In 1972, police officer Phillip Cardillo was shot and killed inside Harlem's Mosque #7 in the midst of an all-out assault on the NYPD from the Black Liberation Army. Circle of Six is the true story of Detective Randy Jurgensen's determined effort to bring justice to Cardillo's killer, Lewis 17X Dupree, by taking on the Black Liberation Army, the Nation of Islam, NYPD brass and city hall. He broke the case with an unlikely accomplice, Foster 2X Thomas, a member of the Nation of Islam who became Jurgensen's witness. The relationship they formed during the time before the trial gave each of the two men a greater perspective of the two sides in the street war and ultimately changed them forever. The book is co-written by Robert Cea, who is a former NYPD detective.

The Truth About Congress

The House of Representatives was never intended to be non-partisan, but arguably never before in our history has it been run in such a partisan manner. For the last decade under Republican domination and the rule of Newt Gingrich and Tom Delay, Democrats have been excluded almost completely from the legislative process. The ensuing reality is that our government doesn't work at all the way we have been taught - when it even does.

A House Divided... Why People Are Right to Hate Congress and What the Left Should Do About It by five term Congressman Robert Wexler with best selling author David Fisher, is the inside story of Congress as seen through the events of the last decade. Using his own experiences as well as relating stories of Democratic colleagues who have fought the Republicans, Robert Wexler tells the whole truth about Congress, an institution damaged by partisan politics, and proposes a radical transformation.

Acquired by Thomas Dunne for Thomas Dunne Books

Relentless Deals for Relentless Aaron

Relentless Aaron has scored another big deal - this time in multimedia. Push was recently sold to film icon Bill Duke, who is exploring opportunities to take Push into other mediums beyond film, including TV, the internet, graphic novels, and video games, as stated in the Hollywood Reporter.

Push is the first in a series of 30 tales combining urban fiction and black erotica in Harlem's underworld. The protagonist Push is a hitman who weaves a web of intrigue, sex and violence between the people of Harlem until readers are 'pushed' to the edge along with him.

Life, Backwards

The true cause of death is often the one omitted detail of history, but in fact reveals the most poignant snapshot of an individual's life. Through archeological records, published obituaries, autopsy reports, death certificates and medical documents, Michael Largo reveals the true last days of public figures, and reviews their lives from the vantage point of death.

The Portable Obituary: The True Cause of Death of Public Figures examines revealing details about how a famous and celebrated person's deeds, intimate habits and lifestyles, good or bad, ultimately influence their mode of death, and in due course, determine their role in history and culture. The Portable Obituary makes clear that life, famous or not, can only be fully understood backwards.

Terrell Owens on Teamwork

Instead of stopping after his most recent book, T.O., was listed as a New York Times Best Seller, Terrell Owens has written a children's book about the virtues of teamwork entitled Little T Learns to Share. Little T is a boy who doesn't want to share his new football; he is afraid that his friends might mess it up. When he tries to play by himself, however, he realizes that football isn't any fun alone. Thanks to his mother's good advice, he wins back his friends, and learns the virtue of sharing and the importance of being fair.

A far cry from his two autobiographies, Little T Learns to Share depicts the Dallas Cowboys wide receiver in a new position - a role model.

Why He's Cheating

There is a growing number of married middle and upper class black men who take sex tours to Brazil and other countries without their wives. Authors Jewel Woods and Karen Hunter take a closer look at this rising phenomenon in their upcoming book, which explains why these men are not being satisfied at home and delineates the steps these relationships take towards an inevitable fallout.

Direct Response for Michael Planit

For small business owners, the methods for giving their products visibility seem scarce. Or are they? Direct Response marketing guru Michael Planit has come up with a series of winning strategies for entrepreneurs to dramatically increase sales through infomercials, radio ads, home shopping channels, catalogs and the Internet. His book, Operators Are Standing By! is filled with practical advice on how to master everything from choosing a marketing method, formulating pricing, and analyzing sales data to trimming overhead costs, utilizing customer information, and working with companies to produce powerful ads and mailings.

Life for a Life for a Movie?

Author Ernest Hill has scored a film deal for his novel Life for a Life, which is now under option with KB/OC Venture.

Life for a Life is the story of D'Ray Reid, a hero who falls into a life of crime until he ends up in jail after a holdup. This coming-of-age story depicts his transformation as he emerges a changed man after six years in prison, and offers a stark and candid look at an American family trapped in poverty in rural Louisiana.

Webcomic Turns to Paper

Author Anthony Lappé and artist Dan Goldman have come together to create a graphic novel told through the videoblog footage of a young, anti-corporate blogger whose apartment was just blown up by another terrorist attack on New York City. Originating as a web comic strip, the authors are taking it to print in Shooting War, which will be a dark and funny satire of modern day life. It is set to be published in the fall of 2007.

A Hitman Film Deal

Charles Brandt's New York Times bestseller I Heard You Paint Houses was recently optioned for a feature film with Equity Value Group.

"I heard you paint houses" are the first words Jimmy Hoffa ever spoke to hitman Frank Sheeran, a phrase referring to murder and the blood that is splattered on the walls and floors. Former homicide prosecutor Charles Brandt tells the true story of Sheeran, based on his deathbed confession of being the man who killed Hoffa.

The Juice Behind Publishing

After working as an executive and personal assistant to high profile executives in the industry, including Jane Magazine, Karen Yampolsky knows a thing or two about the dirty side of publishing.

Her first book, Falling Out of Fashion, chronicles the career of heroine and magazine editor Jill White, who founds Jill Magazine, which features women of all sizes and colors - smart, witty, real women with aspirations beyond tinier thighs and shinier hair. Soon, mega-successful Nestrom Media takes over Jill's parent company, which allows Jill to rest assured that her magazine and lifestyle - complete with free designer clothes, celebrity friends, and a shamelessly huge salary - will be protected.

However, the ashes from the post-coital cigarette have barely hit the floor before Jill's new boss starts barking about getting ad revenue up and toning down risque articles in favor of fluff pieces with the reality star du jour. With her name, her creation and her future all on the line, Jill realizes mean girls don't get left behind in high school - they grow up and work in publishing.

What Makes You Go Grrr?

There's just so much to Grrr about. There are celebrities who forget that they're not policy makers, politicians who forget they're not celebrities, celebrities who make the news because their pet died or because they are having children out of wedlock, and then there are the celebrities who are famous for no reason at all.

In his new book Celebrities Are Running Our Country, FOXNews.com Grrr! columnist Mike Straka is the voice of reason for millions of Americans who are sick and tired of the celebrity-obsessed world in which we live today. Whether you're in the mall, driving in your car, or sitting at home watching television, there's just so much to Grrr! about, and Mike Straka, a.k.a. "The Grrr! Guy," helps you vent with a book that exposes the injustices of the world and takes down some of our biggest offenders!

The Heart of Polygamy

Journalist and filmmaker Sanjiv Bhattacharya emerges with a compelling study of America's definitions of faith through the stories and facts regarding abuse, incest, forced marriage and religious fervor within Mormon Fundamentalism. To Be A God: A Journey into American Polygamy begins in Short Creek, Arizona, America's polygamy capital, where we meet a self-declared Jesus, a family inhabiting a cave in Moab, former FLDS members, and the "Lost Boys" who were thrown out of a polygamous cult as teens. Drawing parallels between the issues at the heart of polygamy and the more general concerns of America today, To Be A God is a modern anthropological study of the evolving definition of marriage, the indoctrination in education and the fundamentalism still present in contemporary society.

Homer Hickam Takes the Tropics

In his latest Josh Thurlow book, bestselling author Homer Hickam takes readers to The Far Reaches, a chain of tropical islands that have been conquered by a bloody Japanese warlord. As Josh joins the invasion of Tarawa, he meets Sister Mary Kathleen, a pretty Irish nun who is harboring a shocking secret. Josh and his sidekick Ready must decide whether to help Sister Mary Kathleen fight the battle against the Japanese, or to settle down as "family men" in the romantic splendor of the South Seas.

Modern Medicine Without the Headaches

Good news: chocolate is good for you - except when it's bad for you. One glass of wine a day prevents heart disease, whereas three can cause colon cancer. Too much sun exposure causes cancer, but so does a lack of sunlight. The problem is that we are so barraged with an extraordinary amount of information, advice, and warnings that almost none of it has any meaning. The result is that we don't know what to believe: Is coffee good for you or bad for you? How many glasses of what should we drink everyday?

Dr. Sanjiv Chopra and Dr. Alan Lotvin finally clear up these medical contradictions in Dr. Chopra's Medical Guide: The Incredibly Complex and Confusing World of Modern Medicine Explained Simply, which breaks medical "myths" down and examines their validity through the scientific studies behind them.

Sizzle in Paradise

Joanne Skerrett takes us to the tropics in her steamy new novel Letting Loose, when her heroine, Amelia Wilson takes a break from her life as a Boston school teacher when she begins emailing Drew, a guy her friends met while vacationing on a tiny Caribbean island.

When spring break arrives and Drew invites Amelia to visit him, she takes him up on his offer and soon finds herself caught up in a whirlwind romance. Drew invites Amelia to spend the summer with him and she happily accepts. With sun-kissed days and tropical nights with Drew, Amelia's life is far from predicable. But everything changes after she discovers a deep secret...

Eastwood brings Flags of Our Fathers to Life

Praised as a meticulous, modern day epic, Clint Eastwood and Steven Spielberg's adaptation of James Bradley's bestselling novel Flags of Our Fathers was number one at the box office, and continues to receive acclaim from critics. Eastwood's depiction of the controversy surrounding the men who famously raised the flag on Mount Suribachi takes a closer look at America's earlier forms of celebrity worship, criticizing America's need to invent and memorialize heroes.

The film was directed by Clint Eastwood and co-produced by Clint Eastwood and Steven Spielberg. It stars Ryan Phillipe as John Bradley, Adam Beach, Jesse Bradford and Paul Walker.

Eastwood also directed the companion movie to Flags of Our Fathers, entitled Letters from Iwo Jima, which tells the story from the Japanese perspective. He has been nominated for a Golden Globe Award as best director for both films.

The Way of the Wiseguy Opens at the Resorts Atlantic City

The Way of the Wiseguy, a play by Joe Pistone (the real "Donnie Brasco"), is opening at the Resorts International in Atlantic City. It premiered at the Chicago Center for the Performing Arts in February and "looks like a hit" according to the Chicago Sun-Times. Click here to hear Pistone talk about his new play. For tickets and more information, please visit www.thewayofthewiseguy.com.

Awards for Opposites

Laura Vaccaro Seeger's book Black? White! Day? Night! A Book of Opposites received Best Book of 2006 awards from Child Magazine, Nick Jr. magazine and Parenting Magazine. It is also a Kirkus "Best Pick" for their Children's Book Special Edition and has received star reviews from School Library Journal, Kirkus Reviews, Booklist, and Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books. As a book that is both educational and interactive, it was also featured on the Booksense Winter 2006/2007 Children's Picks List Selection.

Laura Vaccaro Seeger Receives New Accolades

Laura Vaccaro Seeger's newest book, Walter Was Worried, has been named a 2006 IRA Children's Choice. It was also previously honored as a Child Magazine best book.

David Mamet Adapts Eric Haney's Inside Delta Force for Television

An exciting new show will be joining Twentieth Century Fox’s all-star lineup. Inside Delta Force by Command Sergeant Major Eric Haney will be making headlines in its soon-to-air television adaptation, The Unit. Created by the show’s legendary writer and co-producer David Mamet and co-written and produced by Shawn Ryan (creator of The Shield), this action-packed drama will have viewers on the edge of their seats as Special Forces operatives risk their lives to go undercover on some of the most dangerous missions across the globe.

Created by David Mamet; co-written and produced by David Mamet and Shawn Ryan of Twentieth Century Fox. (Agent: Frank Weimann)

Podcasts Available Online

• The Reta Lewis/Don Clark Podcast, Race in America, is now available. Click here to listen to the mp3 file.

• Click here for the podcast for author Joseph Gannascoli.

• The podcast for children's author and illustrator Laura Vaccaro Seeger can be found here.

Ship of Ghosts Named Editor's Pick

James Hornfischer's new book, Ship of Ghosts, was chosen as the editor's pick in Entertainment Weekly.

The Alchemyst by Michael Scott Makes Nine International Sales

Michael Scott's The Alchemyst has recently celebrated its ninth international sale. Foreign rights for the book have been sold to Portugal, Brazil, Greece, Spain, Germany, Japan, the Czech Republic, France and Slovakia.

James Hornfischer's Ship of Ghosts Named Main Selection

The Literary Group International is happy to announce Ship of Ghosts by James Hornfischer will be a main selection in Bantam’s History Book Club upon its release in October of 2006, as well as a main selection of Military Book Club in their Veterans Day Catalogue. This title is certain to follow in the success of Hornfischer’s last book, Last Stand of the Tin Can Sailors, which was also a main selection of BOMC and the Military Book Club.

Relentless Aaron Scores Multiple Deals

Push by Relentless Aaron was recently sold to film icon Bill Duke, who is "exploring opportunities to take Push into other mediums beyond film, including TV, the internet, graphic novels and video games," as stated in The Hollywood Reporter.

Aaron's novel, The Last Kingpin, was sold to Triumphant Pictures. A 14-book deal was also made for Relentless Aaron at St. Martin's Press, which will publish four new titles and ten of his previously self-published books.

Watch the Flags of Our Fathers Movie Trailer

The TV spot for the film adaptation of James Bradley's Flags of Our Fathers directed by Clint Eastwood is now available online. Click here to view the trailer at iKlipz.

Sony Buys Robert Cea's Fort Pitt

Fort Pitt by Robert Cea was recently sold to Sony Television and Apostle Pictures. Rivaling legends such as NYPD Blue and based on the book of the same name, the new television show will air on NBC in the spring of 2007. The show is slated to be a popular new dramedy, best described as a very dark version of F Troop in a precinct of the NYPD in which the troublemaking cops get sent in to work.

Tight End Turns Newspaper Columnist

A first-of-its-kind deal was made for New York Giants star Tight End Jeremy Shockey to write weekly columns for The New York Post during the 2006 football season.

Laurence Fishburne Options Gammy Singer's A Landlord's Tale

Laurence Fishburne has optioned A Landlord's Tale, written by Gammy Singer and published by Dafina Books, with plans to develop it into a film. The book follows Amos Brown, a smooth-talking hustler who straightens his ways after inheriting two Harlem brownstones. But just when he thinks his rough past is behind him, he finds himself in the midst of a West Indian drug lord and a life-changing discovery in the basement of one of his buildings. Fishburne will likely produce the film and possibly direct and star in it.

Michael Foley Tracks Catholic Influence in New Book

Michael Foley's Why Do Catholics Eat Fish on Friday? The Catholic Origin to Almost Anything explores the world of things and events and secular beliefs that evolved from Catholicism, some of which have come about through bizarre twists of history while others are the result of a long process of secularization. The book was published by Amanda Johnson at Palgrave in November 2005.

F. Lee Bailey Explores Spousal Homicide

Forge Books will publish When the Husband Is the Suspect by F. Lee Bailey with Jean Rabe. The book will examine many of the classic cases on the subject right up to and including the recent erroneous suspicions against Michael Schiavo and Jennifer Willbanks' fiance John Mason. Bailey, the bestselling author of such classics as The Defense Never Rests, is an expert on the subject given his phenomenally successful defense career that has included such suspect spouses as Sam Shepherd (the original inspiration for the archetypal TV series The Fugitive), Dr. Carl Coppolino, and, of course, O.J. Simpson. The book is slated for a 2007 Valentine's Day release.

Charles Brandt's I Heard You Paint Houses Draws Rave Reviews

"Brandt's book gives new meaning to the term 'guilty pleasure'."
--Bryan Burrough, The New York Times Book Review

"Sheeran's confession that he killed Hoffa in the manner described in the book is supported by forensic evidence, is entirely credible, and solves the Hoffa mystery."
--Michael Baden M.D., former Chief Medical Examiner for the City of New York.

"I'm fully convinced - now - that Sheeran was in fact the man who did the deed. And I'm impressed, too, by the book's readability and by its factual accuracy in all areas on which I'm qualified to pass judgment. Charles Brandt has solved the Hoffa mystery."
--Professor Arthur Sloane, author of Hoffa

Michael Crider Receives Honors

Michael Crider's The Guy's Guide to Pregnancy, Childbirth and the First Year of Fatherhood has been named Book of the Week by Life Magazine in the June 6, 2005, issue. It was also named 2005's Book of the Year by Parent-to-Parent magazine and the best book for new dads on www.fatherville.com.

Eric Haney Examines the Army of the Future

Media commentator Eric Haney - a founding member of Delta Force and author of Inside Delta Force - along with other noted military analysts and award-nominated editor Brian M. Thomsen, examines how our military must evolve to face changing times, technology and adversaries. Limited wars to possible large-scale invasions of Syria or Iran - or a major military stand-down with North Korea. Beyond Shock and Awe is a fresh, provocative look at America's army of the future. Natalee Rosenstein at Berkley acquired this title.

Warner Brothers Television Options On The Brinks

Film rights to Sam Millar's On The Brinks, and eyewitness account of the 1993 $8.5 million robbery at Brinks in NYC, called "one of the biggest robberies in U.S. history" by the New York Times, was optioned by Warner Brothers Television through Brian Pike and Matthew Snyder at CAA in conjunction with Frank Weimann.

Tommy Chong Tackles Hardship with Humor

Tommy Chong's The I Chong reveals how his humorous point of view helped him survive his time in prison after being wrongfully incarcerated for selling drug paraphernalia. Tricia Boczkowski at Simon Spotlight will publish the book this fall.

Circle of Six Set for Publication

Circle of Six by Randy Jurgensen with Robert Cea relates the story of the most infamous case in the history of the New York City police department: the murder of Officer Philip Cardillo inside Harlem's Mosque #7 in the 1970s. Gary Baddeley acquired the work for Disinformation Books.

Congressional Attorney Ditches Politics for Pastries

This Washington D.C. cake shop entrepreneur left his job as a congressional attorney to pursue his passion for baking cakes. Warren Brown, whose new show, Sugar Rush, premiered on the Food Network this October, has written Cakelove. The book, a collection of recipes from an author who has appeared on Oprah and was named one of People magazine's most eligible bachelors, was acquired by Pamela Chirls at John Wiley.

Robert J. Shapiro's 2020 Sold at Auction

Former Clinton economic advisor and Undersecretary of the Treasury Robert J. Shapiro's 2020: How Four Large Forces Will Shape Our Future was sold at auction to Michael Flamini at St. Martin's. Rights have been sold to Urano in Spain and Kobun-sha in Japan.

In My Father's House Acquired by Tarcher