Oh, Suzanne(a)

Big shout-out today to my friend Suzanne Palmieri, a debut author from New Haven who scored not one but TWO two-book deals last week. (And yes, for those of you mathematically challenged, that equals four books.) Here are the announcements from Publisher's Marketplace:

• Suzanne Palmieri's THE WITCH OF LITTLE ITALY, in which a troubled senior at Yale returns to her estranged, magical family in the Bronx and unlocks secrets dating back to WWII, as well as her mysterious, lost memories, to Vicki Lame at St. Martin's, in a nice deal, in a two-book deal, for publication in April 2013, by Anne Bohner at Pen & Ink Literary (World English).

• Suzanne Hayes and Loretta Nyhan's I'LL BE SEEING YOU, a story of unexpected friendship told through letters shared between two American women on the home front during World War II, to Erika Imranyi at Mira, in a two-book deal, by Anne Bohner at Pen & Ink Literary and Joanna Volpe at Nancy Coffey Literary & Media Representation.

I was introduced to Suzanne a few years ago by a mutual friend who knew we were both writing novels and trying to get them published. Suzanne is not only a better writer than me, but she's also faster and more persistent. In the time it took me to draft two novels, I think she had churned out six or seven or eight... which is why I'm not surprised she's sitting on that pair of two-books deals.

Suzanne has been a great critic and an inspirational friend, and she stands as living proof that plenty of amateurs blessed with vivid imaginations can, will and do make it in this business. Do yourself a favor and check her out... because pretty soon you're going to own one of her books: http://suzannepalmieri.com/