British Vicar's Bestseller, SHADOWMANCER, acquired by Penguin Young Readers Group.

Business Editors

NEW YORK--(BUSINESS WIRE)--July 24, 2003

SHADOWMANCER and a further two books to be written by G. P. Taylor, the Vicar of Cloughton, have been acquired in auction by Nancy Paulsen, President and publisher of G.P. Putnam's Sons Children's Books.

SHADOWMANCER was published in the U.K. this summer and has taken Britain by storm, garnering major media attention and ranking at the top of national bestseller lists.

Set in the eighteenth century in an English coastal town, SHADOWMANCER is the story of an evil Vicar who will stop at nothing to control the ultimate power in the Universe and the three young people who come face to face with the powers of darkness as they stand in his way. The story is an intriguing mix of fantasy and adventure, supernatural and earthly, which makes for an ultimately exciting read.

Nancy Paulsen writes: "Ever since college I have hoped to read another book as foreboding and compelling as Bram Stoker's Dracula. I think G. P. Taylor has created one with SHADOWMANCER."

G. P. Taylor's personal experience as a Vicar is reflected throughout SHADOWMANCER as he writes of the power of good and evil, forgiveness and redemption, and pokes fun at the pretentious.

Graham Taylor is the Vicar of Cloughton (in Yorkshire). His career has spanned many areas including music, social work, and ten years as a policeman. He now divides his time between writing and his clergy.

The deal was conducted by the Nancy Gallt Literary Agency. SHADOWMANCER will be published in hardcover in the U.S. by G.P. Putnam's Sons Children's Books for Summer 2004.

For more information, please contact Katrina Weidknecht, Director of Publicity

212.414.3561/ [e-mail]

Penguin Group (USA) Inc. is the U.S. member of the internationally renowned Penguin Group. Penguin Group (USA) is one of the leading U.S. adult and children's trade book publishers, owning a wide range of imprints and trademarks, including Berkley Books, Dutton, Frederick Warne, G.P. Putnam's Sons, Grosset & Dunlap, New American Library, Penguin, Philomel, Riverhead Books and Viking, among others. The Penguin Group is part of Pearson plc, the international media company.