Jamie Lee Curtis Releases Her First Interactive Storybook App With Award-Winning Publisher Auryn, Inc.

LOS ANGELES, July 12, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- Auryn, Inc., the most award-winning digital publisher of interactive children's stories for the iPad and other tablet devices, today announced the launch of its newest title based on Where Do Balloons Go? by New York Times bestselling author and celebrated actress Jamie Lee Curtis.  AURYN HD - WHERE DO BALLOONS GO? AN UPLIFTING MYSTERY marks Curtis' debut into digital publishing.

Fans of all ages can explore the story like never before as it follows a little boy's imaginative journey when he accidentally lets go of his balloon.  AURYN HD - WHERE DO BALLOONS GO? AN UPLIFTING MYSTERY brings Jamie Lee Curtis' gentle and humorous story and Laura Cornell's illustrations to life, enhancing the experience of the original book and adding delightful interactive experiences that encourage children's creativity to soar.

AURYN HD - WHERE DO BALLOONS GO? AN UPLIFTING MYSTERY for the iPad is now available on the App Store for $5.99 at http://bit.ly/whball.

"I am blown away, excuse the pun. I had no idea how exciting this new wave of publishing could be," said Jamie Lee Curtis.  "This is the most cutting-edge and creative venture I have ever been involved with and I'm so pleased that it captures the inherent poignancy of the story of losing a balloon and all the emotions that it brings. I am so very proud to present this to the world."

"We are big fans of Jamie Lee Curtis' books and are thrilled that she chose Auryn as her partner in bringing this bestselling children's title to an immersive, interactive format," said Umesh Shukla, founder of Auryn. "We're honored to have another bestselling author and celebrity select Auryn's award-winning creative team and patented technology to launch a ground-breaking -- or in this case, gravity-defying -- storytelling experience."

AURYN HD - WHERE DO BALLOONS GO? AN UPLIFTING MYSTERY offers a wide variety of delightful and engaging surprises, allowing readers to:

• Create an animated balloon movie in the Balloon Theater by building balloon characters (using their own photos), recording dialogue and enacting scenes
• Create their own balloon animals: Auryn's virtual physics engine gives users a realistic experience of this carnival favorite.  After blowing on the iPad to "inflate" virtual balloons, users can then swipe to twist and turn them into fun shapes
• Have a giggle-fit listening to a funny "helium version" of their voice
• Send hand-written e-postcards to friends and family as they join the missing balloon on vacation
• Make over 200 balloons sway to the music at the "Big Balloon Dance"
• Use a virtual fan to blow the balloons around, connect-the-dots to create new constellations in space and much more

AURYN HD - WHERE DO BALLOONS GO? AN UPLIFTING MYSTERY helps build reading skills by offering children the following reading options:

• Listen to the story, narrated by Jamie Lee Curtis herself, while the text is displayed "Karaoke-style"
• Touch a word on the page to highlight it and hear it spoken aloud

For video of Jamie Lee Curtis describing her inspiration for the story visit http://bit.ly/vidbal and to see her demonstrate the app visit http://bit.ly/vibal2 or visit Auryn's YouTube Channel at http://www.youtube.com/user/AurynInc.

About Jamie Lee Curtis
Jamie Lee Curtis is the bestselling author of numerous children's books. This fall, Ms. Curtis will publish her 10th book, My Brave Year of Firsts. She has also published My Mommy Hung the Moon, Big Words for Little People, Is There Really A Human Race?, It's Hard To Be Five, I'm Gonna Like Me, Where Do Balloons Go?, Today I Feel Silly and Other Moods That Make My Day, Tell Me Again About The Night I Was Born, and When I Was Little.

She is also a film actress with starring roles in such acclaimed films as You Again, Freaky Friday, True Lies, Trading Places and A Fish Called Wanda. In television, Ms. Curtis co-starred opposite Richard Lewis in the sitcom Anything But Love, as well as the title role in TNT's adaptation of Wendy Wasserstein's play, The Heidi Chronicles, and the CBS telefilm, Nicholas' Gift.

Ms. Curtis is also an AIDS activist and has a deep and active connection to many children's charities including, Children's Hospital of Pittsburgh and Children's Hospital of Los Angeles.  

About Auryn, Inc.
Founded by Academy award-winning visual effects experts from Hollywood's top movie studios, Auryn Inc. is the most award-winning digital publisher of storybook apps for the iPad, iPhone, Android and other tablet devices. Uniting leading technologists and creative artists, Auryn's patented technology enables the company to produce ground-breaking interactive content for the new emerging tablet medium. Recognized by the Producers Guild of America and Variety magazine as the Digital 25 top innovator in Emerging Media and winner of more app awards than any other digital publisher, Auryn is paving the way in digital publishing and fast-becoming the leader in children's storybook apps. For more on Auryn, visit www.auryn.com and follow on Facebook, Twitter and Pinterest at: www.facebook.com/appsbyauryn, www.twitter.com/AurynApps and http://pinterest.com/appsbyauryn/.

Media Contact:
Crystal Patriarche, SparkPoint Studio
Home of BookSparksPR
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480-650-1688

SOURCE Auryn, Inc.