Sunday, August 26, 2007

Lifetime Television Greenlights Best-Selling Novel

Building on a successful history of turning beloved books into original movies, Lifetime adds Kim Edwards' best- selling, critically acclaimed novel The Memory Keeper's Daughter to the roster, ordering production of the Lifetime Original Movie of the same name. Named by USA Today as their "Book of the Year" for 2006, the novel has five million copies in print and has spent sixty weeks on The New York Times Best Seller list, holding the number one spot for seven weeks. DGA Award-winning and Emmy(R) nominated director Mick Jackson ("Live from Baghdad," "Tuesdays with Morrie") has signed on to helm the project. Casting is currently underway. "The Memory Keeper's Daughter" will premiere in 2008 on Lifetime Television.

"The enormous popularity of The Memory Keeper's Daughter has been phenomenal and we're proud to bring this story to life for fans of the book," said Daniels. Adding, "We're also thrilled to be working with Mick Jackson, an incredibly respected top director who will lend a keen eye and create what will surely be an 'event' for Lifetime and our viewers."

In "The Memory Keeper's Daughter," a secret shapes the lives of two families over a quarter of a century, beginning in 1964. During a paralyzing winter storm, Dr. David Henry is forced to deliver his own twin babies. With his wife Norah under heavy sedation, he welcomes a healthy son, Paul, and a daughter, Phoebe, who has Down's syndrome. Hoping to spare his wife any heartache for having to care for a special needs child, David tells Norah their daughter died at birth and orders the nurse, Caroline, to place Phoebe in an institution. However, unable to abandon the newborn, the nurse secretly decides to raise Phoebe as her own in another city. As years pass, the two families' lives are in stark contrast to each other. David's overwhelming guilt surrounding his deception shatters the Henry's marriage and Norah mourns the loss of their child. Meanwhile, Caroline's relationship with Phoebe becomes the most rewarding and fulfilling experience of her life.

A renowned feature film and television director, producer and author, Mick Jackson is best known for directing "The Bodyguard," starring Whitney Houston and Kevin Costner, and "Tuesdays with Morrie," starring Jack Lemmon, for which he received a DGA Award. He also received two additional DGA Awards and two Emmy(R) nominations for his direction of HBO's "Live from Baghdad" and "Indictment: The McMartin Trial." His other television credits include "Numb3rs," "Jack and Bobby," "A Very British Coup," Life Story" and "Threads."

Author Kim Edwards has also penned an award-winning short story collection, The Secrets of a Fire King. A graduate of the Iowa Writers' Workshop, she currently teaches writing at the University of Kentucky.

Saturday, August 11, 2007

HarperCollins Publishers Signs Laura Bush and her Daughter Jenna for Book Deal

HarperCollins Publishers has acquired world rights to a children's book, as yet untitled, written by Mrs. Laura Bush and her daughter Jenna Bush. Set in a school, the book depicts a mischievous little boy who likes to do everything but read. With the help of his teacher, he finds out that books and their characters can be a lot of fun. The story is loosely based on Mrs. Bush's and Jenna's experiences as teachers. The text will be fully illustrated by Denise Brunkus.

The deal was negotiated by Kate Jackson, SVP/Associate Publisher, Editor- in-Chief of HarperCollins Children's Books with Washington D.C. attorney Robert B. Barnett. The book will be published in both English and Spanish in Spring 2008. The authors' net proceeds and a portion of the publisher's proceeds will go to two national teacher programs: Teach for America and The New Teacher Project.