Anyone who thinks videogames are a bad influence on kids surely hasn't met Emma Maree Urquhart of Inverness, Scotland. The 13-year-old .hack addict wrote Dragon Tamers: Reality Goes Virtual, a best-selling fantasy novel about a group of teens trapped in - you guessed it - a virtual reality game. The enterprising lass penned the 128-page book after school and on weekends, then searched the phone directory and the Internet for publishers. She signed with a tiny local house called Aultbea, which in December printed 1,000 copies (now collectors' items that fetch about $100 apiece on eBay). A second run of 50,000 sold out in the UK, and plans are under way to release the book in the States. Meanwhile, the BBC wants to turn Dragon Tamers into a TV series, and Warner Bros. and Miramax are considering big-screen options. With all the calls coming in, it's a good thing Urquhart has hired an agent - her dad. After all, she's still got homework to do.
- Eric Steuer
Emma Maree Urquhart
credit Thirza Schaap
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