HOLLYWOOD-BOUND NOVEL IN FINALS FOR TWO AWARDS
HOUSTON--THE JESUS THIEF, by Houston-area author J R LANKFORD has been nominated in independent publishing's two most prestigious awards: Foreword Magazine's BOOK OF THE YEAR AWARDS and Publisher Marketing Association's BENJAMIN FRANKLIN AWARDS. Winners in both will be announced in Chicago in June during BOOK EXPO AMERICA, the book industry's annual trade show.
Acclaimed in both literary and scientific circles, The Jesus Thief is the timely story of a Jewish scientist raised as a Christian who steals DNA from the Shroud of Turin to clone Jesus Christ. HOLLYWOOD FILM RIGHTS were recently optioned by ALFRE WOODARD, the Emmy-winning, Oscar-nominated actress that Lankford imagined in the role of her character, Maggie, during the writing, along with Russell Crowe as Sam.
Lankford completed the novel in 2001, but when her then-agent despaired of selling it in the post-9/11 climate, a fan who'd read a draft offered money for its publication. Soon Lankford and nine backers she calls her "band of angels" formed GREAT READS BOOKS LLC with The Jesus Thief as their first title. The novel promptly earned a coveted starred review from the American Library Association's BOOKLIST, calling it "great stuff." It made the Amazon mystery-thriller best seller list in two weeks. In less than two months the first print run--a respectable 3000 hardcovers--had disappeared, sending the new publisher back for a second, larger printing. When Lankford's brother found himself at a function with actress Alfre Woodard, he told her about his sister's book. Woodard asked to see it and eight days later was on the phone seeking the film rights. Meanwhile, Lankford signed with top literary agent ALBERT ZUCKERMAN, founder of WRITERS HOUSE, who negotiated the deal. A Portuguese edition, CRISTO CLONADO, is in print.
Lankford is presently on tour, generating local newspaper/TV coverage and drawing crowds to her signings at bookstores across Texas--every Saturday a different city. Next is Chicago, D.C., her original home town, and New York, where much of the novel takes place. "Her gregarioius nature draws people to the table," says Andi Kopenec, Community Relationss Manager at the Lubbock Barnes & Noble.
According to rave reviews steadily appearing in both literary and scientific circles, Lankford, former international engineer turned novelist, writes with equal passion and authority about everything from the Jews of Fascist Italy, to the hot bed issues of cloning and the varied sexual nature of human beings.
"The Jesus Thief is the culmination of a yearning I've had all my life," says Lankford, a black author, "to write books that reflect our common humanity. I am honored and inexpressibly grateful to be nominated for two awards and to have the chance of seeing The Jesus Thief on the screen. When fans and author friends put up money to publish it just when all seemed lost, I admit, I cried. It's as if miracles are happening."
Excerpt, bio, press kit, and more online at: http://www.thejesusthief.com
Lankford's current Barnes & Noble schedule is: 2 p Apr 24, SAN ANTONIO; 1 p May 2 Lincoln Park DALLAS; 12 p May 8, [African-American Images Bookstore] CHICAGO; 1 p May 15 WEBSTER; 2 p May 22 MATAIRIE, LA; 2 p Jun 5 Westheimer HOUSTON; 7 p Jun 16, WEST NYACK, NY; 12:30 p Jun 22, Downtown WASHINGTON, D.C.
