On the deal front

First we have Linwood Barclay, who stays with Bantam Dell for his upcoming standalone:

Linwood Barclay’s NO TIME FOR GOODBYE, about a teacher whose wife’s

entire family disappeared without a trace when she was 14 years old,

and how that disappearance comes back to haunt her now as people

connected to her family start to die, to Danielle Perez at Bantam Dell,

in a significant deal, by Helen Heller at Helen Heller Agency (NA).

This strikes me as a very interesting move for several reasons. His series, featuring the Toronto area-based SF writer/home building obsessed Zach Walker, started out with wacky humor and warm family dynamics but often had a serious side that meshed a bit awkwardly with the original premise. A standalone not only has a better chance of breaking Barclay out but perhaps gives him a greater opportunity to explore this serious side more. I’m really looking forward to this.

Next, Gregg Hurwitz switches publishing houses and agents:

Gregg Hurwitz’s latest untitled book, introducing a new protagonist, a

crime novelist in LA, to Josh Kendall at Viking, for publication in

summer 2007, by Lisa Erbach Vance at Aaron Priest Literary Agency (NA).

Previously, Hurwitz spent most of his writing career with HarperCollins, and the latest in his TROUBLESHOOTERS series appears next month from William Morrow.

And just when you thought vampires were on the way out, another deal keeps the uber-trend going:

Author of Seven Ways to Lose Your Lover Alesia Holliday’s humorous

paranormal VAMPS GONE WILD, about a cranky demon slayer, the ex-demon

who has vowed to be her eternal love slave, and the clan of 200-year

old vampires who don’t quite understand the Civil War is over, to Cindy

Hwang at Berkley, in a pre-empt, in a two-book deal, by Steve Axelrod

at The Axelrod Agency (NA).

I still want more werewolves and zombies, though. And ghouls. Lots and lots of ghouls.