GREETINGS!

Welcome to the March edition of the Shanville Monthly! The above image is of a Harkat Mulds cake baked by a couple of my fans in Finland -- so let's all give a big hand to Maija and Airin!!!! I'm just sorry I couldn't have a taste -- I'm as big a fan of cake as these two seem to be of Harkat!!! Anyway, away from cake-related matters, I had a VERY busy time last month. I was hard at work on a new book (you can follow my progress on my BLOG or by visiting the blog on my MYSPACE PAGE), which I'm very excited about, but which I can't discuss at the moment -- I don't like talking too much about new books in case I jinx myself!! I did my final edit of Book 6 of "The Demonata" and finished another edit of Book 7 -- I normally spend a couple of years working on the editing process of each book!!! As well as all that, I had two big events in the UK, one in Derby and the other at the Southbank Festival in London. Both were a big success and I signed LOTS of books at each of them!!! Speaking of events, I'm going to be doing a lot more touring later this year, and you can find updates to both my American and Far East tours by scrolling down. (Please note, my American tour still isn't 100% finalised, so please check back again later this month, or in the next issue of the Shanville Monthly, for the final, fully confirmed schedule.) I also have some very welcome book awards news, along with a few other bits and pieces. So without any further ago, "read on, MacDuff!!!!"



IRISH BOOK AWARDS NOMINATION

It's been an exciting month for "Demon Thief" on the Book Awards front in the UK and Ireland!! First, after being shortlisted for the Doncaster Book Award (as reported last month) it was nominated as the Irish Children's Book of the Year (Senior section) in the Irish Book Awards 2007!!! The awards are relatively new but have already become the biggest popular book awards ceremony in Ireland. I'm delighted to be shortlisted, though I suspect that "The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas" will walk off with the award, especially as the people who vote for the winners are adults. Still, you never know, I might pull off a shock surprise!!!! There will be a big, televised awards ceremony in Trinity College on March 15th when the winner will be announced. I won't be attending, but I'll be keeping my fingers crossed on the night!! You can see the full list of nominees (I'm right down at the bottom, with the three other books in my category) by clicking here: IRISH BOOK AWARDS



LANCASHIRE AWARDS NOMINATION

Hot on the heels of its Irish nomination, I learnt that "Demon Thief" has also been shortlisted for the Lancashire Children’s Book of the Year award. This is the second year in a row that I've made the shortlist for this award -- "Lord Loss" was nominated in 2006. This award (like all the best children's awards, in my opinion) is decided purely by young readers. I'm not sure when the winner will be announced, but I'll provide an update once it is.

I must say I'm pleasantly surprised by this recent flurry of award nods!!! My books have never been very popular with the people who hand out book awards, and though I've picked up a couple of awards and nominations over the years, they're definitely not something I'm used to receiving! I assumed my demon books would prove too bloodthirsty to be considered for awards, but I'm delighted to be proven wrong!!!! I don't worry too much about awards -- I'd much rather have lots of fans than lots of awards! -- but they're definitely a nice bonus!!!! Even just being nominated is quite exciting -- though of course I'd be a liar if I said it wasn't even more exciting to actually win!!!!!!!! :-)



CROATIA WELCOMES THE "CIRQUE DU FREAK"!!

I'm delighted to be able to announce that Croatia has become the 34th country to publish my books!! I've signed a deal with Croatian publishers, Algoritam, for the first 6 books in my "Saga of Darren Shan" series. The first book should see print later this year or early in 2008.



"THE DEMONATA" ARE COMING TO GERMANY!

Lord Loss, the first book of The Demonata, goes on sale in Germany this month. Its full title in German is Dämonicon 1. Fürst der Schatten. If anybody wishes to buy it through the German branch of Amazon, this is the link: LORD LOSS

Book 2, Demon Thief, will go on sale in May (a nice short wait -- hurrah!!) and its title in German is Dämonicon 2. Höllenkind. This is its link on Amazon.de: DEMON THIEF



"KOYASAN" STARTS TO TRAVEL!

"Koyasan", the short book that I released in the UK and Ireland in 2006 for World Book Day, has been picked up by a couple of my international publishers. It will be published in the Netherlands later this year or early 2008, and also in Japan (along with my other Japanese-inspired short story, "Hagurosan") late in 2007. I'm very fond of "Koyasan" -- it's a story I really enjoyed writing -- so I'm very pleased that fans in other countries will now have a chance to read it. Hopefully it will be taken up by other publishers as well in the future -- keep an eye on the Shanville Monthly for updates.



"BLOOD BEAST" NOTES
I've added my first set of "Blood Beast" notes to my site, giving a brief plot outline and explaining how I first came up with the ideas for it. More will follow over the next few months, in the lead-up to its release in the UK. You can find the notes in Secret Shanville (you'll have to become a Shanster if you haven't already) by clicking here: BLOOD BEAST NOTES



BOOK 6 MYSTERY!!
As most of you know, Book 6 of "The Demonata" will go on sale in the UK and Ireland in October 2007. It's the second half of the two-part story that begins in Book 5. (As I've warned fans before, Book 5 ends on a HUGE cliffhanger!!) But I'm afraid that's all the information we're going to be releasing about it at the moment -- my publishers are keeping everything else about it a secret until closer to the launch date, even the title!!!! That means I won't be able to share the cover with you in advance like I normally do, and I probably won't be able to release any of my notes about the book before it is released. I'm sorry about that, but we're trying to create a real air of mystery and tension around this one -- it's a pivotal book in the series, and we don't want to spoil the Book 5 cliffhanger by providing any clues as to what happens next!!!!!!


MARCH IRISH EVENT

On Tuesday March 20th I will be doing a school event at Tarbert Comprehensive School in County Kerry. I will be opening their new library as part of my event.

APRIL U.S.A. TOUR

I am coming to America on tour in April 2007, from the 2nd to the 20th. You can check out my schedule below! In-school events are for specified schools only. PUBLIC events are open to everyone. I will always try (time allowing) to sign as many books as fans bring along, so yes, you CAN bring your entire Darren Shan collection!! If you live near one of the stores when I'm coming, but can't make it to my event, you can always leave your books at the store in advance, or contact the store beforehand and ask them to get me to dedicate a book to you!

Monday, April 2, 2007 - Seattle

10:00 a.m.


In-school presentation/signing - Washington Middle School, S. Jackson St., Seattle.

1 or 2p.m.


In-school presentation/signing.

7:00 p.m.


PUBLIC Presentation/signing - Third Place Books, 17171 Bothell Way NE. http://www.thirdplacebooks.com

Tuesday, April 3, 2007 - Olympia/Lacey

8:00 – 9:30 a.m.


In-school presentation/signing - Capital Hill School, Olympia.

10:00 – 11:30 a.m.


In-school presentation (150 students)/signing - River Ridge High School, Lacey.

12:00 – 12:45 p.m.


In-school presentation - Black Hills High School, Olympia.

7.00p.m.


PUBLIC presentation/signing - Barnes and Noble, 1530 Black Lake Blvd., SW, Olympia, WA 98502. click here for web site

Wednesday, April 4, 2007 - Seattle/San Francisco

10.00 a.m.


In-school presentation/signing – Eckstein Middle School, Seattle.

Thursday, April 5, 2007 - San Francisco/Menlo Park/Burlingame

9:40 – 10:25 a.m.


In-school presentation/signing - Notre Dame des Victoires (NDV), San Francisco.

2.00p.m.


PUBLIC signing - Book Passage, 51 Tamal Vista Blvd., Corte Madera, CA 94925. http://www.bookpassage.com/

7:00 p.m.


PUBLIC presentation/signing - Books Inc., 1375 Burlingame Ave., Burlingame, CA 94010. click here for web site

Friday, April 6, 2007 - Petaluma/Santa Rosa/Napa

10:00 a.m.


In-school presentation/signing - Kenilworth Junior High School, Petaluma.

2:00 p.m.


PUBLIC in-store presentation/signing - Copperfield’s, Montgomery Village store, 2316 Montgomery Dr., Santa Rosa, CA 95405. http://www.copperfieldsbooks.com

7:00 p.m.


PUBLIC presentation/signing - Copperfields, Napa store, 3900 Suite A, Bel Aire Plaza, Napa, CA. 94558. http://www.copperfieldsbooks.com

Saturday, April 7, 2007 - Walnut Creek

1.00p.m.


PUBLIC presentation/signing - Barnes and Noble, 1149 S. Main Street, Walnut Creek, CA 94596. click here for web site

4.00p.m.


PUBLIC Presentation/signing - Oakland Public Library, Rockridge Branch, 5366 College Ave., Oakland, CA 94618. http://www.oaklandlibrary.org/Branches/rockridge.htm

Sunday, April 8, 2007 - EASTER




Easter! Travel day!! No events!!! Boo!!!!

Monday, April 9, 2007 - Humble/Houston

10:00 a.m.


In-school presentation/signing - Humble, Texas.

2:00 p.m.


In-school presentation/signing - Sartartia Middle School, Sugar Land, TX.

5:00 p.m.


PUBLIC presentation/signing - Blue Willow Bookshop, 14532 Memorial Drive, Houston, Texas. http://www.bluewillowbookshop.com

Tuesday, April 10, 2007 - Coppell/Frisco

12:00 - 3.15 p.m.


Two in-school presentations/signing - Coppell Middle School West, Coppell, TX.

7:00 p.m.


PUBLIC presentation/signing - Barnes and Noble, 2601 Preston Rd., Frisco, TX 75034. click here for web site

Wednesday, April 11, 2007 - Hurst/San Antonio

10:00 a.m.


In-school presentation/signing - Hurst Junior High, TX.

7:00 p.m.


In-school presentation/signing - Rawlinson Middle School, 14100 Vance Jackson, San Antonio, TX 78249.

Thursday, April 12, 2007 - San Antonio

12:00 – 1:00 p.m.


Presentation, “Taking a Bite out of YA Lit” - Texas Library Association, San Antonio.

1:30 – 2:30 p.m.


Signing - Texas Library Association, San Antonio.

Friday, April 13, 2007 - Chicago/Oak Park/Naperville

08.30-10.25 a.m.


TWO in-school presentations/signings – Glen Crest Middle School, Glen Ellyn, Illinois.
12.55 - 1.35 p.m.

In-school presentation/signing - Glenbard South High School, Glen Ellyn, Illinois.

4.00p.m.


PUBLIC presentation/signing with Magic Tree, Magic Tree Bookstore, 141 Oak Park, Oak Park, IL. http://www.magictreebookstore.com/

7:00 p.m.


PUBLIC presentation/signing - Anderson’s Bookshop, 123 W. Jefferson, Naperville, IL. http://www.andersonsbookshop.com/

Saturday, April 14, 2007 - LaGrange/Skokie

11:00 a.m.


PUBLIC presentation/signing - Borders Books and Music, 1 N. LaGrange Road, LaGrange, IL 60525. click here for web site

3:00 p.m.


PUBLIC presentation/signing - Skokie Public Library, 5215 Oakton St., Skokie, IL 60077. http://www.skokielibrary.info/

Sunday, April 15, 2007 - Cincinnati
11.00 a.m.

Stock signing (but if you come to the shop while I'm there, I'll be happy to sign your books for you too!) - Blue Marble, 1358 S. Ft. Thomas Ave, Ft. Thomas, KY 41075. http://www.booksite.com/texis/scripts/community?sid=5792

1:00 p.m.


PUBLIC presentation/signing - Joseph-Beth Booksellers, Rookwood Pavilion, 2692 Madison Road, Cincinnati, OH 45208. click here for web site

Monday, April 16, 2007 - Ohio/Brighton

9:00 a.m.


In-school presentation/ signing - Kings High School, Kings Mills, OH.

7:00 p.m.


PUBLIC presentation/signing - Borders Books and Music, 8101 Movie Drive, Brighton, MI 48116. click here for web site

Tuesday, April 17, 2007 - Ann Arbor

12:30 p.m.


Business lunch with Borders - yum!!!!!!

Wednesday, April 18, 2007 - New York/New Jersey

10:00 a.m.


Business brunch with Little Brown staff - double yum!!!!!

7:00 p.m.


PUBLIC presentation/Signing - Barnes and Noble, 187 Riverside Square, Hackensack, NJ 07601. http://storelocator.barnesandnoble.com/storedetail.do?store=2228

Thursday, April 19, 2007 - New York

a.m.


In-school events - Brooklyn.

12:30 p.m.


Business lunch with B&N - triple yum!!!!!!

4.00p.m.


PUBLIC presentation/signing - Book Mark Shoppe, 8415 Third Ave., Brooklyn, NY 11209. http://www.bookmarkshoppe.com/NASApp/store/IndexJsp
7.00p.m.

PUBLIC presentation/signing - Barnes and Noble, 91 Old Country Road, Carle Place, NY 11514. http://storelocator.barnesandnoble.com/storedetail.do?store=2216

Friday, April 20, 2007 - New York

10.00 a.m.


School presentation/signing at - Barnes and Noble, 33 East 17th Street, NYC 10003.



APRIL IRISH EVENT

On Saturday, April 28th, I will be doing a PUBLIC event at the Cuirt Festival in Galway. You can click on the following link for their web site, but there will be no information on it until March: CUIRT SITE



JUNE IRELAND/U.K. TOUR

I'm going to be doing another big tour of Ireland and the U.K. in June, to promote the release of Blood Beast, book 5 of The Demonata. You can check out the provisional schedule below -- please note, it will probably be updated quite a lot between now and June. I strongly advise that you check back for the full, revised, confirmed itinerary closer to June if you want to attend any of these events.

If you are a teacher or librarian interested in bringing a group of children to any of my events, please write to me using the CONTACT form, letting me know the date and venue that you are interested in. I will forward your requests to those setting up the events.

Tuesday, 5th


AM


Schools event at the Belltable Theatre in Limerick.
Tuesday 5th 4.30pm PUBLIC signing at Easons, Limerick.


Wednesday 6th


AM


School event at Linenhall, Castlebar.
Wednesday 6th 4.00pm

PUBLIC signing at Easons, 33 shop st, Galway.


Thursday 7th


AM


School events in Drogheda.
Thursday 7th PM PUBLIC signing at Waterstones, Drogheda.


Friday 8th


AM


Schools event at Mill Theatre, Dundrum.
Friday 8th 4.00pm

PUBLIC signing at Easons, Level 3, Unit 12-14, Dundrum town centre, Sandyford Rd, Dublin 16.


Saturday 9th


PM


PUBLIC event at – The Maltings Theatre, St Albans.
Saturday 9th PM PUBLIC signing - town and venue To Be Confirmed.


Sunday 10th


1.00pm


PUBLIC signing at Waterstones, Midsummer Place, Milton Keynes.


Monday 11th


AM


School events in Norwich.
Monday 11th PM PUBLIC signing - Waterstones, 11-17 Castle Stree, NR2 1PB, Norwich.
Monday 11th PM PUBLIC event in Cromer.






Tuesday 12th


11.00am


School event at Perse Prep for Boys, Cambridge. – speak to Heffers about outside venue.
Tuesday 12th 4.00pm PUBLIC signing at Waterstones, Ipswich.
Tuesday 12th 6.30pm PUBLIC event in Ipswich.


Wednesday 13th


11.30am


School event at Sweyne Park School, Sir Walter Raleigh Drive, Rayleigh, Essex.

Wednesday 13th


4.00pm


PUBLIC signing at WHSmith, Lakeside.


Thursday 14th


AM


School events in South and East London.
Thursday 14th PM PUBLIC event or signing in Central London.


Friday 15th


AM


School events in North London.
Friday 15th PM PUBLIC signing at Bookworm, 1177 Finchley Road, London NW11 0AA.


Saturday 16th


9.30am


PUBLIC event at Creative Writing on the Wirral.
Saturday 16th 2.00pm PUBLIC signing at Waterstones, Bold Street, Liverpool.


Sunday 17th


2.00pm


PUBLIC signing at Borders, Ellesmere Port.

Monday 18th AM Schools event in North Wales.
Monday 18th PM PUBLIC signing at a Waterstones shop in North Wales.

Tuesday 19th AM Schools event in West Wales.
Tuesday 19th PM PUBLIC signing at a Waterstones shop in West Wales.

Wednesday 20th AM Schools event in Cardiff.
Wednesday 20th PM PUBLIC signing, probably at a Waterstones shop in Cardiff.


Thursday 21st


11.00am


Schools event at the Lyceum in Sheffield. (It holds 1000 people!!)
Thursday 21st 4.30pm PUBLIC event in Waterstones at Doncaster.


Friday 22


10am


School event at Hull Collegiate, Tranby croft, Anlaby.



JULY FAR EAST TOUR

I will be visiting Japan on tour from July 5th to 12th. I will then be doing events in Taiwan from July 13th to 17th. And I will be at the Hong Kong Book Fair from July 18th to 20th. There will be more info about these tours later -- so keep checking back!! If you are living in any of the above countries and would like to contact the publishers (Shogakukan in Japan or Crown in Hong Kong/Taiwan) directly, for more information or to try and arrange an event, please see the LINKS page on my web site, which has details for all of them. (My Hong Kong visit is being arranged by my Taiwanese publishers.)



AUGUST/SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER U.K. TOUR

I haven't yet decided whether or not I'll be doing a major tour of the UK/Ireland in October, when Book 6 of The Demonata is released. Looking at all the dates above, I'll be surprised if I survive to do any touring ever again!!! But, what the hell, I'm a tough little half-vampire, so maybe I'll be up for even more, to make it a truly memorably gruelling year on the road!! Either way, I will definitely be doing the Edinburgh Book Festival in August (my eighth year in a row!!). And I will be doing a couple of events in the UK in late September too. You can find out the details below. It will probably be close to June before I decide whether or not to tour in October -- keep checking back for updates.

August





PUBLIC event at the Edinburgh International Book Festival.









Friday 28th September


a.m.


Schools event at Bristol Old Vic.


Saturday 29th September


time t.b.c.


PUBLIC event at the Bath Festival of Children’s Literature.



IT'S A WRAP

And that's it for March! I plan to do a lot more writing and editing this month (writing Book 3 of the new series, and editing another book that I'll talk more about in the May issue of the Shanville Monthly -- a lot of you are going to be VERY excited by this one!). I'll be posting the April issue of the Monthly a few days early, probably on the 28th or 29th of March, before I head off on my American tour. Until then, all the bloody best, Darren Shan xxx