Literati: Interview - Darren Shan

Darren Shan, Author

Visit Darren's website at www.darrenshan.com

Koyasan

All of the children like to play in the graveyard except Koyasan, who is too afraid to cross the bridge to play. When her sister's soul is stolen, Koyasan must find the courage to enter a realm of evil where she knows the spirits are waiting...

Vampire Blood

Having become a half-vampire, Darren becomes a vampire's assistant but when corpses are found drained of blood, he and Evra, the snake-boy have to confront a force of true, murderous evil...

Vampire Rites

Darren treks to the heart of the vampire kingdom where he first discovers the true price of being a vampire. He later faces five fearsome trials to prove himself to the vampire clan but will he be able to outwit the vampire prince?

Vampire War

Darren scours the world in search of the Vampaneze Lord but the road ahead is lined with the bodies of the damned. He faces his worst nightmare yet and as the vampires prepare for a deadly confrontation, is this the end for Darren and his allies?

Vampire Destiny

To unlock the mysteries of his past, Darren visits the Lake of the Dead before being plagued by nightmares upon returning home to confront the demons of his human life. However, if the vampires triumph, Darren will become the Lord of the Shadows...

Darren Shan began writing as a teenager, bought his first typewriter when he was 14 and has since written several short stories, comic scripts and books for both adults and children.

His first series of books for children The Saga of Darren Shan comprised 12 stories about vampires while his Demonata series runs to 10 books.

In his spare time, Darren enjoys watching films, collecting original artwork, travel and watching football as well as thinking up new ways to fascinate and terrify his readers.

Lord Loss (Demonata Series Book 1)

When Grubbs Grady first encounters Lord Loss and his evil minions, he learns three things: the world is vicious, magic is possible and demons are real but he doesn't think that he will ever again witness such a terrible night of death and darkness - he is wrong.

Kids' Night In

A specially commissioned anthology of stories and poems for children by some of the best-known authors; all royalties go to the charity War Child.

Read Darren's story Hagurosan

Midnight Feast by Jessica Adams

This second bumper anthology for children is packed full of exclusive stories and exciting illustrations.

For every copy sold, £1 goes straight to the War Child and No Strings charities.

Shrouded by Darkness by Alison L.R. Davies

An anthology of tales guaranteed to bring a chill to the spine. All royalties from this book will go to DebRA, a national charity working on behalf of people with the genetic skin blistering condition, Epidermolysis Bullosa.

Guys Write for Guys Read by Jon Scieszka

A collection of short stories and essays written by adult guys for teen readers especially guys. It features contributions from authors such as Stephen King, Neil Gaiman, Eoin Colfer, Brian Jacques and Matt Groening as well as Darren Shan.

Did you always know that you were going to be an author?

Yes, ever since I was 5 or 6 years old. I've always loved telling stories.

How did you celebrate when your first book was published?

I had sweet and sour chicken from my nearest Chinese takeaway!!!

From where do you get your ideas?

All over the place.

Do you ever suffer from writer's block and if so, how do you overcome it?

Not yet. I think you need to abandon yourself to the story, and not worry too much about it.

Get your head down, plough through, and don't stop until you're done!!!

How long did it take you to write your last book?

I spread each book out over at least two years, but I juggle several books around at the same time.

What are you working on at the moment?

Doing my final edits of the last two Demonata books, moving close to the final edit stage of the book which will follow them, and in the early editing stages of the next four books after that!!

Do you get to choose the front covers for your books?

I get consulted about what will go on them, and discuss with my editor what we'd like to see.

If I'm not happy with what the artist comes up with, my publishers will normally ask him to re-think his design. Not all authors have that much of a say though.

Publishers always have final say on the cover image. If you have a good working relationship with them, they'll usually take your comments into consideration. So it pays to keep on their good side!!

Who is your favourite author and what is your favourite book?

Stephen King for adults, Philip Pullman for younger readers. Salem's Lot and His Dark Materials respectively.

Tell us a secret...

When I look back at books that I've published, I often can't remember actually writing them!!!!!