Shanville USA!!!! So all you really miss out on are the short introductions to the stories which I wrote especially for the fan book.

AUSTRALIAN SCHEDULE

I've had quite a lot of e-mails from Australian Shansters recently, wanting to know when the next book is coming out (8 have been released there so far). Well, I've enquired on your behalf, and the schedule for the next few books is as follows:
Book 9 - August 2004
Book 10 - November 2004
Book 11 - February 2005
Book 12 - August 2005
Sorry there's such a long wait for book 9 (and between 11 and 12), but I never have any say in when my publishers release books!!! I'm not sure what this means for New Zealand. When I was over there, I noticed that there was a mixture of the UK and Australian books -- so they already had book 9 in most shops. I think New Zealand fans will probably get the books before Australia, not long after they come out in the UK -- but you'll need to check with HarperCollins New Zealand or your local bookseller for more accurate details!

BACK TO BIRMINGHAM!

I will be returning to Birmingham on Tuesday, May 25th for their annual Young Readers festival. I'll be doing an event in the morning from 10.30am to 11.30am in The Centre for the Child, Central Library (100 capacity), and then taking part in a debate at the Library Theatre at (I think!) 13.00 or 13.30 (250 capacity), where I'll be arguing that books by the likes of Shakespeare and Dickens shouldn't be force-taught in schools. (Or am I arguing that they should?!? I can't quite remember!!!!) If you go to school in Birmingham, and would like to come to either event, you'll need to have a word with your teacher and ask them to investigate ...

EDINBURGH ... EVENTUALLY!

I know it's a long way off, but for those who like to plan far ahead ... I'm due to appear at the Edinburgh Book Festival on Saturday and Sunday, the 21st and and 22nd of August, at 11.30 and 10.00 respectively. Further details will follow later in the year.

DEJA VU -- 1!

TWO doses of deja vu this month!!!! First -- NEW deja vu!!!!!! Mein Gott!!! Can it be true?!? It seems like an age since I added any new material to the Extras site on Shanville!! (In fact, it was around the time of the release of Book 6 -- a LOOOOONG time ago!!!!) At last the silence has been broken! No new stories, I'm afraid, but I've revised and expanded the Who's Willi Wanderwanst? section, including the names of characters from several more translated versions of my books. Some are seriously freaky!!! Anybody care to guess who Kaapo Kaksmaha might be in the Finland books?!? Or Rudy Von Ruka in the Czech editions?!?!? To find out if you're right, and to check out loads more, click on the following link: http://www.darrenshan.com/uk_site/extras/uk-extras-main.html I plan to add a similar list for each book, though it will probably be quite a long while before I get through them all! But book 2 is almost ready to go (I should have it online before the next Monthly hits the web), and as well as including some ingenious examples of how various countries have gotten around the difficulty of translating Des Tiny's name, it hightlights some curious omissions from the French version ...

DEJA VU -- 2!

Hang on -- haven't we been here before?!? Heh heh -- sorry -- dumb joke, but I couldn't resist!! Right -- I have some NEW COVERS for you!! First of all, you can check out the front and rear covers of the Taiwanese edition of Book 8, Allies of the Night, by clicking on the following link: http://www.darrenshan.com/gallery/shancovers/book8.html I've also added new covers for Norway (Book 6), and the Netherlands (Book 9). You can find them in the Shanville Gallery, at http://www.darrenshan.com/gallery/index-glry.html Plus, I've updated the Gallery, merging the German paperback covers into the main section, out of the New Covers.

IT'S A WRAP

And that, my merry band of Shansters, is that for April!!! I hope none of you get caught out on April Fool's Day! Remember, when the first of April comes rolling round, don't believe anything anyone tells you!!!!! The next issue of the Monthly will come online early again, about 10 days or so before the end of April, but we should be back to a more normal start-of-the-new-month schedule after that. Until then, all the bloody best, Darren Shan x x x