Three New Land of Elyon Books To Be Published Through Scholastic, Inc. 9/28/06

Readers who have immersed themselves in the fantasy world of The Land of Elyon trilogy will be glad to hear that the adventure will continue. Author Patrick Carman has signed with Scholastic, Inc. to extend the story, with a prequel and two other books.”For a long time, I’d been thinking about book-ending the series, coming up with some way to have the trilogy stand alone, but with a book before and after that contained it. The trilogy ends in such a way that there’s room for another story about what happens afterward,” Carman says.”The Land of Elyon series is a classic tale of good versus evil. The combination of exciting plot twists, new adventures, and a strong, independent heroine make up the perfect fantasy novel. The heroine, Alexa Daley, is driven with a hunger to search for answers and solve mysteries. The possibilities are endless!” says Mary Armintor, publicist at Scholastic, Inc. The Land of Elyon trilogy includes The Dark Hills Divide, Beyond the Valley of Thorns, and The Tenth City. All three books became bestsellers, with The Dark Hills Divide spending six months on the New York Times’ Bestseller list. The books have wide appeal to young readers and have been nominated for several literary awards.”Patrick creates characters that are brave and adventurous–qualities that appeal to children. His stories metaphorically parallel the lives of children–what they experience as they grow up and become independent, explore new ground, and learn the difference between right and wrong,” observes Mary Armintor.The first of the three new books, called Into the Mist, will be published in late 2007. A prequel to The Land of Elyon trilogy, the story centers on two brothers, Thomas and Roland Warvold, on a grand and perilous adventure together in a time when the Land of Elyon was wilder. “The idea was that one of them was an adventurer by land and the other by sea. There were a lot of allusions to these characters in the trilogy,” says Carman. In Into the Mist, Alexa and the reader learn of the events that set the stage for her experiences in the Land of Elyon. “One of the things this story does very cleverly, is that it is a prequel that is in fact taking place as the next part of the adventure,” comments Peter Rubie, Carman’s literary agent.Following Into the Mist, another book will focus on the story that takes place after the trilogy. The third book will adapt the Land of Elyon story for a younger reading audience of seven to nine-year-olds. “Patrick is a very rare creature. A lot of people can write, but there are few people who are able to really connect with their audience as immediately and profoundly as he does. He has a great voice and as you read through the series, it’s better than ever,” says Rubie. For questions, interview support or public relations please contact:press@patrickcarman.comFor press material, pictures, and video or to find out more about Patrick Carman log onto www.patrickcarman.com