http://www.darrenshan.com/ News from the Official Darren Shan Site en darren@darrenshan.com Copyright 2013 2013-05-22T08:58:49+00:00 http://www.darrenshan.com/news/article/movie-thoughts/ http://www.darrenshan.com/news/article/movie-thoughts/ There were lots of posts over on my Twitter account last night, from UK fans who caught the "Cirque Du Freak" movie on ITV2. I know lots of hardcore Shansters hated the film, but I have to be honest -- I liked it. As film adaptations go (and I think a film always needs to be compared with other films, not with books) I think it worked quite well, and although you might not know it by reading boards where most of the users are full-on Shansters, there are actually lots of people out there who thought so too -- I meet quite a few new fans on tour who had never heard of me, but saw the film, enjoyed it, and decided to check out the books -- which for me is the best thing about having a book adapted. Of course I would have liked it to have been more faithful, and I think it might have fared better if it had been, but Hollywood works to its own rules and I'm of the opinion that you either accept that and go along for the ride, or just don't watch films of books you like. As for the actors, I thought they were well-cast overall, but John C Reilly for me was the standout -- I thought he was excellent as Mr Crepsley. He also really got into the books -- he read them all, and kept trying (with very limited success) to get the makers to be more faithful to them. Anyway, if you happen to be in Ireland this weekend, come see me at the Dublin Writers Festival on Sunday May 26th at 4pm if you can make it, where you can throw a question or two about the film my way if you wish. I'll also be answering questions about my books, of course!!! http://www.dublinwritersfestival.com/event/zom-b-with-darren-shan Blog 2013-05-22T08:58:49+00:00 http://www.darrenshan.com/news/article/zom-b-city-posters/ http://www.darrenshan.com/news/article/zom-b-city-posters/ UK fans - my publishers, Simon & Schuster, have created an extremely cool poster for Zom-B City, which is now on selected platforms in train stations all over the country. Check the list below to find out if one of them is appearing at a station near YOU!! All of the posters will be in place until March 24th. CITY OF LONDON    CANNON STREET STN, PLATFORM 2 CITY OF LONDON    FENCHURCH STREET STN, PLATFORM 1 CITY OF LONDON    LIVERPOOL STREET STN, PLATFORM 1 BARKING    BARKING STN, PLATFORM 1 BEXLEY    SIDCUP STN, PLATFORM 2 BEXLEY    WELLING STN, PLATFORM 1 BRENT    WEMBLEY STADIUM STN, PLATFORM 2 BROMLEY    BROMLEY SOUTH STN, PLATFORM 1 BROMLEY    BECKENHAM JUNCTION STN, PLATFORM 2 BROMLEY    CRYSTAL PALACE STN, PLATFORM 1 BROMLEY    KENT HOUSE STN, STATION APPROACH BROMLEY    BROMLEY NORTH STN, CONCOURSE BROMLEY    PENGE EAST STN, PLATFORM 2 BROMLEY    PETTS WOOD STN, PLATFORM 3 BROMLEY    WEST WICKHAM STN, PLATFORM 2 BROMLEY    BICKLEY STN, PLATFORM 3 BROMLEY    CHELSFIELD STN, PLATFORM 2 BROMLEY    SHORTLANDS STN, PLATFORM 3 BROMLEY    ORPINGTON STN, PLATFORM 2 BROMLEY    SUNDRIGE PARK STN, PLATFORM 1 CAMDEN    EUSTON STN, PLATFORM 1 CAMDEN    HAMPSTEAD HEATH STN, ON FOOTBRIDGE CAMDEN    KING"S CROSS STN, PLATFORM 9 CAMDEN    WEST HAMPSTEAD STN, PLATFORM 1 CROYDON    COULSDON SOUTH STN, STATION APPROACH CROYDON    EAST CROYDON STN, PLATFORM 2 CROYDON    NORWOOD JUNCTION STN, PLATFORM 4 CROYDON    PURLEY STN, PLATFORM 2 CROYDON    PURLEY OAKS STN, PLATFORM 3 CROYDON    WOLDINGHAM STN, PLATFORM 1 CROYDON    WEST CROYDON STN, PLATFORM 2 ENFIELD    EDMONTON GREEN STN, PLATFORM TWO GREENWICH    ELTHAM STN, SUBWAY GREENWICH    GREENWICH STN, PLATFORM 1 HACKNEY    DALSTON JUNCTION STN, BOOKING HALL NEAR HACKNEY    HACKNEY DOWNS STN, SUBWAY HACKNEY    HAGGERSTON STN, BOOKING HALL BY CYCLE RA HACKNEY    HOXTON STN, CORIDOOR TO STAIRS VIA BKNG HAMMERSMITH    WILLESDEN JUNCTION STN, PLATFORM 1 HAMMERSMITH    SHEPHERDS BUSH STN, PLATFORM 1 HARINGEY    SEVEN SISTERS STN, PLATFORM 1 HARROW    HEADSTONE LANE STN, PLATFORM 2 HAVERING    GIDEA PARK STN, PLATFORM 2 HAVERING    HAROLD WOOD STN, PLATFORM 4 HAVERING    ROMFORD STN, PLATFORM 2 HAVERING    UPMINSTER STN, OVERBRIDGE HILLINGDON    WEST RUISLIP STN, PLATFORM 4 KENSINGTON & CHELSEA    KENSINGTON (OLYMPIA) STN, STATION APPROA KINGSTON UPON THAMES    KINGSTON-UPON-THAMES STN, PLATFORM 1 KINGSTON UPON THAMES    NEW MALDEN STN, PLATFORM 1 KINGSTON UPON THAMES    SURBITON STN, PLATFORM 1 KINGSTON UPON THAMES    WORCESTER PARK STN, PLATFORM 2 KINGSTON UPON THAMES    NORBITON STN, PLATFORM 2 LAMBETH    STREATHAM COMMON STN, PLATFORM 1 LAMBETH    TULSE HILL STN, PLATFORM 1 LAMBETH    VAUXHALL STN, PLATFORM 1 LAMBETH    BRIXTON STN, PLATFORM 1 LAMBETH    WATERLOO EAST STN, PLATFORM 1 LAMBETH    WATERLOO STN, PLATFORM 14 LAMBETH    WEST NORWOOD STN, PLATFORM 2 LEWISHAM    BLACKHEATH STN, PLATFORM 2 LEWISHAM    HITHER GREEN STN, PLATFORM 6 LEWISHAM    LEWISHAM STN, SUBWAY LEWISHAM    NEW CROSS STN, PLATFORM 2 LEWISHAM    NEW CROSS GATE STN, PLATFORM 2 LEWISHAM    CATFORD BRIDGE STN, PLATFORM 1 LEWISHAM    SYDENHAM STN, STATION APPROACH LEWISHAM    GROVE PARK STN, PLATFORM 3 MERTON    MOTSPUR PARK STN, PLATFORM 1 MERTON    WIMBLEDON STN, PLATFORM TWO MERTON    RAYNES PARK STN, PLATFORM 3 NEWHAM    FOREST GATE STN, PLATFORM 1 NEWHAM    MARYLAND STN, PLATFORM 1 NEWHAM    STRATFORD INTERNATIONAL STN, PLATFORM 2 REDBRIDGE    GOODMAYES STN, OVERBRIDGE RICHMOND UPON THAMES    BARNES STN, PLATFORM 3 RICHMOND UPON THAMES    MORTLAKE STN, PLATFORM 1 RICHMOND UPON THAMES    ST MARGARETS STN, PLATFORM THREE RICHMOND UPON THAMES    WHITTON STN, PLATFORM 1 RICHMOND UPON THAMES    TEDDINGTON STN, PLATFORM 2 SOUTHWARK    LONDON BRIDGE STN, PLATFORM 1 SUTTON    CARSHALTON BEECHES STN, PLATFORM 2 SUTTON    SUTTON STN, PLATFORM 1 SUTTON    WALLINGTON STN, SUBWAY TOWER HAMLETS    WAPPING STN, BOOKING HALL FACING TICKET WALTHAM FOREST    CHINGFORD STN, PLATFORM 1 WALTHAM FOREST    WALTHAMSTOW CENTRAL STN, PLATFORM 1 WANDSWORTH    BALHAM STN, PLATFORM 1 WANDSWORTH    EARLSFIELD STN, PLATFORM 2 WANDSWORTH    PUTNEY STN, PLATFORM 2 WESTMINSTER CITY OF    CHARING CROSS STN, PLATFORM 5 WESTMINSTER CITY OF    MARYLEBONE STN, CONCOURSE WESTMINSTER CITY OF    PADDINGTON STN, PLATFORM 8 WESTMINSTER CITY OF    VICTORIA STN, PLATFORM 5 BRACKNELL    BRACKNELL STN, PLATFORM 1 BRACKNELL    SUNNINGDALE STN, PLATFORM 2 WINDSOR & ETON RIVERSIDE STN, PLATFORM 1 WINDSOR & MAIDENHEAD    ASCOT JUNCTION STN, PLATFORM 1 SOUTH BUCKS    DENHAM STN, PLATFORM 2 WYCOMBE    HIGH WYCOMBE STN, PLATFORM 3 BASILDON    BASILDON STN, PLATFORM 1 BASILDON    BILLERICAY STN, PLATFORM 2 BASILDON    WICKFORD STN, PLATFORM 3 BRENTWOOD    BRENTWOOD STN, PLATFORM 1 BRENTWOOD    SHENFIELD STN, PLATFORM 3 CASTLE POINT    BENFLEET FOR CANVEY ISLAND STN, PLATFORM CHELMSFORD    CHELMSFORD STN, PLATFORM 1 HARLOW    HARLOW TOWN STN, PLATFORM 2 SOUTHEND ON SEA    CHALKWELL STN, PLATFORM 2 SOUTHEND ON SEA    SOUTHEND CENTRAL STN, PLATFORM 3 SOUTHEND ON SEA    SOUTHEND VICTORIA STN, PLATFORM 2 THURROCK    CHAFFORD HUNDRED STN, SUBWAY TO LAKESIDE BROXBOURNE    BROXBOURNE STN, PLATFORM 1 BROXBOURNE    CHESHUNT STN, PLATFORM 1 DACORUM    BERKHAMSTEAD STN, PLATFORM 4 DACORUM    TRING STN, PLATFORM 4 BISHOPS STORTFORD STN, PLATFORM 1 STANSTED AIRPORT STN, CONCOURSE THREE RIVERS    CARPENDERS PARK STN, SUBWAY WATFORD    BUSHEY STN, PLATFORM 2 WATFORD    WATFORD HIGH STREET STN, PLATFORM 1 WATFORD    WATFORD JUNCTION STN, PLATFORM 5 DARTFORD    EBBSFLEET INTERNATIONAL STN, PLATFORM 2 GRAVESHAM    GRAVESEND STN, PLATFORM 1 SEVENOAKS    LONGFIELD STN, PLATFORM 2 SEVENOAKS    SEVENOAKS STN, OVERBRIDGE SEVENOAKS    SWANLEY STN, PLATFORM 2 ELMBRIDGE    ESHER STN, PLATFORM 1 ELMBRIDGE    WEYBRIDGE STN, PLATFORM 2 ELMBRIDGE    OXSHOTT STN, PLATFORM 2 ELMBRIDGE    CLAYGATE STN, PLATFORM 1 ELMBRIDGE    HINCHLEY WOOD STN, PLATFORM 2 ELMBRIDGE    COBHAM & STOKE D"ABERNON STN, PLATFORM 2 ELMBRIDGE    HAMPTON COURT STN, PLATFORM 1 ELMBRIDGE    WALTON-ON-THAMES STN, PLATFORM 1 EPSOM AND EWELL    EPSOM STN, PLATFORM 1 GUILDFORD    FARNCOMBE STN, PLATFORM 1 GUILDFORD    HASLEMERE STN, PLATFORM 3 GUILDFORD    ASH VALE STN, PLATFORM 1 GUILDFORD    EFFINGHAM JUNCTION STN, PLATFORM 2 GUILDFORD    GUILDFORD STN, PLATFORM 1 GUILDFORD    HORSLEY STN, PLATFORM 2 MOLE VALLEY    DORKING STN, PLATFORM 1 MOLE VALLEY    LEATHERHEAD STN, PLATFORM 1 REIGATE AND BANSTEAD    HORLEY STN, PLATFORM 1 REIGATE AND BANSTEAD    REDHILL STN, PLATFORM 1 REIGATE AND BANSTEAD    REIGATE STN, PLATFORM 1 RUNNYMEDE    CHERTSEY STN, PLATFORM 1 RUNNYMEDE    VIRGINIA WATER STN, PLATFORM 1 SPELTHORNE    SHEPPERTON STN, PLATFORM 1 SPELTHORNE    STAINES STN, PLATFORM 2 SURREY HEATH    CAMBERLEY STN, PLATFORM 2 TANDRIDGE    KENLEY STN, PLATFORM 2 WAVERLEY    FARNHAM STN, PLATFORM 2 WAVERLEY    GODALMING STN, PLATFORM 1 WOKING    WEST BYFLEET STN, PLATFORM 1 WOKING    WOKING STN, PLATFORM 3 CRAWLEY    CRAWLEY STN, PLATFORM 1 CRAWLEY    GATWICK AIRPORT STN, PLATFORM 2 CRAWLEY    THREE BRIDGES STN, PLATFORM 2 BIRMINGHAM    ACOCKS GREEN STN, PLATFORM 2 BIRMINGHAM    BIRMINGHAM MOOR STREET STN, PLATFORM 2 BIRMINGHAM    BIRMINGHAM NEW STREET STN, PLATFORM 2 BIRMINGHAM    CHESTER ROAD STN, PLATFORM 1 BIRMINGHAM    SHIRLEY STN, STATION FRONT BIRMINGHAM    SUTTON COLDFIELD STN, PLATFORM 2 BIRMINGHAM    FIVE WAYS STN, PLATFORM 2 COVENTRY    COVENTRY STN, PLATFORM 1 DUDLEY    STOURBRIDGE JUNCTION STN, PLATFORM 3 SANDWELL    SANDWELL & DUDLEY STN, STAIRWAY/ESCALATO SOLIHULL    SOLIHULL STN, PLATFORM 1 WOLVERHAMPTON    WOLVERHAMPTON STN, PLATFORM 3 AYLESBURY VALE    AYLESBURY STN, PLATFORM 3 DERBY    DERBY STN, PLATFORM 1 REDDITCH    REDDITCH STN, GENERAL STATION AREA WORCESTER    WORCESTER FOREGATE STREET STN, PLATFORM WORCESTER    WORCESTER SHRUB HILL STN, PLATFORM 1 WYRE FOREST    KIDDERMINSTER STN, PLATFORM 1 CHARNWOOD    LOUGHBOROUGH STN, PLATFORM 2 HARBOROUGH    MARKET HARBOROUGH STN, PLATFORM 1 LEICESTER    LEICESTER STN, PLATFORM 1 SOUTH KESTEVEN    GRANTHAM STN, PLATFORM 1 NEWARK & SHERWOOD    NEWARK NORTHGATE STN, PLATFORM 2 CHERWELL    BANBURY STN, PLATFORM 2 THE WREKIN    TELFORD CENTRAL STN, PLATFORM 1 EAST STAFFORDSHIRE    BURTON-ON-TRENT STN, PLATFORM 1 LICHFIELD    LICHFIELD CITY STN, SUBWAY STAFFORD    STAFFORD STN, PLATFORM 1 STOKE ON TRENT    STOKE-ON-TRENT STN, STAIRWAY/ESCALATOR TAMWORTH    TAMWORTH STN, PLATFORM 1 NUNEATON    NUNEATON STN, PLATFORM 2 WARWICK    LEAMINGTON SPA STN, SUBWAY WARWICK    WARWICK PARKWAY STN, STATION FORECOURT MANCHESTER    MANCHESTER PICCADILLY GARDENS STN, PLATF STOCKPORT    STOCKPORT STN, PLATFORM 1 WIGAN    WIGAN NORTH WESTERN STN, PLATFORM 1 LIVERPOOL    LIVERPOOL LIME STREET STATION STN, PLATF CREWE & NANTWICH    CREWE STN, PLATFORM 6 MACCLESFIELD    MACCLESFIELD STN, PLATFORM 1 WARRINGTON    WARRINGTON BANK QUAY STN, PLATFORM 2 WARRINGTON    RUNCORN STN, PLATFORM 2 LANCASTER    LANCASTER STN, PLATFORM 3 PRESTON    PRESTON STN, PLATFORM 1 DONCASTER    DONCASTER STN, PLATFORM 1 SHEFFIELD    SHEFFIELD STN, PLATFORM 2 LEEDS    LEEDS STN, PLATFORM 1 WAKEFIELD    WAKEFIELD WESTGATE STN, PLATFORM 1 CHESTERFIELD    CHESTERFIELD STN, PLATFORM 1 LINCOLN    LINCOLN CENTRAL STN, PLATFORM 6 SOUTH HOLLAND    SPALDING STN, PLATFORM 1 YORK    YORK STN, PLATFORM 1 MANSFIELD    ALFRETON STN, STATION APPROACH NEWCASTLE CENTRAL STN, PLATFORM 3 DARLINGTON    DARLINGTON STN, FRONT OF STATION DURHAM    DURHAM STN, BOOKING HALL GLASGOW CITY OF    GLASGOW CENTRAL STN, CONCOURSE EDINBURGH CITY OF    EDINBURGH WAVERLEY STN, PLATFORM 11 BOURNEMOUTH    BOURNEMOUTH STN, PLATFORM 2 CHRISTCHURCH    CHRISTCHURCH STN, PLATFORM 2 BRIGHTON    BRIGHTON STN, PLATFORM 1 EASTBOURNE    EASTBOURNE STN, PLATFORM 1 HASTINGS    HASTINGS STN, PLATFORM 3 HASTINGS    ST LEONARDS WARRIOR SQUARE STN, PLATFORM HOVE    HOVE STN, PLATFORM 1 ROTHER    BEXHILL STN, OVERBRIDGE BASINGSTOKE    BASINGSTOKE STN, PLATFORM 4 EAST HAMPSHIRE    PETERSFIELD STN, PLATFORM 1 EASTLEIGH    EASTLEIGH STN, PLATFORM 2 HAVANT    HAVANT STN, PLATFORM 1 NEW FOREST    BROCKENHURST STN, PLATFORM 4 NEW FOREST    LYMINGTON TOWN STN, PLATFORM 1 PORTSMOUTH    FRATTON STN, STAIRWAY/ESCALATOR PORTSMOUTH    PORTSMOUTH HARBOUR STN, PLATFORM 2 PORTSMOUTH    PORTSMOUTH & SOUTHSEA STN, CONCOURSE SOUTHAMPTON AIRPORT PARKWAY STN, PLATFORM ??? SOUTHAMPTON    SOUTHAMPTON CENTRAL STN, PLATFORM 1 WINCHESTER    WINCHESTER STN, PLATFORM 1 MEDINA    RYDE ESPLANADE STN, STATION APPROACH CANTERBURY    CANTERBURY EAST STN, PLATFORM 1 CANTERBURY    CANTERBURY WEST STN, PLATFORM 2 DOVER    DOVER PRIORY STN, PLATFORM 1 GILLINGHAM    RAINHAM (KENT) STN, PLATFORM 2 MAIDSTONE    MAIDSTONE EAST STN, PLATFORM 1 MAIDSTONE    MAIDSTONE WEST STN, PLATFORM 1 MAIDSTONE    STAPLEHURST STN, PLATFORM 1 MEDWAY    STROOD STN, PLATFORM 2 SHEPWAY    FOLKESTONE CENTRAL STN, PLATFORM 4 SWALE    FAVERSHAM STN, PLATFORM 2 THANET    WESTGATE-ON-SEA STN, PLATFORM 2 THANET    RAMSGATE STN, PLATFORM 1 TONBRIDGE & MALLING    HILDENBOROUGH STN, PLATFORM 2 TONBRIDGE & MALLING    TONBRIDGE STN, PLATFORM 2 TUNBRIDGE WELLS    PADDOCK WOOD STN, PLATFORM 2 TUNBRIDGE WELLS    TUNBRIDGE WELLS STN, PLATFORM 2 ADUR    LANCING STN, PLATFORM 1 CHICHESTER    CHICHESTER STN, PLATFORM 1 HORSHAM    HORSHAM STN, PLATFORM 2 MID SUSSEX    HASSOCKS STN, PLATFORM 2 MID SUSSEX    HAYWARDS HEATH STN, PLATFORM 1 MID SUSSEX    BURGESS HILL STN, PLATFORM 1 WORTHING    WORTHING STN, PLATFORM 2 MILTON KEYNES    BLETCHLEY STN, PLATFORM 4 MILTON KEYNES    MILTON KEYNES CENTRAL STN, PLATFORM 1 PETERBOROUGH    PETERBOROUGH STN, PLATFORM 2 BRAINTREE    WITHAM STN, PLATFORM 2 COLCHESTER    COLCHESTER STN, PLATFORM 1 TENDRING    CLACTON STN, PLATFORM 3 GREAT YARMOUTH    GREAT YARMOUTH STN, CONCOURSE NORWICH    NORWICH STN, PLATFORM FIVE KETTERING    KETTERING STN, PLATFORM TWO NORTHAMPTON    NORTHAMPTON STN, PLATFORM 2 IPSWICH    IPSWICH STN, PLATFORM 2 ST EDMUNDSBURY    BURY ST EDMUNDS STN, PLATFORM 1 WEYMOUTH & PORTLAND    WEYMOUTH STN, PLATFORM 1 CARLISLE    CARLISLE STN, PLATFORM 4   News 2013-03-12T14:39:50+00:00 http://www.darrenshan.com/news/article/my-final-vampire-tour/ http://www.darrenshan.com/news/article/my-final-vampire-tour/ It's a bit late for a round-up of my Brothers To The Death tour, I know, given that it ended more than a week ago, but better late than never! Since this was my final tour (for the time being) for HarperCollins, and the last time (again, for the time being) that I would be touring with my vampire books, I was keeping my fingers crossed that I would be able to end on a high -- and happily that's how I did! It was a smooth, enjoyable tour. I did more fan events this time than I have done on recent tours, and it was a lot of fun to read out some of my favourite extracts to hardcore Shansters, from old, current and future books. Many thanks to everyone who turned up to them, along with all those of you who came along to my signings too.   There was an average crowd of about 100 people at most of the events, although we got about double that in Kettering, where the event was held in a cool church that had enough space to hold a couple of hundred fans. Some of the many school events I did during the tour had far bigger crowds than that -- the nice thing about school events is that you have a captive audience!! The average signing time at stores where I just signed instead of doing an event was over 2 hours, although I was signing for 3 hours on the very final day of the tour in Liverpool -- a nice way to finish up!   Touring is still the most enjoyable part of the job for me. The actual travelling around from A to B is a pain (if only we had transporters like in Star Trek!!) but meeting the fans make all the hours on the road more than worthwhile. It's such a treat to be able to chat for a little while with you guys, and to see the impact that my books are having. I get a certain sense of that at home, from all the letters and e-mails that i receive, but that's not the same as meeting people in the flesh and seeing by the expressions on their faces that my stories have touched them maybe even more than they have touched me. It's elating and humbling all at the same time.   I'd like to say a BIG thank you to everyone who made this tour happen, all the teachers, librarians, booksellers and others who worked hard behind the scenes to set up the events and signings. And a MASSIVE thank you to the team at HarperCollins who made this tour just as much of a triumph as all of the others they have set up for me over the years -- take one final bow, please, Geraldine, Mary, Sam and Rosi!!! And finally, of course, as I've already said, MONUMENTAL thanks to everyone who came along and waited patiently -- without you guys, none of it would matter a damn! I know we live in a world full of tempting distractions, so I really do appreciate it when you choose to spend an hour or two in my company when you could be off doing something else. You have made, and continue to make, my days on the road a thrilling adventure rather than a cumbersome bore!!! Three cheers for the Shansters -- hip! hip! hooray!!!!! Blog 2012-05-20T13:08:48+00:00 http://www.darrenshan.com/news/article/brothers-to-the-death-on-sale-on-amazon-uk-now/ http://www.darrenshan.com/news/article/brothers-to-the-death-on-sale-on-amazon-uk-now/ Amazon UK are showing Brothers To The Death as being In Stock NOW!!! If you want to buy it early, click here: www.amazon.co.uk/The-Saga-Larten-Crepsley-Brothers/dp/0007315945/shanville News 2012-04-20T19:40:42+00:00 http://www.darrenshan.com/news/article/guest-blog-alexander-gordon-smith/ http://www.darrenshan.com/news/article/guest-blog-alexander-gordon-smith/ For the first time ever, I'm going to allow someone else to post on my blog -- maybe this will make up for me not posting much here myself recently!! Our guest blogger is ALEXANDER GORDON SMITH, author of the Furnace series, who has a new book out called The Fury. I haven't yet had a chance to read the new work, but I'm a big fan of Furnace -- it rocked with a vengeance! So, I hope you all enjoy Gordon's guest blog, and that it intrigues you enough to go out (or go online) and pick up a copy of The Fury. High-quality young authors like Gordon need all the support that we can give! I’m so excited! This is the first post on my blog tour, to celebrate my brand new book, The Fury, and it’s on the website of one of my heroes, Darren Shan! How awesome is that!! Thanks, Darren, for letting me kick-start my blog tour in Shanville! :-)   The Fury, my eighth book, was released exactly five years to the day after my first. So April 5th was a double book birthday this year! I had a little party to celebrate, with all eight books sitting in a circle wearing paper hats and holding tiny little teacups. Needless to say, as most of them are horror books, it ended up in a mass brawl with shredded paper and spilled ink everywhere… But it was still a cool day!   And it almost never happened. I almost gave up.   That’s what I want to talk about, but I’d better start from the beginning. I’ve always dreamed of being a writer. For as long as I can remember it’s the only job I’ve ever wanted – well, that and lorry driver. I used to publish my own little books when I was a kid, giving them covers and hand-drawn bar codes. I wrote stories all through school, usually gruesome ones about serial killers that murdered my teachers (I remember my English teacher once kept me after class to ask me if everything was okay at home), and by the time I was seventeen I decided that I was going to start writing my first novel.   This novel was a nice, gentle piece about angels… that ate people. It was called Asylum, and funnily enough it was set in a place called the Furnace Penitentiary for the Criminally Insane. The plot revolved around the idea that the owner of this prison (Alfred Furnace!) had found a way to bring angels back to earth, but these angels were actually ferocious winged predators who would tear people to pieces before gorging on them. Lovely! I had absolute faith that this novel was going to instantly make me incredibly rich and famous, the next Stephen King. I was so convinced of this, in fact, that I decided I didn’t actually need any qualifications, and that I was too cool for school. I stopped working, stopped revising for my exams, and ended up failing my A-Levels. At the same time I got my results, I also began to get rejections for my novel. These weren’t nice rejections, either, they were brutal. I remember one said something along the lines of, ‘This is disgusting, what’s wrong with you? Please never send us anything again.’   I was devastated. Not only had I failed in my bid to become a multi-squillionaire author, I also had to go back to school for another year and re-sit all my exams (I did eventually pass and go off to university). And I did the worst possible thing you can ever do in life: I gave up. I thought, ‘Nobody wants to publish my books, nobody cares, I’m an awful writer, there’s no point in me ever putting pen to paper again!’ And I stopped writing, for years, because I was convinced I couldn’t do it. I had tried, and I had failed. Game over.   And that could easily have been the end of my writing career – no Inventors, no Furnace, no Fury. But I was lucky, because a few years later one of my little brothers wanted to write a book and convinced me to write it with him. That book was The Inventors, and it made me realise how much I’d missed writing. The other reason was that I started to read The Saga of Darren Shan books, and I loved them. I devoured them, like a zombie devouring a nice, fresh brain. They made me realise how much I loved stories, the pace of them, the action, the emotion, the incredible journey they take you on. More importantly, they gave me the confidence to believe in myself as a writer, the knowledge that as long as I was telling the stories I wanted to tell, and that I was enjoying telling them, then what I was doing was worthwhile whether I got published or not. And that’s what’s important, I think, believing in yourself, believing that you can do it. I swore, right then, that I’d never, ever give up on anything ever again.   That’s why stories are amazing, as well, because the theme of so many books is never giving up – fighting for what you believe in, fighting for your life, fighting for your freedom, fighting for your friends and family, fighting for what is good and just and right. The Fury is a horror novel about what would happen if everyone in the world suddenly turned against you and tried to murder you – your mum, your dad, your brothers and sisters, your friends, your teachers, everyone becomes a mindless, bloodthirsty savage intent on killing you and only you, and once they have, they go back to their lives as if nothing has happened. In this book (and in most of the books I love), if you give up then you get torn to pieces! But even in the real world there’s a certain truth to that, only it isn’t you that dies, it’s your dreams.   Giving up is the worst thing you can ever do. Humans are amazing creatures, we’re capable of doing incredible things, of achieving absolutely anything we put our minds to – anything. I honestly believe the only thing that can stop us is ourselves, that little (and sometimes huge) part of our brains that tells us we’re no good, that we’ve got no talent, that we’ll fail, that there’s no point even trying, that we should just give up right now. That self-doubt is like a nagging voice that never stops for breath, refusing to let us really go for the things we want. It’s a little bad guy that lives in our heads and doesn’t want us to achieve our goals. We have to learn to banish that voice, to lock it away in a part of our minds where we just can’t hear it any more. Because once it’s gone you realise that there is nothing to stop you, that you can make your dreams come true.   And don’t let other people tell you that you can’t do it either. If you get rejections, just remember that every single writer in the world has had them (including Darren Shan!). Put them behind you and move on, never let it make you believe that you can’t do it. Like I said, the only person who can stop it from happening is you, and that little bad guy in your head. It doesn’t matter what you want to be – writer, doctor, artist, acrobat, athlete, musician, truck driver, bank robber – just wake up every morning and say ‘I AM AMAZING, I CAN DO ANYTHING, NOBODY CAN STOP ME FROM MAKING MY DREAMS COME TRUE!’ You’ll be amazed at how those few little words can help you unlock your full potential.   I had the honour of meeting Darren Shan last year – not only meeting him, but doing an event with him at the Edinburgh International Book Festival. It was so incredible to be able to say thanks in person, and being there on stage next to my hero made me realise how lucky I had been to find the right inspiration at the right time to shift those doubts, to silence that bad guy in my brain, and to finally believe in myself again. Of course there are still days when I think I can’t do it, when that voice breaks free and starts yelling at me to give up. But at least now I know how to ignore those doubts and focus on the things I really want. I know that giving up is the only way those dreams will remain just dreams.   So thanks again, Darren, and to everyone out there, you CAN do it, just never, ever give up! :-)   To find out more about The Fury, visit my website at http://www.alexandergordonsmith.com/   And if you’re aged between 13 and 18 and are interested in filmmaking, then you might want to enter The Fury trailer competition over on Facebook! http://www.facebook.com/stayfurious   Blog 2012-04-19T15:33:28+00:00 http://www.darrenshan.com/news/article/midlands-signings-added/ http://www.darrenshan.com/news/article/midlands-signings-added/ Shansters in the UK Midlands take note!! I have added two new signing sessions to my Brothers of the Death Tour, both on Saturday May 5th, the first in Wolverhampton, the second in Birmingham. For full details, see the updated tour schedule in the Shanville Monthly: http://www.darrenshan.com/news/shanville-monthly/ News 2012-04-19T13:33:40+00:00 http://www.darrenshan.com/news/article/news-talk/ http://www.darrenshan.com/news/article/news-talk/ I will be interviewed by Tom Dunne on the Irish NEWS TALK radio channel on Thursday 19th April, shortly after 11.00am. http://www.newstalk.ie/ News 2012-04-18T13:17:58+00:00 http://www.darrenshan.com/news/article/irish-times-article/ http://www.darrenshan.com/news/article/irish-times-article/ You can read my article in the Irish Times about Bram Stoker online here: http://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/features/2012/0418/1224314868286.html   Darren. News 2012-04-18T08:44:38+00:00 http://www.darrenshan.com/news/article/zom-b-cover/ http://www.darrenshan.com/news/article/zom-b-cover/ The stomach-churning UK cover for Zom-B has been released, so you guys can check it out NOW!! I hope you love it as much as I do!!! https://twitter.com/#!/simonkids_UK/status/191917921629519873/photo/1 News 2012-04-16T17:21:44+00:00 http://www.darrenshan.com/news/article/limerick-event-tickets-on-sale-now/ http://www.darrenshan.com/news/article/limerick-event-tickets-on-sale-now/ You can now book tickets for the first public event of my Brothers To The Death tour, in LIMERICK, on April 26th. The event takes place on the first day of publication of the book, and is the only public Irish event that I will be doing on the tour. (I've done a lot on my last few tours, so felt it was time to give my Irish fans a small break!) Not only is this the launch of my final Mr Crepsley tour, it's also the first public event I've done on my home turf for quite a few years, so I'm going to try to make it as special as I can! Hopefully it will be a night to remember!!! Also, if there are any teachers out there, please note that I am doing a schools event earlier that day, and places are still available. If interested, follow the link below and either book tickets directly through the site or get in touch with the staff at the Belltable. For more info, and to book tickets, click here: http://belltable.ticketsolve.com/shows/126524808/events News 2012-04-12T12:33:32+00:00