A choice selection of books...

From Publishers Lunch Weekly:

FICTION/DEBUT:

Sleeper Cell and The Bionic Woman screenwriter and debut novelist Kamran Pasha's SHADOW OF THE SWORDS, a love story set amidst the showdown between Saladin and Richard the Lionheart during the Crusades, and MOTHER OF THE BELIEVERS, the birth of Islam from the eyes of Muhammad's wife Aisha, a politician and warrior, to Suzanne O'Neill at Atria, by Rebecca Oliver at Endeavor (World English). Foreign: ROliver@endeavorla.com

SCI-FI/FANTASY:

Actress Amber Benson's DEATH'S DAUGHTER, the story of a young woman trying to make it as a young urban professional in NYC who slowly comes to realize that her father is actually the Grim Reaper and that she must rescue him after he's kidnapped by unknown forces in order to save her entire family (not to mention the world), to Ginjer Buchanan at Penguin, in a very nice deal, in a three-book deal, by Brendan Deneen at Objective Entertainment.
Brendan@ObjectiveEnt.com

GENERAL/OTHER:

James Frey's BRIGHT SHINY MORNING, to Jonathan Burnham at Harper, with Tim Duggan editing, for publication in summer 2008, by Eric Simonoff at Janklow & Nesbit (NA).

Author most recently of The Judas Field, Howard Bahr's first non-Civil War novel PELICAN ROAD, about an isolated stretch of railroad between Meridian (MS) and New Orleans and the men who risk their lives to keep the trains running, to Dave Adams at MacAdam/Cage, for publication in spring 2008, by Wendy Sherman at Wendy Sherman Associates.

HISTORY/POLITICS/CURRENT AFFAIRS:

DRESDEN and THE BERLIN WALL author Frederick Taylor's EXORCIZING HITLER, a new understanding of the cataclysmic end of WWII in Germany and its aftermath, marked by suffering, chaos, and Cold War politics, but ultimately the rebuilding of Germany as a democratic nation, to Bill Swainson at Bloomsbury, Peter Ginna at Bloomsbury and Ludger Ikas at Berlin Verlag, by Jane Turnbull in London and Dan Conaway at Writers House.

Richard Schickel and George Perry's YOU MUST REMEMBER THIS: THE WARNER BROTHERS STORY, a fully authorized history of the studio to be published in Fall 2008, in connection with its 85th anniversary and a TV documentary series, to Cindy De La Hoz at Running Press, for publication in fall 2008, by Peter Garlid at LibriSource, on behalf of Palazzo Editions UK (World English). peter@librisource.com

Former Rwandan Parliament Speaker Joseph Sebarenzi with Laura Mullane's GOD SLEEPS IN RWANDA: A Story of Survival and Reconciliation, the author's personal and political story of growing up Tutsi and surviving the massacre of his entire family in the 1994 Rwanda genocide, to Malaika Adero at Atria, in a very nice deal, for publication in Spring 2009, by Faith Hamlin at Sanford J. Greenburger Associates (NA).
Foreign: ttobias@sjga.com

Former US Senator from Rhode Island Lincoln Chafee's STANDING DOWN, a rare first-hand account of the feverish lead-up to and eventual fall-out from an ill-conceived war, seen from the halls of power of the United States Senate, to Thomas Dunne at Thomas Dunne Books, by John Silbersack at Trident Media Group (NA).

MEMOIR:
Oscar-winning actress Helen Mirren's IN THE FRAME: My Life In Words and Pictures, an illustrated memoir covering her childhood, her early life as an actress, and her recent successes in theater, film, and television, to Peter Borland at Atria, for publication in February 2008, by Susan Howe at Orion (US).

POP CULTURE:

Peter Terzian, ed.'s JUST FOR THE RECORD: WRITERS ON THE ALBUMS THAT CHANGED THEIR LIVES, featuring such writers as Pankaj Mishra, Geoff Dyer, Daniel Handler, Ben Kunkel, Colm Toibin, and Stacey D'Erasmo, to Rakesh Satyal at Harper Perennial, in a pre-empt, by Anna Stein at the Irene Skolnick Agency (NA).

Wrap...