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Johnson Crossed with Viking

10.08.07 Alison Flood

Publisher and author Jane Johnson has signed a "significant" six-figure deal with Viking for her novel Crossed Bones, based on the story of a distant ancestor kidnapped by Barbary pirates and sold into slavery.

Johnson, who as Harper Fiction publishing director has wrapped up recent multi-million dollar deals for Raymond Feist and Dean Koontz, is already the author of the Secret Country trilogy for children and adult fantasy trilogy Fool's Gold for Simon & Schuster, as well as writing companions to the Lord of the Rings films for HarperCollins.

She works remotely for part of the year from a Berber village in the Anti-Atlas Mountains of Morocco, after falling in love with both the country and a Berber when researching Crossed Bones.

Viking publisher Venetia Butterfield bought British and Commonwealth rights in the novel, set in 17th-century Cornwall and Morocco, from agent Danny Baror. She plans to publish in February 2008. Crown has US rights and Random House Canadian rights.

"From inspiration to completion Crossed Bones has led a charmed life; and I feel very lucky to be published by Viking Penguin, and particularly by Venetia Butterfield," said Johnson. "I learned to have great respect for her talents and her toughness as we battled over marketing budgets at HarperCollins, and then as we went head to head vying to buy books as rival editors. It'll be great to have her on my side as my publisher."

Rights deal Viking Alison Flood

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