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Sunday, May 20, 2007

Announcing...CASANEGRA!


Hello, readers--

Welcome to the new and improved "Tananarive Due Readers' Circle." I apologize to those of you who joined my former AOL Group who have had trouble sending and receiving messages in the past...but we have now arrived in a new era!

I am christening my brand new blog to tell you about a project I am VERY excited about--my first mystery novel, Casanegra: A Tennyson Hardwick Novel. But that's not where the excitement ends: This novel is a three-way collaboration between me, actor/director Blair Underwood and my husband, Steven Barnes. It's a taste of Hollywood on your bookshelf!

Casanegra will be published in July, and the buzz is already beginning. Here are a few highlights:
** Casanegra is the July pick for the Essence Book Club.
** Publishers Weekly called Casanegra "seamlessly entertaining."
** A video interview with the three of us will soon be posted on YouTube.
** New York Times bestselling author E. Lynn Harris writes: "Casanegra is a wild ride through Hollywood, heart-pounding in every way. Smooth, ultra-sexy Tennyson Hardwick is a man readers will want to meet up close. He is all heart and danger, a knight in battered armor. You will love this novel!"
What's it about?
Here's the jacket copy: "Casanegra follows the adventures of Tennyson Hardwick, a gorgeous, sexy actor and former gigolo, living on the fringes of the good life in Hollywood. This story, which chronicles the redemption of a prodigal son, combines the glamour of Hollywood with the seedy hopelessness of the inner city.
"In this hot and steamy mystery, Tennyson struggles to hang on to his acting career and redeem his sex-for-pay history, which estranged him from his family--especially his father, a decorated LAPD captain who raised Tennyson to call him 'sir.' Now, in the wake of his father's sudden stroke, Tennyson has to save himself from taking the fall for the first murder of a female rapper. In the process, he discovers his hidden talents--the hard way.
"Golden Globe-nominated actor and author of Before I Got Here, Blair Underwood joins bestselling novelists Tananarive Due and Steven Barnes to create a cool, irresistible character in Tennyson Hardwick. This gritty, provocative mystery will keep readers craving more."
Why a collaboration?
Casanegra is a brand new experience for all three of us, something none of us as individuals would have written on our own. I have known Blair for many years, since he optioned my novel My Soul to Keep and helped set it up at Fox Searchlight studios, where it is still at the script stage. The idea of a collaboration came up in our ongoing conversations. Steve and I moved to Southern California two years ago to have a more direct role in shepherding our books to films, and we consider Casanegra to be our first "co-production." It is a book written to be a movie, complete with an actor as the star. It is an utterly unique project.
There is no supernatural element in Casanegra, which is what my writing is best known for, but the book has enough suspense that I don't believe my readers will be disappointed. As in all of my work, there is a serious message beneath the entertainment: namely, the violence that plagues rap music and LAPD corruption linked to rappers. This mystery series is designed to take news from real-life headlines and fictionalize it in Tennyson Hardwick's world, all of it packaged under classic movie titles. It was great fun to write!
Are you still writing solo novels?
Absolutely! I am currently writing a sequel to my novels My Soul to Keep and The Living Blood, entitled The Colony, which will be published by Atria Books in 2008. Thank you so much for your patience, but I wanted to get it right! The Colony is set in the near-future, following the adventures of my African immortals, especially 17-year-old Fana. I will update you when I know more about the publication date.
Once again, welcome to my blog. If you want to email me, please write to me at TheLivingBlood@aol.com. I can't always respond right away, but I look forward to hearing from you!

6 comments:

Christopher Chambers said...

T & Steve: Welcome to the coolest genre on the planet (yeah I said it!), and keep us posted when you start shooting a trailer!

Steven Barnes said...

Wow! Cool blog! And terrific picture. Are you sure you're married..?

wolves said...

Tanana, congrats to you, Steve and Blaire on "Casanegra". What a great idea a three person team and a book made for a movie. Smart, smart, smart and lets not forget talent and what I admire you highly for is your hard work. I believe there are so many things we can do if we are willing to do the hard work. If there are gates we must open in this life in order to go further, the 'hardwork'gate must have to be the first gate to pass through and the last perhaps and perhaps also is the one in the middle. As a woman I am proud of you and as a friend I'm thrilled for you.
Caroline

Tyhitia Green said...

As I've told you before Tananarive, I cannot wait to read this book. I've been telling everyone to order it or buy it when it comes out in bookstores. I'm sure it will be a bestseller!
~Tyhitia

Anonymous said...

I'm reading the book right now. I'm having a hard time putting it down. I want to find out whodunit. Great book. Hope there's more.

Anonymous said...

I just finshed this book. Took me two days, I could not put it down. I loved every bit of it, especially the main character, Tennyson. Can't wait for the movie. I have been a Blair Underwood fan forever and this sexy mystery will be a big hit. The writing was fantastic so how can you miss? Looking forward to the next novel.