| So,
Book 12 is out
this month - how
does it feel to
have finally
finished the
story?
Exciting!!! I
spent 7 years
writing the Saga
of Darren Shan.
For me it was
always one big
story - i.e. one
big book - and I
was eager for
fans to be able
to read it as a
complete,
finished work so
that they could
see how it all
tied together
and functioned
as a whole. I
was especially
keen to get
their reactions
to the
revelations of
book 12 and how
it affects the
earlier books in
the series!!!
Do
you think
readers will be
surprised by how
Sons of Destiny
finishes
Darren's story?
I hope so!!!
There has been a
lot of
speculation on
my web site's
message board
about this, and
LOTS of
guesses!! While
some people have
guessed certain
elements of the
final book,
nobody has
guessed the
whole (or even
most of the)
truth!!!
Your
books are now
available in
countries other
than the UK -
Japan, America,
Spain just to
name a few. What
is it like being
a world famous
author?
Fabulous!!! I
love seeing
foreign editions
of my books, the
different
covers, the way
they change some
of the
characters'
names, etc. I've
also had the
chance to travel
to several
countries
promoting my
books --
America,
Australia,
France, Holland,
Italy, Japan,
Korea, New
Zealand, Taiwan
and Thailand,
with a trip to
Hungary next
year -- which
has been
fascinating.
In
between Cirque
du Freak and
Sons of Destiny
Darren has lost
a few friends,
and enemies. Are
there any
characters you
wish you'd kept
around longer
because you
liked them so
much?
I would have
loved to keep
Murlough (from
Tunnels of
Blood) around,
because he was
such a fun
character to
write!! But the
story called for
his death, so
reluctantly I
had to let him
go. That's been
one of the
characteristics
of the series
which I think
the fans like
best -- you
never know who's
going to be
alive at the end
of any given
book, because I
don't protect
important
characters and
keep them alive
despite all the
odds!!!!
Sons
of Destiny has
loads of twists
and turns, so
how did you keep
track of what
had happened in
the previous
eleven books?
I spend at
least 2 years
editing each of
my book, but
will work on
several books at
the same time,
so my work on
them overlaps.
This meant I was
always able to
keep events from
earlier books
clear inside my
head, because I
was still
working on some
of those books.
You've always
been several
books ahead of
readers and
probably
finished Sons of
Destiny a while
ago. Has it been
hard not letting
any big secrets
out to readers
who are
desperate to
know more?
Not really --
I LOVE keeping
secrets!!! One
of the biggest
kicks I get is
meeting fans and
not answering
their questions
about big
upcoming twists
-- it drives
them
mad!!!!!!!!
:-)
You've got a big
tour coming up
this month where
you'll be
meeting lots of
fans, what
question do you
most regularly
get asked?
Am I really a
vampire?!? It
sounds crazy,
but the fact
that I wrote the
books in the
first person,
using my own
name, means it's
not actually
that strange a
question!! And
it's one that
will be answered
once and for all
in book
12!!!!!!!
The
Saga of Darren
Shan has been
scary and bloody
in places - how
do you know when
a book is just
scary enough?
I don't think
kids believe a
book can ever be
scary enough --
they always want
more blood and
gore!!!!! The
way I decide
where to draw
the line is
this: I think of
what it would be
like to read a
scene out loud
to a group of
fans. If I think
it would be too
upsetting, and
that I wouldn't
want to read
such a scene
aloud, I tone it
down.
Your
next book is a
brand new story
with a new hero,
new villains and
new monsters.
What can we
expect to find
when we get to
read Lord Loss
in June next
year?
A fast-moving
story. Short
punchy
sentences. Truly
evil and
powerful
monsters. And a
hero who likes
to drench his
sister in rat
guts!!!!!!!!!
:-)
http://www.harpercollins.co.uk/Authors/Interview.aspx?id=571&aid=5226 |
