Status Report

K.A. Applegate and Michael Grant are returning to write together once again with the upcoming Eve & Adam (Released October 2nd, 2012). The official cover, summary, and pre-orders are now available via Amazon:

In the beginning, there was an apple –

And then there was a car crash, a horrible injury, and a hospital. But before Evening Spiker’s head clears a strange boy named Solo is rushing her to her mother’s research facility. There, under the best care available, Eve is left alone to heal.

Just when Eve thinks she will die – not from her injuries, but from boredom—her mother gives her a special project: Create the perfect boy.

Using an amazingly detailed simulation, Eve starts building a boy from the ground up. Eve is creating Adam. And he will be just perfect . . . won’t he?
 

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KATHERINE APPLEGATE is the author of many books for children and young adults, include the award-winning Home of the Brave.

Her husband, MICHAEL GRANT, is the author of the BZRK series and the bestselling Gone series.

Together they wrote the popular Animorphs series. They live in Northern California with their two children and numerous unmanageable pets.

There is a lot of new info today, so lets get started:

1. K.A. Applegate is now officially on Twitter!

   Follow her @KAAauthor.

 

2. Michael Grant (co-author/creator of Animorphs) is doing a ridiculous number of LIVE interviews on the radio today (March 1st). If any fan happens to record one of these interviews, then send ’em our way!

   See full schedule of Michael Grant’s radio interviews.

 

3. K.A and Michael are currently doing several school visits as well. Michael is primarily doing his book tour in the U.K, and has posted his schedule on Facebook. His first UK visit is on March 13th, 2012. U.S dates are currently unannounced.

   See the UK schedule for private and public events.

 

4. Animorphs #6: The Capture is officially relaunched today in both lenticular paperback and ebook editions.

   See the official summary and order info.

 

5. While not official yet, there is some good news for GONE fans regarding the possibility of a movie!
   

   See Michael Grant’s update for the Gone movie.

 

6. EVE AND ADAM is now available to pre-order! No official cover or summary yet, but the release date is set for October 2nd, 2012.

   This will be the first book by both K.A and Michael since Remnants. The only detail we know about the book at this point is that it is a dark comedy with male (Michael) and female (Katherine) perspectives.

   Pre-Orders are currently only available for U.S and Canada.

I think that covers everything for now. Be sure to follow both Michael and Katherine for any upcoming tour dates, as well as us on Facebook and Twitter for the latest info!

K.A. Applegate’s new book The One and Only Ivan has been released! The official website, theoneandonlyivan.com, has been launched with a new blog and video trailer (with a very haunting score, I might add). A Q&A with K.A on Publishers Weekly was also released, for those that missed it in our previous update.

The second new release for the month is Havoc by Jeff Sampson (the Animorphs Classic-Era Informer and Official Anibase author). The book is the second part in the Deviants YA trilogy. Since the summary is kind of spoiler-ish for those that haven’t read the first book, the new order and plot details can be found at jeffsampsonbooks.com.

Finally, we have some Relaunch news: The lenticular edition of Animorphs #8 is now available to pre-order via Amazon, and the links for it are up on our order page (see right). I have also updated the individual relaunch pages with the new official summary for #8, and a new official promo sheet for #7.

One last thing, because a lot of people have been asking: There has been no reveal yet regarding the new Ax cover for Animorphs #8, or news for Megamorphs #1, or any future relaunch books. Any future releases past #8 depend highly upon the sales figures for the books released so far, and whether Scholastic thinks they’re successful enough to continue being published. Rest assured that once there is any official confirmation, you will all know right here on Hirac Delest.

That’s all for now. Until next time!

Following up on our post from yesterday, K.A. Applegate has also made it onto Publishers Weekly for her upcoming book The One and Only Ivan.

In her bestselling Animorphs series, Katherine Applegate introduced teens with the ability to morph into any animal they touch. She offers a very different take on an animal story in The One and Only Ivan, due from Harper in January. The novel is based on a real-life silverback gorilla born in Africa that lived in a glass box for 27 years as an attraction in a circus-themed mall in Tacoma, Wash., before being transferred to Zoo Atlanta, where he still resides. Ivan’s story made a splash in the media and caught the attention of Applegate, who talks about how her novel came to be.

…

Do you view this novel as a departure for you, in terms of subject and writing style?

I’d say it parallels some of the feeling of Animorphs. In those books, I got to explore what it was like to feel like an animal, so on that level it’s channeling the same kind of thing. Stylistically, this novel is more similar to Home of the Brave [Feiwel and Friends, 2007], which I wrote from the point of view of a refugee of Sudan.

Are there more animal books in your future?

Absolutely! I’m now writing a novel from a dog’s point of view. It’s one of the novels I was working on when I digressed to Ivan. It’s another middle-grade animal fantasy.

You seem to be quite at home in that genre.

Yes, I love those books. I grew up reading and rereading Charlotte’s Web and anything by Jean Craighead George. I loved any book that had to do with animals. As a writer, maybe I’ve finally found the place I’m happiest. It only took me 20 years. Maybe I’m a slow learner?

You can read the entire article at publishersweekly.com.

Thanks to Jordan for letting us know, there’s a new book by K.A. Applegate called The One and Only Ivan. It is being released January 17th 2012, and can be pre-ordered via Amazon. Here is the official summary and cover:

Ivan is an easygoing gorilla. Living at the Exit 8 Big Top Mall and Video Arcade, he has grown accustomed to humans watching him through the glass walls of his domain. He rarely misses his life in the jungle. In fact, he hardly ever thinks about it at all.

Instead, Ivan thinks about TV shows he’s seen and about his friends Stella, an elderly elephant, and Bob, a stray dog. But mostly Ivan thinks about art and how to capture the taste of a mango or the sound of leaves with color and a well-placed line.

Then he meets Ruby, a baby elephant taken from her family, and she makes Ivan see their home—and his own art—through new eyes. When Ruby arrives, change comes with her, and it’s up to Ivan to make it a change for the better.

Katherine Applegate blends humor and poignancy to create Ivan’s unforgettable narration in a story of friendship, art, and hope.

Next, we have fan-made book covers! Since book covers are a very big discussion topic in the community with the current relaunch, I thought it’d be interesting to share a few alternates that the fans have made themselves:

The first one is by Theresa Shreffler from DeviantArt, who is now also a published YA author herself!

Notice the subtle scales on the face, and reptilian-like eyes and fingers. It gets the point across really well without feeling gimmicky, and is something that I can actually see sitting on the YA shelves today.
 

The next one is by Katie Mazikins, a student at MICA. Look closely at the textured background, typography, and cover animal. I like the minimalist redesign, and can see these selling really well for us older fans especially (in volume hardcovers please!). You can see even more Animorphs covers by her on Flickr and Twitter in a similar redesign.

That’s all for now. If you think there’s a cover redesign or piece of Animorphs artwork worth sharing, then let us know in the comments below!

Scholastic has updated the Official Animorphs Website with a new writing contest for the relaunch! The grand prize? Animorphs #1-6 autographed by K.A Applegate, and a Nintendo 3DS! Here’s a quick look:

To enter the contest, submit an essay of 250 words or less answering the question: If you could choose one animal morph for yourself, which would it be and why?

Mail the entry with your name, age, address, phone, and email to:

Scholastic Inc.
Animorphs Writing Contest (Attn: W.S.)
557 Broadway
New York, NY 10012

Contest begins: December 1, 2011.
All entries must be received by March 1, 2012.

Only one entry per person. Contest is open only to legal residents of the USA ages 8-14. The winner may also be asked to attend and participate in media or public relations events designated by Scholastic.

For full details, see scholastic.com/animorphs/contest/

Since the majority of the fans are likely to be too old to qualify for this, feel free to add your own entry in the comments and let us know anyway!

The Animorphs #4 relaunch edit list is now up on our Missions page. As with the previous three books, there some more updates to technology and pop-culture references that I think people will find interesting. If I’ve missed something in my re-read, then please do let me know!

Also, Animorphs #7 is now available to pre-order! The links are set up on our order page. A slightly larger version of the cover for #7 was also released via the 2011 Frankfurt Book Fair Rights Guide (see right). I have uploaded the PDF catalog, and posted the picture for it in it’s relaunch page.

In addition to this, I have also gone through all of the relaunch pages and taken away some of the clutter and added a few new things as well. Here are the new additions in today’s update:

• High-Res Front Covers for relaunch books #2, 3, 4, 5, and 6.
• High-Res Back Covers for relaunch books #3, 4, and 5.
• New/edited Trivia on all relaunch books.
• New relaunch edits and updates list for #4.
• Frankfurt Rights Guide and larger cover for #7.

Finally, Michael Grant (co-author/co-creator of Animorphs) recently posted on Facebook that Sony Pictures has acquired the movie licensing rights to his new and upcoming series, BZRK, for the Sam Raimi Company! This exclusive post was made by Deadline New York, and the article can be viewed here.

This is very surprising, and shows a great amount of confidence in the material, considering that the first book in the trilogy isn’t even going to be released until March 2012! A very big congrats to Michael Grant from us on this excellent news!

That’s all for now. Be sure to let me know of any edits or mistakes I may have missed, and I’ll get them fixed as soon as I can. Until next time!

Michael Grant (co-author/co-creator of Animorphs) has officially announced a new transmedia project titled BZRK. It is a multi-platform narrative that is experienced through books, websites, videos, comics, and more.

The digital part of the project has already been launched, and it will tie-in with the first BZRK book, which is set to be released February 2012. A full outline and FAQ for the project is posted at gobzrk.com. Here is the official description for the first book:

The most breathtaking and exhilarating ride you will take this year, this is the first in an incredible new action thriller series from Michael Grant, author of “Gone”.

These are no ordinary soldiers. This is no ordinary war. Welcome to the nano, where the only battle is for sanity. Losing is not an option when a world of madness is at stake. Time is running out for the good guys. But what happens when you don’t know who the good guys really are?

Noah and Sadie: newly initiated to an underground cell so covert that they don’t even know each other’s names. Here they will learn what it means to fight on a nano level. Soon they will become the deadliest warriors the world has ever seen.

Vincent: feels nothing, cares for no one; fighting his own personal battle with Bug Man, the greatest nano warrior alive.

The Armstrong Twins: wealthy, privileged, and fanatical.

Are they the saviours of mankind or authors of the darkest conspiracy the world has ever seen? The nano is uncharted territory. A terrifying world of discovery. And everything is to play for…

In addition to this, we also have an update on the new book currently being written by K.A. Applegate and Michael Grant. It is a dark comedy, and is the first book that the husband and wife duo will be writing together since the Remnants series. The current working title is EVE AND ADAM AND.

The plot and release date is unknown at the moment, but it will be told through both male and female perspectives, where Michael will be writing for the males, and Katherine for the females. We’ll keep you updated on the details as we hear more.

And lastly, there is some more new press for the Animorphs relaunch! A recent article from the School Library Journal shares some quotes from the new series editor and K.A. Applegate herself. Here’s a small highlight:

Zachary Clark, editor of the series, comments on the new design: “We decided early on that part of what made the original series such a success were the dynamic covers. They may look a little hokey to us now, but wow, in the ’90s those morphing kids were so cool. Lenticulars seemed like the best way to capture the spirit of the original books, and also offer something really eye-catching.”

Author K.A. Applegate agrees with this assessment and is “thrilled” with the result: “They [Scholastic] somehow managed to retain the essence of the original covers while bringing them completely up to date. They are so cool: when you walk into a bookstore, they just leap off the shelves. Booksellers have told me they are the easiest books in the world to hand-sell. Even the most reluctant reader wants to grab a book and makes that dude morph into a lizard.”

Launched over a decade ago, the series has had a lasting effect on readers. K.A. Applegate recounts meeting “long-time fans, now in their twenties” at a recent book festival, some of whom “talked about how they’d been struggling readers, and how Animorphs was the way they learned that reading could be fun. Others were born readers who found the story lines compelling. There were soldiers and biology majors and artists and techies and aspiring authors. It was great to see.”

Read the full article: Fresh Approaches: The Return of Animorphs

That’s all for now! Be sure to follow us on Twitter and Facebook for more Animorphs-related updates!

Michael Grant (co-author/co-creator of Animorphs) informed me today that Animorphs #7 and #8 have now been confirmed for a Summer 2012 relaunch release! Like the first six books, they are going to be re-released with lenticular covers and updated references as well. This is hopefully a good sign that the sales from the May relaunch of Animorphs #1 & #2 went well (although we currently do not have the exact figures to know for sure).

In other news: A larger cover for Animorphs #5 is now released via Amazon. Please remember, however, that this is still for the first Marco. Although Scholastic has confirmed that this Marco will be recast from the whitewashing controversy, they have still not yet updated the new model through the official site. Rest assured that we will definitely keep you updated once that happens.

There are now also official online advertisements for Animorphs too! These are flash banners that show off Jake’s morphing animation from the first book, and I have converted them to GIFs for us (See: Ad #1 & Ad #2). These are apparently being shown on various sites, however I have only seen them on Scholastic’s official site myself. Please do let me know if you see them anywhere else.

Lastly, I have also gone ahead and updated the Missions section to add #7 and #8 to the relaunch list, and I have updated the FAQ to reflect this change as well. That’s everything for now. We’ll be sure to keep you updated as we hear more! (Can’t wait to see the new Ax!)

The Official Scholastic Youtube Channel has just released another video featuring K.A. Applegate, author of the Animorphs series. It looks like this was filmed during her first-ever autograph session at the L.A. Times: Festival of Books. Here it is:

OR, you can directly launch the video on Youtube.

UPDATE: The launch of the video and L.A. Times event is further covered by Scholastic’s OOM (On Our Minds) Blog. Full article: oomscholasticblog.com.

Interesting thing to note: Kheetor84, who we previously mentioned in our community highlight post, got a mention in the article as well! In addition to this, there is also another K.A. Applegate interview posted by the Scholastic Kid Reporter. You can read it here.