A strange mix of books....

From Publishers Lunch Weekly:

FICTION/DEBUT:

First time novelist Patrick DeWitt's ABLUTIONS, a dark, literary novel about a nameless bar back's descent into Hollywood's underbelly, to Tina Pohlman at Harcourt, in a very nice deal, in a pre-empt, by Peter McGuigan at Foundry Literary + Media (NA).
pmcguigan@foundrymedia.com
Rights: Stephanie Abou sabou@foundrymedia.com

MYSTERY/CRIME:

Stephanie Bond's fifth and sixth books in her BODY MOVERS series, featuring an Atlanta retail maven who works for Neiman Marcus by day and helps her brother move bodies from crime scenes by night, to Margaret Marbury at Mira, to allow for back to back publication of books 4, 5, and 6 in 2009, by Kimberly Whalen at Trident Media Group.

Film/TV rights with Andy Cohen at Grade-A Entertainment.

GENERAL/OTHER:

Mark Childress's GEORGIA BOTTOMS, about a genteel Southern lady who is sleeping, in rotation, with six of the town's leading citizens; she takes a break on Sundays, to Asya Muchnick at Little, Brown, by Henry Dunow at Dunow, Carlson & Lerner (NA).

John Grisham's brother Mark Grisham and David Donaldson's BEDLAM SOUTH, a historical novel of the Civil War and the events at Wingate Asylum (Bedlam South) under the command of a sadistic captain, revealing an often neglected aspect of the War as related to the characters in the plot, to Tom Dwyer at Borders Group, for publication in 2008, by James Schiavone at Schiavone Literary Agency (world).
profschia@aol.com

NON-FICTION: ADVICE/RELATIONSHIPS:

Gaily Sheehy's THE CARING PASSAGE, about the stages of family caregiving, ranging from shock and mobilization to reclaiming one's own life, to Mary Ellen O'Neill at Collins, for publication in 2009, by Richard Pine at Inkwell Management.

BIOGRAPHY:

Pulitzer Prize-winner Michael D'Antonio's THE O'MALLEY: The Man Who Broke Brooklyn's Heart, Won LA's Love, and Changed Baseball Forever, A biography of Walter O'Malley, the owner who moved the Dodgers to Los Angeles, based in part on access to never-before-used documents and letters, to Geoff Kloske at Riverhead, in a pre-empt, for publication in early 2009, by David McCormick of McCormick & Williams Literary Agency.

BUSINESS/INVESTING/FINANCE:
The GREAT BOOM AHEAD and THE ROARING 2000s author Harry Dent's THE GREAT CRASH OF 2010, outlining the coming twelve-year depression he predicted as long ago as 1988 -- countered by recommendations to profit from the greatest sale of financial assets in history, to Dominick Anfuso at Free Press, by Susan Golomb at the Susan Golomb Agency (NA).

HISTORY/POLITICS/CURRENT AFFAIRS:

Investigative journalist Ethan Brown's THE GODDESS AND THE SUICIDE KING, chronicling the life of Zackery Bowen and his unlikely love story with Addie Hall as the couple thrived in the French Quarter through Katrina and its aftermath (for which they were featured on the front page of the New York Times) until Bowen, a well-liked veteran from the first company to invade Iraq, committed a shocking murder-suicide, to David Patterson at Holt, at auction, by Ryan Fischer-Harbage at the Fischer-Harbage Agency (NA).
claire.mckinney@hholt.com

Laura Snyder's THE PHILOSOPHICAL BREAKFAST CLUB: Four Remarkable Men Who Transformed Science and Changed the World, the story of a pivotal moment in the history of science, set in the Victorian period, to Gerry Howard at Doubleday, in a very nice deal, by Howard Morhaim at Howard Morhaim Literary Agency (NA).

MEMOIR:

Janna Cawrse's THE MOTION OF THE OCEAN: 1 Small Boat, 2 Average Lovers, and the World's Longest Honeymoon, the strange and humorous love story of an on again/off again couple and their extreme transition from "first date" to "first mate" -- leaving friends and family behind for an 813-day jaunt across the Pacific in a leaky sailboat, to Michelle Howry at Touchstone Fireside, in a very nice deal, at auction, by Rebecca Oliver at Endeavor (NA).

The Clash's THE CLASH, the seminal band tells their story in their own words, including hundreds of photos, many never-before-seen, and unique memorabilia from the band's own collection, to Ben Greenberg at Grand Central, for publication in October 2008, by Valerie Duff at Atlantic UK (NA). benjamin.greenberg@hbgusa.com

SPORTS:
Sports Illustrated editor Mark Bechtel's untitled book on NASCAR in the 1970s -- a seminal time in the history of the sport -- featuring the Allison brothers, the Pettys, Cale Yarborough, Darrell Waltrip, Benny Parsons, and Dale Earnhardt, to Junie Dahn at Little, Brown, by Scott Waxman of the Waxman Literary Agency.

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