Janet Maslin picks BLOOD OATH as a summer beach read!

"Memorial Daymarks the start of a special season: the time to stop lying about what you read for fun. Call anything a beach book, and suddenly you’ve got an excuse for being seen with it. No need to claim you’re reading Christopher Farnsworth’s “Blood Oath,” about the president’s personal vampire, only because there’s a wait at your library for a copy of “The Road.” Don’t think of Mr. Farnsworth’s debut thriller as the umpteenth vampire knockoff on the market. Think of it as the inventive one in which a brave young White House staff member asks, “You really expect me to believe we’ve got a vampire on a leash, and we can just send him after terrorists and spies whenever we want?” Multibook series and $200 million movie franchises have been built on a lot less."

 

Jillian Lauren's astonishing memoir debuts on the New York Times Bestseller list.

 

 

 

 

A rave from the Bulletin of the Center of Children's Books for Bro-jitsu: The Martial Art of Sibling Smackdown by Daniel H. Wilson: "Respect, courtesy, and honor. None of these are necessary qualities for a beginning student of Bro-jitsu,' proclaims author/Bro-jitsu master Wilson at the beginning of this wickedly informative guide to sibling-to-sibling combat. He goes on to neatly and entertainingly encapsulate much of the idiocy involved in sibling antagonism in an encyclopedic format....Much of the material...will be instantly recognizable to many kids, but the familiarity, combined with the incisive descriptions and McClaine's accompanying to-the-point illustrations, only serves to heighten the hilarity. With deadpan wit and wisdom the book clarifies that even the most cruel and ridiculous moves and weapons serve a logical purpose. Something of a tongue-in-cheek variant of The Dangerous Book for Boys, this should have broad appeal for non-squeamish siblings (especially reluctant readers who can easily dip in), and for sharing with nostalgic adults. Let the memory-making begin!"--BCCB

'Robopocalypse' fast-tracked at DreamWorks Doubleday also pre-emptively acquires rights to manuscript

By Jay A. Fernandez

Nov 3, 2009, 02:31 PM ET Again? Where's IT when you need them?

DreamWorks Studios and Doubleday have pre-emptively acquired film and publishing rights to Daniel H. Wilson's unpublished manuscript, "Robopocalypse," which explores the fate of the human race after a robot uprising.

DreamWorks co-presidents of production Mark Sourian and Holly Bario acquired the film rights from literary manager Justin Manask. They are fast-tracking development of the project.

Doubleday executive editor and vp Jason Kaufman nabbed world publishing rights to the book from Laurie Fox at the Linda Chester Literary Agency. The publisher has slotted a tentative 2011 publication date.

The angry-robots story line has played out in movies such as the "Terminator" series, "I, Robot" and the two "Transformers" films. But Wilson, an actual Ph.D. in robotics, has grounded his tale with a heavy degree of authenticity derived from real robot technology.

"Daniel H. Wilson's cautionary tale of man versus machine grabbed us from the very beginning," said Sourian. "Wilson's background in robotics and artificial intelligence grounds his story with a frightening level of realism."

Wilson added: "Writing this novel is an incredible thrill, after spending years studying and thinking about robotics. My hope is that the story we tell will make the robots of the future proud of us humans."

Wilson is also the author of the 2005 book "How to Survive a Robot Uprising: Tips on Defending Yourself Against the Coming Rebellion," which scribes Thomas Lennon and Ben Garant have been developing as a screenplay for Paramount. Wilson's next book, "Bro-Jitsu: The Martial Art of Sibling Smackdown," is scheduled for release next year. Nickelodeon has optioned the film rights and hired Wilson to adapt it.

Wilson's other books include "Where's My Jetpack?: A Guide to the Amazing Science Fiction Future That Never Arrived," "How to Build a Robot Army: Tips on Defending Planet Earth Against Aliens, Ninjas, and Zombies" and "The Mad Scientist Hall of Fame: Muwahahaha!"

Tomato Rhapsody by Adam Schell has been nominated for the QPB New Voices Award

Do They Know I'm Running (Mortalis/Ballantine) by David Corbett is a March 2010 Bestseller (Independent Mystery Booksellers Association)

Film rights to Christopher Farnsworth's BLOOD OATH and its sequel BLACK SITE, about a vampire sworn to protect the President of the United States against supernatural threats, sold to Lucas Foster of Warp Films by Justin Manask at the Office for Literary Adaptation on behalf of the Agency.

Film rights to Daniel Wilson's ROBOPOCALYPSE, a novel exploring the fate of the human race after a robot uprising, sold to DreamWorks for accelerated development by Justin Manask at the Office for Literary Adaptation on behalf of the Agency.

Universal Studios has acquired the rights to James R. Hansen’s FIRST MAN, the biography of Neil Armstrong.  Nicole Perlman will write the script. Temple Hill Entertainment partners Marty Bowen and Wyck Godfrey will produce.

Feature film rights to roboticist Daniel H. Wilson's How to Survive a Robot Uprising (Bloomsbury USA; Wired's Book of the Year 2006) were optioned by DeLuca/Paramount with Mike Myers attached to star.

Daniel H. Wilson's Bro-Jitsu: The Martial Art of Sibling Rivalry, a YA title sold to Bloomsbury USA Children's Books, was optioned to Nickelodeon/Paramount. Both Wilson deals were represented by Justin Manask on behalf of the agency.

New York Time's bestseller Happiness Sold Separately by Lolly Winston (Grand Central Publishing/Warner Books) was optioned to Fox Searchlight by Julia Roberts with Scott Coffey directing. Winston's international bestseller, Good Grief, was optioned by Marc Platt/Universal, with Julia Roberts also creatively involved. Both deals were made by Joel Gotler of IPG on behalf of the agency. Good Grief is being released for the first time in a special mass market edition for Summer 2007 by Grand Central Publishing/Warner Books