Publishers Marketplace: J R Lankford


	Brazil edition of The Jesus Thief in Portuguese. The Secret Madonna in Russian.

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THE JESUS THIEF SERIES - BRAZIL & RUSSIA

Indy Thrillers Publish Abroad

BELLAIRE, TX (APRIL 19, 2014) --

Out from Russia's publishing giant, EKSMO, in February, and in March a Portuguese edition from SAIDA DE EMERGENCIA in Brazil, J R Lankford's THE JESUS THIEF thriller series' first three installments were also published by Turkey's MAYA KITAP last year. Like William P. Young's phenomenon, THE SHACK, the series straddles secular and religious genres in a way that appeals to a broad mainstream readership.

Ten years ago, the first novel in the series predicted the historic breakthrough in cloning technology reported in the journal, Cell last June 5--a 50% success rate in producing cloned human embryos. Dr. Robert H. Foote of Cornell, a pioneer in cloning science, called The Jesus Thief a "spellbinder" and Booklist gave it a starred review. A finalist for indy awards, it was optioned for film.

Book 4 in the series, THE COVERT MESSIAH, out from Great Reads Books last fall, is a stunner on the subject of faith. KIRKUS REVIEWS says it is "extremely well-orchestrated ... engaging, tense."

What began in THE JESUS THIEF (2003/2012) as an exciting cloning plot, a la Michael Crichton and Dan Brown, has evolved into a complex and enthralling study of cultures, philosophies and religions. The cast of characters is both diverse and deeply human--Jew, Christian, and Muslim; believers and non-believers; sinners and saints. They live and die, daring and loving and hating from the penthouses of New York, to Italy's northern lakes (THE SECRET MADONNA, 2008), to Mexico's impoverished basureros (THE SACRED IMPOSTOR, 2012), and now to the African bush.

At one of Italy's typical Saturday markets, Maggie Johnson faints when she sees her dead son, now eighteen. Is he Jesus resurrected? If so, what startling message has he come to deliver? Does earth's survival really depend on Biblical passages--echoed in all religions--that no logical modern person can believe? What secret did humanity leave behind in Tanzania 60,000 years ago?

Lankford, who represents herself via THE NOVELPRO AGENCY, says Eksmo will publish the next book in the series this month. She developed them in NovelPro, an advanced critique group she founded for novelists in 1997, and isn't the only one of its authors grabbing at literary brass rings.

Bank Street included Susan Coventry's THE QUEEN'S DAUGHTER from HENRY HOLT FOR YOUNG READERS on its 2011 list of the Best Children's Books of the Year. The Queen's Daughter showcases the turbulent 12th century through the life of Princess Joan of England who reigns under the precepts of her mother, Eleanor of Aquitaine.

Vanitha Sankaran's WATERMARK, about papermaking during the Inquisition in 14th century France, was a Historical Novels Review EDITOR'S CHOICE selection.

Others in NovelPro have received literary accolades, including Lynn Hoffman's starred Booklist review for bANG bANG! and a starred Kirkus review for Paula Jolin's IN THE NAME OF GOD.

To browse NovelPro books, visit: http://www.novelpro.com/NovelPro/Bragging_Rights.html.

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