• Issue 153 - April 2013

    01 April 2013

    GREETINGS!

     

    Hi everyone, and welcome to the April issue of the Shanville Monthly -- my first issue as a married man!! Yes, on March 30th, Lady Bas of the Busty Wilds finally consented to take my hand, and in the process became Lady Shan! We're heading off on honeymoon now, but not before I squeeze in all the latest Shan news and updates! This is the month when Zom-B City goes on sale in America, and when I reveal the title of the fifth Zom-B book. There's lots more to report about too, so let's crack the (marital) whip and start how we mean to go on!!!

     

     

    ZOM-B CITY IN THE USA

     

     

    The third book in my Zom-B series is called Zom-B City, and it goes on sale in the USA on April 9th!!! Having said that, it should have already started to appear in most bookstores across the States by the time you read this, so keep an eye out for it! The book has had a great response from fans in the UK and Ireland. This is the part of the story when the action opens out, after the confined settings of the first two entries, and we begin to get a clearer picture of what has actually happened to the world in the wake of the zombie attacks. I don't think I'm giving too much away when I reveal that things are in a pretty bleak state! It's a city overrun by zombies, but some humans are still at large on the streets. Can B find a place among them? Or is it a case of having jumped out of the frying pan and into the fire?!?

     

    Zom-B City should be on sale in pretty much every good bookstore across the USA -- if you can't find it on the shelves, do please ask a member of staff for herlp, and if they don't have it in stock, they should be able to order in a copy for you. If you prefer to buy it online, you can do so from many online stores, but I would recommend Amazon or Barnes & Noble. You can also download it onto your eReader through either of those sites -- Amazon Kindle or Barnes & Noble Nook Book.

     

     

    AN UNDEAD HIT!

     

    In its first full week on sale in the UK, Zom-B City was the #1 Bestselling YA hardback book, with sales up 36% compared to the corresponding period for Zom-B Underground!! It's great to see the books doing so well and picking up a head of steam -- critics have responded very favourably, but the ultimate critics for me are always the fans, so it's a relief to see that you guys are enjoying them too! But don't forget to keep spreading the word -- every sale brings a smile to the Old Shanster's lips.... :-)

     

     

    A MOST UNUSUAL CHILD

     

    The waiting is over! I am delighted to be able to reveal that the title for the fifth Zom-B book will be...

     

    ZOM-B BABY.

     

    Set straight after the events of book 4, Zom-B Angels, this takes us even further into the darkness of the strange new post-Apocalyptic world of B Smith. If you read book 1, you probably remember the babies in B's dreams? Well, without giving too much away, this book is going to re-introduce us to one of those "charming" little infants. Trust me -- when you've read this book, you will never look at babies in the same way again!!!!! The cover of Zom-B Baby is also shaping up to be one of the creepiest yet. I hope to be able to share that with you next month, although since I will be on honeymoon, my publishers will be revealing it first, via the official Darren Shan Facebook and Twitter pages. You can find the Facebook page by CLICKING HERE and you can follow me on Twitter by CLICKING HERE

     

     

    HAGUROSAN

     

    As I revealed in February, I am releasing a short book on May 15th called Hagurosan. Adapted from a short story I wrote way back in 2002, this is a sweet tale about mountain spirits, inspired by something that really happened to me in Japan. Publishers Barrington Stoke have done a beautiful job with the story, adding lots of incredibly detailed interior artwork by Zack McLaughlin. You can find out a bit more about the book, as well as read the first chapter more than a month ahead of its release, by CLICKING HERE.

     


    NEW AUDIO BOOKS

     

    For fans who like audiobooks, please take note that Zom-B Underground is now available to download both in the UK, read by Zawe Ashton, and in the USA, read by Emma Galvin.

     

    To download it in the UK: http://www.amazon.co.uk/Zom-B-Underground-Book-Unabridged/dp/B00B76VQ5Y/shanville

     

    To download it in the USA: http://www.amazon.com/Zom-B-Underground/dp/B00AVGGEB2

     

    Also, the book for adult readers that I released last year, Lady Of The Shades, is now available in unabridged audio format in the UK and Ireland, read by William Hope. You can buy it on CD through Amazon, or download it if you prefer. http://www.amazon.co.uk/Lady-of-the-Shades-Unabridged/dp/B00AM9D9LQ/ref=tmm_aud_title_0

     

     

    A GERMAN LADY

     

     

    Speaking of Lady Of The Shades... if you are one of my older German fans, take note that it will be released in a German translation as Die Toten, Die Ich Rief on April 2nd. I absolutely LOVE the German cover for the book, which you can see above!! If you can’t find it in your local store, please ask staff for help or to order in a copy for you, or else you can buy it online here: http://www.vorablesen.de/buecher/die-toten-die-ich-rief

     

     

    THE DAY SHAN DID IT LIVE!

     

    On Tuesday 19th March I performed a live online streamed event, accessible to fans everywhere in the world. It was a high-tech, one hour affair, in which I read out some grisly extracts and answered as many questions as I could squeeze itn. It had a great response from those who saw it live, and the event has been archived, meaning the rest of you are now able to watch it any time you like -- just click on the following link, enter your details as if you planned to watch the live show, and you will be provided with the link. Enjoy!!! http://www.darrenshanlive.com/

     

     

    TEACHERS TAKE NOTE!

     

    If you are in the education field, you might want to check out these interesting reports about how a school in Scotland imaginatively incorporated my books into their curriculum:

    http://www.scottishbooktrust.com/blog/2013/03/authors-live-darren-shan-an-english-art-department-collaborative-project-part-1

    http://www.scottishbooktrust.com/blog/teachers-librarians/2013/03/zom-b-english-and-art-department-collaborative-project-part-2

     


    ARTICLES

     

    I've been a busy boy over the last couple of months, writing some aritcles and giving interviews, around the release of Zom-B City. First up, The Guardian asked me to write a Top 10 list for them, so I chose to focus on my 10 favourite books about outsiders. You can find my choices by CLICKING HERE.

     

    I was also asked by The Telegraph to write a Top 10 list of my favourite children's books, but rather than just list them simply, I made it a bit quirkier by placing them into sometimes inventive categories. CLICK HERE to find out what I'm talking about.

     

    In Ireland I was interviewed by one of my local papers, The Limerick Post, and we chatted about subjects including zombies, racism and cyber bullying. CLICK HERE.

     

    You can read a very sweet report of one of my recent school events in The News Shopper by CLICKING HERE.

     

    You can read another report, this time about one of my signings, in The Cambridge News by CLICKING HERE.

     

    Finally, check out a lengthy interview with me in The Zombie Times -- it starts on page 11. CLICK HERE.

     

     

    UK MANGA

     

    The Saga Of Darren Shan was adapted into a manga in Japan several years ago, and has been translated and published in lots of countries around the world since then. The UK schedule hit a snag (it's a long story) and stalled at volume 7. Everything has now been sorted out, and the remaining volumes are finally being released in the UK and Ireland. Volume 8: Allies of the Night, hit shelves in the UK and Ireland in December, and Volume 9: Killers of the Dawn and Volume 10: The Lake Of Souls went on sale in January. Volume 11: Lord of the Shadows went on sale in March. That just leaves Volume 12: Sons Of Destiny which goes on sale on June 6th 2013.

     

    The manga won't be widely available, but your local bookseller should be able to order in copies for you if you ask for them. Or you can order by clicking on the Amazon UK links above.

     

    American fans -- all 12 volumes are on sale already in the States. As in the UK, they aren't as widely available as my books, so if you don't see them on the shelves of your local bookseller, either ask the staff to order them for you, or you can get them on Amazon. This is the link to Volume One, and you can find the rest from there.

     

     

    COMPETITION

     

    http://www.zom-b.co.uk/

     

    There's a great competition currently running over on the Zom-B UK site. One lucky winner is going to get their hands on a HUGE Zom-B City poster -- it's from the batch of posters which were used in train stations to advertise the release of the book. The winner will also receive signed copies of the first 3 books in the series. To enter, visit the site by CLICKING HERE and then have a look in the WIN section.

     

    Because the site is run by my British publishers, I'm afraid the competition is only open to residents of the UK or Ireland. And you need to be under 18 years of age. My apologies to my older and more globally spread-out Shansters!!!

     

     

    MARCH TOUR - UK AND IRELAND

     

    I had a great time on the road in March to support the release of Zom-B City in the UK and Ireland -- it flew by! I had brilliant turn-outs at most of my signings and events, despite the wintry conditions, and every school event was a winner. Thanks to Catherine Ward for organising it all. To Elisa and Jude for keeping me company on the road. To all the booksellers, librarians, teachers and others who played host to me and made sure everything went smoothly. And finally, as always, my biggest thanks of all to everyone who turned up to support me and get their books signed -- without you guys, it would all be meaningless, and I truly do appreciate each and every one of you for making the effort!!


     

    APRIL USA EVENTS

     

    I am heading to Central America on honeymoon in April, but I will be stopping off in San Francisco for a few days en route. I'm taking that opportunity to work in a few events in the following places:



    Friday, April 5th


    10:30 a.m. -- schools event, Adele Harrison Middle School, Sonoma, CA.


    1:30 p.m. -- schools event, Redwood Middle School, Napa, CA.


    3:30 p.m. -- public event, Silverado Middle School, Napa, CA.

     

     

    SUMMER EVENTS IN IRELAND/ UK

     

    I'm going to do a few public events in Ireland over the course of the summer.

     

    First, on Sunday 26th May I will be appearing at the Dublin Writers Festival.

     

    I will be returning to the Listowel Writers' Week on Sunday June 2nd.

     

    Then on Wednesday 10th July I will be heading to Bantry to do an event at the West Cork Writers Festival at 2.30pm.
    http://www.westcorkmusic.ie/literaryfestival/programme/detail/darren-shan-unveils-his-radical-new-zom-b-series

     

    Back over in the UK, I will be appearing at the Borders Book Festival in Melrose, Scotland, on Sunday June 16th at 1.30pm. Later that week, from June 20th to 23rd, I'll be going on a short mini-tour to promote the release of Zom-B Angels, which will take in a return to a few places in Wales, as well as a couple of events on the English side of the Welsh border.

     

    And in August, of course, I'll be heading to Edinburgh for my 14th Festival appearance in a row, before embarking on a full-on tour (at this moment I honestly have no idea where) in late September and early October when the Zom-B Baby is released.

     

    There will be more details about all of the above events in upcoming issues of the Shanville Monthly, so make sure you keep checking back!


     

    IT'S A WRAP

     

    And that's it for April -- I'm off on honeymoon!!! I won't be doing much work while I'm away (and if you sent a fan letter to me any time recently, please be prepared for a long wait for a reply!), but I'll be keeping in touch via Twitter and Facebook, and if all goes according to plan I should be back online at the start of May to post the next issue of the Shanville Monthly -- my apologies in advance in case anything goes wrong and I can't make the deadline! Until then, all my bloody married best, Darren Shan. x x x

     

    Follow Darren Shan on Facebook and Twitter. He also has a (very rarely updated!) YouTube page.