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

Yeah, we’re a little behind. There was a metric ton of deals this month so we’re just highlighting the most interesting/quirky/absurd. If your book’s not here, it’s because your blurb didn’t stick out (for better or for worse).

Guillermo del Toro has a bizarre imagination if we judge by his film credits (Hellboy, The Orphanage, Pan’s Labyrinth) but I question if he’ll actually be writing these or if Mr. Hogan will be doing the brunt of the heavy lifting.
Director Guillermo del Toro trilogy of vampire thrillers, written with Chuck Hogan, beginning with THE STRAIN, about an invasion of New York by a vampiric virus, for publication in summer 2009, to David Highfill at William Morrow, by Richard Abate at Endeavor, with manager Gary Ungar of Exile Entertainment and attorney George Hayum (world).

A 15-year old? Is this for the new Harlequin YA line?
Michelle Gagnon’s TIGER GAME, in which the fifteen year-old daughter of a Dept. of Defense research scientist is kidnapped and held for ransom, and an FBI agent must find and save the girl, or risk dangering the lives of thousands of Americans, to Valerie Gray at Mira, in a nice deal, in a two-book deal, for publication in November …

This is only to note that despite the poor sales of previous blogger books, certain types still sell. A significant deal in PublishersMarketplace parlance is $251,000 - $499,000. Part of the deal could have been based on her years as a columnist and not as a blogger.
NYT health columnist and “Well” blogger Tara Parker-Pope’s THE SCIENCE OF MARRIAGE, practical, evidence-based advice about what makes relationships work — and not work — based on marital health research, to Amy Hertz at Dutton, in a significant deal, in a pre-empt, for publication in late 2009/early 2010, by Lynn Johnston at Lynn Johnston Literary (world).

Not sure who Tropper is but apparently he must sell alot of books. The major deal denotes advances of $500,000 and up.
Jonathan Tropper’s two upcoming novels, including one on fatherhood, moving to Ben Sevier at Dutton, in a major deal, in a pre-empt, for publication beginning in 2009, by Simon Lipskar at Writers House (NA).

Tamera Alexander is, I believe, an inspy author. Given the major deal status of this sale, I wonder how Avon Inspire is doing. I don’t read Inspy fiction but my mother does. I’ll have to buy her a few Alexander …