“We named the island Auchinmurn Island,” the Barrowmans’ imagined version of Cumbrae Island. Nowhere, however, is safe, and the twins-and readers-are in for excitement and danger. When villains seek to use the twins’ powers to access Hollow Earth, “where all the demons, devils and creatures ever imagined lie trapped for eternity,” the Calders flee their London home to an island off the Scottish coast. The plot revolves around 12-year-old twins Matt and Emily Calder, who, working together, have special powers, such as the amazing ability to bring art to life. Writing Hollow Earth gave us an excuse, if nothing else, to be kids again - well, more kids than usual,” Carole acknowledges. ”Oh, we both revert to childhood on most of our projects together, but this one even more so because we were continually asking ourselves what kids would like in a book, especially one with monsters and lots of adventure.

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. Carole Barrowman admitted on Facebook that she squealed when she saw the cover of her first young adult novel, Hollow Earth.

Hollow Earth by John Barrowman