To read more about this deal check out the Hollywood Reporter exclusive.

New York, NY, January 28, 2013—Harlequin, one of the world’s leading publishers of books for women, today announced the signing of tremendously popular New York Times and USA TODAY bestselling author Julie Kagawa to a seven-figure multibook deal for Harlequin TEEN, its young adult imprint. The new series, Kagawa’s third for Harlequin TEEN, will feature mythical creatures in a contemporary setting.

I have always been impressed with Harlequin TEEN’s quality editing and artwork, as well as their innovative marketing. Since this next series is very close to my heart, I know we’re going to rock it together, Kagawa said.

Natashya Wilson, Executive Editor at Harlequin TEEN, secured world rights for Harlequin and will edit the series. Laurie McLean, senior agent at Larsen Pomada Literary Agents, brokered the deal.

From the moment I read Julie’s first manuscript, The Iron King, I realized she had tremendous talent and commercial potential,” said Natashya Wilson, Executive Editor of Harlequin TEEN. “Julie takes popular mythology and makes it her own with unique twists that make familiar themes fresh and unforgettable.

Julie Kagawa is the author of two previous series—the New York Times and USA TODAY bestselling Iron Fey series and the new, critically acclaimed Blood of Eden series, which is in development for release as a film. Her cinematic storytelling style has garnered great praise, including a starred review from Publishers Weekly.

The bestselling Iron Fey series consists of five books (The Iron King, The Iron Daughter, The Iron Queen, The Iron Knight and The Lost Prince) and three novellas (“Winter’s Passage,” “Summer’s Crossing” and “Iron’s Prophecy,” collected in The Iron Legends anthology). The Iron Fey has been published in more than 20 countries, including the United Kingdom, Australia, France and Germany.

The Immortal Rules is the first title in the dystopian Blood of Eden series and will be followed by the release of The Eternity Cure in May 2013. Movie rights to the Blood of Eden series have been optioned by Joni Sighvatsson of Palomar Pictures.

Harlequin TEEN plans to publish the first book in Kagawa’s new series in 2015. Review copies and interviews will be available to media closer to publication.

About Julie Kagawa
Julie Kagawa is the New York Times and USA TODAY bestselling author of the award-winning Iron Fey and Blood of Eden series. Born in Sacramento, California, she moved to Hawaii at the age of nine. There she learned many things: how to body board, that teachers scream when you put centipedes in their desks and that writing stories in math class is a fantastic way to kill time. Her teachers were glad to see her graduate. Julie now lives near Louisville, Kentucky, with her husband and a plethora of pets. She still laughs whenever she sees a centipede. For more information on Julie visit JulieKagawa.com.

About Harlequin
Harlequin (www.Harlequin.com) is one of the world’s leading publishers of books for women, with titles issued worldwide in 34 languages and sold in 114 international markets. The company publishes more than 125 titles monthly and more than 1,200 authors from around the world. Harlequin is a wholly owned subsidiary of Torstar Corporation (www.torstar.com), a broadly based media company listed on the Toronto Stock Exchange (TS.B). Harlequin’s website is located at Harlequin.com. Harlequin has offices in 18 countries, including offices in Toronto, New York and London. For more information, please visit Harlequin.com and Facebook.com/HarlequinBooks. Follow Harlequin on Twitter @HarlequinBooks.

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Media Contact:
Lisa Wray
Harlequin, Public Relations
(416) 445-5350
lisa_wray@harlequin.ca

Vancouver, WA, January 28, 2013 — Bluewater Productions, a full-service publishing and production company specializing in comics, graphic novels and multimedia, today announced it is partnering with Julie Kagawa, New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of the Iron Fey and Blood of Eden series of books for young adults, to create a comic book mini-series and graphic novel of her mega-popular book: The Iron King. Bluewater has previously worked with bestselling novelists such as John Saul, SE Hinton and William Shatner to develop novel-based comic book series.

We are really excited to be working with Julie to transform her novels into a comic book series. The Iron King is a great novel that was made to be experienced visually. This is not just a license for us. Working with Julie one-on-one through every step of the creative process will definitely show in the final product for her fans, said Bluewater Publisher Darren G. Davis.

My fans know that I am a huge comic, manga, and anime enthusiast, and I write in a very cinematic and visual manner in part due to my love of this medium, Kagawa said. With Bluewater, I get to participate actively in the creation of these works of art. That’s as exciting to me as creating my books in the first place.

Bluewater and Kagawa will use Kickstarter to crowdsource $38,000 to attract the top talent necessary to produce such a high-quality comic and graphic novel series. Starting today, fans can support this project at levels ranging from $10 to $2,500. Prizes range from comics, to mini clay “Chibi” sculptures handmade by Kagawa, to custom characterizations as comic cameos, dinners with the author, and more. To see all the fabulously creative prizes go to: Kickstarter page.

Bluewater Productions:
Bluewater is a full-service publishing and production company specializing in comic books, graphic novels and multimedia. Dedicated to pairing high-quality art with innovative storytelling, Bluewater creates a wide variety of intellectual properties that engage a growing readership and bridge the gap between comic books and the diverse multimedia marketplace. With more titles than ever, including smash hits such as the 10th Muse, VSS and The Legend of Isis, Bluewater has worked with many best selling novelists in developing comic book series. The company also has a line of biographical comics featuring The Beatles, Stephenie Meyer, JRR Tolkien, Justin Bieber, etc.

About Julie Kagawa
Julie Kagawa is the New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of the award-winning Iron Fey and Blood of Eden series. Born in Sacramento, California, she moved to Hawaii at the age of nine. There she learned many things: how to body board, that teachers scream when you put centipedes in their desks and that writing stories in math class is a fantastic way to kill time. Her teachers were glad to see her graduate. Julie now lives near Louisville, Kentucky, with her husband and a plethora of pets. She still laughs whenever she sees a centipede. For more information on Julie visit JulieKagawa.com.

About Co-writer: Sara Grundell
Sara Gundell is the author of FAME: Suzanne Collins, a biographical comic book about the author of The Hunger Games, published by Bluewater Productions in 2012. She is the founder and administrator of NovelNovice.com, one of the top young adult book blogs online. Through Novel Novice, she routinely works with top authors and publishers to feature new and popular book series for YA fans. Gundell also writes The Hunger Games and Beautiful Creatures columns for Examiner.com, covering news for both the popular book series and the movies based on them. She has contributed expert commentary to websites like MTV, NextMovie, and Movies.com. Gundell has a Bachelor of Arts in English, and over ten years experience writing for print, online, and TV news.

About Artist: Federico De Luca
Federico De Luca grew up drawing in Rome. His first job was as a comic strip illustrator and inker in 1995, while he was studying Sociology at Rome University. In 1999 he started working with digital imagery doing retouching and photo editing for very famous Italian photographers of celebrities, fashion and advertising. In 2003, he started to collaborate intensively with a fashion-specialized agency based in Rome. After many years in the communication business in Italy, in 2009 Federico decided to turn his attention to new and more stimulating professional environments and moved to Berlin, Germany. Here he restarted to draw and fell in love again with his first passion…Comics. Federico has done comics with best selling novelist John Saul and a new adaptation of the classic Dorian Gray.

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Media Contact:
Darren Davis, Publisher
Bluewater Productions
360-828-5404
ddavis@bluewaterprod.com
www.bluewaterprod.com
Twitter: @bluewaterprod

Awkward is a romantic teen comedy featuring a girl whose embarrassing moment is captured by her high school classmates and goes viral on YouTube. Suddenly dubbed “America’s Most Awkward Girl”, Mackenzie Wellesley soon finds herself dodging both the paparazzi and the popular girls at school, even as America’s hottest boy rock band, ReadySet, transforms her moment of humiliation into a hit music video! But when Mackenzie’s rise in notoriety only pushes her farther away from the guy she’s falling for, she’ll find out just how steep the price of fame can be…

Pam:
Rhonda Helms at Spencer Hill
Rhonda Helms at Simon Pulse
Vivi Barnes at Entangled

Laurie:
Alex Kahler at Spencer Hill Press
Jill Sorenson at Harlequin’s HQN
Ransom Stephens at Amazon’s 47North

Senior Agent Laurie McLean sold a Lovecraftian Wicker Man horror story from Xombies author Walter Greatshell to Night Shade Books, as well as a literary YA issues-oriented contemporary novel by multi-published author H. Scott Beazley to Disney-Hyperion

Greatshell’s Terminal Island is set on Catalina Island off the coast of Los Angeles and is already garnering interest from Hollywood. It is a tale of an Iraq War veteran who returns to the island of his childhood—and scene of his greatest nightmares—at the behest of his wife. This plunges him back into terror when he discovers that his nightmares were actually true.

Beazley’s Nowhere, Except In Between (title change expected) follows the growing friendship between two damaged teen boys from very wealthy Texas oil families as they attempt to overcome their physical and mental hardships and build a deep and healing friendship. McLean calls this novel, “Catcher in the Rye for today’s generation of teens,” and expects it to be a very big book.

Congrats Beth! We can’t wait to see the books out in the wild.

About Beth Albright:

Beth Albright has always been a story teller. After spending nearly 15 years in talk radio, as a talk show host, playing the part of a principal character on the soap opera DAYS OF OUR LIVES, owning her own acting school and children’s theatre, and raising a son who is a nationally ranked figure skater, Beth has decided to return to her roots: storytelling. When she was in the sixth grade, her teacher gave her the floor every Friday to tell her stories. See, Beth was a talker, and she was telling so many stories that her teacher couldn’t teach. This brilliant teacher told 12 year old Beth that if she would begin writing her stories down, she would be allowed time to share those stories with the class. And she’s been writing, AND talking ever since. Beth has interviewed Bob Hope, Oprah Winfrey, Betty White, Wolfgang Puck and George Burns, as well as numerous other celebrities, and authors, and newsmakers. Beth went on to become a principal character on Days of Our Lives. But through all of the excitement of talk shows and soap operas, Beth loved telling stories to her audience the most. With a degree in Journalism from her beloved University of Alabama, she remains true to her roots. Born and raised in Tuscaloosa, “My grandfather was the play by play announcer for the Crimson Tide in the 50s!” Beth will proudly tell you. She is a down to earth home spun girl, although she currently lives in LA with her writer husband and her brilliant son. She has just completed her first novel, HEARTS OF DIXIE, and her first screenplay, KISS ME GOODNIGHT (A paranormal love story).
In her work, you will find a Janet Evanovich meets Fannie Flagg, storyteller. An emotional, funny compelling writer, her prose and vivid sensual descriptions take the reader on an unforgettable journey, whether through the Deep South, or through a young teens eyes in 1976. Beth is an unforgettable writer whose words will resonate with you long after the last syllable rolls off your tongue.

LATEST NEWS…

Cecily White’s Angel Academy: Prophecy Girl about a girl who is the center of a prophecy that states she is destined to kill everyone she loves and the subsequent sequels to Liz Pelliter at Entangled Publishing in a nice deal, in a three book deal, for publication in 2013, by Pam van Hylckama Vlieg at Larsen Pomada Literary Agents.

Palomar Pictures Options The Immortal Rules and Blood of Eden Series by New York Times Bestselling Author Julie Kagawa

Los Angeles, CA; Toronto, ON – April 18, 2012 – Independent film production company Palomar Pictures today announced that it has optioned Blood of Eden, the newest series from New York Times bestselling young adult author Julie Kagawa. The Immortal Rules, the highly anticipated first book in the Blood of Eden series, will be published by Harlequin TEEN on April 24, 2012.

The Immortal Rules is set in a future world where humanity, decimated by a deadly virus, exists merely as a food source and slave class to an elite society of vampires. When a young woman, a survivor who dreams of the day humanity will rise up against their supernatural masters, is turned into a vampire, she is forced to choose between becoming what she despises or helping those who would destroy her

Palomar principal Joni Sighvatsson was passionate about The Immortal Rules’ film potential and quick to secure film rights for the book and the Blood of Eden series. “It’s simply a great story with an electrifying heroine for the 21st century. It makes the series an ideal subject for a film adaptation,” said Sighvatsson. “Julie’s ability to familiarize the reader with this complex world in a few pages demonstrates the cinematic qualities of her imagination and complements my own sensibilities as a film producer.”

Julie Kagawa felt that Sighvatsson was the right producer to partner with because of his tremendous track record for getting his films made and his passion for her books. “Joni does not take on a project unless he really loves it,” Kagawa said. “He’s thoughtful and established, and I know he’s going to make a great movie that respects my material.”

Sighvatsson has acquired a solid reputation in the movie industry. With more than 40 feature-film credits under his belt, Sighvatsson has worked closely with a wide range of talent, both in front of and behind the camera. The trademarks of his projects are the pairing of visionary directors—such as David Lynch, Kathryn Bigelow, Nicolas Winding Refn and Julian Schnabel—with strong material. This has led to a body of work that is rich and diverse.

Natashya Wilson, senior editor for Harlequin TEEN, is thrilled that Kagawa’s novels are finally coming to the big screen. “Julie writes in such a cinematic way, I have seen her books as films from day one. Her fans have been clamoring for Julie Kagawa movies for a long time and I am so pleased that they are finally going to get their wish fulfilled!”

#theimmortalrulesmovie
@jkagawa

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About Julie Kagawa

Julie Kagawa is the New York Times bestselling author of the award-winning Iron Fey series. Born in Sacramento, California, she moved to Hawaii at the age of nine. There she learned many things: how to body board, that teachers scream when you put centipedes in their desks and that writing stories in math class is a fantastic way to kill time. Her teachers were glad to see her graduate. Julie now lives near Louisville, Kentucky, with her husband and a plethora of pets. She still laughs whenever she sees a centipede. For more information on the Blood of Eden series, please visit BloodofEden.com.

About Palomar Pictures

Palomar Pictures is an independent film production company based in Los Angeles, California. Owner and principal Joni Sighvatsson is a veteran Hollywood producer whose filmography includes WILD AT HEART, BASQUIAT, KALIFORNIA and ARLINGTON ROAD. Since being acquired by Sighvatsson, the company has produced such films as K-19: THE WIDOWMAKER directed by Kathryn Bigelow and starring Harrison Ford and Liam Neeson and BROTHERS directed by Jim Sheridan and starring Natalie Portman, Tobey Maguire and Jake Gyllenhaal. Palomar Pictures’ most recent feature was the action thriller KILLER ELITE, starring Jason Statham, Clive Owen and Robert De Niro. Palomar announced a financial partnership with Grosvenor Park LLC in the fall of 2011 for three movies, including an adaptation of Stephen King’s Rose Madder.

About Harlequin

Harlequin is one of the world’s leading publishers of books for women, with titles issued worldwide in 34 languages and sold in 113 international markets. The company publishes more than 110 titles monthly and more than 1,200 authors from around the world. Harlequin is a wholly owned subsidiary of Torstar Corporation, a broadly based media company listed on the Toronto Stock Exchange (TS.B). Harlequin’s website is located at Harlequin.com. Harlequin has offices in 19 countries, including offices in Toronto, New York and London. For more information, please visit Harlequin.com.