Had to grin at some of these new books coming...

From Publishers Lunch Weekly:

FICTION/DEBUT:

Iranian-American Anita Amirrezvani's debut THE BLOOD OF FLOWERS, eight years in the making, an historical novel set in 17th century Iran, to Judy Clain at Little, Brown, at auction, by Emma Sweeney at the Emma Sweeney Agency.
Rights to Mondadori in Italy, and Livorno in Greece, in pre-empts. Auctions are still underway in Holland and Germany, with offers and/or auction plans in numerous other territories.

THRILLER:

The Queen of the South and Captain Alatriste author Arturo Prez-Reverte's story of a war photographer who is being pursued with murderous intent by the subject of one of his most famous images, to Jennifer Hershey of Random House, by Howard Morhaim of the Howard Morhaim Literary Agency (NA).

THE LAST TEMPLAR author Raymond Khoury's next novel, another high-concept thriller, again to Dutton, by Jay Mandel at William Morris Agency, and his next two novels to Orion in the UK.

GENERAL/OTHER:

Mohsin Hamid's second novel THE RELUCTANT FUNDAMENTALIST, about a young, Princeton-educated Pakistani working in NY and in love with society woman who must decide where his true loyalties lie in a post 9/11 world, to Becky Saletan at Harcourt (she published his first novel at FSG), for publication in spring 2007, by Jay Mandel at the William Morris Agency (NA).
UK rights to Simon Prosser at Hamish Hamilton, in a pre-empt, by Eugenie Furniss at William Morris UK. Dutch rights to De Bezige Bij.

UK:

Chetan Bhagat's ONE NIGHT AT THE CALL CENTRE, Richard Curtis meets 'The Office', exposing the culture of call centers in India, about six troubled friends who one night get a call from God, to Jane Lawson for Doubleday/Black Swan, in a nice deal, by Mary Clemmey, on behalf of Rupa & Company.j.lawson@transworld-publishers.co.uk

BIOGRAPHY:

Simon Nasht's THE LAST EXPLORER: Hubert Wilkins: Hero of the Great Age of Exploration (NO MORE BEYOND in the UK), from his childhood in outback Australia and his achievements as war photographer in WWI, spy, scientist, adventurer on air and sea, world-wide celebrity, and eventually mystic, to Cal Barksdale at Arcade and Hugh Andrew at Birlinn, for publication in October 2006, by Isobel Dixon of Blake Friedmann.

Brian Jones's WASHINGTON IRVING, a new biography of the first American writer to make his pen his primary means of support, author of The Legend of Sleepy Hollow and Rip van Winkle, quintessential New Yorker, presidential confidant, diplomat, lawyer, and more, to Casey Ebro at Arcade, for publication in spring 2007, by Jonathan Lyons at McIntosh & Otis (NA).

HISTORY/POLITICS/CURRENT AFFAIRS:

Tom Murphy's RECLAIMING THE SKY: Aviation's Untold Story of Heroism and Hope from the Ground Up, exploring the untold side of events of 9/11 by the lead ground aviation employees at Newark, Logan, and Dulles airports expecting a routine day, to Jacquie Flynn at Amacom, for publication on 9/11/2006, in a nice deal, by Sharlene Martin at Martin Literary Management (world). Sharlene@MartinLiteraryManagement.com

LAT investigative reporter Stephen Braun and BLOOD FROM STONES author Douglas Farah's MERCHANTS OF DEATH, about America's dangerous love-hate relationship with gray-market military contractors, especially Viktor Bout, to Eric Nelson at Wiley, in a very nice deal, by Gail Ross at Gail Ross Literary Agency (world).monorato@wiley.com

NARRATIVE:

Queen's University in Toronto instructor Ana Siljak's THE GIRL ASSASSIN: Vera Zasulich and Russia's Trial of the Century, about an aristocrat who attempted to assassinate the governor of St. Petersburg in 1878, and her trial, to Diane Reverand at St. Martin's, in a pre-empt, by Henry Dunow at Dunow, Carlson & Lerner.diane.reverand@stmartins.com

UK:

Tim Hilton's biography of Vincent Van Gogh, to Arabella Pike at Harper, for publication in 2009, by Sarah Lutyens at Lutyens & Rubinstein. Italian rights to Mondadori.

Jasvinder Sanghera's memoir of leaving home at age 14 to avoid a forced marriage (she went on to create a refuge for Asian women trying to escape forced marriages and related dire consequences), to Rupert Lancaster at Hodder & Stoughton, in a pre-empt, by Mark Lucas at Lucas Alexander Whitley (UK/Commonwealth).

FOREIGN:

Anna Porter's THE STORYTELLER: Memory, Secrets, Magic and Lies, originally published in 2000, will be published in fall 2006 to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the Hungarian Revolution, and KASZTNER'S TRAIN, set during the last years of WWII in Budapest, and focuses on the heroic efforts of a Hungarian Jew to save the Jews of the city, for publication in fall 2007, to Douglas & McIntyre, the latter in partnership with Walker, by John Pearce at Westwood Creative Artists (NA).

Wrap...