• Issue 137 - December 2011

    01 December 2011

    GREETINGS!

     

    Hi, everyone, and welcome to the December issue of the Shanville Monthly!! I don't have a huge amount of news to report this month -- this is always a quiet time of the year for me, when I get my head down and get lots of writing done! I've spent the last few weeks editing the entire Zom-B series -- and I have to say, it's looking pretty damn sharp!!! I still have lots of editing to do before the books are ready to be published, but they're in good shape and I think it's going to make a lot of bloodthirsty Shansters very, very happy when it starts coming out! The first book sees print in September/October 2012 in the UK and USA -- for more information about it, check out the November issue of the Shanville Monthly. And now, let's get things started with a suitably sombre Christmas card from me to all of you! (The image, by the way, is from the UK cover for Brothers to the Death, which goes on sale in the UK and USA at the end of April 2012.)

     

     

     

     

    BOOKS ON SALE IN DECEMBER

     

    The following books will be going on sale in the following countries in December:

     

    Australia -- Ocean of Blood.

     

    Hungary -- City of the Snakes.

     

    Japan -- Palace of the Damned.

     

    All three feature amazing covers -- you can check out the covers for Hungary on the Covers page on my site by CLICKING HERE. I haven't had a chance to add the other two yet, but you can find the Australian cover on the HarperCollins Australia site by CLICKING HERE, and later in the month you will be able to see the Japanese cover on the Darren Shan Japan site by CLICKING HERE.

     

    OCEAN OF BLOOD CAMPAIGN

     

    The Ocean of Blood online campaign which HarperCollins ran earlier this year has been shortlisted for another award! This time it’s up against campaigns for adult books too. http://futurebook.net/content/futurebook-awards-shortlist-announcement-0 I'll be keeping my fingers crossed for the fab HC team!!


     


    WHAT'S IN A NAME?

     

    I happened to come across this interesting article recently, which dates back to October 2010, when I auctioned off the naming rights for one of the characters in Brothers to the Death, in aid of an autism charity. http://arcade.stanford.edu/adult-me-books The article was written when the auction was still ongoing — in the end, the winner bigger paid around £1000 to secure the naming rights in my book!! At one point the author of the article says that he wonders if such naming rights affect the books, i.e. if the person involved ends up in a small way being of benefit to the story. I don’t know about other writers, but that was certainly the case with me. The winner of the auction wanted the character named after a girl. The character I had in mind was a man in the earlier drafts. When I changed the character’s genre, it brought a whole new dimension to the scene. You’ll be able to read it when the book is published at the end of April 2010. And the name to look out for is Holly-Jane Galinec!!

     

     

    BEHIND THE BOOKSHELF

     

    I recently filmed some interviews for an exciting new website called Behind The Bookshelf. The site is designed for teachers, to help them with their lessons, by granting them access to a variety of writers via a series of videos in which they talk about different aspects of the writing process. If you want to have a look if you’re a teacher, or if you want to suggest the site to one of your teachers if you’re a student, click on the following link to enter a world of virtual literary wonders! http://www.behindthebookshelf.co.uk/

     


    NEW INTERVIEW

     

    I strongly recommend this interview with me, on the Australian Booktopia site. They threw some very interesting questions at me, and I hope I managed to respond with equally interesting answers!! http://blog.booktopia.com.au/2011/11/09/darren-shan-author-of-the-saga-of-larten-crepsley-answers-ten-terrifying-questions/

     

    SIGNED BOOKS

     

    If you're looking for a signed Darren Shan book for Christmas (either for yourself or for a Christmas present) you can buy signed copies of many of my books through Goldsboro Books — they have the latest in stock, along with a wide selection of my back catalogue, and they ship worldwide. http://www.goldsborobooks.com/search.php?q=darren+shan

     

     

    A FREAKISHLY TEMPTING COCKTAIL!

     

    As I’ve noted before, the phrase “Cirque Du Freak” has been entering global consciousness in recent years, being used in a variety of countries and in ways which have nothing to do with my books. The latest instance that I’ve noted comes from the Daily Mirror newspaper in the UK, which carries a report about Rihanna drinking a Cirque Du Freak cocktail!! Mmmmm!!!! Now there’s a drink I’d like to try!!!! http://www.mirror.co.uk/celebs/news/2011/11/16/rihanna-s-scores-own-goal-in-chatting-up-jermain-defoe-115875-23564505/

     

     

    COMPETITION WINNERS

     

    The winners of the Shanville Monthly November competition were:

    UK & Ireland:
    First prize - Ayrton McGurgan, Tyrone.
    Runners-up - Ellie Maynard, Suffolk.
    Laurah Baylis, Worcestshire.
    Heidi Hollister, East Sussex.
    Eileen Murphy, Cork.

    Rest of World:
    David Naber, USA.
    Riasa Miranda, USA.
    Beate Skaare Faerevaag, Norway.
    Wan Emily Tin Yan, Hong Kong.
    Seth Bradley, USA.

    There were 111 correct entries for the UK & Ireland comp, 106 for the Rest of the World. Congratulations to the winners, and for those who weren’t so lucky—better luck next time!!

     

     

    SHANTA CLAUS

     

    It's that time of year again, when Shanta comes out to play on www.darrenshan.com!! The fun short story is my favourite of all the short stories that I've created for the site -- but I only put it live around Christmas time, since it's a seasonal tale! I'll be bringing Shanta back just before Christmas, the week of December 19th, and removing it for another year shortly afterwards. I usually tweak it slightly every year, so even if you've read it before, it's worth checking out again. It will be going live at the followig link on or after December 19th: http://www.darrenshan.com/extras/

     

    IT'S A WRAP


    And that's it for December!! I hope you all have a fabulous Christmas and New Year's, and that Santa delivers all that you hope for!!! I'll be back here at the start of January for the first 2012 issue of the Shanville Monthly. Until then, all my bloody yuletide best, Darren Shan. x x x

     

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