Darren Dash is better known as Darren Shan, under which name he has sold over 25 million books worldwide, mainly in the YA market. While Darren is still in love with the world of YA and as active on that front as ever, he is now also exploring other worlds with his adult works, as Darren Dash.

Darren's real name is Darren O’Shaughnessy. He was born on July 2, 1972, in London, but is Irish (despite the strong Cockney accent that he has never lost) and has spent most of his life in Limerick in Ireland, where he now lives with his wife and son.

Darren went to school in Limerick, then studied Sociology and English at Roehampton University in London. He worked for a cable television company in Limerick for a couple of years, before setting up as a full-time writer at the age of 23. He has been an incredibly prolific author -- Midsummer's Bottom is the 50th book that he has published in just over 19 years.

A big film buff, with a collection of nearly five thousand movies on DVD, Darren also reads lots of books and comics, and likes to study and collect original artwork, especially comic art, modern art, and sculptures. Other interests include long walks, going to soccer matches (he’s a Tottenham Hotspur and Ireland fan), listening to pop and rock music, theatre, worldwide travel, sampling the delights of both gourmet cuisine and finger-licking junk food, and dreaming up new ways to entertain his readers!