The Crowded Kingdom now has a beautiful new press release, courtesy of my colleagues at Authoright.  We hope to capture the imagination of others within print and e-media regarding a tiny kingdom, two little girls, and the balance between the human and fairy world.

The Crowded Kingdom

by Louella Dizon San Juan

PRESS RELEASE

When Jada and Jinny are magically transformed to the size of elves, they must embark on a thrilling journey through the tunnels and hiding places of New York to find a way to change back.

The last thing Jada and Jinny remember before blacking out was playing in Central Park. But when they wake up, they are shocked to find they’ve been shrunk to the size of dandelions. At first the girls are frightened, but their fear quickly turns to intrigue as they see the city from a different perspective and set out to discover who or what has transformed them.

Running to avoid giant trampling feet, the siblings fall into a storm drain, and to their surprise are greeted by a curious sewer-dwelling elf. Luckily for Jada and Jinny, he’s only too pleased to help them on their quest to return to normal, and their magnificent journey begins. The precocious duo quickly discover more about the magical world beneath the hustle and bustle of The Big Apple’s busy streets, encountering creepy gargoyles and beagle-riding brownies as they weave through areas of the city invisible to the human eye.

Together with their companions – including a rebellious purple fairy with a penchant for power tools — as their guides, Jada and Jinny soar through the air and scurry silently through dark tunnels en route to their destination. But on arriving, they discover the magical world has declared war on mankind, and that they may be the key to restoring the balance between good and evil. Will the curious girls ever find a way back to their families, or will they be forever trapped in this wondrous world?

From the halls of New York’s iconic department store (home of the elves of the Blooming Dale), to the vast wonders of Grand Central Station, we’re whisked along with the sisters, determined in their miraculous mission to save the magical Crowded Kingdom and return home. What started out as as a bedtime story for San Juan’s own young children, The Crowded Kingdom quickly took on a life of its own, and once each new chapter was complete she would read it to them for approval. Weaving whimsical elements of fantasy into everyday scenes, San Juan creates a world that blurs magic and reality to fantastic effect, as we’re informed that the banging sounds in air vents are merely tiny elves navigating the city and that power outages in the subway are the fault of nefarious nibbling gremlins. With a beautifully imagined story that will engage parents and kids alike, The Crowded Kingdom is the first book in a wonderful series for inquisitive young minds and could even change the way adults view their own surroundings.

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About the author: Louella Dizon San Juan is a writer and playwright with staged and published dramatic work under the name Louella Dizon which includes: The Color Yellow: Memoirs of an Asian American at La MaMa, The Sweet Sound of Inner Light at The Public, and Till Voices Wake Us at the SoHo Repertory Theater. Her work is also featured in Contemporary Plays by Women of Color, edited by Kathy Perkins and Roberta Uno, and is archived in the Roberta Uno Asian American Women Playwrights Script Collection. San Juan is a working mother and businesswoman, attaining a Bachelor’s Degree in English from Princeton University. Louella Dizon San Juan then decided on a change in career, enrolling at New York University for a Master’s Degree in Computer Science. She now works for Morgan Stanley, and is an advocate of empowering the involvement of girls in math and science. The Crowded Kingdom is San Juan’s first children’s book.  She currently lives in Brooklyn with her husband and two children. The Crowded Kingdom (Published by Vook, RRP eBook $5.99, full-color trade paperback $15.99 available in the fall) is available for order at Amazon.com, Apple’s iBook store, and all good bookstores.

For more information please visit http://thecrowdedkingdom.com or click here to buy it now!

For a review copy or interview request, please contact Chris Sansom at Authoright / chris@authoright.com