Parachute Publishing and HarperCollins Children’s Books join forces to present the first new series in six years from master of horror, R.L. Stine. THE NIGHTMARE ROOM, both a book series and online experience, will reach his fans in an innovative new way. The Website, www.thenightmareroom.com, designed by Headbone Interactive, the recognized expert in safe and smart online kids’ entertainment, will be the most extensive, interactive site about a children’s book series creating a community of readers who will be able to interact with each other and the author. Each week kids will be able to read a new weekly installment of, Dead of Night, written by R.L. Stine exclusively for the Website.

"THE NIGHTMARE ROOM takes my work to another level," said Stine. "The stories are more personal, more real. And the Website gives me a way to get closer to my readers than ever before."

THE NIGHTMARE ROOM is a modern Twilight Zone featuring regular kids who find themselves in a world one step beyond reality. The launch of the program begins with www.thenightmareroom.com going live on August 1, 2000. The first two books: THE NIGHTMARE ROOM #1: DON’T FORGET ME (Avon Paperbacks; $3.99; Ages 10 up) and THE NIGHTMARE ROOM #2: LOCKER 13 (Avon Paperbacks; $3.99; Ages 10 up) will follow in September 2000. Ten titles are schedule to be published bi-monthly thereafter.

Headbone Interactive, the leading developer of original kids’ content for the Internet, has designed a dynamic interactive site allowing virtual access to information on Stine and

his books 24-hours a day. Available only on the Web, the original story Dead of Night, by R.L. Stine, will be published in 13 weekly installments leading up to the grand finale to be published on Halloween. The site will also have exclusive monthly chat sessions

with Stine, information on each edition of THE NIGHTMARE ROOM not available anywhere else, and sample chapters. The site will give young readers a chance to go deeper into THE NIGHTMARE ROOM stories by providing unique story content for each title only available on-line. They will have an opportunity to exchange ideas on the series, play games, visit bulletin boards, e-mail newsletters, write and post their own stories through chat rooms.

R.L. Stine is an international celebrity due to the explosion of the Goosebumps books, television show and merchandise in the U.S. and overseas. The Guinness Book of World Records Millennium Edition 2000 has certified Goosebumps as the world’s bestselling series.

HarperCollins Children’s Books is one of the leading publishers of children’s books. Respected worldwide for its tradition of publishing quality books for children, HarperCollins is home to many of the classics of children’s literature including Where the Wild Things Are, A Light in the Attic, Scary Stories, and countless others. HarperCollins Children’s Books is a division of HarperCollins Publishers, one of the leading English-language publishers in the world.

Parachute Publishing is America’s #1 children’s and teen paperback book creator and packager. Parachute series include R.L. Stine’s Goosebumps; an extensive publishing program with Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen including Two of a Kind; The New Adventures of Mary-Kate & Ashley; Our Story: Mary-Kate and Ashley’s Official Biography; America’s most popular teen paperback book series Fear Street; four original series based on the Full House TV show; and an exciting program of fiction and non-fiction based on Seventeen Magazine.

Based in Seattle, Headbone Interactive develops original content for the Internet, television, and print. Headbone.com is the leading content-based, community-oriented kids’ site on the Internet. Currently reaching kids ages 8-14 both at home and at school, Headbone.com is consistently ranked in the top 5 positions on the Hot100 (www.100hot.com) list of most popular kids’ sites. Founded in 1994 to entertain and intrigue the most forward-looking media consumers, Headbone.com offers kids the experience of challenging play and intelligent fun.

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