Contact:
Lindsey Rodarmer
(616) 698-3332
Lindsey.Rodarmer@zondervan.com
Two of the top five selling Christian YA authors continue well-received fiction series
Grand Rapids, Mich., July 7, 2008 –Zondervan, a world leader in Christian communications, is adding seven new books to a new Young Adult (YA) fiction line launched in May 2008. Zondervan is expanding its YA fiction offerings in a publishing sector the LA Times recently called “booming,” with new releases in October 2008 from two of the top five selling YA Christian authors.
Ripple Effect by Paul McCusker is the first book in a YA Fiction series that is new to Zondervan, entitled The Time Thriller Trilogy. In Ripple Effect, the main character Elizabeth is caught in a bizarre time warp. The series is a gripping, fast-paced mystery taking readers through seconds, minutes, hours, and centuries.
The release comes on the heels of Zondervan’s aggressive entry into the booming YA fiction category in May 2008, launching five new book series for readers ages 13 to 16. Zondervan already publishes three of the top five selling Christian YA authors—Melody Carlson, Bryan Davis and Bill Myers—who all authored books for the May 2008 launch. Carlson and Davis are releasing new books in October 2008.
October features an exciting new release from Bryan Davis-a top five CBA author who has sold more than 300,000 books. Eternity’s Edge is the second book in the fantasy series Echoes from the Edge and follows the release of May’s Beyond the Reflection's Edge. Also new for fantasy readers in October 2008 is The Owling by author Robert Elmer. The Owling is book two in the science fiction series The Shadowside Trilogy, which contemplates how biblical truths translate in another world.
Melody Carlson, the #1 Christian YA author in The Association for Christian Retail (CBA), is releasing The Homecoming Queen and Viva Vermont! in October 2008, the third and fourth books in The Carter House Girls series-a “Chick Lit” series that offers a Christian alternative to the escapism novels that have long-defined the YA market. The series communicates issues and conflicts facing teenage girls as their secular literary counterparts, but in a way that develops girls’ faith. The first two books of The Carter House Girls series, Mixed Bags and Stealing Bradford, released in May 2008. The series is celebrating successful sales, placing in the top 50 of all Zondervan products.
Additional Zondervan Chick Lit releases in October 2008 include The Fall of Candy Corn and The Winter of Candy Canes, books two and three in A Sweet Seasons Novel series by author Debbie Viguié. Viguié’s novels follow the four seasons of main character Candace’s life. The series is best described as God-honoring Chick Lit that digs into friendships, romances, family, school, faith and values.
In 2007, the YA market accumulated nearly $25 billion in general market sales. Zondervan research shows that 40 percent of teens read 2-3 books a month, while nearly a quarter (23 percent) read four or more books per month. Zondervan research also revealed that there are 24 million teens in the U.S. and 75 percent have engaged in at least one psychic or witchcraft-related activity during their teen years. In response to these mainstream trends, Zondervan’s YA Christian fiction seeks to publish well-written, entertaining books that meet the spiritual needs of teens.
“Our YA fiction offers a positive alternative for teens to books that speak to teens’ spiritual and personal growth through powerful storytelling,” said Annette Bourland, Zonderkidz Vice President and Publisher.
According to Barna Group research, 85 percent of teens prefer fiction to non-fiction. Zondervan’s YA fiction titles offer a quality of writing that’s indistinguishable from bestselling mainstream fiction, while serving a variety of genres, including Chick Lit, Fantasy, Supernatural and Sci-Fi.
Zondervan’s campaign also includes a comprehensive marketing plan, including traditional promotional outlets combined with significant technology-driven promotion, citing research that shows 90 percent of teens use the Internet, with half of them accessing it daily. Zondervan launched http://www.zondervan.com/teen, an innovative website that engages teens with contests, newsletters and freebies about current and emerging YA series.
About The Time Thriller Trilogy series by Paul McCusker:
Ripple Effect will release in October 2008 in stores and retails for $9.99 (ISBN: 978-0-310-71436-1). Out of Time, the second book in The Time Thriller Trilogy, is planned for release in February 2009 (ISBN: 978-0-310-71437-8). The Memory’s Gate, the third book in The Time Thriller Trilogy, is slated to release in May 2009 (ISBN: 978-0-310-71438-9). The three books were previously published as Sudden Switch, Stranger in the Mist, and The Memory’s Gate.
Paul McCusker is the author of The Mill House, Epiphany, The Faded Flower and several Adventures in Odyssey programs. Winner of the Peabody Award for his radio drama on the life of Dietrich Bonhoeffer for Focus on the Family, he lives in Colorado Springs with his wife and two children.
About Echoes from the Edge series by Bryan Davis:
Eternity’s Edge (ISBN: 978-0-310-71555-9) will release in October 2008 in stores and retails for $12.99. Beyond the Reflection's Edge (ISBN: 978-0-310-71554-2), book one in the Echoes from the Edge series, released in May 2008 for $12.99. Edge of Chaos, book three in the series, is planned for release in May 2009 (ISBN: 978-0-310-71556-3).
Bryan Davis is the author of the fantasy series Dragons in Our Midst and Oracles of Fire. He and his wife, Susie, have seven children and live in western Tennessee, where he continues to cook up his imaginative blend of fantasy and inspiration.
About The Shadowside Trilogy series by Robert Elmer:
The Owling (ISBN: 978-0-310-71422-4), book two in The Shadowside Trilogy, will release in October 2008 and retail for $9.99. Book one in the series, Trion Rising (ISBN: 978-0-310-71421-7), released in May 2008 for $9.99. Book three in the series, Beyond Corista (IBSN: 978-0-310-71423-0), is planned for release in May 2009.
Robert Elmer is the author of more than fifty novels for young readers. Robert is a full-time writer, living in Idaho with his wife, Ronda. They are the parents of three young adults.
About The Carter House Girls series by Melody Carlson:
The Homecoming Queen (ISBN: 978-0-310-71490-3) and Viva Vermont! (ISBN: 978-0-310-71491-0), the third and fourth books in The Carter House Girls, will release in October 2008 in stores and retail for $9.99. Books one and two, Mixed Bags (ISBN: 0-310-71488-5) and Stealing Bradford (ISBN: 0-130-71489-3), released nationwide in May 2008 for $9.99.
Melody Carlson is the author of more than 200 titles for adults, children and teens. Her books have total sales nearing 2 million, with many appearing on the ECPA Bestsellers List. Carlson’s eclectic personal experiences have inspired her writing. A world-traveler and “jack of all trades,” Carlson has been a teen ministry volunteer, preschool teacher, interior designer, international adoption agent and is a mother of two.
About A Sweet Seasons Novel series by Debbie Viguié:
The Fall of Candy Corn (ISBN: 978-0-310-71559-7) and The Winter of Candy Canes (ISBN: 978-0-310-71752-2) will release in October 2008 and retail for $9.99. They are books two and three in A Sweet Seasons Novel series, with book one The Summer of Cotton Candy (ISBN: 978-0-310-71558-0), released in May 2008 for $9.99, and book four, The Spring of Candy Apples (ISBN: 978-0-310-71753-9), is slated for release in February 2009.
Debbie Viguié has been writing for most of her life and holds a degree in creative writing from U.C. Davis. Debbie loves theme parks and has worked at both Knott's Berry Farm and Disneyland in California. When Debbie is not busy writing, she enjoys traveling with her husband, Scott. Debbie grew up in the San Francisco Bay Area and now lives in Hawaii.
Zondervan, a
HarperCollins company, is a world leader in Christian communications and the leading Christian publishing brand. For more than 75 years, Zondervan has delivered transformational Christian experiences through general and academic resources by influential leaders and emerging voices, and been honored with more Christian Book Awards than any other publisher. Headquartered in Grand Rapids, Mich., with offices in San Diego and Miami, Zondervan conducts events and publishes its bestselling
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