August 2010 — Alive Communications author Diane Noble’s recently released book The Sister Wife (Avon Inspire/HarperOne) was included in USA Today cover story on the popularity of Amish fiction. The feature article, written by Deirdre Donahue is titled “Romance novels set in Amish country pick up the pace.”

As the article states, “The Amish aren’t the only religious group finding their way into romance novels.” The Sister Wife examines the struggle of three women as they become entangled in the early stages of Mormon polygamy in the 1840’s. With the help of outside Christian forces, they plan their escape from this growing cult as it moves west. Based on historical events—including the arrest of Joseph Smith in Nauvoo, IL—Diane Noble skillfully weaves an intricate plot line that challenges the foundations of family and faith. –JK

Day of War by Cliff Graham

The Story of King David Seen Through the Eyes of a Modern Veteran

August 3, 2010 — Zondervan welcomes Cliff Graham into the Zondervan family as a fresh voice in Biblical fiction who has created a unique recreation of the epic battles of King David and his Mighty Men that took place long before David was king of Israel. Zondervan acquired the novel in a multi-book deal with Graham and will release the first book in the Lion of War series in the spring of 2011.

Graham writes from his own experiences in the modern military and from interviews with combat veterans from every major war since World War II. As a member of the Army chaplain program, Graham has had the chance to spend time with wounded soldiers and is familiar with the stresses such experiences place on warriors and their loved ones.

“Cliff Graham has a remarkable talent for envisioning Biblical stories and creating page-turning fiction,” says Cindy Lambert, vice president & associate publisher at Zondervan. “Similar to Wilbur Smith and Bernard Cornwell, Cliff’s epic novels portrays the intense, gritty reality and heroic exploits of real heroes of the ancient world.”

Day of War, the first novel in the Lion of War series, is based the lives of King David and his mighty men, which is recounted in 2 Samuel. Day of War tells the story of Benaiah, who is described in 2 Samuel as a “valiant fighter from Kabzeel who performed great exploits.” In the novel, Benaiah is  looking for a fresh start and finds David and his disgruntled and reckless group of warriors. Over the course of ten days, from snowy mountain passes to sword-filled battlefields, David and his fellow mercenaries must call upon everything they have learned to survive and rebuild their shattered nation.

Filmmaker David L. Cunningham, director of The Path to 9/11, and Grant Curtis, producer of the Spiderman franchise, have optioned the Lion of War series and are developing a major motion picture franchise as the inaugural entry in their newly formed GiantKiller Pictures banner.

“There is a high level of satisfaction seeing these world-famous characters come to life in a Braveheart meets Gladiator sort of way,” says literary agent Joel Kneedler, of Alive Communications. “Cliff has created down-to-earth personalities that will light up imaginations and the silver screen.” –JK

Ed Thomas on the cover of Sports Illustrated

July 2010 — The family of Coach Ed Thomas was given the Arthur Ashe Courage Award at the 2010 Espy Awards on July 14th. The Arthur Ashe trophy has come to symbolize individuals whose merit transcends sports, radically changing people’s lives through their bravery and compassion.

The awards were accepted by Jan Thomas, the wife of the late Ed Thomas, and her sons, Todd and Aaron, for their actions of forgiveness and reconciliation following Ed Thomas’ murder in 2009. Aaron Thomas has since stepped into his father’s shoes as Athletics Director, and coaches the boys’ basketball team.

“This award is a great testament to the type of man my father was,” Aaron Thomas said, “Even in the toughest of times, we know how my dad would have handled the situation. We are humbled and honored to receive this award.”

The Ed Thomas story is being represented by Lee Hough of Alive Communications, and is currently under bid by four industry-leading publishers.

To view the ceremony and read more on the Thomas family, click here.  -LH

June 2010 — Who Do I Talk To?, book 2 in Neta Jackson’s “The Yada Yada House of Hope” series (Thomas Nelson), took top honors in its category at this year’s Christy Awards banquet. The Christy, named in honor of Catherine Marshall’s beloved book, is awarded to novels of excellence. Neta’s previous best selling series, “The Yada Yada Prayer Group” sold over 500,000 copies and was preceded by yet another best selling series with her husband, Dave, titled, “Trailblazers”, which sold over 1.7 million copies. –LH

May 2010 — Alive client Richard Stearns garnered ECPA’s top award – Book of the Year – for his compelling life story, The Hole in Our Gospel (Thomas Nelson). The annual award is based on excellence in content, literary quality, and significance of contribution. Quite a feat for a first-time author.

Stearns is president of World Vision, one of the largest humanitarian organizations dedicated to feed, clothe and educate children worldwide. Ten years ago, he came face-to-face with the question, What does God expect of us?, as he sat in a mud hut in Rakai, Uganda, listening to the heartbreaking story of an orphaned child. His response tore him out of his corner office at one of America’s most prestigious companies to walk with the poorest of the poor in our world.

Stearns joins novelist Karen Kingsbury to become the second Alive client in three years to receive the industry’s highest award. –LH

The deal was negotiated by Alive’s founder and president Rick Christian, and assisted by agent Joel Kneedler.

“Multiple publishers were interested in acquiring Governor Pawlenty’s book because it’s a great American success story of a leader who rose from the gritty streets of South Saint Paul to the highest office in his home state,” Christian said, noting that the memoir will detail the death of the Governor’s mother when he was just 16, to working his way through college and law school, to his successful strategy to balance a budget and rein in spending. “Tim Pawlenty will also share his unique perspective on our times, while taking readers back to values solidified during the Reagan-era foundation of his career in public service,” Christian said.

Pawlenty was elected in 2002 to replace then-governor Jesse Ventura, and was re-elected in 2006, no small feat for a Republican in a state known for electing Democrats. Throughout his time as governor, Pawlenty has been gaining national recognition for his strong leadership and his purposeful commitment to service, fiscal restraint, and personal integrity.

In the face of a massive, $4.8 billion budget deficit, Pawlenty balanced the budget, cut runaway spending, reformed health care, improved education, and created an improved job climate for his state—all without raising taxes.

“We are honored to publish this new book by Governor Pawlenty,” said Ron Beers, senior vice president and group publisher, who acquired the book for Tyndale, whose New York Times bestsellers include those by Alive clients Karen Kingsbury and Lisa Beamer, among others. –RC

Staff Promotions: Lee Hough and Sonya Stricklin

“Personal attentiveness and skilled advocacy are the hallmarks of Lee and Sonya’s work,” Christian said. “It is what makes Alive stand out as one of the premier literary agencies in the country.”

Lee, an 18-year publishing veteran, joined Alive in 2001 as a literary agent. His record of accomplishment has earned him industry-wide respect and Thomas Nelson’s “Agent of the Year” award. Lee’s passion for authors and their work has resulted in:

• Same Kind of Different As Me (Nelson) being on New York Times bestseller list for more than 100 consecutive weeks, with a film adaptation in the works starring Samuel Jackson.

• Lynn Vincent collaborating on Sarah Palin’s runaway bestseller, Going Rogue (Harper).

• Representing all literary tie-ins to “Mary, Mother of Christ”, the highly anticipated prequel to “The Passion of the Christ.”

Lee works with a select stable of critically acclaimed and award winning authors, including Terri Blackstock (6+ million novels sold); Tom Carter, writer of nine New York Times celebrity bestsellers; Sheila Walsh (4+ million books sold); megachurch pastor Miles McPherson, and Randy Singer whose novels have been described by Publishers Weekly as, “gripping, obsessively readable.”

Sonya brings 21 years of experience in finance and human resources to Alive. Prior to Alive she worked 10 years in various accounting positions in a variety of industries and for 2 years as an HR consultant. During her 5 years in Benefits and Compensation for Schlage Lock, an Ingersoll-Rand company, she was recognized for her multi-million dollar cost savings implementations. In her 5 years with Alive, Sonya has provided invaluable leadership and financial integrity. She will be responsible for all financial, business management and HR functions at Alive, as well as other development entities.

“Sonya and Lee are extraordinary in every area of their lives,” Christian noted. “Alive’s success is dependent on their leadership and the strength of our unparalleled team.”

Carrie Carter

December 17, 2008 — Award-winning columnist and author Carrie Carter, M.D. was honored recently by the San Diego Christian Writers Guild (SDCWG) for Excellence in Magazine Writing for her column “Health Matters” in MOMSense Magazine. Beth Jusino represents Carrie Carter.

Mark Tabb

December 17, 2008 -– Alive author/collaborator, Mark Tabb, appears with Alec Baldwin on Larry King Live to discuss Alec’s latest release, A Promise to Ourselves about parental alienation syndrome. –LH

Sarah Palin, Going Rogue

December 2009 — Sarah Palin’s Going Rogue: An American Life, written with Alive collaborator, Lynn Vincent, tops lists around the nation. Among them are USA Today, NYT, WSJ, and Amazon.com. HarperCollin’s spokeswoman Tina Andreadis reported sales of over one-million copies just two weeks after publication. Harper has now increased the original print run from 1.5 to 2.8 million. Going Rogue has officially joined the elite class of million-selling political memoirs.

Since penning the NYT’s bestselling memoir, Same Kind of Different As Me, Lynn’s talent for riveting storytelling has garnered critical acclaim in other memoirs such as The Blood of Lambs by ex-terrorist Kamal Saleem, and Never Surrender by former Delta Force Commander, William “Jerry” Boykin. Lee Hough secured the deal with Palin’s agent, Bob Barnett. — LH