Curtis Brown Australia September 2013 Rights Newsletter
Curtis Brown (Aust) Pty Ltd | Literary Agents PO Box 19 | Paddington NSW 2021 | Australia T: [61 2] 9361 6161 or 9331 5301 | F: [61 2] 9360 3935 E: annabel@curtisbrown.com.au | W: www.curtisbrown.com.au
1 Curtis Brown Australia / Rights Newsletter / www.curtisbrown.com.au
ADULT UNDERLAND Martin Chatterton (Bantam Australia, Random House) Genre: Fiction Description: Some secrets are buried deep … Set in Liverpool and Hollywood, Underland is another exciting, uncompromising thriller from the author of A Dark Place to Die. At first glance, the horrifically bloody crime scene in suburban Liverpool looks like a straightforward murder-suicide. The husband kills the wife and then himself. Simple. Or it would be if it wasn’t for the dead couple’s missing teenage son, Nicky. With Nicky’s holiday job on a Hollywood movie being shot in the city bringing unwanted press attention, newly promoted DCI Frank Keane knows that time is running out to find the missing boy. The only question is: is Nicky victim or killer? When it comes, the answer is worse than anyone expects. The deaths in Liverpool are just the start of a twisted international killing spree by an ambitious psychopath with a point to prove. As the odds, and the stakes, stack up, Keane has no option but to mount an unorthodox operation on unfamiliar and dangerous territory. And suddenly a cop from Liverpool might just be the only one who can prevent a killing that would shock the world . . . Rights Available: US & Canada, (Translation via Nerrilee Weir, Random House Aust), Audio Agent: Tara Wynne tara@curtisbrown.com.au
BIG COAL: AUSTRALIA’S DIRTIEST HABIT Guy Pearse, David McKnight and Bob Burton (NewSouth Books) Genre: Non Fiction Description: Australia’s dirtiest habit is its addiction to coal. But is our dependence on it a road to prosperity or a dead end? Are we hooked for life? And who is profiting from our addiction? Former lobbyist and political insider Guy Pearse, media and politics commentator David McKnight and environment writer Bob Burton cut through the spin to expose the underbelly of an industry whose power continues to soar while its expansion feeds catastrophic climate change. They dissect the charm offensive (and muscle) the coal industry uses to get its way, and reveal the myth of ‘clean coal’ – and the taxpayer-funded PR machine behind it. They chart the stratospheric rise of a new generation of coal barons (some high-profile, others faceless). And they lay bare the desolation in regional communities as prime farming land and much else is stripmined along with the coal. Most contentiously of all, they explore how Australia can break its dirtiest habit and move towards a prosperous, sustainable-energy future. Rights Available: World (excl. ANZ), Audio, Film/TV Agent: Tara Wynne tara@curtisbrown.com.au
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END OF THE ROAD? Gideon Haigh (Penguin Specials, Penguin Australia) Genre: Non Fiction Description: Why we have the car industry we do, why it is in trouble, and what the debate over its future tells us about Australia today. Australia is one of just thirteen countries in the world equipped to take a car from design concept all the way to a showroom – a remarkable achievement in a market so small. Yet the industry has few friends, and many vociferous critics who argue that the country should not make cars at all. In this engaging and insightful analysis for the lay reader, Gideon Haigh explains why the industry has become an ideological battleground, and reveals the more complex and surprising truth behind the partisan rhetoric. Rights Available: Film/TV Agent: Clare Forster claref@curtisbrown.com.au
STORM CLOUD Paul Kennedy (Hardie Grant) Genre: Non Fiction Description: Greed, betrayal and success: Melbourne Storm’s demise and resurrection. Melbourne Storm was created in 1998 and, situated in the heartland of a rival football code, it won three NRL premierships from five Grand Finals in its first twelve seasons and produced the best players in the game. It was the envy of clubs everywhere. But in 2010 Storm’s famed winning culture was exposed as a fraud. The club had cheated. The club had consistently rorted the NRL’s salary cap. Justice seemed hard and fast. They were fined and stripped of their trophies. A few in club management were fired, some club directors left and player managers were given suspensions. That was it. No one was charged. Storm played out that season with admirable resolve, despite playing for no reward. In the following two seasons Melbourne Storm fought back and in 2012 won the Grand Final. The rise, fall and rise of Melbourne Storm happened in a heartbeat, yet what actually took place? Storm Cloud answers the question as it reveals the hidden story, with much untold to be revealed. Rights Available: Film/TV, Audio Agent: Clare Forster claref@curtisbrown.com.au
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NO MERCY: TRUE STORIES OF DISASTER, SURVIVAL AND BRUTALITY Eleanor Learmonth and Jenny Tabakoff (Text Publishing) Genre: Non-Fiction Description: Disaster strikes. A ship goes down, a plane crashes, a party of travellers is cut off. But when the panic and confusion subside and the dead are counted, the survivors must find a way to keep surviving. And in desperation, unconstrained by law or conventional authority, the tactics they resort to can be both horrifying and ultimately self-destructive. Learmonth and Tabakoff outline the physical and neurological changes that typically affect the victims of disaster. Then, using true stories from history as case studies, they investigate the scenario famously imagined by William Golding in Lord of the Flies and borne out by the extraordinary Robbers Cave experiments of the 1950s. As this fascinating book unfolds the awful truth becomes clear. In extremity, humans are capable of a descent into murderous savagery so swift and complete it could – literally – take your breath away. ‘The lurid tales make excellent reading when you’re safely at home.’ Weekend Herald Rights Available: Film/TV Agent: Fiona Inglis fiona@curtisbrown.com.au
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CHILDREN’S LULU BELL AND THE CUBBY FORT (#3) Belinda Murrell (Random House) Genre: Children’s fiction Description: Lulu and her family are visiting their uncle’s farm for the Easter holidays. There are horses to ride, a creek to swim in, and they can even sleep outside in a tent. What fun! Lulu loves being a cowgirl on the farm, especially when all the cousins decide to build the best cubby fort ever. But when she sees a calf get stuck in the mud, Lulu has to find help – fast!
Rights Available: Film/TV, Audio Agent: Pippa Masson pippa@curtisbrown.com.au
LULU BELL AND THE MOON DRAGON Belinda Murrell (Random House) Genre: Children’s fiction Description: Lulu’s best friend, Molly, is preparing for the Moon Festival. But there’s so much to do! There are dragon costumes and paper lanterns to make, and yummy moon cakes to bake, too. Lulu and her mum offer to help out, and soon everyone gets involved. This will be a Moon Festival to remember!
Rights Available: Film/TV, Audio Agent: Pippa Masson pippa@curtisbrown.com.au
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GENERAL DOURAKINE The Countess de Segur, translated by Stephanie Smee (Simon & Schuster) Genre: Children’s fiction Description: In this rollicking tale, the cantankerous but lovable General Dourakine brings his new-found French friends, Jacques and Paul, back to his grand estate in snowy Russia. Life becomes complicated when the General’s niece, the grasping Madame Papofsky, and her eight unruly children descend on the house. Madame Papofsky is desperate to get her hands on her uncle’s enormous fortune. Find out if the General – with some help from his friends – can extract himself from her greedy clutches in this sequel to A Room at Guardian Angel Inn Rights Available: World (excl. ANZ), Film/TV, Audio Agent: Pippa Masson pippa@curtisbrown.com.au
ANDY G, TERRY D, THE BRAVE TEA-LADY AND THE EVIL BEE Andy Griffiths & Terry Denton (PanMacmillan) Genre: Children’s picture book Description: Andy G and Terry D are being chased by an evil bee. Thank goodness for the tea-lady and her bravery. A rhyming story of mischief and mayhem that will delight everyone, especially beginner readers, accompanied by Terry Denton’s energetically comic illustrations. This story first appeared in The Cat on the Mat is Flat, which featured a collection of short stories. The original black and white illustrations are now in colour, and the story has been redesigned in a larger format. Suitable for ages 3 - 103 Rights Available: World (excl. ANZ, North America), Film/TV Agent: Fiona Inglis fiona@curtisbrown.com.au
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