Market Newsby Julie Moffett Wow! January was a great month for sales and really started the year off with a bang! Here is a round up of the sales, and some news on a couple of new lines opening up. Congratulations to all!! NYT best-selling author Carly Phillips sold three new paperbacks to Dianne Moggy at Harlequin; and Susan Meissner sold her book, WIDOWS AND ORPHANS, one of two novels featuring attorney Rachel Flynn, and one stand alone, BLUE HEART BLESSED, to Nick Harrison at Harvest House, in a very nice deal. (Lunch Weekly/1-17-06) USA Today best-selling author Cait London sold a trilogy of paranormal romantic suspense thrillers about triplet sisters stalked by a psychic vampire to Lucia Macro at Avon; Josie Brown sold her book, IMPOSSIBLY TONGUE TIED, a Hollywood satire about a struggling actress who works as a phone sex operator to Lucia Macro at Avon; Wendy Corsi Staub, writing as Wendy Markham, sold her book, IF ONLY IN MY DREAMS, a Christmas time-travel romance set against the backdrop of World War II, to Laura Cifelli at Signet; and Jennifer O'Connell sold her novel, INSIDER DATING, about an asset management whiz who creates a secret "hedge fund" where woman share information on the riskiest investment of all - men, again to Kara Cesare at NAL. (Lunch Weekly/1-24-06) Best-selling author Kat Martin sold her books, HEART OF HONOR, HEART OF FIRE, and HEART OF COURAGE, to Dianne Moggy at Harlequin with Susan Pezzack editing; Kimona J. sold her novel, GOOD GIRLS POLE RIDERS CLUB, the first book in a series about black women coming to terms with and claiming their sexual power, to Malaika Adero at Atria in a pre-empt in a two-book deal; USA Today best-selling author Cindy Gerard sold her next three romantic suspense novels, the continuation of her Bodyguard series, again to Monique Patterson at St. Martin's; and CBA Christy Award finalist Linda Windsor sold her books WEDDING BELL BLUES and SWEET LOVIN', the first two in the Piper's Cove Chronicles, which follows the return of four women who grew up as best friends to a small river community on the eastern shore of Maryland, to Cynthia DiTiberio at Harper San Francisco. (Lunch Weekly/1-31-06) Janice Maynard sold her book NAUGHTY HOUSEWIVES, about three desperate and unhappy wives fighting for what they want and need, to Rose Hilliard at Berkley Heat; Karen Kelley sold her book, DOUBLE DATING WITH THE DEAD, about a psychic and a skeptic stuck in a haunted hotel with two sex-starved ghosts, to Kate Duffy at Kensington Brava in a nice deal, in a three-book deal; Mae Nunn sold A REGULAR JOE, the third book in her Texas Treasures series, to Melissa Endlich at Steeple Hill, in a nice deal; Tanya Michna sold THE NECESSARY ARRANGEMENTS, about two sisters with big news -- one is getting married, one is dying to Ellen Edwards at NAL; and Marsha Moyer sold two more novels to Allison McCabe at Three Rivers Press in a very nice deal. (Lunch Weekly/2-7-05) Harlequin is launching several new African-American romance lines this year. One of the first is Arabesque Inspirational Romance. According to Harlequin's guidelines, the stories should "offer uplifting, contemporary love stories featuring realistic African-American characters that resolve relationship conflicts through the perspective of strong moral beliefs." Arabesque Inspirational Romances may include several points of view, and offer classic contemporary settings. They are accepting agented and unagented material from both published and unpublished writers. Manuscript word length is approximately 85,000 - 100,000 words (or manuscript pages 300 - 400 pages). Send manuscripts to: Arabesque Inspirational Romance, c/o Evette Porter, Editor, Kimani Press, 233 Broadway, Suite 1001, New York, NY 10279. For more specific guidelines you can check out the website at eharlequin.com. In addition to the Arabesque Inspirational line, Harlequin is also seeking manuscripts for another new imprint called, Sepia. The Sepia imprint will publish mainstream fiction titles that predominately feature African-American characters. Editors will review both contemporary and historical novels with subgenre plots such as suspense-driven thrillers, paranormal and mystery, to novels that focus on social and relationship issues, as well as urban life. Word length is approximately 85,000 - 95,000 words. Send manuscripts to: Sepia, c/o Glenda Howard, Senior Editor, Kimani Press, 233 Broadway, Suite 1001, New York, NY 10279. Calling all nurses . . . Harlequin Mills & Boon, U.K. is running a contest with the Nursing Standard Journal to discover new authors for its 55,000 word medical romance series line. Writers with a nursing background are encouraged to submit a first chapter and synopsis for evaluation by editors. Submissions should be sent to Harlequin Mills & Boon Ltd., Attn.: Executive Editor Sheila Hodgson, Eton House, 18-24 Paradise Road, Richmond, Surrey, U.K. TW9 1SR. Sheila is also accepting e-mail submissions at: Shelia.Hodgson@hmb.co.uk.
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