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Darren Shan, the
popular Irish
author
of the
best-sellng
Demonata
series, has
just launched
his latest
novel, Blood
Beast,
the fifth book
in the series.
Demonata,
a series of 10
books about
demons, is
Shan's second
series of
children's
books.
His first
series, Saga
of Darren Shan,
which
is about
vampires, was
also a hit
and topped
bestseller
charts in the
UK,
America,
Ireland, the
Netherlands,
Norway, Japan
and Taiwan.
His books have
been translated
into
more than 20
languages, and
more than
10 million
copies have been
sold around
the world.
Shan, whose real
name is Darren
O'Shaughnessy,
enjoyed his
first taste
of literary
success at the
age of 15, when
he was a
runner-up in a
TV
script-writing
competition in
Ireland.
Although Shan
started out
writing books
for adults, he
always wanted to
try his hand at
a children's
book. In 2000,
CliqueDu
Freak, his
first
children's book,
was published.
"I always liked
children's
books, even
when I was a
grown up," said
the
35-year-old
author.
"One day I had
an idea for a
hoy who
meets a vampire
at a circus and
reluctantly
becomes his
assistant.
I wanted to tell
the story from
the
boy's point of
view. It just
made sense to me
to write it for
children of the
boy's
age," he said.
Influenced by
Stephen King,
Ray
Bradbury and
Frances Hodgson
Burnett,
Shan finished
his first novel
Mute
Pursuit
at the age of
17.
Although it was
never published,
the author
realised that he
enjoyed writing
novels more than
the short
stories and
comics he had
been working on
up until
then.
With the books'
popularity
soaring, it was
only a matter of
time before film
studios
expressed an
interest in
making
The Saga
series into a
movie. In 2005,
the author sold
the film rights
to the first
three books in
the serie to
Universal
Studios.
The movie script
is to be written
by
Oscar-winning
screenwriter
Brian Helgelund,
produced by
Lauren Shuler
Donner and
directed by Paul
Weitz.
"Although I
won't be
directly
involved
with the film,
I'm excited
about the
prospect of it,"
Shan said.
"I'll have no
real input In
the movie. I
don't know much
about movies, so
I
think it's best
if I leave these
things to
the experts."
The author added
that, while he
is not
ready to take on
a speaking role
in the
movie, he would
love to appear
as an extra in
crowded scene.
Shan, who gets
his fantasy
inspiration
from books,
movies and
people and
things he sees
in real life,
has some advice
for young people
who want to be
writers.
"Write! The more
you write, the
more
you learn and
the better you
get. There are
no short cuts
for this," he
said. "Also,
don't try to
impress others.
Just
write stories
the way you
would love to
read them."
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