N.B. I won't be posting the July issue of the Monthly online until at least July 6th/7th -- even the Shan Man has to have a holiday occasionally!!!!
GREETINGS!

... and welcome to the dawn of a new age on the internet -- the re-birth of http://www.darrenshan.com!!! With the aid of my web designer, Xeropoint, I have completely re-structured and re-designed my web site. I've also done away with the old name of Shanville -- it's now simply known as Darrenshan.com!!! But don't worry -- I'll still be using the old name here and there on the site, and the Shanville Monthly title will remain!!! As well as adding some incredibly cool new graphics to the site, we've tried to make it easier for fans to navigate around the pages. There are now two main sections on the site -- Vampires and Demons. You can find all the material relating to my "Saga of Darren Shan" books in the Vampire site, while everything to do with my new series, "The Demonata", will be housed under the Demons banner. But there are loads of goodies in the main, home section too, so don't move on too fast from the home page when you first visit the site, or you might miss something vital!!!

We've made the pages easier to read (as you can see from this page!) and added cool new downloads. I've updated the FAQ and Bio entries, and included lots of new text around the site. I've also put up plot outlines and author notes about the first 2 books of "The Demonata" -- so this is your first opportunity to learn a bit about the second book, "Demon Thief", and to pick up some hints of what is to come later. I really think the site looks a whole lot cooler, and handles a heck of a lot smoother, now. It wasn't bad before, but we're into an entirely new ball game with the updated version!!!

If your screen in set to a high resolution (1024x768 pixels) the site will look slightly different than it will on screens set to a normal resolution (800x600 pixels). But don't worry if you're working at a normal resolution -- you won't miss out on anything!! The only difference is that users at the higher resolution will get a nice design down the sides of each page. The main text and graphics boxes will be the same regardless of what resolution you view the site at.

We're still working on certain sections of the site, such as the Photos, Fan Art and Shanville Monthly Archive sections, so you might find some gaps or links that don't work over the next week or two. If so, don't worry -- everything will be sorted out shortly!

I'm sure you'll want to check the new site out immediately. To do so, just click on this link: http://www.darrenshan.com But make sure you come back here quickish, as there's loads to tell you about this month, such as ... the release of "Lord Loss" in the U.K., Ireland and Japan ... the success of "Killers of the Dawn" in America ... info on how to get ultra cool downloads for your mobile phone if you live in the U.K. ... major updates about my October/November tour to America ... and more!!!!

LORD LOSS

"Lord Loss" goes on sale at the start of June in the U.K., Ireland and Japan, heralding the dawn of a new adventure for me. (That's why I wanted to re-release Shanville at the same time!) You can find out more about what's happening in Japan by visiting the Japanese Demonata site (see below). In the U.K. and Ireland, HarperCollins are going to be promoting the book heavily in June -- it will be getting the biggest promotional push of any of my books there to date!! Here's some of what they have in store.

*Downloadable mobile phone logo and ringtone. (See separate entry further down for more info.)

*There will be large posters at 100 bus-stops, close to WHSmith book stores, up and down the U.K., for two weeks from June 6th.

*There will be posters available to shops everywhere, and a special Easons poster for Easons stores in Ireland.

*There will be a special key-ring fob available in Ottakars, with the howling ringtone.

*HarperCollins are running a special online campaign, in association with Jetix, from June 6th. You can check it out by clicking here: http://www.jetix.co.uk/

*Lord Loss will be Book of the Month at Foyles (and maybe some other stores and book chains too!).

*And, as many of you already know, there will be a limited edition of 666 signed, numbered and slipcased (i.e. the book comes in a special holding box!) copies of "Lord Loss" available in various Waterstones stores. (I've heard from one of their salesmen that most stories have received copies, but they numbers vary from store to store, so one store might only have 1 or 2 copies, while another might have 10 or 12.)

The book should be on sale soon in just about every book store in the U.K. and Ireland (and other places too, such as some supermarkets!!). But if you prefer ordering it through Amazon UK, the link is http://www.amazon.co.uk/exec/obidos/ASIN/0007193211/shanville

U.K. - MOBILE PHONE LOGO & RINGTONE!!!!

If you live in the U.K. and want to have the coolest mobile phone in the country, I have some SHANtastic news for you!! As part of the "Lord Loss" campaign, my publishers, HarperCollins, have created a howling ringtone for your phone, and a Darren Shan logo!!! (I think it's like the skull design which they use on the covers of my books!) And getting them couldn't be any easier!

To get a howlingly groovy ringtone, text howl to 81222.

To lord it up with a Darren Shan logo, text logo to 81222.

Messages cost no more than 12p inc. VAT. (Some handsets may not have WAP push capability. Please refer to your service provider for assistance.)

Please note, these are ONLY available in the U.K. (sorry, Irish Shansters!). Make sure you tell all your friends about them -- unless you want to keep the secret to yourself, so that you can show off!!!!

LIMERICK SIGNING!!!!!

I will be doing a signing at O'Mahony's on O'Connell Street in Limerick on Saturday, June 4th at 11.00a.m. I'll be happy to sign as many of my books as each fan brings, although because of an expected big crowd, I'll only be putting a dedication and message in one book per fan (I assume most people will want it in "Lord Loss", but I'll just as happily put it in one of the "Saga" books if anyone asks.) This will be my only signing event in Ireland or the U.K. (or anywhere in the world!!) in June to promote "Lord Loss", so don't miss it!!!!!!

AMERICA -- KILLERS OF THE DAWN

In America, book 9 of the "Cirque Du Freak" series (as it's know there), "Killers of the Dawn", has spent four weeks in the New York Times Children's Series Bestsellers chart!!!!! It entered at #6, held its position for a week, slipped to #7 in the third week, and is currently in 8th spot!!!! This is the third time I've made the NYT top 10 charts, but the first time since they re-vamped their chart system last year -- they now have a separate chart for books which are part of a series. (e.g. the Harry Potter series, the Alex Rider series, etc.) This is also the longest period I've spent in the top 10 chart!!!! You can check out the full list by clicking here: http://www.nytimes.com/pages/books/bestseller/index.html I think you might have to register to see the full chart, but registration is free.

If you live in the States and haven't bought a copy of "Killers of the Dawn" yet, dash down to your nearest book shop and buy it NOW!!!!! Alternatively, you can order it from Barnes & Noble by clicking here: http://search.barnesandnoble.com/booksearch/isbnInquiry.asp?userid=FK15sOq9Fq&isbn=0316156264&itm=1 or from Amazon at http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0316156264/qid=1114205942/sr=2-1/ref=pd_bbs_b_2_1/103-4042062-0509407

JAPANESE DEMONATA SITE

My Japanese publishers, Shogakukan, have created a site for "Lord Loss", which will expand in the future as they release the rest of the books in the "Demonata" series. If you want to check it out, find out what they're doing to promote it, and get an early glimpse of the cover (as beautifully brilliant as usual!!!), click here: http://www.shogakukan.co.jp/demonata/

LORD LOSS FORUM

I have created a new "Lord Loss" forum on the Shanville Messageboard, where readers can discuss the book, the characters, etc. You can find it by clicking on the following link: http://p090.ezboard.com/fdarrenshanmessageboardfrm23 When the password box appears, you will need to enter the last word of the book as the password, in order to access the forum.

JUNIOR MASTERMIND

Many congratulations to Emma Hull, who finished third in the final of this year's Junior Mastermind on BBC1!!! She did brilliantly on her specialist subject (my books!!), correctly answering 14 questions about The Saga Of Darren!!! I only got 13 correct!!!!! :o Like Emma, I couldn't remember the name of the scout master in book 2 (Stanley Collins), but I also couldn't recall what Donna gave Darren to eat in book 3(scrambled eggs)!!!!! Many congrats, Emma -- you're an A1 Shanster, and a genuine Mastermind!!!!

#1 IN HUNGARY!!!

After my monumental signing sessions in Hungary (see last month's edition of the Shanville Monthly), I was delighted to learn that book 12, "Sons of Destiny", had shot to the top of the charts!!! There are two main book charts in Hungary. "Sons of Destiny" got to Number One on one of them, the Alexandra Bestsellers List, and got to Number 3 on the other, the Libri Bestsellers List. Coolio!!!!

LORD LOSS - COMING TO AUDIO SOON!

In the UK, HarperCollins are doing an audio version of "Lord Loss" later this year. (I think it will be available on CD and tape.) I'm not sure when exactly it will be on sale, but recordings have already started. The person they've hired to read the book is Rupert Degas, and according to early reports, he has done a FABULOUS job!!! You can check out some samples of Rupert's audio work by clicking here: http://www.yaketyyak.co.uk/Celebs%20pages/RupertDegas.htm

AMERICAN TOUR UPDATE

My American tour schedule is coming together nicely, as you'll see below, in the first rough outline for my October/November tour to the States. I'm going to be there from October 20th to November 9th. Dates and places have nearly been fully decided by this stage, but there are still a few spots available, so there's still a bit of time left to read through my tips and get your plea in (click on THIS LINK) -- but you'll have to act quickly if you want to nab me!!! Please note, all events are currently TO BE CONFIRMED!!!! Keep checking back for updates!

THE 2005 GLOBAL TOUR!

The Darren Shan touring show continues across the globe in 2005!! See below for the list as it currently stands. N.B. dates, venues and times are subject to change -- please keep checking back for updates.

JUNE -- LIMERICK
Saturday, June 4th -- 11.00a.m. -- O'Mahony's, O'Connell Street, Limerick -- public signing.

AUGUST -- EDINBURGH
Tickets will go on sale to the public on JUNE 17th!!!
Friday, August 19th -- 5.00p.m. -- Edinburgh Book Festival -- http://www.edbookfest.co.uk/
Saturday August 20th -- 1.30p.m. -- Edinburgh Book Festival -- http://www.edbookfest.co.uk/

(These dates and times are subject to final confirmation and MIGHT change. Check the final, confirmed schedule on the Book Festival site when it is made public on June 16th.)

OCTOBER/NOVEMBER -- AMERICA

October

Friday, 21st -- Seattle, WA. 9-11 am -- King County Youth Services Center. 1-2:30 pm --Auburn High School. 6:30-8 pm Third Place Books.

Saturday, 22nd -- Seattle, WA. Morning (Time TBC) -- Seattle Public Library.

Sunday, 23rd -- Las Vegas, NV. Evening (Time TBC) -- Las Vegas Public Library.

Monday, 24th -- Las Vegas, NV. Morning (Time TBC) -- Las Vegas Public Library in-schools.

Tuesday, 25th -- Dallas, TX. All-day events with Irving ISD.

Wednesday, 26th -- Houston, TX. 5–6:30 pm -- First Colony Middle School.

Thursday, 27th -- Houston, TX. 8:30–10 am (TBC) -- School visit with TSU. San Antonio, TX. 2–3:30 pm -- Jackson Middle School.

Friday, 28th -- Austin, TX. All-day in-schools with Texas Book Festival.

Saturday, 29th. Austin, TX -- Texas Book Festival.

Sunday, 30th -- Chicago, IL. 6–8 pm -- Skokie Barnes & Noble.

Monday, 31st -- Chicago, IL. All day in-schools. 7–8 pm
Anderson’s, Downer’s Grove.

November

Tuesday, 1st -- Chicago, IL. Morning (Time TBC) -- Anderson’s. 7–8:30 pm -- Skokie Public Library.

Wednesday, 2nd -- Milwaukee, WI. 7–8:30 pm -- Harry M. Schwartz Bookshop.

Thursday, 3rd -- Milwaukee, WI Metro. 9–11 am -- Southwest Regional Library System.

Friday, 4th -- D.C. Metro Area. After-school event (Time TBC) -- East Middle School, Westminster, MD.

Saturday, 5th -- D.C. Metro Area. (Time TBC) -- D.C. Public Library.

Sunday, 6th -- D.C. Metro Area. Morning (TBC) -- Howard County Library, MD.

Monday, 7th -- Boston Metro Area. Morning event (TBC) -- Kickemut Middle School, Warren, R.I.

Tuesday, 8th -- Boston Metro Area. (TBC) -- Manchester Public Library, NH.

Wednesday, 9th -- Boston Metro Area. (TBC) -- Portsmouth, NH.

Details to follow. Click on THIS LINK for tips about how to arrange a Darren Shan visit!!

MORE COSPLAY

Last month I posted a link to a site where you can find photos of fans who dress up as characters from "The Saga of Darren Shan". To see what another set of fans get up to in their spare time, click here: http://m.1asphost.com/XreflectionX/dscosplay.htm

IT'S A WRAP

And that's it for June and the new-look Monthly!!!! I hope you all enjoy the changes here and on the main Darrenshan.com site. I plan to do some more tweaking over the next few months, but by and large this is the format I expect to stick to for the next few years. I also hope those of you in the U.K., Ireland and Japan get a kick out of "Lord Loss" -- it's the start of a new, twisting, startling series that will take you to some places you probably never expected to go!!! I'll be back in July with an update of how the first book has fared, and all the other latest Shan news. Until then, happy nightmares, and all the bloody best, Darren Shan x x x