Happily Ever After Is Over

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

For interviews and excerpts contact:

Lorna Garano

510-759-6655

lornagarano@gmail.com

An evil queen has put a spell on Snow White, Sleeping Beauty, Rapunzel, and Cinderella, turning them into the undead. And if that’s not bad enough, their only hope for de-zombification is an anxiety-ridden fourteen-year-old girl who fell (literally) into their bizarre underworld home when she became the target of a mean-girl prank.

ONCE UPON A ZOMBIE will forever change how you see your favorite fairytale heroines.

Fourteen-year-old Caitlin Rose Fletcher’s got it rough. She’s in a new school and a new country. Her mother has gone missing and her know-it-all little sister (“Girl Wonder”) is always at her heels. On top of all of that, she’s plagued by panic attacks that leave her gulping for breath and feeling like she’s drowning in fear. But maybe things are looking up. Jack, the most popular boy in school, has asked her to the Halloween dance. What poor Caitlin doesn’t know is that a mean-girl clique has set it sights on her and tricked her into what she thinks is a pre-dance meeting with him at Mount Cemetery—where Lewis Carroll is buried. What no one knows is that Carroll’s grave—like the graves of The Brothers Grimm and other famous spinners of fairytales—is a portal to the a fairytale universe that includes Wonderland, Neverland, the Enchanted Forest, and the Emerald City. So begins ONCE UPON A ZOMBIE: Book One, The Color of Fear by Billy Phillips and Jenny Nissenson (The Toon Studio, October 2015, hardcover).

Soon Caitlin has gone down the rabbit … er… grave hole and into an underworld that is home to some of the most beloved fairytale heroines, except that they are now blood-eyed zombies who are doing their best to stave off their cravings for human flesh and return to life. Caitlin realizes that, frightened or not, she must lead the charge against the evil queen and restore life in the fairytale world. But will panic hold her back and what happens when her fear—the very thing she needs to vanquish—becomes a shield that can protect her from being zombified? ONCE UPON A ZOMBIE is a fairy tale for the age of anxiety. It offers young adult readers a fast-paced, riveting story and a new way to think about their own fears.

Billy Phillips is available for interview. Here is just some of what he can discuss:

• Why he felt the time was right to zombify some of our most beloved fairytale characters;
• How his own struggles with anxiety and OCD inspired him to write this novel;
• Why he made the Once Upon a Zombie a multi-media experience, with the main character having a blog, videos of zombie sightings, and dolls (contact me for an advanced product sample).
• What Once Upon a Zombie can tell us about conquering fear;
• Why he chose to make the main character of the story a flawed, but ultimately heroic, teenage girl and how he hopes she can serve as a role model;
• Why he wants kids to know that they can overcome their fears, even when the seem overwhelming;
• How he had to battle the US Patent and Trademark Office for access the iconic fairytale heroines—and why it was worth it.

ONCE UPON A ZOMBIE: BOOK ONE, THE COLOR OF FEAR | Billy Phillips | October 2015 | 349 pages | ISBN: 978-1935668343| The Toon Studio Press | Hardcover | $17.95 | OnceUponAZombie.com UnexplainableNews.comCaitlinFletcher.com | Facebook | Twitter | Instagram | YouTube

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ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Billy Phillips is the President and CEO of Toon Studio Licensing, an intellectual property licensing business. He is a writer, creative director and producer, and has ghost written over 15 non-fiction books. He has lectured on the subject of spirituality and science around the world, including at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center and Goddard Space Flight Center. He has conducted interviews on the subject with a number of notable individuals, including Nobel Prize winner and physicist Arno Penzias, physicist Michio Kaku, former U.S. President Bill Clinton and more. He is a father of four and resides in California with his wife.

PRAISE

“… this story will surely delight readers of all ages … A fast, fun read that’s undeniably cool, just like its princesses.” —Kirkus Reviews

 “…an intriguing and original story … fun … engaging … witty… The imagination at work is wonderful … Young readers looking for reinvented, well-known characters and a light-hearted romp of a read will no doubt enjoy Once Upon a Zombie.” —The Children’s Book Review

“This wise and witty take on a famous classic will delight both zombie fans and lovers of Lewis Carroll’s imagination and humor … a gripping and involving story.” —Jenny Woolf, author of The Mystery of Lewis Carroll

“An imaginative and exciting blend of modern teen life and beloved fairy tales gone awry.” —Diana Winston, Director of Mindfulness Education UCLA’s Mindful Awareness Research Center

“Intriguing, exciting and fun.” —Bookbite Reviews

“Compassionate … Humorous … Written with gusto and sensitivity.” —Jack Zipes, Professor of Comparative Literature, former editor-in-chief of The Oxford Companion to Fairy Tales, Guggenheim & Fulbright Fellow.