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A NIGHTMARE
ASSEMBLY
He’s 33 years
old, was born in
London directly
opposite Big Ben
and the Houses
of Parliament
and moved to
Limerick,
Ireland, at the
age of 6.
Surprisingly,
he speaks with
the heavy accent
of a true
Cockney after
all these years
in Ireland.
Wearing a hoodie
sweat shirt and
carrying a big
black backpack
he walked onto
the stage at
Hampton Academy
last week and
you could’ve
heard a pin
drop.
Darren Shan,
or Darren
O’Shaughnessy,
had captured the
attention of the
auditorium well
before his car
arrived. The
students at the
school (and by
the sound of it,
across the
country and the
pond as well)
have been hooked
on Shan’s Cirque
Du Freak series
of eight books.
And they’re
eagerly awaiting
the last two to
be released.
To ease the
pain of the end
of the Cirque
series, Shan
gave a peek into
the inner
workings of the
newest series
called La
Demonata. Unlike
the
vampire-inspired
Cirque du Freak
books, Shan is
exploring demons
and the magical
influences that
surround those
beasts.
"The Demonata
books begin in a
rather bloody
and violent
way," said Shan.
"But I don’t
throw in death
and violence
cheaply. I
always explore
the aftereffects
of the death and
violence. How
does it change
the characters
and how and who
they are?"
Questions
flew after the
author finished
reading the
looseleaf pages
that held the
words to his
newest book.
How do you
get your
inspiration?
How did you
become an
author?
Did your
parents support
you?
What’s your
favorite
character?
Do you have
children?
Inspiration
comes, said
Shan, from
everything.
"If you’re a
writer, then
everything
affects you. I’m
a huge movie
buff, from
blockbusters to
foreign film.
Everything you
read or watch
inspires you."
As to how he
became a writer,
it’s a matter of
writing.
"Just like
everything, you
have to write
and write and
write. I knew I
wanted to become
an author at age
5 or 6 but it
was when I was
14 or 15 that I
got my first
typewriter and
started to
really write."
Shan
continued: "It
was my mother
who was my
biggest
influence. She
was a teacher,
taught me how to
read and how to
write."
And the
nightmare factor
of his books?
Shan laughed.
"I used to
lie in bed when
I was little and
try to give
myself
nightmares!
They’re fun,
they’re like a
roller coaster
ride. If you get
nightmares from
reading my
stories then I
guess you get
value for your
money!"
The Cirque du
Freak book
series has been
purchased by
Universal
Studios and is
in the
script-writing
phase. If the
movie gets the
green light to
go ahead and be
produced Shan
will have no
participation
except to
receive payment
for the use of
his material.
"That’s
fine," he said.
"They’re going
to take the
first three
books and
combine them so
the movie will
stand apart by
itself as a
separate story
and the books
will remain
three individual
parts. You’ll be
able to enjoy
both for what
they are.
"And like
you, I’ll be
seeing the movie
for the first
time in the
theater!"
Darren Shan’s
Web site can be
found at
www.darrenshan.com.
He continues
to post upcoming
news as well as
daily blogs to
keep his teen
audience up to
date and in the
loop.
http://archive.seacoastonline.com/2005news/hampton/11152005/news/73287.htm |
