Published: July 29, 2010

Chilling YA Novel Delves into the Darkness of One Boy's Mind

MINNEAPOLIS - (BUSINESS WIRE) - People say that art mimics life. But what if the boundary isn't so clear? When one boy's eerie, dreamlike artwork sets off a chain of death and destruction, a small Wisconsin town begins to unearth long-hidden secrets. And for Christian Gage, the deeply troubled and talented artist, neither life nor art will ever be the same. Written by Ilsa J. Bick and published by Carolrhoda Lab , a new line of distinctive fiction for young adults from Carolrhoda Books, Draw the Dark recounts one boy's harrowing journey through the world of art and life, dream and reality...and the places that lie between.

Seventeen-year-old Christian's troubled past follows him like a shadow: the disappearance of his parents as a child, the suicide of his first-grade teacher, the death of his Aunt Jean. It's no wonder that nobody in the town of Winter, Wisconsin, seems to want Christian around. Nobody, that is, but the ghosts that summon him out of bed one night to spray-paint swastikas on the side of rich Old Man Eisenmann's barn. Nobody but the mute Alzheimer's patient at the nursing home who holds a secret identity only Christian can uncover. Nobody but the little Jewish boy from the 1940s whose body Christian inhabits in his dreams.

As Christian pieces together the mysterious past of Winter, he struggles to find his place in the chaos. Why does Christian's art seem to hurt people? How is it related to the nightmares he can't get rid of? And how can he protect those he cares about from his frightening power? As Christian races to find the answers in a tangled web of murder and conspiracy, he learns the true meaning of courage.

Through a fast-paced plot that expertly draws together themes of teenage drama, science fiction, and history, Draw the Dark brings readers along for a boy's thrilling ride into the depths of darkness, and reveals the power it takes to find the light within.

Visit www.carolrhodalab.com for a discussion guide and free downloads.
Available for review at NetGalley! Sign up for your free account and download your copy of Draw the Dark at www.netgalley.com.

About the Author
Ilsa J. Bick is an award-winning science fiction author primarily known for her Star Trek novels and short stories. In addition, she has written several stories, novellas, and novels for the BattleTech and MechWarrior: Dark Age franchises. Before she became a successful author, Bick was a child/adolescent and forensic psychiatrist. She holds a degree in literature and film studies, and has presented and written widely on applied psychoanalysis and film.

About the Publisher
Carolrhoda Lab is dedicated to distinctive, provocative, boundary-pushing fiction for teens and their sympathizers. Carolrhoda Lab probes and examines the young-adult condition one novel at a time, affording YA authors and readers an opportunity to explore and experiment with thoughts, ideas, and paradigms in the human condition. All of us at Carolrhoda Lab are proud to proclaim our lifelong adolescence and our commitment to publishing exceptional fiction about the teenage experience.

Carolrhoda Books is a division of Lerner Publishing Group. For further information, visit our website at www.lernerbooks.com.

PUBLICATION DATE:
October 2010

$16.95 Hardcover, Jacketed
$16.95 eBook
Ages 12â€“18
HC: 978-0-7613-5686-8
EB: 978-0-7613-6221-0
344 Pages
5 Â¼" x 7 Â½"

To Purchase: Visit your local bookstore , order by phone at 800-328-4929, or visit us online at www.lernerbooks.com.

Follow us online:
Blog: http://carolrhoda.blogspot.com/
Twitter: twitter.com/LernerBooks
Facebook: Lerner Publishing Group