"Galveston wonderfully recreates the exciting atmosphere of the Island City during the Civil War, bringing to life the mostly real characters in the drama with historical accuracy, yet telling the story in an engaging way that is sure to captivate any reader. It will appeal to serious students of history as well as the casual reader looking for a good story. Some of the best fiction written about Texas history." [Read more...]

Welcome Barbara Poelle, an agent with the Irene Goodman Literary agency.

Tell us about your agency and yourself.

The Irene Goodman Literary Agency has been in business for nearly 30 years with the agents representing authors in a wide range of genres including but certainly not limited to romance, women’s fiction, thrillers, mysteries, urban fiction and fantasy, commercial and literary fiction, and a wide variety of non-fiction ranging from social commentary and family issues to humor. I am particularly driven when handling thrillers, mysteries, romance (historicals ONLY), literary and commercial fiction, platform driven non-fiction, and the rare memoir.

What kind of book grabs your attention and makes you consider wanting to submit it?
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When I found myself writing a series of Civil War novels, I knew I’d need help understanding the realities of a soldier’s life in the 1860s. Fortunately, I have some friends who are Civil War reenactors, and they kindly undertook to educate me.

That education involved wearing a wool uniform in midsummer (more comfortable than you’d think), helping to carry a flag as wide as a street, and my favorite part: learning how to load and fire a cannon.

Artillery drill is like a ballet. Every movement is choreographed. Every cannoneer has his part, and must play it at the right time, in the right way, for the dance to succeed. In the Civil War, eight cannoneers served each gun. This was the ideal, of course. On the battlefield, attrition inevitably robbed the gun crews of their numbers. An interesting and rather macabre historical artifact I learned about was the chart on the inside of the lid of the artillery chest. [Read more...]

Meet Kathryn Tumen, one of five publicity assistants for Berkley and New American Library.

Tell us something about yourself and your publishing house

While I assist one of three associate directors of publicity at Berkley/NAL, I am the publicist for most mass market romances and a slew of the trade paperback romances that Berkley and NAL produce each month. Both of these imprints produce mass markets as well as trade paperbacks for The Penguin Group, which operates out of our New York offices and is owned by the international media company Pearson. The imprints I am responsible for include Signet Eclipse, Berkley Sensation, and Berkley and NAL Heat.

What exactly does an in-house publicist do?

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Laura Bradford has fourteen years of professional experience as a literary agent, editor, writer and bookseller. She understands the importance of having a friendly but critical eye on your side, a career strategist in your corner and a guide who can lead you through the travails of publication. As an editorial-focused agent, Laura works closely with her clients developing proposals and manuscripts for the most appropriate markets. Laura formed Bradford Literary Agency in 2001.

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Tell me about your agency and yourself.

The Bradford Literary Agency is a boutique agency and we offer a full range of representation services to authors who are both published and pre-published. We specialize in all types of romance (including category), romantica/erotica, women's fiction, mystery, thrillers and young adult. Some select non-fiction as well. Our goal is to form long term partnerships with our clients in order to build strong, sustainable careers.

What kind of book grabs your attention and makes you consider wanting to submit it?

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