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THE WRITE STUFF
FOR DARREN --
Darren
O'Shaughnessy
has gone from
Multichannel TV
to mega book
deals
YOUNG Limerick
author, Darren
O'Shaughnessy,
never thought as
a young writer
that he would be
sharing the same
agent as J K
Rowling, she of
Harry Potter
fame. The
famed author
recently said of
his book,
Cirque Du Freak,
that "it
was a compelling
read. A plot
full of twists
that leaves the
reader hungry
for more."
Darren was
absolutely
chuffed by J K
Rowling's
comments. It
would probably
equate with an
aspiring actor
being recognised
by the likes of
noted Limerick
actor Richard
Harris.
Darren
O'Shaughnessy is
certainly not
catering for the
sugar and spice
and all things
nice readership.
He is much more
of the frogs and
snails brigade.
He is into gore,
and blood and
guts. And there
is a market out
there who just
lap it up.
Darren, who uses
the pseudonym
Darren Shan, was
born on July 2,
1972, at St.
Thomas'
Hospital,
London. He was
an early starter
in the classroom
and attended
school at the
tender age of
three. Then his
parents took the
decision to move
to Limerick.
Darren was six.
Not
surprisingly,
having spent his
formative years
across the
water, he never
lost his English
accent. His
mother taught in
the school in
Askeaton and
Darren travelled
to the same
school as a
pupil. He
continued on his
secondary
education at
Copsewood
Salesian
College.
Darren always
enjoyed putting
pen to paper
from a very
young age and
finished his
first novel,
Mute Pursuit
at
seventeen. This
book, however,
was never
published. "I've
lots of them
lying in a bin
at home," he
says. After
Darren left
school, he went
back to London
to study
Sociology and
English. Then he
returned to
Limerick and
worked with
Irish
Multichannel
Cable TV company
in 1993. Darren
worked with the
TV company
during the week,
then
concentrated on
his writing at
the weekends. In
1995, he finally
decided to take
up writing on a
full time basis.
He started out
as an
adult-orientated
writer, and his
first published
book was
Ayuamarca,
meaning
"procession of
the dead", in
February of
1999. This title
is an Incan
word, derived
from the tribe
which originated
in Peru. His
books are
certainly not
for the faint
hearted. A
sequel,
Hell's Horizon,
followed in
February 2000.
Darren admits
that he's not
very strong on
research, but he
already has the
stories in his
head.
"Like many
little boys, I
always had a
fascination with
horror, and
loved being
scared. When I
was a kid, I
used to watch
Dracula movies
all the time!"
In January 2000,
his first
children's book,
Cirque Du
Freak, was
published. It
was the first
book in a series
entitled The
Saga Of Darren
Shan.
It attracted
rave reviews and
a lot of media
attention. The
attention
stepped into an
even higher
gear,
particularly
when the movie
rights were
bought by Warner
Bros in a seven
figure deal
prior to
publication. A
rather dark
brooding
horror/fantasy
story, it has
proven very
popular with
teenage boys and
girls. The
readership age
would be between
ten and fifteen.
The book, along
with its
sequels, have
been sold around
the world
including
America, Japan,
Brazil, Germany,
France and
Spain. Darren
attributes his
success in a
large way to his
agent in London,
Christopher
Little, who is
also the agent
of the
aforementioned J
K Rowling.
The Saga of
Darren Shan
is an epic
undertaking
which will
eventually run
to an estimated
20 books or
more. This
should keep
Darren busy for
the next 12 or
13 years at
least! It’s an
action packed
thought-provoking
series,
promising much
adventure and
bloodshed. Death
looms large, and
unlike a lot of
books, many of
the cast meet a
sticky and messy
end before the
curtain finally
falls. The
second book in
the series,
The Vampire's
Assistant,
was published in
June 2000, and
book three,
Tunnels Of Blood,
debuts in
November 2000.
Darren himself
is quite an
unassuming guy,
totally
unaffected by
his overnight
success. He's
not a great
socialiser but
loves
travelling. He
has been to
Sinai and South
America this
year. These are
the countries he
writes about. As
a result of his
success he can
now afford to
visit them. He
hopes to do a
Nile Cruise next
year, once his
latest book is
released. He
lives at home
with his
parents. When I
broached the
subject of
romance in his
life, he
laughed. "I'm
free and single
and married to
my computer!" He
also describes
writing as an
addiction, and
he says that he
gets very cranky
when he's not
working.
"Writing gives
me my reason for
living," Darren
says. Darren
plans to
continue writing
for as long as
he gets the
buzz. Judging by
the enthusiasm
and joie de
vivre of this
talented young
writer, this
will be for
quite a long
time yet. |
