Howard Moves Houses
Romance and suspense author Linda Howard has signed a new, multi-title world-rights deal with Avon/Morrow’s May Chen. Robin Rue at Writers House represented Howard; through the deal, the author will write two romantic suspense works in hardcover and two mass market originals with coauthor Linda Jones. She will also sign over e-book rights to six backlist titles. Howard had previously been at Ballantine. The first of the new hardcovers that she is penning for Avon is called The Judas Tree; Avon said it follows an operative in a “quasi-military group” who, after he is almost captured, is sent to recover with his stepsister in rural West Virginia. When the wounded soldier shows up, his stepsister doesn’t realize, Avon elaborated, “he’s bait for a trap that’s being sprung—or that she is caught in the middle.”

Lost Seaman’s Story to Atria
Salvador Alvarenga, the Mexican fisherman who was lost at sea for 14 months, will have his story told in a new book by journalist Jonathan Franklin. Peter Borland at Atria took North American rights to the currently untitled work from George Lucas at Inkwell Management, working on behalf of PFD’s Annabel Merullo. Alvarenga was adrift from November 2012 to February 2014 in a boat damaged by a storm, and the book, which is set for October 2015, is based on a series of interviews with the seaman (as well as with his colleagues and rescuers). It will chronicle Alvarenga’s unbelievable 9,000-mile trip, in which the almost-too-crazy-to-be-true details include how he caught fish with his bare hands and fended off multiple shark attacks. Foreign rights to the book have sold in multiple countries already, including Brazil, Germany, Italy, and the U.K. Franklin’s most recent book, the 2011 bestseller 33 Men, chronicled the ordeal of a group of Chilean miners who were trapped underground for 69 days.

Larson to Scholastic
In a four-book North American rights deal, Scholastic’s Lisa Sandell bought two works in a new middle-grade series, along with two middle-grade historical novels, by Newbery Honor winner Kirby Larson. The series will feature a plucky and bookish orphan named Audacity “Audie” Jones, who, stuck at a school for wayward girls, solves real-life mysteries. The first Audie Jones book is set for spring 2016. The historical novels will be companions to Larson’s award-winning Duke and Dash books (which feature stories, set in WWII, about kids being separated from their dogs). The first of the new historical works is set for spring 2016. Larson was represented by agent Jill Grinberg, who has an eponymous shingle.

Ecco Nabs Harvey’s ‘Thief’
Megan Lynch at Ecco acquired North American rights to Samantha Harvey’s novel Dear Thief. The book was originally published by Atavist Books, which went out of business last fall. Ecco will be releasing its paperback and e-book editions of the novel on April 7. Harvey is a British author who has been longlisted for the Booker. Dear Thief, Ecco said, is “written in the form of a letter to a long-lost friend” that “builds to the revelation of a long-ago act of betrayal.” Jim Rutman at Sterling Lord brokered the sale, on behalf of Anna Webber at United Agents.

Soho Teen Goes with Hamburg, Novak
Daniel Ehrenhaft at Soho Teen took North American rights to a YA caper called Black Sabbath, by writer/producer/director John Hamburg (I Love You, Man) and Lev Novak (brother of B.J.). Soho called the book, which is Novak’s debut, “equal parts Die Hard at a bar mitzvah and comedic New York City coming-of-age.” It follows a 13-year-old who becomes an unlikely hero when a classmate’s bar mitzvah is threatened by criminals. The book is set for spring 2017. Hamburg was represented by WME’s Dorian Karchmar, while Novak was represented by Janklow and Nesbit’s Paul Lucas.

Briefs
For Amazon’s 47North imprint, Jason Kirk took world English and German rights to the final title in Sarah Fine’s Servants of Fate series, as part of a two-book deal. The series conclusion is set for 2015, and was sold by Kathleen Ortiz at New Leaf Literary + Media.

Note: This story has been updated from its original version to reflect corrected information submitted by a publisher; Linda Howard had been at Ballantine, not S&S, before moving to Avon/Morrow.