By Gemma Williams
Best Seller, Master of Horror, Darren Shan, has kindly agreed to an interview with I'm With Geek and provided some thoughtful and interesting answers, after he was covered for a well deserved St Patrick's Day author profile. Though a best seller, many, including myself, still believe him to be massively under rated.
He has a large fan base for his vampire books, The Darren Shan Saga; his Demonata Series; his most recent Zom-B books, and many others. With the first two vampire books being turned into a film, and with the ability to release a book every three months, his loyal fans can be found everywhere, devouring the latest release. It's so refreshing for an author to be able to reliably release so many good quality novels in such a short space of time. He is an inspiration to many, and now, we get a glimpse into his life.
Best Seller, Master of Horror, Darren Shan, has kindly agreed to an interview with I'm With Geek and provided some thoughtful and interesting answers, after he was covered for a well deserved St Patrick's Day author profile. Though a best seller, many, including myself, still believe him to be massively under rated.
He has a large fan base for his vampire books, The Darren Shan Saga; his Demonata Series; his most recent Zom-B books, and many others. With the first two vampire books being turned into a film, and with the ability to release a book every three months, his loyal fans can be found everywhere, devouring the latest release. It's so refreshing for an author to be able to reliably release so many good quality novels in such a short space of time. He is an inspiration to many, and now, we get a glimpse into his life.
Have you always wanted to be a writer?
Yes, ever since I was 5 or 6. I guess it was in my blood!
What drew you to the Horror and Fantasy genres?
I just always loved that rich, imaginative, scary world. I saw
my first Dracula film when I was 5 or 6 and it was love at first
bite! I do read lots of other genres, but horror and fantasy
are what fire me up the most.
Who is your literary inspiration?
Stephen King. Firstly because he creates such brilliant books.
But also for pushing himself to make the very most of his gifts.
He's the perfect role model, I feel, someone who doesn't ease
up when he finds success, but who keeps experimenting and publishing.
You've written about many characters, all with unique personalities, which many authors struggle to achieve. Who's your favourite character to write for?
I loved writing about Larten Crepsley. Of all my characters, he's the one who fascinated me the most, and I miss him now that I've moved on.
If you could change one thing about your Vampire Series, what
would it be?
If I could go back and do it all again with hindsight, I maybe would have tried to include an extra story arc between books 3 and 4, which would have featured the return of Steve Leopard, one of the key characters in the series. I think it would have been interesting to see him develop some more between his first appearance in book 1 and his next appearance later in the series.
Yes, ever since I was 5 or 6. I guess it was in my blood!
What drew you to the Horror and Fantasy genres?
I just always loved that rich, imaginative, scary world. I saw
my first Dracula film when I was 5 or 6 and it was love at first
bite! I do read lots of other genres, but horror and fantasy
are what fire me up the most.
Who is your literary inspiration?
Stephen King. Firstly because he creates such brilliant books.
But also for pushing himself to make the very most of his gifts.
He's the perfect role model, I feel, someone who doesn't ease
up when he finds success, but who keeps experimenting and publishing.
You've written about many characters, all with unique personalities, which many authors struggle to achieve. Who's your favourite character to write for?
I loved writing about Larten Crepsley. Of all my characters, he's the one who fascinated me the most, and I miss him now that I've moved on.
If you could change one thing about your Vampire Series, what
would it be?
If I could go back and do it all again with hindsight, I maybe would have tried to include an extra story arc between books 3 and 4, which would have featured the return of Steve Leopard, one of the key characters in the series. I think it would have been interesting to see him develop some more between his first appearance in book 1 and his next appearance later in the series.
Which of your books was the most fun to write?
I enjoy the fast-paced ones the most, like Wolf Island or Killers
of the Dawn, but my favourite book out of all those that I've written is The Thin Executioner.
So far, you've covered vampires, werewolves and demons, and
zombies. What other supernatural creature would you like to write about?
I don't actually think about it that way. I don't have a goal to experiment with different standard monsters. I just go with what is going to work best for a story. For instance, with Zom-B I wanted to write about racism, and zombies just seemed like the best way to go about that.
Cirque du Freak was an acceptable film but largely strayed from the book. Would you like your work to be translated into film again?
Yes. Even though the Cirque Du Freak movie wasn't faithful to my work, and wasn't hugely successful in movie financial terms, it still brought lots of new readers into my world. Films are a great way of advertising your books and finding new fans. Plus it's fun to see what movie people do with your work!
Which of your books do you think would best translate into
a video game?
I don't play any video games or know very much about them, so I have no idea to be honest.
What do you do in your free time, when you're not writing and
scaring your readers witless?
I love to read and watch movies. I go to football matches every now and then (I'm a Tottenham Hotspur fan). I travel a lot.
I enjoy the fast-paced ones the most, like Wolf Island or Killers
of the Dawn, but my favourite book out of all those that I've written is The Thin Executioner.
So far, you've covered vampires, werewolves and demons, and
zombies. What other supernatural creature would you like to write about?
I don't actually think about it that way. I don't have a goal to experiment with different standard monsters. I just go with what is going to work best for a story. For instance, with Zom-B I wanted to write about racism, and zombies just seemed like the best way to go about that.
Cirque du Freak was an acceptable film but largely strayed from the book. Would you like your work to be translated into film again?
Yes. Even though the Cirque Du Freak movie wasn't faithful to my work, and wasn't hugely successful in movie financial terms, it still brought lots of new readers into my world. Films are a great way of advertising your books and finding new fans. Plus it's fun to see what movie people do with your work!
Which of your books do you think would best translate into
a video game?
I don't play any video games or know very much about them, so I have no idea to be honest.
What do you do in your free time, when you're not writing and
scaring your readers witless?
I love to read and watch movies. I go to football matches every now and then (I'm a Tottenham Hotspur fan). I travel a lot.
What is the funniest thing that ever happened to you that has later inspired part of a story?
My wife has a nephew called Daniel, but when he was young, everyone called him Dan-Dan. I decided to use the sweet name for a character in my Zom-B series, but rather than using it for a sweet characters,
I used it for one of the most vile, disgusting villains in the entire series! I hope Dan-Dan appreciates the joke when he grows up!!
How difficult was it for you to get published the first time?
Hugely difficult. Cirque Du Freak was turned down by twenty different publishers before it was finally accepted.
What is your writing process?
I speed through a first draft as swiftly as I can, but then spend 2 or 3 years rewriting and editing it. I'll juggle lots of different books around over that period of time, which is how I can release them so quickly.
What advice would you to give to aspiring writers?
The most important thing is to write -- the more you write, the more you'll learn, the better you'll get. Don't sit around waiting for inspiration to strike -- go chase it. The best writers are those who work the hardest.
Are you planning any new series or books? If so, can you tell
us anything at all about it?
I am -- but I can't! Sorry!! It's still in its very early stages, and I never like to say anything about a book until I'm sure it's going to actually be published.
My wife has a nephew called Daniel, but when he was young, everyone called him Dan-Dan. I decided to use the sweet name for a character in my Zom-B series, but rather than using it for a sweet characters,
I used it for one of the most vile, disgusting villains in the entire series! I hope Dan-Dan appreciates the joke when he grows up!!
How difficult was it for you to get published the first time?
Hugely difficult. Cirque Du Freak was turned down by twenty different publishers before it was finally accepted.
What is your writing process?
I speed through a first draft as swiftly as I can, but then spend 2 or 3 years rewriting and editing it. I'll juggle lots of different books around over that period of time, which is how I can release them so quickly.
What advice would you to give to aspiring writers?
The most important thing is to write -- the more you write, the more you'll learn, the better you'll get. Don't sit around waiting for inspiration to strike -- go chase it. The best writers are those who work the hardest.
Are you planning any new series or books? If so, can you tell
us anything at all about it?
I am -- but I can't! Sorry!! It's still in its very early stages, and I never like to say anything about a book until I'm sure it's going to actually be published.
Look out for the latest instalment of his Zom-B books Mission, released this coming Friday (28th March). Look out for the press release and cover, coming very soon to I'm With Geek!
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