Deals, deals, deals

The good news - I finished my Edward Rutherfurd readalike article a month early and handed it in. Editors seem to like it.

The bad news - February is a short month (duh, I knew this), meaning I have only another 15 days to get another assigned book read and reviewed. Just when I start thinking I'm ahead of the game. This ARC looks interesting at any rate; I've never read any Jonis Agee, but generally enjoy multi-period novels as well as family sagas.

This afternoon I've been going through the dozen or so Random House summer catalogs and collating the forthcoming books info for the HNS website, so those should be online in a couple hours if things go well.

For the moment, here are a few more deals from Publishers Marketplace and elsewhere.

Tasha Alexander's novelization of Universal Studios' upcoming film, THE GOLDEN AGE, the story of Queen Elizabeth I and Sir Walter Raleigh, to Sarah Durand of William Morrow, by Anne Hawkins at John Hawkins & Associates.

Nicola Upson's AN EXPERT IN MURDER, set in the London theater world of the 1930s, to Walter Donohue at Faber, in a two-book deal, for publication in spring 2008, by Karolina Sutton at ICM.

Sarah D'Almeida's three more books in the Three Musketeers mystery series, to Ginjer Buchanan for Berkley Prime Crime, in a nice deal, by Lucienne Diver of Spectrum Literary Agency (NA).

Cesar Vidal's THE FISHERMAN'S TESTAMENT, a story of Christianity's earliest days, based on the theory held by some biblical historians that the apostlePeter was in Rome at the end of his life and was crucified there, as well as the original Spanish-language book, to Sue Brower at Zondervan, for publication in April 2008, by Diane Stockwell at Globo Libros Literary Management, on behalf of Silvia Bastos in Spain (World English).

Publishing director at Harper UK, Jane Johnson's CROSSED BONES, about a London woman who becomes obsessed with the story of a Cornish girl kidnapped in 1625 by Moroccan pirates, travels to Morocco to investigate the case, and finds romance and adventure there, to Allison McCabe at Crown, in a good deal, for publication in 2008, by Russell Galen at Scovil Chichak Galen Literary Agency (US).

Lastly, not from PM but via an email from the author - Sandra Worth sold two novels in her "Roses" series to Penguin Putnam (no imprint given) for publication in 2008 and '09, respectively. Details on Lady of the Roses and Roses for a Queen from her website.