Next Up: Books & Films forthcoming...

From Publishers Lunch Weekly:

FICTION/DEBUT:
Altaf Tyrewala's NO GOD IN SIGHT, about present-day Bombay told through a series of linked vignettes, to Karan Mahajan at MacAdam/Cage, for publication in fall 2005, in a nice deal, by Penguin India.

MYSTERY/CRIME:

Dick Francis's first novel in six years, UNDER ORDERS, to Ivan Held at Putnam, with Christine Pepe editing, for publication in September 2006, by Sterling Lord of Sterling Lord Literistic (US). UK rights to Tom Weldon at Penguin UK, by Andrew Hewson.

Joseph Wambaugh's HOLLYWOOD STATION, about a police sergeant named the Oracle and his band of cops on the beat, to Judy Clain at Little, Brown and Les Pockell at Warner, at auction, for publication in January 2007, by Nat Sobel at Sobel Weber Associates (NA).

THRILLER:

Stephen J. Cannell's next two books in his series featuring LAPD detective Shane Scully, to Sally Richardson at St. Martin's, by Robert Gottlieb at Trident Media Group (world).
Steve Martini's next two novels in the series featuring defense attorney Paul Madriani, to David Highfill at William Morrow, by Esther Newberg at ICM (NA). david.highfill@harpercollins.com

2006 Edgar Award nominee OFFICER DOWN author Theresa Schwegel's PERSON OF INTEREST, in which an undercover cop's wife invites disaster when she covers up a mistake made by her rebellious daughter, again to Kelley Ragland at St. Martin's Minotaur, in a very nice deal, in a two-book deal, for publication in fall 2007, by David Hale Smith at DHS Literary (NA).david@dhsliterary.com

GENERAL/OTHER:

Jami Attenberg's THE KEPT MAN, about a woman whose husband -- a painter -- is in a coma, a prominent painter, and her discovery of evidence in his art that suggests their marriage was not what she thought it was, to Megan Lynch at Riverhead, for publication in 2007, by Doug Stewart at Sterling Lord Literistic (NA).

Elizabeth Hand's GENERATION LOSS, the story of a photographer from the post-Factory/Andy Warhol days who runs into some very scary business when she attempts to revitalize her career by interviewing another well-known artist, by Kelly Link and Gavin Grant at Small Beer Press, for hardcover publication in spring 2007, and Tina Pohlman at Harvest, for paperback publication in spring 2008, by Martha Millard at Martha Millard Literary Agency.

CHILDREN'S/FANTASY:

French historical thriller writer Guillaume Prevost's first YA books, THE BOOK OF TIME, translated by William Rodarmor, a fantasy adventure trilogy billed as "one part Da Vinci Code, one part Dracula, and one part The Time-Traveler's Wife," about a 14-year-old boy whose quest to find his father takes him through time to ancient Egypt, Viking England, Dracula's castle, and beyond, beginning with THE STONE STATUE, published in France in February, to Arthur Levine at Scholastic and Elaine McQuade at Scholastic UK, in a pre-empt, for publication beginning in fall 2007, by Gallimard Jeunesse.cmeloto@scholastic.com aprice@scholastic.co.uk

UK:

Ivo Stourton's THE NIGHT CLIMBERS, about a group of Cambridge students who commit an art fraud: a cross between "Brideshead Revisited" and "The Secret History," to Jane Lawson at Doubleday UK, in a very nice deal, in a two-book deal, by Peter Buckman at The Ampersand Agency (World English).peter@theampersandagency.co.uk

FOREIGN:

German rights to Karyn Bosnak's TWENTY TIMES A LADY, to Droemer, by Regina Wegmann at the Michael Meller Agency, on behalf of RLR Associates.Rights have also been sold to Transworld, Luitingh-Sijthoff in Holland, and Edizione Piemme in Italy.junter@rlrassociates.net

Spanish rights to Wendy French's SMOTHERING, about a girl trying to re-invent herself when her mother unexpectedly lands on her doorstep, mysteriously travelling solo and with enough Weekender Wear to make anyone nervous, to Grupo Anaya, by Alexandre Civico of Agence Litteraire Lora Fountain, on behalf of Sally Harding at The Harding Agency.reception@thehardingagency.com

FILM:

Rights to Dean Koontz's forthcoming THE HUSBAND (from Bantam), about an ordinary working man whose love for his wife is put to a harrowing series of tests over a sixty-hour period, beginning when his peaceful workday is shattered by a phone call from a stranger, to Focus Features and Random House Films for their new filmmaking partnership, for immediate development, by Richard Heller of Frankfurt Kurnit Klein & Selz.

BIOGRAPHY:

Let Them Call Me Rebel author Sanford D. Horwitt's untitled biography of Senator Russ Feingold, the leading progressive candidate for the 2008 Democratic presidential nomination, with numerous interviews from a broad range of sources, including Senator Feingold who has imposed no conditions on this independent project, to Alice Mayhew of Simon & Schuster, in a pre-empt, by Mary Evans at Mary Evans (World).Merrylit@aol.com

HISTORY/POLITICS/CURRENT AFFAIRS:

Commander Richard Jadick's A DOCTOR'S WAR, his account of emergency medicine and battlefield triage in the Iraqi war, to Mark Chait at Caliber, by Rafe Sagalyn at The Sagalyn Agency.info@sagalyn.com Film rights: macendejas@lynnpleshetteagency.com

MEMOIR:

Phoebe Damrosch's SERVICE INCLUDED, a "Kitchen Confidential meets Sex And The City" memoir which offers a glimpse into the author's experience as the only female captain while at her first year at the renowned Per Se restaurant, to Carolyn Marino at William Morrow, by Paul Cirone at the Aaron Priest Agency (NA). pcirone@aaronpriest.com

Blogger Melissa Plaut's NEW YORK HACK, about the author's years driving a New York City yellow medallion cab -- a career change she made after having decided at the age of twenty-nine to become "the driver of my own life," to Bruce Tracy at Villard, in a pre-empt, by Erin Hosier at The Gernert Company (world).Film/television rights: Brooke Ehrlich for Rabineau Wachter & Sanford

NARRATIVE:

Magazine reporter and veteran of the "disaster beat" Amanda Ripley's DANGER: Surviving the Unthinkable, looking at epic calamities around the world to show exactly what happens to the human brain in extremis, using interviews with those who "made it out," analysis of after-action reports, and participatory journalism, to explain why some of us seem hard-wired for survival -- and others for failure, while sharing the lessons needed to make the right survival decisions, to Rick Horgan at Crown, in a pre-empt, for publication in 2008, by Esmond Harmsworth of Zachary Shuster Harmsworth Literary Agency (world).Rights: LKaplan@randomhouse.com

AMERICAN NOMAD author Richard Grant's GOD'S MIDDLE FINGER: Adventures in Mexico's Wild West, set in the largely unknown world of the Sierra Madre mountains, a land of anarchy, isolation, and tribal ritual where few outsiders venture and fewer live to tell the tale, to Wylie O'Sullivan at Free Press, for publication in March 2008, by Britt Carlson at Gelfman Schneider (US).

SCIENCE:

UC Berkeley researcher Dacher Keltner's BORN TO BE GOOD: The Biology of Peace and Wellbeing, which shows through studies of facial expression and body language how the "ethical emotions," such as awe and gratitude, tell an untold story of human evolution, how benevolence is our basic nature, to Maria Guarnaschelli at Norton, by Linda Loewenthal at the David Black Literary Agency (World). laeliseo@dblackagency.com

UK:

Marina Nemat's THE MARTYR'S PRISONER, a memoir set against the backdrop of revolutionary Iran, to Eleanor Birne at John Murray, in a pre-empt, by David Grossman, acting on behalf of Beverley Slopen.Eleanor.birne@johnmurrays.co.uk

FOREIGN:

Canadian rights to Reuters environmental reporter Alanna Mitchell's THE DEEPS, examining the deterioration of the oceans by putting together the scattered pieces of a scientific puzzle, to Susan Renouf at McClelland & Stewart, by Sally Harding at The Harding Agency. reception@thehardingagency.com

Canadian rights to Rory Stewart's THE PRINCE OF THE MARSHES, chronicling the author's time spent in the remote marsh regions of Southern Iraq where he spent eleven months negotiating hostage releases, holding elections, and splicing together an infrastructure for a population of millions teetering on the brink of civil war, to Helen Reeves at Penguin Canada, in a nice deal, by Clare Alexander at Gillon Aitken Associates.harmony.ho@ca.penguingroup.com

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