Random Act of
Kindness
Darren
Shan's Gift to Patrickswell N.S. Pupils
What
a privilege it was to meet internationally renowned author Darren Shan
recently! The incredibly imaginative Limerickman has conjured up book sales of
over 20 million since 'Cirque du Freak' was published in 2000. Despite his
incredible talent - and all his wonderful successes - Darren
remains one of the most grounded and generous people you could hope to meet.
We
met Darren deep in the bowels of County Limerick. A headstone bearing the
message, "Welcome to Shanville, Home of the Damned," greets you as
you approach his lair. Luckily, Darren was expecting us and he let us in before
any harm befell us.
Patrick
Swell: Your
house is stunning! The artwork, the sculptures, the layout is amazing...
Darren
Shan: Well,
thank you very much.
PW: (Looking at huge transparent
eggs with foetal Spiderman, Superman and assorted superheroes/villains inside) Are you a DC or a Marvel man?
DS: I'd be more into English
comics, like 2000 AD...
After
a quick tour of the ground floor, Darren brought us to the Study, the creative
hub of Shanville. A large white skull catches the eye immediately. Darren
explains that you can open the skull and sit inside, "It's an immersion
chamber where you can lock yourself away from the world and just think
- ideal if you were living in an apartment in a big city."
PW: (Looking into Darren's back garden and the view
of the estuary beyond) You have some view there!
DS:
Pity the weather isn't better, you could see the hills across the way and
Bunratty and Shannon Airport. But you can see some of the sculptures I've
been adding to my collection out there.
PW
: (Speaking of collections!) Did you think the Saga of Darren Shan series would
take off like it did in Japan (i.e. multi-million sales, fantastic Manga
versions of all 12 books, etc.)?
DS: No.
Not at all. I never imagined that at all.
PW
: How are your books doing in Ireland?
DS: They're
doing really well. For a few years they were the most borrowed books, by an
Irish author, from Irish libraries. That's changed recently. I'm not sure why
but it may be a result of the recession.
PW:
Are you travelling much at the moment?
DS: Yes,
publishers require books to be promoted, so I'm touring the Zom-B series right
now. These books are for an older readership than primary school children.
They're a bit more gruesome...
Róisín (Patrickswell NS past pupil): I
met you in Limerick at a zombie event. You gave me your card and your
autograph. I was part of a group that dressed up as zombies for the day. You
wrung my neck for a photo!
DS: Wringing
necks is what's done at all these events. I'm always wringing necks!!!
PW
: Readers in our school love how Cirque du Freak feels so Irish...
DS: Location
wasn't specific in the books, so readers in many countries could read the books
and feel it was set in their country, but really I tried to make it a mix of
Ireland and London...
PW
: I loved the way Cirque du Freak starts in a classroom toilet, that detail alone
has everyone intrigued straight away!
DS: Yeah
it started in a toilet and ended in a grave, it had everything!
PW: How
many titles have you written at this stage?
DS: Around
40.
PW: Thanks
so much for inviting us to your home and for donating all these books, audio
books and Manga novels to our school library!
DS: I
love my books to have a good home and I love to feed the appetite of brave
readers! Would you like me to sign them for you?
PW:
It would be great if you'd sign one or two for us.
DS: No
problem, I'll sign all of them. I'd be delighted...
In his
Study, Darren has taken care to make space for a display of gifts he has
received from fans from every corner of the world. They range from the grotesque
to the cuddly (a really impressive collection of Teddy Bears bears this out)! It tells us a lot about
Darren. More than anything else it tells us how much he appreciates his fans
and how respectful - and responsible - he is when it comes to his ever-growing
band of followers. Keeping things age-appropriate for his loyal fans is
obviously a priority for Darren (and those of us encouraging young people to
read books cannot commend him enough for that!)
Beside
Darren's computer lies a huge stack of handwritten and typed notes. You can't
help but wonder what quirky, gruesome and wonderful tales lurk within that
pile. One thing is for sure: Darren has no intention of slowing down or
becoming less prolific any time soon! You can almost imagine Darren chuckling
as he thinks to himself, 'No rest for the wicked in my books!'
