Finished editing the second book of the new series today. Just as it started with the stench of burning flesh, so it ended with the stench of burning flesh too. Don't you just love a nice, strong aroma?!? Speaking of which, today I tasted my first crubeen. For those who don't know, that's pronounced crew-been, and it's pig trotters, i.e. the hooves of a pig!!! Sounds disgusting, I know, but it was actually really tasty!!! Crubeens used to be very popular in Ireland and the UK years ago, with poor people who couldn't afford more choice cuts of the pig. They've largely gone out of fashion, although some restaurants are reviving them and serving them up now as a delicacy!! I got to try them purely by chance -- my grandparents have just got a new TV and wanted me to tune it in for them. When I arrived, somebody had given them a present of crubeens and they'd just cooked them. They looked off-putting -- you could clearly see the hooves!! -- but they were nice once you bit in, not as salty as many other pork products. You chew them like ribs, using your fingers. If you ever get the chance to try them, I highly recommend you give it a go. Just don't look too closely at what you're eating, especially if you're sensitive to that sort of thing!!!! Me, I couldn't care less about looks -- as long as it sets my mouth watering, it could look like a big pile of dog poo and I'd happily tuck in!!!!!

Started editing the second book of the new series. Call me an old-fashioned, bloodthirsty beast, but I think any book that starts with someone burning alive, the stench of melting human flesh thick in the air, just HAS to be a damn good read!!!!!!!



Received a very nice email from a fan called Luis in Mexico recently:

I just wanted to let you know that you are my inspiration to learn more english. I started to assist school in Hidalgo Texas when I was in fourth grade. I lived in Reynosa and I sitll do. Everyone laughed at me except for one or two people who understanded my pain. It was until I was on sixth grade when I found out about your books and began reading them. I improved my reading and got accepted into a program where thirty kids can take college credit by taking college classes. On seventh grade everybody started telling me to stop reading your books. I didn't listen to them and I learned the most important lesson never let anyone choose what to do with your life. I am now on eight grade going to high school and am reading your demonata series. I hope that you'll write back because if you do it would be the kindest thing anyone would do for me. So long Darren.

Luis has learnt something very important, which many people sadly never learn -- to be truly happy in life, you need to do what makes YOU happy, not what makes other people happy. I mean, sure, we should all do what we can to please our parents, teachers, friends and other people who are important to us. But not if that makes us unhappy in the process. People laughed at me when I was younger and said that I wanted to be a writer. My parents were keen for me to chase my dream, but very worried for me too -- they would have been far happier if I'd studied to be a teacher or doctor or lawyer, so that I could have been guaranteed a good career. But in life you have to listen to your heart. And it's not just at the big, important times, like when you come to choose what job you want to do. The small choices -- what books you want to read, what music you want to listen to, what clothes you want to wear -- are all vital too. We can make of our lives whatever we want, or at least try our best to. And it can be a great, fascinating, thrilling, entertaining life... but only if we choose, only if we set out to make it so, only if we follow that paths that WE wish to tread.

noli illegitimi carborundum!!!!

Finished my latest edit of the first book of the post-Crepsley series on Saturday. Each book in this series is quite short -- I'm going for a fast-paced rhythm each time, full of shocks and twists. I've experimented with a more relaxed narrative pace in my previous five books (The Thin Executioner and the four Mr C books) and they're also longer than most of my other published books. Having done that, this time round I wanted to go in the opposite direction and write books which were honed down to the bare essentials, books that you'll hopefully read in a breathless single sitting. That makes them a breeze to edit -- I literally fly through them!!! The first book is probably the hardest-hitting of the series on many levels -- though it's by no means the creepiest or bloodiest of the books, it deals with domestic abuse and racism, and those are hard subjects to write about, especially the latter. (I don't want to make it sound like I've crossed over into the realm of realism -- these are still horror/fantasy books, but I think you can deal with all sorts of issues in a good horror book.) It's going to be an uncomfortable read, and it was an uncomfortable book to write, but I think it's a dark, gripping start to the series, revealing just enough of some of the series goals and themes to wet your appetite for more... But I'm saying too much. I'd better stop there before I give anything important away!!!

Went out with my friend Kenny in the evening. Saw Spurs draw 0-0 with Aston Villa, then went for a nice curry in Copper & Spice -- though I made the mistake of ordering the garlic and coriander naan bread -- it tasted delicious going down, but my breath stank to the high heavens for the rest of the night and the following morning!!! After that we went to see a Smiths tribute band in Dolans, called These Charming Men. It was the first time I'd seen a dedicated covers band. I mean, obviously I've seen plenty of bands over the years playing songs by other artists, but they've covered a variety of singers and groups. This was the first time I'd seen a band cover just one band, and try to pass themselves off as the original group. It was an interesting experience. They're very professional, and cover the songs nicely, and I enjoyed myself a lot. But at the same time it never felt REAL. I was always conscious that I wasn't really watching The Smiths, and I always felt there was a barrier between me and the band -- this was a game of pretend, and it only partially succeeded.

I sometimes get letters or emails from young writers who are worried that their ideas are going to be stolen, or that somebody else will come up with the same ideas that they have had. I always tell them not to worry -- there really aren't many new ideas left in the world of story-telling, merely new ways of shaping and telling stories. Originality isn't about coming up with an idea that nobody has ever thought of before -- it's about finding a way to tell a story in YOUR way, a way nobody else can quite replicate. Success in any field breeds imitators and copycats -- the Harry Potter books have spawned many wan offshoots, countless numbers of bands tried to copy The Beatles and The Rolling Stones, a hit movie usually results in lots of similar films getting the green light. But those cash-ins never feel the same as the originals. Some of them might do quite well, or even work quite well, but people CAN tell the difference. These Charming Men are NOT The Smiths. You can enjoy them for what they ARE -- and, as I said above, they're very good at what they do -- but you don't get the same buzz that you'd have got watching the real band in action in the mid 1980s, just as you don't get the same buzz if you read a book about a school for wizards which was written to cash in on the success of the HP novels.

In short, if your heart is truly in a story that you are telling (or a song that you're writing, or a painting that you're working on, or whatever), it doesn't matter if a thousand and one copycats try to jump your ship. Originality and freshness shine through in any work. If you pour yourself into your work, nobody else can ever truly capture the spirit of it, the feel of it... the YOUness of it.

Finished my final full edit of Birth of a Killer this afternoon. I tore through the book, which is always a good sign at this late stage -- if I've done my work right in the earlier drafts, by the time I get to this point the book should be pretty much ready to go to print, and I should be able to read it almost as a reader would. I think that's an important part of the process, because you can pick up on certain things going at a faster pace than you can when going slower. My editor's notes and suggestions almost all helped tie things up a bit more neatly, which was also a good sign -- it helps when you're in sync with your editor and when both of you are thinking the same way. The new scenes that I wrote back in December (see earlier blog entries) also fitted in seamlessly with the rest of the book, which was a relief. All told, I've taken it just about as far as I can, and bar a last-minute polish at the proofs stage, this baby is done and dusted!!! All that remains now is to wait until October and see if you guys like it as much as we do...

Feeling nice and positive after my work on the Mr Crepsley book, I wasn't quite ready to stop for the day, I started straight into an edit of the first book of what I hope will be my next series after the four Mr C books. I've been working on these books for a while now, as regular readers of this blog will know, and though I still have to work out a lot of things (I don't know yet how many books there will be, or how exactly I'm going to find my way to the ending which I have in mind), I get more and more excited every time I return to them. I plan to edit the first 4 books of the series over the next week, then do a complete first draft of the fifth before I take to the road on tour to Dubai and Hong Kong in March. This was why I had to cancel my planned City of the Snakes tour -- it's been several months since I wrote a new book, and I was getting itchy!!! While I love editing the most, first drafts are the life-blood of any writer's lot -- without a first draft in the bag, you have nothing to edit!!! While I've been editing more than ever over the last few years, I haven't been completing as many first drafts as I would have liked. Over the course of January, as I started plannin gout my year, I realised that if I didn't knuckle down and do a first draft of a book in February, it would be April before I could complete them, and that was too far away for my liking!! this way, hopefully I'll be able to do a second book in April, rather than just starting in on my first a quarter of the way through the year!!!! Sometimes you get a feeling that tell you you have to start writing NOW, no hanging about or making excuses!! When that voice speaks, you better damn well listen, because it usually knows what it's talking about and you defy it at your peril...

As well as beavering away busily on the books, I've also been answering lots of fan mail over the last few nights. I've eaten away through most of the pile which had built up recently, though there's still quite a few to go, and I'm sure Pablo has lots more waiting for me. The never-ending pile of fan mail... the greatest blessing and greatest curse of any successful writer's career!!!!

Flew back home to Ireland on Tuesday. Sorted through my emails and post, and started unpacking my bag, which took up a lot of the day. Also managed to write up the February issue of the Shanville Monthly, with all the latest news. Then, following a good night's sleep, I started my final full edit of Birth of a Killer, the first Mr Crepsley book. My editor has gone through it and made a round of suggestions and changes, nothing too major, just little tweaks which will make it a bit neater. This is the last chance I will have to properly tinker with it -- I'll get one more pass when it goes to the proofs stage, but at that point the opportunities to make changes are limited. So if there's anything big that I want to change, this is my final chance!!! Fortunately, there isn't anything drastic to be done, just little nips here and there, fine-tuning some of the characters and lines. Another few days and it should all be over and done with, bar the proofs stage -- 3 years of hard work complete at last and ready to present to the world. Nice!!!

..Went to Brussels on the Eurostar on Friday with a group of friends, to celebrate my mate Dave turning 40. It's so easy to get to these days -- from the centre of London to the centre of Brussels in 2 hours 5 minutes -- incredible!!! We had a fab day on Friday, lots of chat and drinking and singing and dancing. Suffered a bit on Saturday, but not as badly as I feared, though it was hard to work up the energy for much later on in the day. When you get to our age it's hard to be the party animals that 20 and even 30 year olds can be!!! If you're into partying big-style, my advice is to do it when you can, because when you start closing in on the big 4-0 you might find you aren't able to...

Returned to London on Sunday and watched an enjoyable film called The Wackness in my flat. Had a nice long bath after that -- the perfect way to ease out all the tensions after a weekend away. On Monday I went to see Precious at the cinema -- powerful stuff. Then tonight I went to see a newish play called Jerusalem, starring the incomparable Mark Rylance. I've said before on this blog that I think he's the best stage actor at work in the UK at the moment, certainly of his generation, and this play reinforces that opinion. It wasn't my favourite play ever (very good, extremely well written and observed, but a little bit longer than necessary), but Rylance was captivating in it, dominating the stage for every single minute without ever seeming to do very much. It was a very OTT role, one which most other actors would have made a flamboyant, theatrical mess of, but he managed to do it in a very human, intimate way. The bees knees of theatre!!!!

Right -- I'm of to beddy-byes for an early night, because I'm up first thing in the morning to fly back home. The holiday is over -- time to return to work, and February should be a very busy month for me on the writing front if all goes according to plan. I'm itching to crack on!!!!!!

..I've been taking it easy in London for the last few days, enjoying the good life. Went to see Les Miserables for the first time in a few years. It's just as powerful and moving as ever -- easily my favourite musical, though it can be a bit more work than most musicals. I miss the days when it played in the much bigger Palace Theatre, but it's still a huge show even on a smaller stage. On the movie front I've been to see The Road and The Book of Eli, a nice, cheery pair of post-Apocalyptic tales!! The former was my favourite of the two, though I didn't love either. Also saw Up In The Air, which was much lighter and far more enjoyable -- a smart, funny movie that deserves all the good press it's been getting. And tonight I saw An Englishman in New York, which was on TV over the Christmas period, telling the second half of Quentin Crisp's story -- a nicely acted piece, though not incredibly dramatic. And that's been pretty much that for the last few days -- oh, what a hard life I lead!!!!!

..I'm going to be doing a short tour in the UK in March to promote the release of my third book for adults, City of the Snakes, along with the re-release of my first two adult-aimed books (Procession of the Dead and Hell's Horizon) under the Darren Shan banner -- they were previously released under the name of D B Shan. This will be the first time I have toured with my adult books, and the first time I will have ever read any extracts from them. You can find the schedule below -- we are hoping to add a few informal signing events to it in a couple of other places, so I'll update it once those have been confirmed. Please note, the events are NOT recommended for children. While I will, of course, be happy to sign copies of my children's books if people bring them along, the events will focus on my adult books, and will feature readings which might include swear words and sexual references. Now, I'm not going to be a hypcrite about this -- I was reading Stephen King books when I was 10 or 11 years old!!! So if parents wish to bring children along, or teenagers wish to come by themselves, that's their choice -- we're not going to turn anyone away. Just please be aware that these won't be the same as my regular events, and things might get saucy at times!!!!

Wednesday, March 3rd -- 6.30pm -- public event at Waterstones Cardiff, 2A The Hayes, Cardiff CF10 1WB.

Thursday, March 4th -- 6.30pm -- public event at Waterstones Bath, 4-5 Milsom Street, Bath BA1DA.

Friday, March 5th -- time TBC -- public signing at Waterstones Exeter, address TBC.

Friday, March 5th -- 6.30pm -- public event at Waterstones Truro, 11 Boscawen Street, Truro TR1 2QU.

The events will run for approximately one hour each, and I will be signing afterwards. As usual, I will be happy to sign as many books as fans wish to bring along, so do feel free to bring all your back catalogue of Darren Shan books if you wish!!

..Monday was one of those lovely, just about perfect days that you only get every now and then. It started with a trip to the Royal Academy, where an exhibition about Van Gogh has just opened. Van Gogh is my favourite artist, and the exhibition brings together many brilliant examples of his work, presented in wonderful way. But what made it even more special was that Bas and I were treated to a private tour by the curator, Ann Dumas, the woman who had spent five years putting the exhibition together!! ("Why?!?" you cry. Ah -- that's a secret between ourselves and the good folk at the Academy!!!) We felt like real celebrities as we were escorted round and treated to fascinating insights into the exhibits and Van Gogh's life.

After that we had brunch in Fortnum & Masons, one of London's swankiest shops. (For the cost of a sandwich and hot chocolate there, you could almost afford to buy a Van Gogh!!) Both of us had always thought that it only sold food, but we were surprised to discover three more floor above the food halls, packed full of weird, eccentric, beautiful (and pricey!!) items. On one floor they had some of the coolest man-toys I've ever seen, including great chess sets, recreations of old binoculars and zoetropes, etc. I had a ball just wandering round and admiring it all.

We did a bit more shopping after that, then returned to our flat for a rest. While having pizza for dinner (F&M for brunch, frozen pizza for dinner -- that about sums up my culinary approach to life!!), we watched Rock & Chips, a prequel to the hit TV series Only Fools And Horses. While I was a huge Fools fan, I thought the prequel would be dreadful, as these sorts of things usually are. But in fact it was a very nicely written and acted piece which worked on its own terms and didn't rely too heavily on the built-in warmth that fans have for the original series. A sweet surprise.

After that we went to Wilton's Music Hall, which I have waxed lyrical about on this blog before -- it's one of my favourite venues in London, an old, tired, worn-down Music Hall that makes you feel like you're stepping into the past when you set foot inside. Tonight it was playing host to the band The Magic Numbers. We'd seen them before, in Limerick, and they were fab. Tonight they were equally brilliant, playing a great set of new and old songs, with the new material carefully worked in so that you were never too far away from a recognisable number. Although, to be honest, the new stuff was so good that I don't think anyone would have minded if that was all they'd played. They have a new album coming out in April, and if last night was anything to judge by, it's going to be a stormer!!!!

The nicest thing about the whole day was that I realised while it was happening that I was in the midst of a special day. Normally it's only when you look back afterwards that you can see the times when you were happiest, the days that are going to stand out in your thoughts for the rest of your life. But yesterday I was aware that it was a lovely, magical day, and that just added to the pleasure. Life -- it's not just about trying to create good times, but about recognising and appreciating those good times when they come along. Or, as that famous philosopher Ferris Bueller once said, "Life moves pretty fast. [If] you don't stop and look around once in a while, you could miss it."

..Bas and I flew over to London on Thursday, then drove up to Norfolk on Friday to see her aunt, Mary, who is a Carmelite Nun. Carmelites live in an enclosed order, i.e. they almost never leave the walls of the convent where they live. Mary celebrated her 50th anniversary as a Carmelite this month, so on Saturday she had a big party after mass for many of her friends and relatives. We stayed in a group of cottages close to the convent, with lots of Bas's relations. It was fun to spend time with some of the members from her side of the family -- she comes to a lot of my family parties and celebrations, which happen quite regularly because I have LOADS of relatives!! But Bas comes from a much smaller family, so there aren't quite so many get-togethers. While I love my family to bits, it was, y'know, nice to see some different faces at a party for a change!!!! We had dinner each night together, swam in the pool at the cottages, and hung out. On Saturday we all went to the mass and party, which was fabulous -- it was amazing to see how many friends Mary has managed to make over the years, even though she hardly ever leaves the convent!!! Everyone was delighted to be there -- it wasn't one of those parties that people felt they HAD to go to -- and a great time was had by all. I didn't even mind the mass!!!

Now I'm back in London for a while and working on my tour plans. Dubai and Hong Kong are virtually complete now, and I should be able to announce full details in the next issue of the Shanville Monthly. I should also be able to announce details for a short March tour which I am undertaking, to promote the release of my next adult book, City of the Snakes. It's the first time I've toured with an adult book, so we're starting off with just a few select dates, to test it out and see what sort of a response we get. If fans turn out in their droves, then there might be bigger tours in future. I'll have more news about that next week -- all I can say for the time being is that it looks like I'll be visiting Cardiff, Bath, Exeter and Truro, with maybe a couple more informal signings if we can fit them in. And the May tour is coming together nicely too, though it'll be a bit longer before I can make any announcements about that one!!

New York is the city that never sleeps -- well, Darren Shan is the WRITER who never sleeps!!!!!!