Darren Shan - Author

Hi, everyone, and welcome to the March issue of the Shanville Monthly!! I had a life-changing February -- after ten years with my girlfriend, Bas, I finally proposed!! I did it on a surprise trip to Rome, in one of our favourite restaurants (La Pergola), on a balcony overlooking the city, while fireworks were shooting into the air in the distance. (Coincidence? Or DESTINY?!?) Did she say yes? Hey -- who could say no the the Shan?!?!?

No date set yet, and we haven't even decided where exactly the wedding will be held. There's plenty of time for that. Right now it's business as usual, so let's crack on with all the latest news and updates from the world of Darren Shan, including advance details of my Brothers To The Death tour of the UK and Ireland.

I’m pleased to be able to announce that the release date for Lady Of The Shades in the UK and Ireland has now been set for August 30th 2012. Lady Of The Shades is my next book for adults, a one-off, stand-alone thriller with a supernatural edge. I will be writing more about it closer to its time of release, so keep checking future issues of the Shanville Monthly! I'm going to have a crazy month in the autumn -- Lady comes out on August 30th, then the first Zom-B book comes out near the end of September! It will be a hectic, jam-packed time -- just the way I like it!!!

What Kids are Reading 2012, written by Professor Keith Topping of Dundee University, examines the book-reading habits of more than 213,527 students from Years 1-11 in over 1,237 schools from across the UK. I was pleased to see that Cirque Du Freak popped up on the lists a few times — it was listed in the Top 20 books read by boys in Year 8 - http://www.readforpleasure.co.uk/wkar/read_most_often/bkarmo8.php - and also in the Top 20 books reads by boys in Years 9-11, as well as in the Top 20 books read overall by both boys and girls in that group - http://www.readforpleasure.co.uk/wkar/read_most_often/bkarmo9-11.php

I always take studies like this with a pinch of salt, but still, it makes for very interesting reading, and it’s nice to be popping up on any sort of a list like this! To check out the whole report, click here: http://www.readforpleasure.co.uk/wkar/

10,000 TWITHEADS!!

I was delighted to break the 10,000 Followers mark over on my Twitter account in February! I wasn't sure if I would enjoy Twitter when I first started tweeting, but it has become a firm part of my daily life now -- it's easier to keep than a blog, and I can provide more sneak insights into my day-to-day doings. I still blog ocassionally (OVER HERE) but mostly I use Twitter now when I want to comment on a film, or book, or what I've been working on over the course of a given day, or anything else that I feel like mentioning. If you want to come follow me, just CLICK HERE and sign up and you'll instantly gain VIP access to the mind and world of Darren Shan. Am I worth following?!? Hey -- 10,000+ fans can't be wrong!!!!!

Check out a new interview with me on Family Zone Reading Zone in which I talk a bit about Mr Crepsley Book 4 and more! Please note, when I gave this interview, I hadn't yet revealed what my new series for teenagers was going to be about. Now, of course, we know that it's Zom-B, but back then it was all top-secret!! http://www.readingzone.com/?zone=pz&page=meet_the_author&authorid=d825fc92b356c0ef60267d257c24b75f

NEW COVERS

For a sneak preview look at the VERY cool American cover for Brothers to the Death, the fourth and final Mr Crepsley Book (but it might be tweaked a bit yet) check out Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Brothers-Death-Saga-Larten-Crepsley/dp/0316078735/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1329576077&sr=8-1&tag=vig-20 The book goes on sale in the States in mid-May officially, but will probably start appearing in book stores across the country in late April, at the same time that it goes on sale in the UK.

Meanwhile, I’ve also added LOTS of new covers to my site this month, for the following countries: Australia, Canada, China, Czech Republic, Indonesia, Japan, Netherlands, Norway, Slovakia, Spain, Sweden, Taiwan, Turkey, UK & Ireland. Some are covers of The Saga Of Larten Crepsley books, some are from The Demonata, some are from The Saga Of Darren Shan. A few of the covers are based on the UK covers, but most feature original artwork, and there are some stunning covers waiting to be discovered, so have a good look around. I always love seeing how publishers and artists in different countries interpret my books, and am fascinated by how they choose to present them. The covers section is one of my favourite parts of my site — I hope you guys get as much of a kick out of it as I do!! To check out the new covers, along with all of the old ones, click here: http://www.darrenshan.com/covers/

DUBAI EVENTS

I am appearing at the Emirates Airline Festival Of Literature in Dubai in March, my first public appearances of the year! I will be doing 4 events in total, school events on the 7th and 8th, a public solo event on Friday the 9th, and a panel event on Saturday the 10th with David Almond, Tim Bowler and Noura Al Noman. I'm going to be reading out some world-exclusive extracts at my solo event on the 9th, which will include scenes from Brothers to the Death and Zom-B. I'm really excited about reading these out live for the first time -- in fact, if I get carried away on the day, I might even read a couple of extracts from Zom-B!! There will also be lots of time for answering questions, and of course I will be signing books afterwards -- as ever, I'm happy to sign as many books as fans choose to bring along or buy on the day. The last time I was there, I was signing for close to 5 hours, so please be patient and allow yourself lots of time!! To check out the full programme, and to buy tickets for either or both of my public events, click here: http://www.eaifl.com/

BROTHERS TO THE DEATH UK/IRELAND TOUR

My publicist, Mary, has been busy finalising details for my UK and Ireland tour to promote Brothers to the Death. There are still some events which have yet to be confirmed, so make sure you check back next month for the full and final list, which should include several more school and public dates. But here's what we have pinned down so far. A public signing is open to anyone who wants to come. A schools event is for invited schools only. A public event is open to anyone who wishes to attend, but tickets normally need to be reserved in advance -- you should always contact the organiser in advance to make sure that you will be able to get a ticket. Please note, I am always happy to sign as many of my books as fans wish to bring along from home or buy on the day.

26th April, Thursday

10.30am -- schools event, Belltable Theatre, Limerick.

pm -- school event, Limerick. Details TBC.

7.00pm -- public event, Belltable Theatre, Limerick. http://www.belltable.ie/

27th April, Friday

10.30am -- schools event, National Library of Ireland, Kildare Street, Dublin.

12.30pm -- school event, Castleknock College, Dublin.

7.00pm -- public event, Waterstones Staines, 77 High Street, Staines TW18 4PQ.

28th April, Saturday

11.00am -- public signing, Waterstones Finchley Road, O2 Centre, Finchley Road, London NW3 6LU.

29th April, Sunday

2.00pm -- public event, Stratford Circus, Theatre Square, London E15 1BX. http://www.stratford-circus.com/events/literature/darrenshan.htm

30th April, Monday

1.00pm -- school event, Beaumont Leys School, Leicester.

6.30pm -- public event, Waterstones Lincoln, 297a High Street, Lincoln LN2 1AF.

1st May, Tuesday

9.30am -- school event, Hull Collegiate School.

12.25pm -- school event, Kelvin Hall School, Hull.

6.30pm -- public event, Waterstones York, 28-29 High Ousegate, York YO1 8RX.

2nd May, Wednesday

am -- schools event, Stockton on Tees. Details TBC.

3.30pm -- public signing, Waterstones Newcastle, Emerson Chambers, Blackett Street, Newcastle NE1 7JF. Please note, I will have to leave at 4.45pm.

7.00pm -- public event, Waterstones Carlisle, 66-68 Scotch Street, Carlisle CA3 8PN.

3rd May, Thursday

09.15am -- school event, LSA Technology and Performing Arts College, Lytham St Annes, Lancashire.

12.30pm -- school event, Kirkham Grammar School, Preston, Lancashire.

6.00pm -- public event, Waterstones Wigan, 6 Grand Arcade, Wigan WN1 1BH.

4th May, Friday

11.30am -- school event, Stockport Grammar School, Cheshire.

pm -- fan event and/or public signing, Manchester. Details TBC.

5th May, Saturday

Details TBC. (Liverpool events moved because of clash with FA Cup Final -- details of new dates and times TBC.)

6th May, Sunday

12.00pm -- public signing, WHSmith Hanley, 213 The Potteries Shopping Centre, Market Square, Hanley, Stoke-on-Trent, ST1 1PS.

3.00pm -- public signing, WHSmith Derby, 5 London Road, Derby, DE1 2NS.

7th May, Monday (bank holiday)

12.00pm -- public signing, Waterstones Chester, 14 Eastgate Row, Chester, CH1 1LF.

2.00pm -- public signing, WHSmith Wrexham, 56-58 Hope Street, Wrexham, LL11 1BE.

5.30pm -- public event, Ashton Theatre, Shrewsbury School, SY3 7BA. Part of Shrewsbury Book Fest: http://www.shrewsburybookfest.co.uk/

8th May, Tuesday

9.15am -- school event, Bridgnorth Endowed School, Shropshire.

pm -- possible school event. Details TBC.

6.00pm -- public event, St Andrews Church/The Kettering Arts Centre, Lindsey Street, Kettering NN16 8RG. Arranged by Waterstones Kettering, 72-76 High Street, NN16 8SY -- contact staff in store for tickets.

And that's it for March!! I'm looking forward to my return to Dubai -- I'm having a few days holiday after my events. Then I'll have to another edit of Lady of the Shades when I get back, as well as carry on working on the first draft of a new book for adults which I started in February -- I can't say anything about it at the moment, since it's still very early days, but hopefully, if it works out, it should be seeing print 2 or 3 years down the road. And Bas and I have to start looking into wedding venues and dates too, but don't worry, I won't let a trifling matter like that get in the way of my work!!!! :-) Right, I'd better stop now and go make sure I have everything ready for Dubai -- extracts to read, pens to sign with, swimsuit.... Don't worry -- the swimsuit is for the beach afterwards, not the event!!!! I'll see you all back here at the start of April, with a fully finalised tour plan, along with all the latest news and updates. Until then, all my bloody best, Darren Shan. x x x

Issue 140 - March 2012

Shanville Monthly Archive