Publisher Hyperion is announcing a massive concert tour… for an author! According to Publishers Weekly, Irish author Eoin Colfer’s “high-octane” Artemis Rocks! tour will be in support of Artemis Fowl 7: The Atlantis Complex, “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… 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.”
Colfer’s tour will start in New York City on 14 September (no locations have yet been announced), and then move west, with visits in Chicago and Naperville (Illinois), Portland, Seattle, Phoenix, and several other places, before concluding in San Francisco on 26 September. Updates and actual locations will be listed on the Artemis Fowl Web site.
PW notes that “Colfer is no stranger to taking center stage, which he also did on his last US book tour—Fairies, Fiends and Flatulence—a live one-man stage show in summer 2008.” The publisher’s associate publicity director, Jennifer Corcoran, said “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.”
As a teaser, PW has a three-and-a-half minute video available on this page.