Talcott Notch Literary is a rapidly growing and expanding full-service literary agency, partnering 20-year veteran literary agent Gina Panettieri and associate agent Rachel Dowen with a strong editorial staff assisting in locating and acquiring the freshest new voices in adult and adolescent fiction, and nonfiction of all descriptions. Over her career, Gina has placed hundreds of titles with major publishers and imprints, including McGraw-Hill, Amacom, Career Press, Berkley, HarperCollins, Adams Media and Dell.

With a long history of creating bestsellers and award-winners out of debut works as well as also working successfully with well-established professionals, Talcott Notch Literary strives to find the best in thought-provoking and groundbreaking new projects. The agency is particularly interested in parenting, career, and relationship books, and Gina Panettieri is consistently listed among PM's top dealmakers in the parenting and business/investing/finance deals category.

Latest Agency News:

Nancy Whitney-Reiter, author of Unplugged; How to Disconnect from the Rat Race, Have an Existential Crisis, and Find Meanings and Fulfillment, will be appearing Wednesday August 20 Barnes and Noble Booksellers, Burlington, MA. Wednesday, August 20th, 6:00pm to host a discussion on "The Need to Unplug," followed by book signing.
The Need To Unplug: The author discusses why we find ourselves moving from job to job, relationship to relationship, and playing leapfrog with spiritual beliefs.and how to find the inner peace required to end this cycle. (For this Burlington event, the author will also discuss her experiences in various volunteer programs, and provide tips on where to go, choosing th eright experience, and how to fund the trip.) For a full list of Nancy's workshops, visit www.unplugyourhead.com.

Just in, Ron Franscell's 2007 true crime memoir, FALL, took both the IPPY award for Best True Crime and the Foreword Book of the Year award in the same category. The book's been released in paperback by St. Martin's Press under the title THE DARKEST NIGHT.

Also just in - THE CONNECTED CHILD by Dr. Karyn Purvis, Dr. David Cross and Wendy Lyons Sunshine has been announced as the winner in the American Society of Journalists and Authors competition in the category of service/self-help books for 2007. The book is now in its FOURTH printing, and consistently ranks as the #1 adoption book on Amazon.com.

Parenting expert Kevin Leman, speaking on morning radio in Chicago, called, THE CONNECTED CHILD 'the best book out there on adopted children'. Karyn Purvis has just returned from Romania, where she continues her work at the behest of the Romanian government to advise on the rehabilitation of that country's orphanage system.

Ron Franscell's THE DARKEST NIGHT, a true crime memoir about the horrific kidnap, rape and murder of two of Ron's childhood friends, won praise for the book from Ann Rule, who posted this on her own website with her personal recommendation to read the book:
"Few authors understand what makes a true crime book stand out like a beacon from the mass of prosaically gruesome re-telling of police reports. Ron Franscell does! {This book} explores the true story of this unholy sacrifice of youth and misplaced trust in a gripping, throat-tightening way. It is an almost-hypnotic read, hard to look away from. But it is also compassionate as we question the awful fate of the victims, sadly singled out by fate or luck or whatever shapes our destinies. This is a very, very, good book--a gem for readers who look for the whole story, written by a very, very, good writer. Every time I hear a neighbor or a local lawman in a traditionally low-crime town, say "Something like murder doesn't happen here" --when, of course, it does--I shake my head. This time, it happened in Casper, Wyoming, and Ron Franscell takes you there. . .completely. It will make you cry honest tears. The victims deserve no less."

And from Vincent Bugliosi:

"On more than one level, this book rises above most books in the true-crime genre, mostly because it searingly depicts a type of evil not too often exceeded. … This uncommon story has every chilling component of human terror, drama and suspense that readers of true crime look for. In an elegant and powerful voice normally seen only in fiction, Ron Franscell captures the sights, sounds and smells of this Wyoming saga and masterfully gets inside the emotional marrow of its participants. I highly recommend this engaging book."
-- VINCENT BUGLIOSI, New York Times bestselling author of "HELTER SKELTER".

Gina's advice for writers is quoted in the new release, THE FRUGAL EDITOR by Carolyn Howard-Johnson. Carolyn's fun, chatty book helps calm first book jitters and allows even new writers to present their work like pros.

Gina is also the author of the newly-released title, THE SINGLE MOTHER'S GUIDE TO RAISING REMARKABLE BOYS, published by Adams Media Corporation in February 2008, now ranked as the #3 single parenting title. The book is based on Gina's experiences raising not only her own boys after her divorce, but a houseload of other fatherless boys who found their way to Gina's doorstep, creating a family of the heart (at one point the household consisted of six teenage boys, three cats, three rabbits, two lovebirds, a ferret, a sugarglider, and a flying squirrel that wandered into the house and decided to stay). Advice from renowned child psychologist (and Talcott Notch client), Dr. Phil Hall, as well as insights from another best-selling Talcott Notch client, Dr. Karyn Purvis, are also incorporated into the book, as they offer a psychologist's insights into the topics covered.

Beth Fehlbaum's debut novel, COURAGE IN PATIENCE (Kunati, 9/08) earned a wonderful review in the August 1, 2008 edition of BookList, as follows;
"Nine-year-old Ashley Asher was pleased when her mother started a relationship with Charlie Baker. Charlie, Ashley thought, would be the father she never had. She was 9 then; now 15, she recounts the story of how her dream life soon turned to nightmare, commencing with the first time Charlie touched her inappropriately. For years she tolerated it—not only the sexual abuse but also the emotional manipulation her stepfather inflicted on her—until one day she confronted both Charlie and her mother. To Ashley’s horror, her mother sided with Charlie, leaving the teenager to find her own way, prompting her to reestablish a connection with her biological father. Though the subject matter is undeniably dark, Fehlbaum manages to keep the tone surprisingly light and hopeful. This hard-hitting but readable story about an infinitely troubling subject will resonate with all readers but especially with other survivors of abuse or with those who work with those survivors.

What we're seeking:

Currently, Talcott Notch is most actively seeking prescriptive nonfiction, mystery and single title women's fiction (for Gina) and children's work of all descriptions, along with a few select practical guides (for Rachel).

From Brette Sember, author of Your Plus Size Pregnancy, The Essential Supervisor's Handbook, and Everything Pregnancy After 35. "I highly recommend Gina as an agent. She has represented me for several years and in that time has sold many books for me. She's more than a salesperson though - she is my trusted partner. Her goal is to help advance my career and she does so by recommending me for other work, discussing the direction of my work, talking over ideas with me, and helping me be as successful as possible."

From Dr. Karyn Purvis, author of THE CONNECTED CHILD. "In searching for an agent to guide our manuscript to publication, we contacted several professionals. From our first conversation with her, Gina Panettieri won our hearts and our trust. She has been diligent in guiding us and finding the book a respected publisher. Fiercely protective, deeply insightful and readily available, Gina has been our ally and advocate through every step of the process. When it comes to literary agents, Gina Panitteri is the real deal!

Karyn B. Purvis, Ph.D.
(Director: TCU Institute of Child Development)
The Connected Child: Bring hope and healing to your
adoptive family

Brette Sember (PLUS-SIZE PREGNANCY, THE ESSENTIAL SUPERVISOR'S HANDBOOK)
Dr. Karyn Purvis, Dr. David Cross, Wendy Lyons Sunshine (THE CONNECTED CHILD)
Ron Franscell (FALL, THE DARKEST NIGHT, ANGEL FIRE)
Mark Ellis (The Outlanders series, written as James Axler, THE EVERYTHING GUIDE TO WRITING GRAPHIC NOVELS)
Dr. Valerie Levine (BREAK THE CO-SLEEPING HABIT)

THE DARKEST NIGHT, by Ron Francell.
YOUR PLUS-SIZE PREGNANCY, by Brette Sember
THE CONNECTED CHILD by Dr. Karyn Purvis, Dr. David Cross with Wendy Lyons Sunshine

To keep the list to a manageable length, we're listing only the sales made after January '07. For more information, or a full list of sales, please contact Talcott Notch Literary.

January '07 Sales:
UNMARRIED WITH CHILDREN, by Brette Sember, to Jennifer Kushnier at Adams Media.
THE SINGLE MOM'S GUIDE TO RAISING BOYS, by Gina Panettieri, to Paula Munier at Adams Media
February '07 Sales:
EVERYTHING TEACHING KIDS FRENCH, by Dawn-Michelle Baude, to Kerry Smith, Adams Media
EVERYTHING KIDS ENVIRONMENT BOOK by Sheri Amsel, to Kerry Smith, Adams Media
March '07 Sales:
EVERYTHING RAISING ADOPTED KIDS by Corrie Lynne Player, to Kerry Smith, Adams Media.
April '07 Sales:
EVERYTHING PROJECT MANAGEMENT by Rick Morris, to Lisa Laing, Adams Media
EVERYTHING PRIVATE INVESTIGATIONS by Linda O'Neil to Lisa Laing, Adams Media
EVERYTHING PHOTOGRAPHY by Melissa Martin-Ellis, to Kerry Smith, Adams Media
July '07 Sales:
UNPLUGGED: How to Disconnect and Find Yourself, by Nancy Whitney-Reiter, to Connie Shaw at Sentient Publications.
PROJECT MANAGEMENT STRATEGIES by Rick Morris and Brette Sember, to Bob Shuman at Amacom.
EVERYTHING KIDS' GUIDE TO THE HUMAN BODY by Sheri Amsel, to Kerry Smith, Adams Media
EVERYTHING STAMP COLLECTING by John Hawks, to Kerry Smith, Adams Media
September '07 sales:
1001 SEXCAPADES by Bobbi Dempsey, to Paula Munier at Adams Media
EVERYTHING KIDS' MONEY by Brette Sember, to Kerry Smith, Adams Media
October '07 Sales:
DIVINE BABY NAMES by Eric Groves, to Robin Haywood of Sellers Publishing
THAT'S A GREAT IDEA! A How-To Guide for Parents of Twins, by Dagmara Scalise, to Rob Nirkind of Amacom.
BREAK THE CO-SLEEPING HABIT, by Dr. Valerie Levine, to Paula Munier at Adams Media, at auction
EVERYTHING GHOST-HUNTING by Melissa Martin-Ellis, to Lisa Laing at Adams Media.
November sales;
EVERYTHING CLASSROOM MANAGEMENT by Eric Groves, Sr. to Lisa Laing, Adams Media
EVERYTHING MAFIA, 2ND EDITION by Scott Deitche, to Lisa Laing, Adams Media
December sales:
EVERYTHING ORGANIC COOKING FOR YOUR BABY AND TODDLER by Angela Buck, to Katie McDonough, Adams Media
COURAGE IN PATIENCE by Beth Fehlbaum, to Derek Armstrong at Kunati (sold by Rachel Dowen)
January '08 sales:
CA$HVERTISING by Drew Eric Whitman, to Michael Pye at Career Press (sold by Rachel Dowen).
PEACE, LOVE AND MURDER by N.L. Conner, to John Helfers at Five Star/Tekno by Rachel Dowen
February '08 sales:
MADE HERE, BABY! A Guide to All-American Manufacturers of Products for Your Baby, and Your Entire Family, by Bruce Wolk to Stan Wakefield at Amacom, at auction.
March '08 sales:
IT'S NOT TOO LATE TO DO WHAT YOU LOVE by Nancy Whitney-Reiter, to Chelsea King at Adams Media.
April '08 sales:
BAD APPLES by Brette McWhorter Sember and Terrence Sember, to Chelsea King, Adams Media.
EVERYTHING GEOGRAPHY by Jane Gardner, to Katie McDonough at Adams Media.
May '08 sales:
BABY NAMES THAT GO TOGETHER by Eric Groves, Sr. to Chelsea King at Adams Media.
LOVE HIM, LOVE HIS KIDS by Dr. Stan Wenck and Connie Hansen, to Paula Munier at Adams Media.
June'08 sales:
EVERYTHING HOME BEER BREWING, by Drew Beechum, to Katrina Schroeder, at Adams Media.
July '08 sales:
LIVING WITH SOMEONE LIVING WITH BIPOLAR DISORDER, by Chelsea Lowe and Dr. Bruce Cohen, to Alan Rinzler at Wiley.
The first two books in the new ZOMBIE TOWN urban fantasy series, by N.L. Conner, to the Berkley Publishing Group
August '08 sales:
EVERYTHING PARENTS GUIDE TO VACCINES, by Dr. Leslie Young, to Brett Palana-Shanahan at Adams Media
101 COMPETENCY-BASED INTERVIEW QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS THAT WILL KNOCK 'EM DEAD, by Linda Matias, to Ellen Kadin at Amacom Books.
DINNER TALK, a book of conversation starters for speaking to kids, by Dr. Phil Hall, Dr. Nancy Hall, and Emily Hall, to Elizabeth Kassab at Adams Media.

NONFICTION - RELATIONSHIPS/ADVICE

MY HEART GOT MARRIED AND I DIDN'T KNOW IT - Getting out of the 'Going Nowhere' Relationship by Lora Jobe, BSN and Barbara Prescott, PhD. All Rights Available.

Description: It's become standard practice for young American women to quickly become exclusive in their romantic relationships, to engage in sexual intimacy early (perhaps earlier than they really wanted to!), and to live together with a steady boyfriend as they figure out where their relationship is headed. This pattern has created a generation of women bogged down in 'going nowhere' relationships that are causing them pain as time drags on and either one or even both partners realize this relationship isn't going to end in marriage. Yet they're reluctant to leave. Any attempt to break up causes immense pain, so that means it's the wrong decision, right?

Wrong! As Dr. Prescott and Ms. Jobe portray, American women are jumping head-long into 'Heart Marriages'. They lack the ring and the commitment from their partners, but emotionally, the women are as bound to the relationship as if they were married. And it's an emotional disaster, one that keeps the women in relationships that aren't working, and keeping them from finding one that will!

MY HEART GOT MARRIED details the 'symptom's' of a Heart Marriage, allows the reader to determine if they're in this type of 'going nowhere' relationship or if there's real hope for their romance, and how to end a relationship that's really just not going to work. This project is research-based, including real world examples from case studies performed by the authors.

NONFICTION - MEMOIR

SOURTOE: A Father, a Son and a Journey of the Heart (and Toe) by Ron Franscell. Memoir/Parenting. All Rights Available.

Description: Ron Franscell, author of the critically-acclaimed true crime story, FALL, (released this month in paperback by St. Martin's Press as THE DARKEST NIGHT and already a bestseller in the true crime genre) where he recounted the impact of the murder of his childhood friends on their small town of Casper, Wyoming, reaches back once more into his past, and into his future, with his memoir of three generations of men (his father, himself and his own son) and his attempt to break the cycle of 'accidental bastards' and the abandonment that has plagued his family.

What started as a whimsical (but true) story Franscell told his son about a bar in the distant Yukon that serves a potent cocktail with a real mummified human toe as a garnish spun out into a roadtrip of a lifetime for both father and son, in search of themselves, each other, and a Sourtoe Cocktail.

Franscell is the managing editor of a Hearst newspaper, an award-winning former senior writer/columnist at the Denver Post and is an occasional commentator for NPR's All Things Considered. He is a popular blogger and book reviewer as well. He is also the author of ANGEL FIRE, listed as one of the 100 Best Novels of the 20th Century West, and THE DEADLINE, listed among Poisoned Pen's top 25 best crime fictions of 1999. His latest St. Martin's true crime, THE DARKEST NIGHT, recently won both the ForeWord Magazine Book of the Year and the IPPY top prize in true crime.

NONFICTION - RELIGION

MAKING YOUR BEST DEAL WITH GOD: The Story of Spiritual Pragmatism, by Rabbi Ben Kamin (called 'America's Rabbi by CNN). Religion/Spiritual. All Rights Available.

Millions of Americans are finding themselves detached from organized religion, but still yearning for a spiritual connection. Millions of others find themselves in interfaith marriages and families, and seek a way to reconcile their beliefs and live in harmony, free from guilt and conflict. Can a person truly define their own relationship with the Bible and with God? Can you be a deeply spiritual human being and yet reject traditional organized religion?
The answer, Rabbi Ben Kamin, shows, is definitely YES! Rabbi Kamin, founder of Reconciliation: The Synagogue Without Walls, offers searching readers a new way to find comfort, to build bridges between spirituality and practicality, and to truly make their very own BEST DEAL WITH GOD using Rabbi Kamin's philosophy of guilt-free, post-demoninational spirituality.

Ben Kamin has been quoted by Ann Landers, cited by the former Chairman of the Congressional Black Caucus, described by Psychology Today founder T. George Harris as 'the most unique and clear voice in America for secular spiritualism' and by CNN legal correspondant Avery Friedman as 'America's rabbi'. With his extensive media contacts and platform, Ben Kamin is a powerful force in contemporary American theology

Nonfiction: Parenting

RHYMED AND SEMI-RHYMED BABY NAMES; Thousands of Beautifully-Matched Names for Your Twins, Triplets, Sibs and More! by Eric Groves, Sr.

Description: Parents show a distinct preference for choosing baby names for their multiples or sibs that sound harmonious. Whether they choose perfectly rhyming names like Sheri and Keri or Jason and Mason, oblique rhymes like Josiah and Jonas or Emma and Ellen, or employ assonance (Ella and Helen) or masculine perfect rhyme like Emma and Dharma, there's a definite desire to find names that go well together. Eric Groves, Sr. has created the very first rhyming baby name collection, allowing parents to easily find groupings of names that go together. Whether expecting multiples right now, and wanting to find a name for baby that harmonizes with an older child's name, this guide is invaluable. Each name is listed with meanings and a pronunciation guide.

Other information: Eric Groves, Sr. is the author of Divine Baby Names, The Anti-War Quote Book, Butt Rot and Bottom Gas; A Glossary of Misunderstood Words, and The Everything Guide to Classroom Management.

NONFICTION - CAREER

THE CHICK'S GUIDE TO BEING THE BOSS by Brette Sember, JD and Terrence Sember. Business/Career. All Rights Available.

Description: The ultimate guide to effectively managing your workplace relationships for success, for both you and your business!The Chick's Guide to Being the Boss covers such issues as delegating responsibility, handling performance evaluations, personality conflicts, creating an atmosphere of respect while still having a friendly workplace, hiring the best people, team building and above all, leading to ensure business success.

Other information: Brette Sember is the author of over two dozen legal, business and health titles, and co-authored, The Supervisor's Handbook (Career Press 2007) with her husband, Terrence Sember.

NONFICTION - PARENTING

WHERE'S MY VILLAGE? by Meagan Francis Parenting/Relationships. All Rights Available.

Now more than ever, Americans are reporting a dearth of close relationships in their lives. Most reported having two or even just one friend (often their spouse) whom they felt close to and that they could rely on. Obviously, the pace of our lives and highly mobile nature of our society has wrecked havoc on much-needed social networks. At the same time, medical studies have proven the importance of a large, strong network of friends for good health and longevity. People with a healthy support system report lower stress, are less depressed and are better equipped to deal with problems and emergencies.

But how do you grow a circle of friends? What if you've moved, changed jobs, had a child or experienced another life change that often takes you away from your social circle? Moms with preschoolers, in particular, are often extremely isolated, at a time when they most need support, friendship, nuturing and 'mother mentors'. WHERE'S MY VILLAGE? teaches moms the skills necessary to reach out and make new friends.

Even if your social skills are rusty, or you have no idea how to make friends as an adult in a strange city, WHERE'S MY VILLAGE? will guide you, giving tips and info on where to look to create a new social network, how to approach new people, how to move relationships forward and how to develop the range of relationships, from casual acquaintances you can call for coffee, fellow moms you can swap babysitting with, and close girlfriends you can go to for advice and real emotional support.

Other information: Meagan Francis is the author of TABLE FOR EIGHT and the EVERYTHING GUIDE TO POSTPARTUM CARE.

NONFICTION - HEALTH

PLUS-SIZE FERTILITY, by Brette Sember and Dr. John Yeh. Health/Pregnancy. All rights available.

Following up on the newly-released, popular guide, Your Plus-Size Pregnancy, Brette Sember's latest work, Plus-Size Fertility, written with Dr. John Yeh, explores the special difficulties faced by plus-size women struggling with infertility. There are 6.1 women facing infertility in the US today, and weight plays a major role in a vast percentage of those cases, a factor overlooked by the non-plus-size population, but heartbreakingly real to anyone living through it. Overweight patients experience anovulation, infrequent cycles, increased risk of miscarriage and difficulty with IVF procedures. Brette Sember and Dr. Yeh present the problems, and possible treatments, with patience, caring and insight.
Written by a plus-size mom who has herself experienced fertility problems and miscarriage, Plus-Size Fertility addresses the whole woman, not just the physical challenges, but the emotional aspects, too. Supportive, positive, filled with quotes from other women in the same situation, Plus-Size Fertility is an absolutely unique title.Brette Sember is the author of more than twenty books, including Your Plus-Size Pregnancy, Your Practical Pregnancy Planner, and The Infertility Answer Book. She is a contributing writer for ePregnancy and AmaZe magazine, and her articles appear in such publications as Conceive, Pregnancy, Every Baby, American Baby and more. Her website www.YourPlusSizePregnancy.com was recently awarded the Size Wise Award for promoting positive self-image about plus-size women.
Dr. John Yeh is Chairman of Obstetrics and Gynecology at the State University of NY School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences, Buffalo, and has served on the faculty of Harvard and has headed National Institute of Science studies. He currently serves on the editorial board for the journal, Clinical Updates in Women's Health.

NONFICTION - BUSINESS/INVESTING

CA$HVERTISING: How to Use 50 Secrets of Ad-Agency Psychology to Make BIG MONEY Selling Anything to Anyone! by Drew Eric Whitman. Business. Translation/audio rights available. World English Rights to Career Press.

This comprehensive, entertaining guide would be invaluable to anyone from the part-time home-based entrepreneur to the owner of a mid-size business who wants to get more bang for his advertising buck. Written in a highly engaging, lively style, Whitman uses real-world (often amusing) examples to give an in-depth look into what makes advertising successful, and how to boost sales using the same techniques larger companies pay advertising executives big money to implement. This guide not only teaches what techniques to use, it explains why they work, so readers can easily apply their new knowledge to their own unique needs. With more new home-based businesses than ever before, and more than 23 million people in America starting new businesses or managing firms less than four years old, the market for this book is already huge, and growing every day.

Other information: Drew Eric Whitman, a.k.a. "Dr. Direct!"(trademarked), is an internationally renowned advertising trainer and consultant. He has created effective advertising for such clients as Texaco, American Automobile Association, Faber-Castell Corporation, Amoco, Panasonic, Staples, TV Guide, and many others. He's also the creator of the popular Advertising MAGIC! training program. His ezine, AdPOWER! Online, is read by thousands of subscribers worldwide, while many businesspeople also turn to his website AdSurgeon.com and his 3-hour live AdPOWER! Clinic training seminar to learn his techniques and strategies.

NONFICTION - WRITING REFERENCE

INCIPIO, by Marc Dettenrieder and Adam Hlawati. Language/Writing. All Rights Available.

A groundbreaking new writer's comprehensive handbook of more than 2,000 introductory phrases, clauses and transitional expressions. Incipio (Latin for 'to begin') is an easy to use guide of sentence starters that will elevate the presentation value of any written document or speech. Extremely useful for students, business professionals, speech writers, journalists, and public speakers. The absolutely unique format of Incipio makes it simple to quickly and efficiently find alternate phrases to keep your writing lively and engaging. Never fear a blank page again!

NONFICTION - EDUCATION, PARENTING

THE PORTABLE TUTOR, by Chris Balme and Erin O'Briant. Education/Parenting. All Rights Available.

Description: A comprehensive starting guide for anyone interested in helping students achieve their full potential, from parents to teachers to freelance professional tutors. The Portable Tutor introduces the fundamentals of building a positive tutoring relationship and helping students find motivation and relevance. With specific strategies for reading, writing and organization, it demonstrates how to help the student connect with academic material, and uses clever approaches to make tutoring fun and engaging for both the tutor and the student.
Tutoring, both informally and professionally, has become increasingly prevalent in schools, and there are currently 4.9 million teachers who meet with students on an individual basis. Additionally, there are 1.5-2 million homeschooled children in America whose parents or home teachers are looking for new ways to help their students.

Students are also facing more challenges and competition in school and after, making it more and more important for parents to learn the skills necessary to assist their children in a positive and encouraging atmosphere. The market for books like The Portable Tutor is huge and will only continue to grow as it becomes more and more necessary to give students an extra edge inside the classroom, and out.

Other information: Chris Balme is co-founded of Spark, a nonproject youth apprenticeship program, and co-founded Edge Tutors, a socially minded cooperative of independent tutors serving the S.F. Bay area. Chris is a graduate of UPenn and the Wharton School of Business.
Erin O'Briant holds an MFA from Emory University and spent two years in the Writing Success Project at City College of San Francisco.

NONFICTION - MUSIC BIOGRAPHY

ROBERT CRAY: From the Shadow of the Blues, by Chris Scott Wilson. Music/Biography. All Rights Available.

An intriguing, and seminal, biography of contemporary blues legend, Robert Cray, including lengthy interviews with Cray's manager, the producers who discovered and helmed Cray's career, and key members of the Mercury/Phonogram team who engineered Cray's international break-through. Also included is a complete discography.

NONFICTION - MIDDLE GRADE CHILDRENS

THEN AND NOW, by Susan M. Traugh, a biography series for reluctant readers 8-12. Middle Grade. All Rights Available.

This nonfiction series for ages 8-12 matches two significant people sharing common characteristics, one contemporary and one historical, in each book to make history come alive for reluctant readers. Each individual biography is short enough to be non-threatening to the reader, but combined together, create the 'bigger' book older kids prefer to be seen reading.
Written in a colorful, captivating manner, the author details the life of an historical figure, such as Edgar Allen Poe, and then separately, someone kids will know well, such as R.L. Stine, showing the amazing similarities in their lives and characteristics. Other paired figures are Barack Obama and Abraham Lincoln, C.S. Lewis and J.K. Rowlings, Nelson Mandela and George Washington, and Mark Twain and Oprah.
This is a truly fun and amazing series with a unique hook guaranteed to 'hook' readers into wanting more!

FICTION - HISTORICAL MYSTERY

THE BOOK KEEP by Tom Durwood. Historical mystery. First of a proposed series. All Rights Available.

Description: When a talented young Dutch bookkeeper, Matthias Sykes, is assigned to supervise the accounting for King James' epochal undertaking, the translation of the Bible in 1611, he quickly uncovers rampant embezzlement, political infighting, runaway egos, murder and treachery, and a historical mystery that dates back to the dawn of Christianity and threatens the very foundations of the Church.
Sister Beatrice, a shy and sheltered noviciate with the ability to read twelve languages, including ancient Aramaic, has been tasked with reconciling the proposed translations presented by conflicting companies of scholars. In her search for a fabled missing book of Paul, she becomes a target for forces bent on preventing the document from ever being revealed. Matthias and Sister Beatrice must elude assassins to track an ancient artifact that will reveal the location of the missing book of Paul, and uncover the shocking knowledge it contains.

FICTION - MYSTERY

LAST CALL, by Matt Nunes. Mystery/Suspense. All Rights Available.

Trouble has a way of stalking Paul Costa. But when the latest trouble comes in the form of a very dead Congressman with a knife in his ear, the same knife Paul was just using, the same Congressman Paul just neatly ejected from his bar, he knows trouble's not just passing through, it's come home to roost.
Paul had tried to retreat from life, and from pain, raising his young daughter, Marisol, alone after the death of his beloved wife. The former JAG attorney and Naval Officer needed roots, and time to heal, and his daughter needed a father who would be there for her, always, just as he promised her he would be. But being the prime suspect in a high-profile murder threatens to tear him from her. And that was something Paul Costa was not going to allow to happen, even if it means hunting down a killer whose already got Costa in his sights, and who knows the way to reach him is through Marisol.

FICTION - MYSTERY

THE LAW OF THE SPLINTERED PADDLE, An Ava Rome mystery, by Mark Troy. Mystery/Suspense. All Rights Available.

Hawaii may be known for its gorgeous beaches and technicolor sunsets, but to female M.P. turned P.I. Ava Rome, it's a place of dangerous family secrets and a past that's about to come back, armed and dangerous. The Law of the Splintered Paddle (a Hawaiian law dictating all citizens must protect the defenseless, whether innocent or not) immerses the reader in contemporary Hawaii, exposing both its beauty and its deadly side, where paradise is sometimes bought and sold in human flesh.

FICTION - MYSTERY

PEACE, LOVE AND MURDER: A Bo Forrester Mystery by N. L. Conner. Mass Market Rights Available. Hard Cover Rights to Five Star.

This first book in a debut mystery series introduces us to Bo Forrester, a cab driver who has recently moved to the small town of Rhodes, New York to reconcile with the hippie parents he has not spoken to since the joining the army at eighteen. Any hopes he'd had for a family reunion seem to be dashed, however, as the commune he was raised on is now a subdivision and his parents are long gone. With no other family or friends to attend to, and little direction in his life, Bo decides to stay in the quiet college town and return to a simpler way of life. Before long, the small-town calm is shattered when Bo is pulled over for a routine traffic stop, only to become the prime suspect in the biggest murder case Rhodes has ever seen. Nosy Deputy Trudy Hauser searches Bo's cab, convinced she can nab him for drug possession, but what she finds in the trunk is much more incriminating. Someone has murdered local philanthropist Fred Davies, and all clues seem to lead to Bo. Time is running out for Bo to track down the real killer and clear his name. As he races around town, following leads that only raise more questions and narrowly avoiding getting arrested or killed in the process, Bo must decide who he can trust with his life, even if it means befriending once-enemy Deputy Hauser or hiding from an entire town of friends and acquaintances.

FICTION - YOUNG ADULT

AGGIE OF RAVEN'S LAIR, by Louise Wynne-Franks. Young Adult Gothic Mystery. All Rights Available.

13-year-old Aggie Trevellyn gazed up at the foreboding estate of Raven’s Lair, perched on a cliff at the edge of the windswept coast of Cornwall, England. The towering stone walls seemed to close in on her. Home, she thought. With her beloved parents gone forever, she had no choice but agree to accompany her Uncle here, to leave behind everything and everyone she’d known and loved.

Aggie never felt more alone. But then a surprise encounter with a mysterious handsome boy named Nick gives Aggie hope that things aren’t quite so bleak. But why were Nick’s hands so very cold, and why did he
smell of the sea?

She meets the mansion’s warm-hearted housekeeper, Rose Brown, and Aggie’s remarkable and wacky Great-Aunt Moth, and discovers that she has allies here in Raven’s Lair, and she’s about to embark on the
adventure of a lifetime. Could Moth really be serious when she tells Aggie she can teach the girl to travel outside her body, or is it all just the ramblings of an eccentric old woman?

Aggie soon realizes the walls of Raven’s Lair echo with secrets, and she may be the only one able to be able to unlock them. A ‘spirited’ raven, a haunted castle, a murder mystery and a queen’s ransom in jewels all await Aggie, who must conquer her fears and believe in herself to save everyone dear to her.

FICTION - YOUNG ADULT

HOW TO HIRE A SUPERHERO: A Beginner's Guide, by Rusty Fischer. Young Adult. All Rights Available.

When 15-year-old Gerber Templeton entered a contest to pick the next Gamma Man for the up-coming movie, he never imagined how much his life was going to change. The same obsession with Gamma Man trivia that seemed to have sentenced him to a lifetime of ridicule, also presented him with the opportunity of his dreams. Gerber went to the movie studio determined to prove his worth to anyone who cared to notice, but as he soon finds out, he had underestimated the power of a single, nerdy boy. Gerber does much more than just have the time of his life choosing the actor to play in a new, low-budget Gamma Man movie. He proves to the whole world that the underdog can prevail, and most importantly, he finally gains the respect of his successful, and highly critical, father.

Member, The Authors Guild
Member, The Connecticut Association of Publishers and Authors

November 9-11, 2007, Mystery Writers of America Crime Bake, MA

April 11, 2008, ASJA NY Conference

April 13, International Women Writers Guild Reception, NYC

May 10, 2008 CAPA-U, Connecticut Authors and Publishers Association annual conference, Hartford, Connecticut

October 19, 3-6pm International Women Writers Guild Open House, NYC

November 14-16 Mystery Writers of America New England Crime Bake

Rachel Dowen, Associate Agent rdowen@talcottnotch.net Handling childrens fiction and nonfiction, mystery and suspense, some fantasy, science fiction and horror. See her personal page at Publishers Marketplace for information on listings and sales.

We are extremely selective with new projects. Please query before submitting any material. Phone and fax queries are strongly discouraged.

In fiction, we require completed manuscripts from previously unpublished authors. In childrens, Rachel will consider select picture books along with chapter books, middle grade and YA works. Absolutely no poetry.