Irish author Eoin Colfer is headed stateside next month for a high-octane Artemis Rocks! tour in support of Artemis Fowl 7: The Atlantis Complex (Hyperion, Aug.), the penultimate book in his bestselling fantasy series about the titular boy criminal genius. At each stop, Colfer will take the stage for a talk show-style appearance, during which he’ll perform a monologue and interview none other than Artemis Fowl himself (in the form of a young actor). The shows will also feature original songs and music videos about Artemis (starring the same young actor) and his latest adventure, recorded by San Francisco singer/musician Josh Fix. Audience participation and a book signing will be part of the appearances as well. For those who can’t attend in person, Colfer plans to video blog from each event, and Hyperion has organized a mobile texting campaign, which spotlights the Artemis Fowl songs from the tour.
The tour kicks off on September 14 in New York City at a site to be announced soon, then will head west from there, stopping in Chicago and Naperville, Ill, Portland, Seattle, Phoenix and several other cities before wrapping up in San Francisco on September 26. Fans can listen to two of the new songs and find more tour information as it’s finalized at the Artemis Fowl Web site.
According to Jennifer Corcoran, associate publicity director for Disney Publishing Worldwide, two sneak preview performances of Artemis Rocks! earlier this month at Southern California bookstores Vroman’s and Whale of a Tale were a hit, drawing more than 200 fans each. As a bonus, Josh Fix played live for these events, and he will perform again at the two San Francisco area dates.
Colfer is no stranger to taking center stage, which he also did on his last U.S. book tour -- Fairies, Fiends and Flatulence --a live one-man stage show in summer 2008. Corcoran notes, “After [that tour’s] overwhelming success, we wanted to create another unique fan experience for The Atlantis Complex tour. Eoin is not just a first-rate writer, but also an amazing showman, so the idea of a variety show immediately came to mind.”
Here’s your chance to check out the music video for “Complex: Atlantis.” We challenge you not to bop your head along to this tune.
