My real name is Darren O'Shaughnessy and I published my first couple of books for adults under that name name. When I wrote a book for younger readers I decided to use something different. One of my nicknames growing up was 'Shan', and it sounded nice and catchy so I decided to go for that!
I was a 'fanboy' myself when I was younger. I loved going to comic conventions, queuing up for hours and meeting my heroes and that sort of thing. I know exactly where the fans are coming from and it's a very important thing for me.
Writing always has to be about the characters. I don’t care what genre you work in – whether it's fantasy, horror, or romance. I like horror because it lets you explore extreme reactions.
I'm not interested in packing my books with wall to wall gore – although there are very bloody scenes with people getting killed and ripped apart. It's always there for a reason; exploring how these things impact on the characters.
I will write 10 pages a day five – even six or seven – days a week if I'm working on a book and I'm particularly involved in it but I work quite strangely and juggle several books around at the same time; one might be ready to be published in a few months but the other might not be ready for three of four years.
It sounds very forbidding for younger writers and it can be off-putting but when you do it [writing] you gradually become capable of doing more and more. There are no real tricks of short-cuts, but you do learn it intuitively.
Very few people would recognise me walking down the street. I live in a very small village in Limerick and everyone knows me there. I'm the local writer but if I wasn't that, I'd be the local something else.
I've stayed out of the movie [the first 'Darren Shan' film is due early next year]. I'm a big movie fan and I've read lots of books about movie-making - most writers who get involved in the movie-making process come away feeling fairly very bitter about it.
As a writer you have complete control over what you do. If you enter the Hollywood system, you're a very small cog in a very big machine. Although they did invite me to go over to the set, I just decided against it.
You have a choice: unless you actively chase the fame as a writer, it won't chase you.
in conversation with Brendan Cole
Click here to watch Darren Shan on 'Eye 2 Eye'.
Click here for your chance to win a special signed copy of Darren Shan's 'Cirque Du Freak'.
Darren Shan is the author of the 'Saga of Darren Shan' series and the 'Demonata' series. The film of the first three films of the 'Saga' series is due out under the name 'Cirque Du Freak' in early 2009.
