Word has come down that Chinese language rights for HERETIC, book one of the Templar Chronicles, have sold to Taiwan publisher New Star for publication sometime in 2008. This brings the number of languages I’ve been published in to five (English, Italian, German, Russian, and Chinese) – one for every year I’ve been in this business.

(Note – this is not the big news I mentioned in my last entry. That news will have to wait another week or two – verbal contracts have all been worked out but the actual paperwork won’t be signed until late next week. Yes, it does involve HERETIC. Yes, it is very cool. No, I can’t say anything more about it at the moment. Stay tuned!)

Earlier this month I talked about the new three book deal my agent had landed with my current German publisher, Droemer-Knaur. I’m now free to talk about those titles and wanted to share a little background information with you regarding them.

The new books are:

EYES TO SEE which is about a man who gives up his sight in order to see through the eyes of the ghosts that surround him, all in the hopes of finding the daughter who disappeared without a trace from his home eleven years before. (Publication in 2008)

THE WITCHES HAMMER focuses on a serial killer using 16th century witch-hunting techniques to select his victims and the maverick FBI agent who is assigned to stop him. Things go sideways, however, when the agent begins to understand, and even agree with, the killer’s decisions. (Publication in 2009)

THE BOOK OF COMING SORROWS deals with the discovery of a long-lost manuscript penned by the apostle John, a manuscript that, when read aloud, sets off the cataclysmic events described by John in Revelation. (Publication in 2010)

All other rights are still available, including US/UK/Canada, and information can be gained by contacting me at author@josephnassise.com or my agent at d4e0@optonline.net.

Word came this week that my story “On This Day of Reckoning” was accepted for publication in the HOLY HORRORS anthology, edited by Matt Cardin and T.M. Wright.

This was a story that I started at the Borderlands Press Writing Bootcamp back in January when we were given an assignment to write the opening of something new. At the time, I had no idea where I was going with it, but something about it seemed to work and so when the anthology call came up I thought I’d dust it off . This is actually the second sale I’ve made from an assignment we did at the camp – the other one turned into the sale of a new novel called EYES TO SEE to Droemer-Knaur in Germany.

I don’t have any idea who else is involved with the project, but word is that a full table of contents will be available sometime soon. I’ll be sure to post the whole thing here when it is.