Carole thinks “it took longer to write than anything I’ve done to date because the process was a bit more stretched out from our initial pitch (in spring 2010) to publication date.”Īnyone who has watched Carole and John tease each other in public, or has read about the Barrowmans’ upbringing, as told in their previous autobiographical collaborations Anything Goes and I Am What I Am, might wonder how they get anything done, even when working on the same continent. When Carole returned home, she wrote a draft, and John provided more input-a process repeated in following months. Again, this collaborative approach might seem typical for a first novel, but it became complicated because Carole lives in Wisconsin John, the UK. The story behind Hollow Earth begins in summer 2010, when the authors spent two months developing the plot and researching the book’s island and London settings. With the authors’ February schedule filled with book signings around the UK and television and radio interviews, Hollow Earth gives the Barrowmans plenty of reasons to celebrate-and their fans to squeal in delight. Two days before its UK release, the novel was in the top 40 and rapidly climbing Amazon UK’s list of best-selling children’s science fiction/fantasy books.

It may be the Next Big Thing in young adult (YA) literature. However, Hollow Earth isn’t just any book. If anyone should be used to the spotlight or even blasé about success, it’s these siblings. Plus, her co-author (and brother) is entertainer John Barrowman. Her previous non-fiction books have made best seller lists. Many first-time novelists might have a similar reaction, but Carole is not your typical author. With so much at stake, nowhere is safe-and survival might be a fantasy.Carole Barrowman admitted on Facebook that she squealed when she saw the cover of her first young adult novel, Hollow Earth. But the villains will stop at nothing to find Hollow Earth and harness the powers within. The twins flee from London to a remote island off the west coast of Scotland in hopes of escaping their pursuers and gaining the protection of their grandfather, who has powers of his own. All the demons, devils, and evil creatures ever imagined are trapped for eternity in the world of Hollow Earth-trapped unless special powers release them. Their extraordinary abilities are highly sought after, particularly by a secret group who want to access the terrors called Hollow Earth. Together, they are able to bring art to life and enter paintings at will.

Lots of twins have a special connection, but twelve-year-old Matt and Emily Calder can do way more than finish each other’s sentences. Imagination matters most in a world where art can keep monsters trapped-or set them free.

Hollow Earth by John Barrowman