Delray Beach, FL, November 9, 2009 – With a name like Dead Fred, how could young readers not be intrigued? To pique the interest of a child’s curiosity enough to keep them reading is truly a gift – and Frank McKinney shows he has that gift in the magical tale of Dead Fred, Flying Lunchboxes, and the Good Luck Circle (Health Communications, Inc.)! Inspired by stories shared with his daughter, passing through eerie countryside, over a rickety drawbridge, on literally thousands of daily one-mile walks to school, planted the seed in this prolific author’s imagination for the adventure of a lifetime. The sto ries told on these daily walks not only became a cherished family tradition for best-selling author Frank McKinney but fueled the fire to bring out the best in his not-forgotten childlike imagination. Obviously it worked! His first venture into young reader fiction has already achieved the number five slot on Amazon.com’s top selling young reader books for teen adventure/thriller and number two on animals.
Ppeekk (pronounced ‘Peekie’) Rose Berry is the thirteen year-old heroine in McKinney’s ride-of-your-life adventure. Forced to walk to her first day of school after moving from rural Indiana to sunny Florida, she has a chance encounter with a mysterious little man who leads her to find King Frederick the 9th, a flattened, 3-inch, dead shiner fish who comes to life in her hands. Aptly naming him “Dead Fred,” she is soon introduced to his brilliant underwater kingdom of High Voltage – a place where m anatees talk and practical-joking clownfish encourage children to launch their lunchboxes off the bridge!
Ppeekk learns that Dead Fred has been dethroned by Megalodon, a fiendish 50-foot prehistoric shark that uses his entourage of vicious crabs and blood-red remora fish to threaten and extract the imagination and joy of children everywhere – and bring the kingdom of High Voltage to an abrupt end. As she and Dead Fred learn to love and trust one another, he enlists her help in trying to save his kingdom from the evil beast. Ppeekk and her friends combine their resources to lure Megalodon and his rogue army into the fight of their lives in a heart-pounding adventure that takes place in the middle of a fierce and deadly Category 5 hurricane.
Frank McKinney has been profiled on Oprah, 20/20, CBS Evening News, USA Today and the Travel Channel. He is a five-time int ernational best-selling author, philanthropist and visionary. Dead Fred, Flying Lunchboxes, and the Good Luck Circle is an epic odyssey that is charged with fairy-tale wonder, enthralling magic and page-turning suspense. See more on Dead Fred at: http://www.dead-fred.com and check out http://frank-mckinney.com/franks_greatest_hits.html to view some of Frank’s recent colorful TV appearances.
