Marvelous World Book One The Marvelous Effect
Written by Troy Cle

DEBUT AUTHOR, TROY CLE, PENS BOOK ONE OF THE PHENOMENAL SCI-FI FANTASY SERIES “MARVELOUS WORLD,” COMBINING HIP-HOP, GAMING, NASCAR AND ANIME

FIRST BOOK IN SAGA “THE MARVELOUS EFFECT” DUE OUT MAY 22 THROUGH SIMON & SCHUSTER

FIRST AFRICAN-AMERICAN YOUNG ACTION HERO INSPIRING YOUTH OF COLOR TO READ

“Without warning or reason, thirteen year old Louis Proof falls into a mysterious coma due to a ‘virus’ of a mysterious celestial origin. When he awakens three months later, the world he once knew and loved is totally different and out of control. He will discover that his ‘illness’ and everything wrong with the world are connected, and it is not only his responsibility, but his destiny to set all things right again.” “The Marvelous Effect”

“All of this started because when I was nine I wanted to be a Goonie,” Troy explained. “But none of the Goonies looked like me. I never wanted to be a director, but I vowed that I would be instrumental in creating a movie where all kids, but especially ones that looked and lived like me, could see themselves on the big screen in an action packed fantasy adventure. The book is the first step to realizing that dream.”

The neighborhood JunkYard JunkLot sets the stage for an action-packed intergalactic and multi-dimensional fantasy adventure that introduces our world to The Marvelous World of the Supposedly Soon to be Phenomenal Young Mr. Louis Proof. Louis is a smart and chill 13 year old African American kid from East Orange, NJ, abruptly wrenched from his seemingly normal life as a kid to face real and imagined demons on his journey to fulfill his destiny and save the world. Debut author Troy CLE (you’ll have to read the book to find out what CLE means) has written a compelling, artful, thoroughly original and just plain fun novel that finally gives young people of color and the young at heart of all ages an action hero to call their own.

Combining the best and hottest elements of fantasy, science fiction, hip-hop, video gaming, Nascar and Anime, “The Marvelous Effect” has been likened to a “Black Harry Potter,” for the outrageous adventures, over the top sci fi gadgets and memorable characters Troy has created, as well as the passion it elicits from the hundreds of high schools students in some of the toughest neighborhoods who’ve attended Troy’s readings. These kids, who usually shy away from reading, have been so inspired by Young Louis Proof, they actually fight over who will get the limited supply of books Troy brings.

Troy’s dream quickly took on a life of its own and began attracting the best and brightest from other fields to lend support. The cover art of “The Marvelous Effect” was done by the elite artist Daryl Mandryk, formerly of EA Sports (“Fight Night” and “Madden”) before becoming the lead artist for Disney’s video game company, Propaganda Games. The book’s back cover was created by Joe DiVelario, who was the visual effects designer for the Brad Pitt/Angelina Jolie blockbuster “Mr. And Mrs. Smith.” When Troy couldn’t find an agent or major publisher for his novel, he published it himself with the help of David Finn, co-founder of the worldwide corporate PR firm, Ruder & Finn, and then created a fictitious publicist to get the word out. He did such a good job, that Simon and Schuster and Random House both signed him, for the written and audio book rights of “The Marvelous Effect” respectively.

Like his lead character Louis Proof, Troy CLE grew up and still lives in the urban, gang-infested city of East Orange, NJ. While some of his closest childhood friends were convicted of murder, he studied acting and classical piano, became a hip-hop producer, went to Prep School and acquired multiple degrees from New York University, including Bachelor of Arts degrees in American literature and English, and a masters in digital design. He learned, firsthand, what was missing from the educational process by working as a student teacher in the NYC public school system and he embarked on a TV and film post- production career, working on projects for Nickelodeon and Sony. With each area of exploration, Troy was training for realizing his dream, determined to keep moving toward his goal.

Now, “Marvelous World, Book 1: The Marvelous Effect” is poised to infiltrate Planet Earth and give everyone who loves a good adventure something to smile about. Stay tuned.

Author
“My life used to be so marvelously lovely. Now calamity chases me and misery loves me. Fine! Crims want it raw they can get it raw…” “The Marvelous Effect”

It’s almost inconceivable. Just how did a young black kid from the gang-plagued streets of East Orange, New Jersey go on to write one of the most anticipated children’s books since the emergence of Harry Potter? What on earth would make such diverse media outlets as ABC News, The New York Times, and the Amsterdam News trumpet this unknown author as an ambitious talent who could indeed change the look and feel of popular literature? Just how did this gifted NYU graduate make the audacious leap from budding classically-trained pianist and hip-hop producer to the worst kept secret in the publishing industry, worthy enough to garner lucrative book deals with both Simon and Schuster and Random House? Well, for 28-year-old Troy CLE, the answers are just as wonderfully unlikely and imaginative as his buzz-heavy debut fantasy novel The Marvelous Effect, due out May 22.

“You can try to fabricate a background story to help your image, but my story just so happens to be true,” muses Troy of his unbelievable climb. “Coming from where I’m from, you’re not really expected to do anything like this. I couldn’t find any action hero kids who looked like me in popular literature. That’s what sparked me to write this book.”

The Marvelous Effect (Book 1 of the Marvelous World Saga) takes readers on a smart, unpredictable, adventurous and entertaining ride that goes beyond tales of good vs. evil. It all kicks off with main character 13-year-old Louis Proof, an around-the-way kid who has just awakened from a three-month coma to find the world he loves in total disarray. Anarchy is spreading across the land and it’s up to Lewis to set things right. Good thing that he has mysteriously come across some otherworldly powers that aid him in his quest. In keeping with the epic tone of the book, Troy describes the tale as “what you get when you take classical literary and philosophical themes and merge them with pop culture, video games and hip-hop. No one really expects that from ‘The Marvelous Effect’.”

The book has been likened to a “Black Harry Potter,” for the outrageous adventures, over the top sci-fi gadgets and memorable characters Troy has created, as well as the passion it elicits from the hundreds of high schools students in some of the toughest neighborhoods who’ve attended Troy’s readings. These kids, who usually shy away from reading, have been so inspired by Young Louis Proof, they actually fight over who will get the limited supply of books Troy brings.

If such a premise sounds ridiculously ambitious, it fits right in line with Troy’s rise to buzz-worthy author. Not even the violent reality of East Orange could stop the kid. With a mother and father who made education a priority, encouraging their son to dream big, by age nine Troy was already plotting to write his own movie. His inspiration was Steven Spielberg’s 1985 children’s adventure and cult classic The Goonies. “There were no black Goonies, but I still loved the movie,” Troy laughs. “In order for my dream movie to be a fantasy like that, someone would have to take the time to write it. I made sure that someone was me.”

By the time he was accepted into the prestigious New York University, the young man was on a mission to become a multi-faceted writer. Troy majored in both American Literature and English and he studied the complex works of Descartes, Locke, Kant and Hume, among others. But more important, he made it a point to earn his minor in education, a tool that would undoubtedly serve him well as a writer who wanted to connect with children. “I had to have those credentials to back my work up because you can’t just get in front of kids and freestyle,” Troy stresses. “I knew my work would be a part of the educational process.”

To be prepared for the expertise various facets his dream movie would require, Troy studied hip-hop production (a great movie needs a hot soundtrack) and went for his masters in digital design. All the while, Troy was writing, and by the summer of 2005, he completed “The Marvelous Effect.” The sheer passion he displayed for his novel drew support from the some of the best in their fields. Daryl Mandryk of EA Sports fame and currently the lead artist at Disney’s Propaganda Games came onboard for his novel’s art design, an unthinkable coup for an unknown writer. Next up was Joe DiValerio—visual effects artist for the 2005 film blockbuster Mr. And Mrs. Smith.

With such established names behind Troy, it only made sense when David Finn, owner of the global public relations firm Ruder Finn, jumped on board after hearing about the genre-pushing children’s fantasy novel. “David helped me print up the first copies of the book,” a humble Troy says. “His whole staff was like, ‘Listen, we believe in your project.’”

With Ruder Finn’s multi-million dollar facility behind him, Troy was able to get his self-published The Marvelous Effect out in time for 2005’s Harlem Book Fair. And that’s when the justified hype ignited. Nearly 250 copies of the book were sold, unheard of for a new author. For subsequent tri-state readings, Troy created his own publicist by the name of Alan Chase to get his book the attention it needed. He understood that no one would take an author who did his/her own publicity seriously. ABC News covered a reading. Simon and Schuster also came and, after hearing Troy’s impressive narrative and witnessing the energetic participation of the kids in the audience, the company promptly signed him to a lucrative book deal. An audio book pact with Random House soon followed. The kid from East Orange was making it on his own terms. Now, with the release of “The Marvelous Effect,” Troy CLE is poised to accomplish more of the seemingly impossible.

“I just got lucky in that being true to myself was something that was commercially viable to the mainstream,” Troy glows. “I’m showing people that if you have a dream and you don’t give up, you can really achieve it. That’s what I want the kids who read The Marvelous Effect to walk away with.”

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