Latest Selection of Books...

From Publishers Lunch Weekly....

FICTION:
DEBUT...

Chris Greenhalgh's COCO CHANEL & IGOR STRAVINSKY, a first novel and movie tie-in based on the secret affair between Coco Chanel and Igor Stravinsky in Paris, 1920, at the time when Coco was developing Chanel No. 5, to Sarah McGrath at Riverhead, in a pre-empt, for publication in 2009, by Kathleen Anderson at Anderson Literary Management (NA).

Grant Jerkin's AN AMERICAN CRIME, telling the story of an emotionally disturbed wife, a husband who would kill to escape his torturous marriage, and a son who can't defend himself from the accusation of murder, to Natalee Rosenstein at Berkley, by Robert Guinsler at Sterling Lord Literistic (world English).

Film rights optioned to Oscar-nominated screenwriter Nicholas Kazan (Reversal of Fortune) with Oscar-nominated director Barbet Schroeder (also Reversal of Fortune) attached to direct.


GENERAL/OTHER...

HALLUCINATING FOUCAULT author Patricia Duncker's THE STRANGE CASE OF THE COMPOSER AND HIS JUDGE, to Kathy Belden at Bloomsbury, in a nice deal, for publication in March 2010, by Andrew Gordon at David Higham Associates (NA).

President and CEO of the Humane Society of the United States Wayne Pacelle's THE BOND, an exploration of the special relationship between animals and humans, to Peter Hubbard at William Morrow, by Gail Ross at the Gail Ross Literary Agency.

Winner of the BBC Samuel Johnson Prize for Nonfiction Philip Hoare's THE WHALE, a lively travelogue through the history, literature, and lore of the largest, loudest, oldest animal ever to have lived: the whale, to Matt Weiland at Ecco, at auction, for publication in February 2010, by Anna Stein at Aitken Alexander, on behalf of Gillon Aitken at Aitken Alexander (NA).



NON-FICTION:

ADVICE/RELATIONSHIPS...

Today Show and Access Hollywood correspondent Maria Menounos' THE EVERYGIRL'S GUIDE TO LIFE, a collection of practical tips that every girl can apply toward achieving a more prosperous and healthy appearance as well as enriching her life, to Lisa Sharkey at Harper, in a very nice deal, by Frank Weimann of The Literary Group.


BUSINESS/INVESTING/FINANCE...

Former White House director of economic policy, economist and NPR commentator Todd Buchholz's RUSH, looking at new science that reveals an important and counterintuitive finding - that happiness is not achieved by taking a prolonged vacation but by fully engaging in challenging situations - with others or even with oneself, to Caroline Sutton at Hudson Street Press, by Susan Ginsburg at Writers House (world).


HISTORY/POLITICS/CURRENT AFFAIRS...

ADOPTED SON author David Clary's FIRST IN WAR: The Military Adventures of Young George Washington, the neglected story of his early years as a colonial army officer from 1753 to 1758, a career that shook the world (his command fired the first shots of the French and Indian War) and shaped the impetuous and immature Washington into the confident general who would lead the Continental Army to victory in the Revolutionary War, to Roger Labrie at Simon & Schuster, by Jim Donovan at Jim Donovan Literary (world).


HOW-TO...

Hollywood Gardener to the stars Marta Teegen's FRONT YARD FARM, teaching her French bio-intensive technique for growing lush, beautiful vegetable patches in even the smallest of gardens, to Karen Bolesta at Rodale, for publication in Fall 2010, by Caroline Greeven at The Agency Group.


MEMOIR...

Kay Bratt's SILENT TEARS: A Journey of Hope in a Chinese Orphanage, A story of adversity, triumph and loss during the author's time spent working as a volunteer in a Chinese orphanage in a heart breaking and uplifting tale of her battle against institutional bureaucracy to help the orphaned children of the Chinese community she lived in for five years, to Terry Goodman at Amazon Encore, by Kevan Lyon at Marsal Lyon Literary Agency (world).

Martin Kihn's BAD DOG: A Love Story, the story of an out-of-control Bernese mountain dog named Hola who dragged the author and his wife through ten steps of obedience certification program, which provided touchstones for the author's own recovery from alcoholism (showing "you can't properly train your dog until you learn to train yourself"), to Marty Asher at Pantheon, by Daniel Lazar at Writers House

Joanne Herring's THE WOMAN BEHIND CHARLIE WILSON'S WAR: The Extraordinary True Story of the Real Joanne Herring and how Brains, Beauty, Faith and Cleavage Confronted Communism and Changed the World, from the woman known as the Houston socialite portrayed by Julia Roberts in the film Charlie Wilson's War, telling her full story -- with all its God, guns, and Gucci glory -- in this colorful memoir pitched as equal parts Gone With the Wind, Lawrence of Arabia, and The Devil Wears Prada, with a dash of Cinderella, to Christina Boys at Center Street, for publication in Spring 2011, by Lacy Lynch at Dupree Miller & Associates (world).


NARRATIVE...

Craig Childs's FIELD GUIDE TO THE END OF THE WORLD, a narrative exploration of the pivotal forces that comprise the "end of the world," not as a singular end point but as a cyclical process that is happening right now, which can be seen in fossils, geologic layers, deep ice cores, sea floor sediments, the ruins of human endeavors, and even the barren surface of Mars, to Dan Frank at Pantheon, at auction, for publication in 2012, by Kathleen Anderson at Anderson Literary Management (NA).

GRAPHIC NOVEL...

Award-winning cartoonist, Oscar-nominated screenwriter and New Yorker illustrator Daniel Clowes's WILSON, his first original graphic novel, to Chris Oliveros at Drawn & Quarterly, for publication in May 2010 (world).

Jeff Smith's BONE: Tall Tales, for publication in Summer 2010, co-written by Tom Sniegoski, plus the BONE: Quest for the Spark Trilogy, overseen and illustrated by Smith and written by Sniegoski, for publication beginning in Fall 2010, again to David Saylor for Graphix, by Vijaya Iyer for Cartoon Books/Jeff Smith.


Wrap...