Love Is In The Air

I was very excited to get an e-mail this morning from our former intern Alex Webb saying that he and Mallory Bass, another former Kimberley Cameron & Associates intern, are engaged!

Alex and Mallory met at the agency and were both MFA students at St. Mary's.  Alex is a talented writer, whose manuscript I'm reading, and Mallory a talented poet, whose collection I someday hope to see. Both have helped us tremendously with client manuscripts.

We thought Alex and Mallory might get married.  At our Christmas party last year, Alex made an early comment about marrying Mallory after they disclosed to us they'd been dating for a while.  They were trying to keep their dating on the down low, but we had our suspicions. They didn't realize how much we love a good love story.

When I gave Kimberley the news today that Alex and Mallory are engaged, she was thrilled.  She said, "If you do nothing else today, at least put up a blog about their engagement." Done.  It's an honor.



Congratulations to you both, Alex and Mallory.  We love you and wish you the brightest and happiest future together.  We are so excited to have played a small part in your union, and hope you will keep us posted on life as you go forward together.

May 30th was a special day.  My sister called me yesterday to say she got engaged last night as well!

Kimberley's Recent Deals

Kimberley has worked extremely hard these last few months, making deals in this tough publishing climate.  I thought I'd list her most recent deals so you can see which publishing houses she's been working with and what projects she has sold.

Jane Shoup's THE CHRONICLES OF AZULLAND, the story of a woman who embarks on a quest to save herself and her people in the midst of lustful dark gods, power-thirsty kings, and a forest of white magic, to Mary Cummings at Diversion Books.

Susan Shea's THE KING'S JAR and MIXED UP WITH MURDER, the next two in the Dani O'Rourke mystery series, set among museums and the super wealthy, to Alex Lubertozzi at Top Five Books.

Philip Donlay's ZERO SEPARATION, the next of the Donovan Nash thrillers, about a race to stay one step ahead of a blackmailing FBI agent while trying to stop a terrorist bent on the death of millions, to Robert and Pat Gussin at Oceanview.

Terri Nolan's BAD PACKAGE, in which a young journalist inadvertently becomes a part of the story when she investigates the questionable death of the man she loves and learns that he possessed vital evidence to a famous cold case murder that has been the obsession of her career, to Terri Bischoff at Midnight Ink.  

EMAILS....

Dear Authors,

Emails have increased enormously in the last few years, as everyone knows. However, we are finding it close to impossible to reply to every single one.  My emails are screened - we look for professionalism, correct submission procedure, etc. If you don't hear from me directly, please do not take it personally.  If you are emailing often, we most likely won't answer as we are only considering submissions and emails with the first 50 pages attached, after the work is completed and ready for the market.  We are trying to do the best we can, and will reply to the emails we deem most appropriate!  Merci pour votre attention ainsi votre patience....

Stan Goldberg Wins International Book Award

We are excited to announce that author Stan Goldberg has won the 2012 International Book Award (IBA) in the category of Nonfiction Health: Death & Dying for his book LEANING INTO SHARP POINTS: PRACTICAL GUIDANCE AND NURTURING SUPPORT FOR CAREGIVERS (New World Library).

Stan has received outstanding reviews and endorsements for this important work.  To see the full list of reviews Stan's book has received, please visit his website by clicking here.

To see other IBA winners, click here.

Literary Paris....  I'm off to Paris for a few months, and have been invited to attend the Paris Writer's Workshop at the end of June.  We continue to explore new publishing ventures and have been making lots of deals for our clients.  April was a sad month, personally, as my son's best friend was killed in a sailboat racing accident.  She was a wonderful young woman in her twenties, with the future in front of her.  Life is short, tenuous and precious, and we must remind ourselves to value those we love everyday. If I missed your emails, please resend, as this tragedy delayed my response for a few weeks.  Be well, enjoy the sunshine, and keep believing in yourself and your writing.  We will encourage and help you as much as possible.  I'll be up and running in Paris over the summer!

A bientôt,

Kimberley

Penguin/St.Martin's Interview on RadioBoise.org

As part of the Idaho Writers & Readers Rendezvous, a conference in Boise that I'll be heading to tomorrow, editors Michelle Richter (St. Martin's) and Meghan Stevenson (Penguin) will be doing a live interview on RadioBoise.org from 12 p.m. to 1 p.m. MT.  Tune in if you get the opportunity.

If you miss the interview, it will be posted here after the show.

I'm looking forward to seeing Michelle and Meghan, and meeting with the many writers in attendance!

Writing About The FBI & CIA

My client, Arthur Kerns, whose book THE RIVIERA CONTRACT I am currently shopping, will be a guest speaker at the monthly meeting of the Society of Southwestern Authors on May 5th at 10:30 a.m.  The meeting will be held at 207 W. Clarendon Avenue, in Phoenix.

Arthur's talk will focus on how to write about the FBI, CIA and State Department with accuracy. The corporate cultures of these agencies can be very different.  Kerns will offer examples through personal experience and historical reference to help writers of suspense thrillers craft believable characters and dynamics between agencies.

On May 9th at 11:30 a.m. Arthur will offer a talk in Scottsdale, AZ at the McCormick Ranch Golf Course titled "The FBI's Foreign Intelligence Operations During WWII."  To reserve a spot for this talk, email simone@afioaz.org.

Arthur will also be speaking at this year's Book Passage Mystery Writers Conference in Corte Madera.  We will keep you posted on the details for this event.

Arthur's career in the FBI included counterintelligence and terrorism.  After he retired from the FBI, he became a consultant with the Director of Central Intelligence and the Department of State.  Arthur reviews books for The Washington Independent Review of Books and is currently working on the sequel to THE RIVIERA CONTRACT.

Never underestimate the intelligence of your audience!  Do your homework and make sure you are writing with authenticity and accuracy, regardless of subject.  

For more information on Arthur Kerns, click here.