Dear Author: Romance Book Reviews, Author Interviews, and Commentary

We’re mainstreaming it this week – lots of broad-appeal books and a Dear Author favorite make the headlines.

Disclaimer: These books are not published yet, ergo these are not reviews. Repeat: Not reviews. If your book is snarked, it’s because your blurb failed to entice. No more, no less. Since we know the PM blurbs aren’t usually written by the authors, feel free to come by and tell us more about your book. Or be offended by the fact we snarked your blurb. Whichever you think is going to sell more books.

Meljean Brook is one of our favorite reads. Yay!
Meljean Brook’s DEMON DAWN, in which two Guardians must put aside their own tragic history after a terrifying betrayal by one of their own, to Cindy Hwang at Berkley Sensation, in a four-book deal, in a very nice deal, by Roberta Brown of the Brown Literary Agency.

This one is categorized as a romance, but…I’m guessing it’s more on the women’s fiction end of the spectrum. Three Rivers Press is Obama’s publisher, so I think they cater to a less genre market than, say, Harlequin. Also, author name? Is that her real name because if not, why pick a pseudonym that is bound to be constantly misspelled?
My Best Friend and My Man author Cydney Rax’s MY SISTER’S EX, to Heather Proulx at Three Rivers Press, in a very nice deal, for publication in Summer 2009, by Claudia Menza at Menza-Barron Agency (World).

This title just cracks me up. I’m interested from that alone.
johndiesattheend.com blogger David Wong’s JOHN DIES AT THE END, a genre-twisting, humorous account of two college drop-outs inadvertently charged with saving their small town — and the world — from a host of supernatural and paranormal invasions, to John Schoenfelder at Thomas Dunne Books, for publication in Fall 2009, by Jeff Moores at Dunow, Carlson & Lerner (World).

Sounds a little suspense-y, a little Picoult-y.
Author of Souvenir and the forthcoming Reunion Therese Fowler’s BREAKAWAY, about a woman caught in a custody battle over her son that is complicated by her troubling dreams — some say visions — that her son is in danger, and her ex-husband may be the source, to Linda Marrow at Ballantine, in a two-book deal, by Wendy Sherman at Wendy Sherman Associates (NA).

I haven’t been able to find details as to what these are about. Contemporary paranormal fantasies = urban fantasy, yes?
Author of The Queen’s Bastard and other fantasy novels C. E. Murphy’s TRUTHSEEKER and WAYFINDER, contemporary paranormal fantasies, to Betsy Mitchell at Del Rey, by Jennifer Jackson of the Donald Maass Literary Agency (world).

DA gave a B- to one of the earlier books in this series but I’m all over the place on Banks’ books.
Maya Banks’ Sweet Seduction and Sweet Temptation, books three and four in her Sweet series, to Cindy Hwang at Berkley, for publication in fall 2009 and spring 2010, by Kimberly Whalen at Trident Media Group (NA).

And in the files of something that strikes us as a little…strange.
Designer, artist, and actress Gloria Vanderbilt’s OBSESSION: An Erotic Tale, to Dan Halpern at Ecco, for publication in July of 2009, by Jeanne Wilmot (World).

Can’t tell if this for the Mira YA line, or is more urban fantasy (like Rachel Vincent).
Julie Kagawa’s THE IRON KING, THE IRON QUEEN, and THE IRON DAUGHTER, to Natashya Wilson at Mira, in a nice deal, for publication in 2009 and 2010, by Laurie McLean at Larsen/Pomada Literary Agents (World).

This is a very intriguing premise.
Ruiyan Xu’s THE LOST AND FORGOTTEN LANGUAGES OF SHANGHAI, in which a young successful bilingual Chinese businessman finds himself unable to speak Chinese after a bizarre accident and can only speak English, which leaves him unable to communicate with his family and everyone around him; an attractive American woman neurologist is brought to Shanghai to treat him, and this changes all of their lives in ways beyond all recognition, to Hope Dellon at St. Martin’s, by Elaine Koster at the Elaine Koster Agency (NA).

Judge Judy meets Buffy? Jayne is a big fan of Kenner. I’m a little nervous about the concept. May be hilarious
USA Today bestselling author Julie Kenner’s first three books in a new paranormal romance series set in an age-old judicial system that is hidden within and mirrors our own, the purpose of which is to apprehend, prosecute, adjudicate and detain those Dark Creatures who break the Covenant, to Nita Taublib and Shauna Summers at Bantam Dell, in a very good deal, at auction, by Kimberly Whalen at Trident Media Group (NA).

Yeah for Ann. Not only a good author but a super nice person.
Ann Christopher’s untitled romantic suspense trilogy, about three men who are inadvertently outed from the witness protection program and marked for death by a famous drug czar they helped to convict, to Kate Duffy at Kensington, by Crichton & Associates.

I have not read Christie Kelley but I like the spinster trope in historicals. What does a spinster club do when they get together, though? Exchange recipes?
Christie Kelley’s next three books in the author’s Regency historical Spinster Club series, to Peter Senftleben at Kensington Zebra, in a nice deal, by Laura Bradford at Bradford Literary Agency.

There was a big deal last week for another Romeo/Juliet book. The recent trend in historical fiction was Tudor fiction (spurred by Philippa Gregory). Is Shakespeare-based fiction the next trend?
Robin Maxwell’s O, JULIET, O, JULIET, the follow-up to MADEMEOISELLE BOLEYN and the forthcoming SIGNORA DA VINCI, in which the historical Juliet from Shakespeare’s play is imagined as a young woman living in early Renaissance Florence during the rule of Cosimo de Medici, when inter-family warfare was at its bloody height, to Kara Cesare at NAL, in a very nice deal, by David Forrer and Kim Witherspoon at Inkwell Management (NA).