|
VAMPIRE novelist
Darren
O’Shaughnessy
has sold
millions of
books all over
the world and
literally made a
killing out of
scaring kids.
So, with
Halloween fast
approaching,
Mary Earls
decided to
investigate what
makes the
Pallaskenry
horror writer’s
books so
ghoulishly
irresistible to
children.
WRITING under
his alias name,
Darren Shan,
the 34-year-old
County Limerick
man’s secret is
that he writes
books that would
have appealed to
him as a child.
"Kids enjoy
being repulsed
and I used to
love feeding my
own love of
horror when I
was young. I saw
my first Dracula
film when I was
five or six and
I loved the
excitement of
making myself
scared - the
thrill of it. I
used to try and
give myself
nightmares and
vampires were my
favourite
monster at the
time,” he said.
Born in London,
Darren’s parents
moved back home
to County
Limerick when he
was six years
old. And moving
from a block of
council owned
flats in London,
to dark spooky
nights in his
great-grandfather’s
cottage in
Pallaskenry,
certainly
fuelled his
appetite for
horror.
"The
countryside’s
far eerier than
the city. And
there were lots
of winter nights
with the wind
howling and no
streetlights. As
there were only
two TV stations
when I was
growing up, I
used to read
horror books a
lot. And I
remember keeping
myself awake at
night, imagining
horrible
scenarios in
which vampires
and other
assorted
creatures would
surround my
little cottage
and lay siege,”
he explained.
Decades on, the
successful
novelist still
hasn’t managed
to shake off his
fascination with
vampires,
ghouls, demons
and freaks.
Darren started
off writing
adult books but
after
experiencing
little acclaim,
he turned his
hand at the
children’s
market. Now
considered one
of the most
successful Irish
writers of all
time, he hasn’t
regretted the
decision.
As he needed a
new name to
distance himself
from his earlier
adult work as
Darren
O’Shaughnessy,
the Limerick
native came up
with the pen
name,
Darren Shan.
And to make his
stories seem
more real and
harrowing, he
decided that the
main character
should also be
called
Darren Shan.
The Saga of
Darren Shan
is a 12 book
series about a
young boy’s
reluctant
journey into a
dark world of
vampires. With
book names like
Cirque du Freak
- A Living
Nightmare,
Tunnels of Blood
and Vampire
Mountain, kids
just couldn’t
get enough of
the grisly
tales.
He has followed
this up with a
book series
about demons
called Demonata,
and has
currently just
released his
third book,
Bec, which
featured a girl
as the main
character, and
is set in
Ireland
Universal
Studios have
bought the film
rights to the
first three
books of The
Saga of
Darren Shan
and plan to
combine them to
make a single
movie. A
screenplay has
already been
written by Brian
Helgeland, who
did the honours
on LA
Confidential and
a director is
currently being
sought.
His first book
in the series,
Cirque du Freak,
sees Darren and
his school mates
sneaking out of
their homes in
the dead of
night to go and
see a travelling
freak show,
which features a
savage wolf-man,
a snake boy, a
giant performing
spider and
unbeknownst to
them is run by a
vampire, Mr
Crepsley.
Fascinated by
spiders, Darren
decides to try
and steal the
grotesque and
amazing
performing
tarantula,
Madame Octa -
with some deadly
consequences.
The next few
books in the
series follow
Darren’s
adventures as he
learns the ropes
of being undead,
under the
tutelage of the
older
blood-sucker -
Mr Crepsley.
This writer
began reading
the book to a
friend’s son,
Seán, last
summer and found
myself going
into cold turkey
when he returned
home to Dublin -
with the book. I
was too
embarrassed to
buy the book for
myself, but
found myself
more than
interested to
hear how it
ended. When
you’re looking
forward to your
child’s bedtime
story, it has to
be a good read.
I just found the
characters in
the book very
humourous and
engaging. For
anyone who has
the ambivalent
feelings of
being both
repulsed and
intrigued by
large spiders -
they will love
Madam Octa.
Darren controls
the tarantula by
playing a flute
and she will
perform tricks
and crawl all
over you - but
if she senses
fear or
intimidation,
she will attack
you. It’s like
"I’ll play ball
but I really
want to eat
you,” kind of
attitude and is
very funny.
The book also
explores themes
such as
friendship, the
importance of
family, and the
need to make
personal
sacrifices for
the good of
others. But not
without its
share of gore.
Darren said that
lots of adult
readers do read
my books but
"they are all a
bit sheepish
about it.
"I like to work
as much humour
into my books.
And there is
strong humour
and sarcasm in
the book as well
as the scream or
dark parts. I
don’t want the
books to be
totally
depressing so
that’s why I try
and put humour
into it. And
this appeals to
adults as well
as children,” he
said.
Although Madame
Octa is one of
the stars of
Cirque du Freak,
Darren is
actually
petrified of
spiders in real
life.
"When I was
writing the book
I pictured
myself sitting
in the audience
of a freak show
and imagined
what animal
would scare me
the most. And a
huge giant
tarantula just
did it for me. I
had to overcome
a lot of my
fears of
spiders, though
as I was
pictured with a
huge giant
tarantula at the
launch of one of
my books in
London,” he
recalled.
The Limerick
writer said that
it would be fun
to see
Darren Shan
on the big
screen and he
imagines an
unknown actor
will be picked
for the starring
role. But he
added that he
won’t have any
control over the
movie.
Darren’s biggest
delight,
however, is that
his vampire
books are
appealing to
children who
would normally
never read.
"And now they
are reading two
or three books a
year. This is
because they are
reading about a
subject that
they are
passionate
about. If you
give kids what
they want to
read - they will
read it. The
problem is that
they are not
being introduced
to the right
books”.
His agent also
works with world
famous
children’s
writer, JK
Rowling. And
Darren said that
the Harry Potter
author really
changed the face
of children’s
literature in
terms of
publishers
realising there
was this huge
market there.
Although he has
lived in
Limerick for
most of his
life, the writer
still speaks
with a strong
English accent.
But he insists
that he is no
blow-in to the
village of
Pallaskenry as
the family has
lived there for
generations.
His parents,
Liam and Breda,
are from
Pallaskenry but
they moved to
London for a
while in the
1960s, where
Darren was born.
His mother is a
primary school
teacher in
nearby Askeaton
and his father
works in the
same school as a
janitor.
Darren received
his primary
education in
Askeaton, and
went to
secondary school
at Copsewood
College in
Pallaskenry. He
then travelled
back to London
to study at
Roehampton
University.
But he is now
firmly rooted in
Pallaskenry,
where he lives
outside the
village with his
girlfriend,
Helen Basini.
Despite his huge
success, not
everyone has
heard of the
Limerick writer,
besides his
legion of blood
thirsty fans of
course.
However, he is
sold in 30
countries and
has been
translated into
over 20
languages,
making the New
York Times top
10 children’s
best-seller list
in the past.
Interestingly,
one of his
biggest markets
is Japan where
his books are
marketed as
fantasy for
slightly older
female readers.
|
