SALT LAKE CITY — It's no secret that Utah is home to some of the nation's most popular and talented fantasy writers, including Brandon Sanderson, Shannon Hale and Allie Condie, to name a few.
But today Brandon Mull is the one topping charts. "Dragonwatch, Book 2: Wrath of the Dragon King," the latest installment in his "Dragonwatch" fantasy series hit No. 1 on The New York Times' best-seller list for children's middle-grade readers. This isn't Mull's first taste of success — according to the press release, "Wrath of the Dragon King" is his 16th title to become a New York Times' best-seller, including his widely popular "Fablehaven" series. "Wrath of the Dragon King" is the second book of a planned-five book series which serves as a follow-up to "Fablehaven." The third book is expected to be released in the fall of 2019.
“Brandon Mull is a road-warrior,” said Chris Schoebinger in a press release, publishing director for ShadowMountain Publishing.
"In Idaho Falls, hundreds of fans stood in line as Brandon signed for four straight hours," he said. "His fans are crazy for 'Dragonwatch' and we’re thrilled for his success.”
But it isn't just Utah fantasy writers who are getting noticed. Utahns Chad Morris and Shelly Brown recently won the prestigious 2018 Buckeye Children’s Book Award for their book "Mustaches for Maddie" based on the true story of the authors' 9-year-old daughter Maddie who was diagnosed with a brain tumor five years ago. This inspiring story about facing trials with humor and courage has been compared to R.J. Palacio's "Wonder," and was also a 2018 Rhode Island Children's Book Award nominee.
Shelly Brown is still in shock about the Buckeye Award win.
“I can’t believe it. My bucket list had ‘Get nominated for a state list, not win the award!' Can someone surpass their own bucket list?” she said in a statement.