5000 kids, 7 bookstores, 10 days

Walla Walla Youth fiction author Patrick Carman will be kicking off his nationwide tour in Seattle, the city that helped launch him from self-published wordsmith to Scholastic lead author for 2005. In March; Cecelia Goodnow of the Seattle-PI said, “For authors with drive a good story, self-publishing can be the ticket.” For Carman it was a ticket to a 3 book deal with Scholastic, the publisher of the Harry Potter series. Scholastic has made The Dark Hills Divide, the 1st book in The Land Of Elyon trilogy their top priority for 2005. The tour – Scholastic’s largest to date for a first time author – will kick off January 10th at Third Place Books in Lake ForestPark at 6pm. He will follow the same formula that made him successful on his self-publishing run by visiting 3 schools the day of the event. Carman will also visit 20 more elementary schools and 6 more bookstores while in Seattle. Carman’s tour in support of The Dark Hills Divide will span four months. The tour will cover 22 cities, hundreds of school visits, and 70+ bookstores. The author will be driving a forty-foot tour bus – wrapped to look like the book – across America, and he’ll bring his family along for the ride. “My wife Karen was a teacher before she became a full time mom,” says the author. “So she’ll teach the kids on the road. I’d rather be with my family than away from them on such a long haul. Plus, the kids will know their United States geography by the time they get home, so that”s a plus.” The author will journal with photos, film footage, and written entries from the road – all available to the press – and the author’s two elementary age daughters will be Scholastic “kid reporters”, reporting for Scholastic News and local media from city to city. Seattle Stops:Jan 10: Third Place Books, Lake Forest Park, 6pm Jan11: Village Books, Bellingham, 6pm Jan12: Secret Garden, Seattle, 6pm Jan13: Queen Anne Books, Seattle, 6pm Jan14: Barnes & Noble, U Village, 6pmJan18:TBA Jan19:TBA For more on this unique tour or to book an interview with author Patrick Carman please contact:press@patrickcarman.com_____________________NATIONAL HIGHLIGHTS22 cities, 200 schools, 70+ bookstoresAttachments – Tour map with dates – In store display – Tour bus image The tour will include a multitude of activities and promotions including:- The Land of Elyon map has been transformed into a sculpture by artist Squire Broel. The sculpture will be on display at book signings where kids can literally touch and feel the places where the story unfolds. A making of video will accompany the sculpture on its trip across America. – Glass Jocasta stones, created by Seattle glass blowing artist Daryl Smith, will be on display at all book signings.- Codes for entrance into secret online content will be given out during book signing events. – Autographed full color posters will be given out at all book signings. Other items of note about The Dark Hills Divide- $200,000 National Dark Hills Divide advertising and publicity campaign – Three different floor displays are available to stores, with thousands already sold to chains and independent book stores around the country – The web site for The Dark Hills Divide is a ground breaking effort by Scholastic, with a variety of new technologies – Foreign rights have been sold in the UK prior to publication. Contact informationCharisse Meloto VP, MarketingScholastic, Inc. cmeloto@scholastic.com 212-389-3785