The Argus: Brighton Festival Thumb

"I hate my name," confided Derek Landy. "I always wanted to be called something awesome - like Johnny Rockjaw."

As his surname is historically linked to gravediggers and executioners, it seems fitting for the author of the Skulduggery Pleasant children's books - about a wisecracking skeleton who fights evil.

Names were a recurring theme in Landy's Brighton Festival talk. Apparently he's always on the lookout for readers with unusual ones to give his characters. But as he warned in one of many twinkling asides, "If I do take your name, I'll probably have to kill you off."

The Skulduggery Pleasant books, which mix horror, comedy and fantasy, have won the 36-year-old Dubliner a huge young following. Landy said he thought his books were "pretty awesome" too as he did a lot of mock showing-off for his delighted fans.

There were funny anecdotes about meeting Steven Spielberg, hints about writing and teasing about the plots of future books.

The good news is number six, Death Bringer, is on its way ("The marketing department think the title's a bit dark").

But Landy warned he never quite knew if his characters would survive - even the popular ones.

"I hope I don't kill off Skulduggery," he taunted, "he's been good to me."

Let's hope not. As the man said, he's awesome.