Darren Shan

I'll never forget a meeting with one publisher where they said, 'We don't publish books for teenage boys; teenage boys don't read.' ”

The message of 'Zomb-B' is that you have to listen to your own heart and head and question everything. Question stereotypes and the way the world seems or is being presented. Some of the people we should be most concerned about, dangerous right-wing bigots, sound convincing and reasonable. ”

I think you can spread yourself across any number of genres when you're a writer as long as you have a deep, abiding love for each of them. ”

Reading has always been the great love of my life. ”

I always loved horror, but I read all sorts of books. My favourite as a child was 'The Secret Garden' which has a big influence on Lord Loss, believe it or not! ”

My books always focus on the response of the characters to extreme events. As dark as they get, they are ultimately positive, uplifting books about children who take control of their lives and overcome great adversaries. I think that is why they have been so popular. ”

Every generation likes to think that children don't read as much as they used to when they were young! You listen to some adults saying they were going around reading 'Ulysses' when they were seven or eight! I think children are voracious readers if you give them the right books and if you make those books accessible to them. ”

I think sometimes parents and teachers can push children away from reading by telling them it's something they must do, the same way they must eat their greens and must pass their exams in school. Poppycock! Read or don't read - that's your call. ”

Anyone who has an imagination can write a book - it's cheap to do - but movies are big money. ”

I was lucky because my mum was a teacher and showed me how to read and write. But most importantly, she encouraged me to use my imagination. ”