GREETINGS!

Malicious May greetings, everyone!!! I'm scurrying to knock out this issue of the Shanville Monthly since I'm on tour at the moment, and having to do this late at night after a hard day's touring -- so sorry if there are more mistakes than usual, or if it feels a bit rushed!! This is a VERY busy month for me -- as well as touring in the UK and Ireland, my latest book is released in the UK, and Demon Apocalypse debuts in the States too! I'm also revealing the title of Book 8 of The Demonata (I'll probably reveal the cover next month -- it's a barbaric beaut!!!), Cirque Du Freak has been bought by a publisher in yet another country (the 36th!!), Harper Collins are running some fab competitions to tie in with my adult book ... and more!!! Read on for all the skinny!!



DEATH'S SHADOW HITS THE UK AND IRELAND!!

Death's Shadow, Book 7 of The Demonata, is on sale in the UK and Ireland NOW!!!! The seventh demon book is a fast-paced, brutal little number, which launches the story arc which will carry us all the way to the finish in book 10. Early reaction from fans has been extremely positive, so track it down ASAP if you want to be up to date with all the latest demon happenings!!!!

You should be able to find a copy of Death's Shadow in your nearest book store, but if you'd rather buy online, you order it from Amazon by clicking on the following link: BUY DEATH'S SHADOW FROM AMAZON UK

Also new to stores in the UK and Ireland this month is the paperback version of Demon Apocalypse -- so if you haven't yet read Book 6 of The Demonata, this is the perfect time to catch it in all its glow-in-the-dark-cover glory!!!! You should be able to find it in any good book store, or you can order it from Amazon by clicking here: http://www.amazon.co.uk/Demon-Apocalypse-Darren-Shan/dp/0007231415/shanville



DEATH'S SHADOW NOTES

I have added a plot outline, and my notes, for Death's Shadow, book 7 of The Demonata, to my site. The notes cover a lot of ground, putting the book in context of the others, outlining when I started work on it, and also commenting on the overall structure of the series -- which, for the first time, should become clear to those of you prepared to do a bit of lateral thinking!!!! The notes are currently available in Secret Shanville, so click here to enter (you'll need to join if you haven't already): http://www.darrenshan.com/secretgateway.html

Please note, I STRONGLY do not recommend that you read the outline and notes until you have read book 6, Demon Apocalypse, as they contain lots of plot spoilers for that book!!!!



DEMON APOCALYPSE STRIKES THE STATES!!

On the other side of the Atlantic, Demon Apocalypse, Book 6 of The Demonata, is on sale in the USA NOW!!!! This book was a huge hit in the UK and Ireland when it was released late in 2007 -- many fans claimed it as their favourite in the series so far. It features LOTS of action, some mind-numbing twists, and a truly apocalytpic finale. To find out what all the fuss was about, head for your local book store immediately, or if you prefer to buy online, you can get the book through Amazon or Barnes & Noble by clicking on either of the following links:

CLICK HERE TO BUY DEMON APOCALYPSE THROUGH AMAZON

CLICK HERE TO BUY DEMON APOCALYPSE THROUGH BARNES & NOBLE



AUTHORS FOR AUTISM RESEARCH



The Authors For Autism Research auction, in which fans could bid to have their name included in my next book, was a huge success. The bidding was fierce, and the winning bid was ... £1,020!!! To break the thousand pound mark was incredible -- the only other author in the auction to do that was Lee Child, whose auction made about £150 more than mine. In fact the next highest bid for an author after mine was £424!! Which officially makes you guys some of the best fans in the world!! But then, that’s no news to me!!!!! Thanks to everyone who participated -- you helped raise some much-needed funds, which will go towards a very good cause. All proceeds from the auction went to Autism Speaks, a charity which seeks to help research the causes of autism. You can find out more about the great work they do by clicking here:

http://www.autismspeaks.org.uk/




BOOK 8 TITLE



The waiting is over!! I'm finally able to reveal that the title for Book 8 of The Demonata is ...

WOLF ISLAND


I hope you like it as much as I do!!! It's one of the few Demonata titles that came to me quickly and easily, and while it might sound a bit pulpish and throwaway, I like that about it, and it suits the rough, grisly story!! This title is like Ronseal -- it does exactly what it says on the tin!!!! Wolf Island hits stores in the UK and Ireland in October 2008, and the USA in April 2009.



CIRQUE DU FREAK COMES TO SLOVAKIA



Slovakia has become the latest country to buy the rights to my vampire books, so Cirque Du Freak will be hitting stores there in the near future. Slovakia is the 36th country to legally publish my books, and the books are now available in 29 languages around the world. To check out the full list of countries, and the different covers, click here: http://www.darrenshan.com/vampires/covers/index.html



IRISH INDEPENDENT INTERVIEW



There was an interview with me (and my girlfriend Bas, as well as other children's author Derek Landy) in the Irish Independent on Saturday, April 19th. It was a very nicely written piece, with some very good photos (for a change!!!). You can read it online, and check out the photos, by clicking here: http://www.independent.ie/entertainment/news-gossip/publish-and-1352810.html

PROCESSION OF THE DEAD COMPETITIONS



HarperCollins have helped set up some brilliant competitions, featuring amazing prizes, for my adult-orientated novel, Procession of the Dead. Details are listed below. For more information about Procession of the Dead, see my D B Shan site: http://www.dbshan.co.uk

Tiscali are running a great competition, in which you can win an iPod touch loaded with some of my Darren Shan audio books, along with a copy of my D B Shan book, Procession of the Dead. All you have to do is answer a very easy question. Unfortunately it's limited to people aged 18 or 0ver, who live in the UK (on the age limit, you can maybe ask an older person to enter on your behalf if you're under 18 -- but please note that Procession of the Dead is NOT a children's book). Closing date is May 7th. Click on the following link to read the rules, answer the question and enter:

http://www.tiscali.co.uk/entertainment/competitions/db-shan.html

There's yet another amazingly cool Procession of the Dead competition on the go, in which you can win a trip to Spain during their Day of the Dead festival!!! This one is being run by Sci-Fi London, in conjunction with my publisher, HarperCollins. I can't find terms and conditions on the site, though I imagine it's only open to over 18s. For more info and to enter, click here: SCI-FI LONDON COMPETITION

There's another Procession of the Dead competition, and in this one you can win £800 to spend on a suit!!! The comp is being run by Mansized. Click here: http://www.mansized.co.uk/win/competition.phtml/34 You have to become a member of the Mansized site before you can enter, but for the chance to win an £800 suit, I think it's definitely worth joining!!! The competition is open to people in the UK and Ireland, aged 18 or over. I can't find a closing date for it.


HUNGARY TOUR

I had a great time in Hungary during my short tour there -- huge crowds, friendly fans, loads of books! For a full review, check out my blog entry for the tour by clicking here: http://darrenshan.blogdrive.com/archive/747.html



U.K. & IRELAND TOUR

Here are the latest, updated details for my tour of the UK in May (as well as details of two events in Ireland, one in the middle of May, the other at the start of June). Public events are normally ticketed, so you should contact the venue in advance to be certain of your place. Public signings are open to everyone -- you just have to turn up and queue. I always advise getting to my signings a bit early, as they tend to last quite a long time, and those near the back often have a long wait!!! I'll almost always spend at least an hour signing at a store, but often much longer -- I never leave until I've signed for everyone.


MAY

TIME

VENUE
Friday 2 10.00am School event at St Columba’s College, King Harry Lane, St Albans AL3 4AW.
Friday 2 2.15pm School event at Astley Cooper School, St Agnells Lane, HP2 7HL. There will also be a PUBLIC signing afterwards. For more information contact Karl Vadaszffy. email: [email protected]
Friday 2 6.30pm PUBLIC event organised by FCBG, at Leighton Park School, Shinfield Road, Reading RG2 7ED. This is a ticketed event. Contact Sarah Stuffins at the FCBG by visiting their web site: http://www.btinternet.com/~martin.kromer/

Saturday 3 10.30am PUBLIC event at All Saints Church, Lovelace Road, London SE21 8JY. This is being arranged by The Bookshop, 1d Calton Avenue, Dulwich SE21. Please contact the store for more details. phone: 0208 693 2808.
Saturday 3 3.00pm PUBLIC signing at WHSmith, The Bentall Centre, Kingston Upon Thames, KT1 1EU.

Sunday 4 12.00pm PUBLIC signing at Waterstones, Bluewater West Shopping Centre, Greenhithe, Kent DA9.

Monday 5 2.00pm PUBLIC signing at Borders, Thamesdown Dr, Swindon SN25 4AN.

Tuesday 6 9.00am School event at Haberdashers’ Aske’s Boys’ School, Butterfly Lane, Elstree, Herts.
Tuesday 6 1.00pm School event at Bushey Hall School, London Road, Bushey, Herts.
Tuesday 6 4.30pm PUBLIC signing at Borders, 210 High St, Waterfield Retail Park Walk, Watford WD17 2EU.

Wednesday 7 2.00pm School event at The Mall School, 185 Hampton Road, Twickenham.
Wednesday 7 4.30pm PUBLIC signing at Waterstones, 77 High Street, Staines TW18 4PQ.

Thursday 8 10.30am School event at The Judd School, Brook Street, Tonbridge.
Thursday 8 1.30pm School event at Skinners School, St Johns Road, Tunbridge Wells, Kent.
Thursday 8 4.30pm PUBLIC signing at Waterstones, 32-40 Calverley Road, Tunbridge Wells, Kent.

Friday 9 9.30am School event at Caterham School, Harestone Valley Road, Caterham, Surrey.
Friday 9 2.30pm School event at More House School, Moons Hill, Frensham, Farnham, Surrey.
Friday 9 4.30pm PUBLIC signing at Waterstones, 11 Lion & Lamb Yard, Farnham, Surrey GU9 7LL.

Saturday 10 1.00pm PUBLIC event at Polka Theatre, 240 The Broadway, Wimbledon, London SW19 1SB. This is a ticketed event. Please contact the Polka Theatre for more details. web site: http://www.polkatheatre.com/ phone: 020 8543 4888. email: [email protected]

Saturday 17 2.00pm PUBLIC signing at Easons, Athlone Town Shopping Centre, Athlone, IRELAND. [Please note, this event is NOT, as previously listed, going to be in the Golden Island Shopping Centre -- it will be held in the NEW Easons store in Athlone Town Shopping Centre.] phone: 0906484377

Wednesday 28 2.00pm

PUBLIC event for Young Readers UK Festival, Centre for the Child, Central Library, Chamberlain Square, Birmingham. For more details, please see their web site: http://www.birmingham.gov.uk/youngreaders.bcc or email Gena Gaynor: [email protected]

Thursday 29 4.00pm PUBLIC event at Hay-On-Wye Festival. For more details, and to book tickets, please visit the festival's web site: http://www.hayfestival.com/wales/

JUNE

TIME

VENUE
Sunday 1 11.00am PUBLIC event at Listowel Festival, Kerry, IRELAND. web site: http://www.writersweek.ie/

AUGUST

TIME

VENUE
Date TBC TBC PUBLIC event at the Edinburgh Book Festival. This will be my 9th appearance in a row at the Festival! More details to follow closer to August.

SEPTEMBER

TIME

VENUE
Saturday 13 CANCELLED *CANCELLED* PUBLIC event at Books In The Park, Marlay Park, Dublin. *CANCELLED*

USA TOUR

I will be coming to the USA on tour again in October/November 2008. The tour is still in its very early planning stages, so please don't contact me about it yet. I will post more information, including contact details for my publisher, sometime within the next few months, giving everyone the chance to "pitch" for a Darren Shan visit. So please keep watching the Shanville Monthly for updates.

IT'S A WRAP

And that's it for May! I'm back on the road in the morning, to give lots more talks and sign LOTS more books!! It's a good job I love touring, or the next few weeks would be hell on earth!!! As it is, I'm in my element!!!!! I hope to see as many of you as can make it to my events, and as for the rest of you -- I'll see you guys back here next month!! Until then, all my bloody best, Darren Shan x x x