Ballantine Books is a major book publisher located in the United States, founded in 1952 by Ian Ballantine with his wife, Betty Ballantine. It was acquired by Random House in 1973, which in turn was acquired by Bertelsmann AG in 1998 and remains part of that company today. Ballantine's logo is a pair of mirrored letter Bs back to back.^[1] The firm's early editors were Stanley Kauffman and Bernard Shir-Cliff.^[2]

Following Fawcett Publications' controversial 1950 introduction of Gold Medal paperback originals rather than reprints, Lion Books, Avon and Ace also decided to publish originals. In 1952, Ian Ballantine announced that he would "offer trade publishers a plan for simultaneous publishing of original titles in two editions, a hardcover 'regular' edition for bookstore sale, and a paper-cover, 'newsstand' size, low-priced edition for mass market sale."^[3]

When the first Ballantine Book, Cameron Hawley's Executive Suite was published in 1952, the publishing industry saw that the simultaneous hardcover and paperback editions were obvious successes.^[3] Houghton Mifflin published the $3.00 hardcover at the same time Ballantine distributed its 35¢ paperback. By February 1953, Ballantine had sold 375,000 copies and was preparing to print 100,000 more. Houghton Mifflin sold 22,000 hardback copies in its first printing. Ballantine's sales soon totaled 470,000 copies. Instead of hurting hardback sales as some predicted, the paperback edition instead gave the book more publicity. After the film rights were sold to MGM, Robert Wise directed the 1954 film, nominated for four Academy Awards.

On the heels of that kind of sales and publicity, other Ballantine titles were seen in spinner racks across the country. Executive Suite was followed by Hal Ellson's The Golden Spike (#2), Stanley Baron's All My Enemies (#3), Luke Short's Saddle by Starlight (#4, also with Houghton Mifflin), Ruth Park's The Witch's Thorn (#5, also with Houghton Mifflin), Emile Danoen's Tides of Tide (#6), Frank Bonham's Blood on the Land (#7), Al Capp's The World of Li'l Abner (#8, with Farrar, Straus & Young) and LaSelle Gilman's The Red Gate (#9). Non-fiction was introduced with John Bartlow Martin's criminal case history, Why Did They Kill? (#14).

Science fiction and fantasy[link]

During the early 1950s, Ballantine attracted attention as one of the leading publishers of paperback science fiction and fantasy, beginning with The Space Merchants (#21). The Frederik Pohl and C. M. Kornbluth novel had first appeared in Galaxy Science Fiction under the title Gravy Planet. Kauffman scored when he acquired and edited Ray Bradbury's Fahrenheit 451 (originally in Galaxy as a shorter version, "The Firemen").^[2]

Ballantine's science fiction line also included the unusual Star Science Fiction Stories. With cover paintings by Richard Powers, this innovative anthology series offered new fiction rather than reprints. Edited by Frederik Pohl, it attracted readers by successfully combining the formats of both magazines and paperbacks.

In the early 1960s, the company engaged in a well-known rivalry with Ace Books for the rights to reprint the works of J. R. R. Tolkien and Edgar Rice Burroughs in paperback form. Ballantine prevailed in the struggle for the Tolkien work, with their editions of Tolkien's The Lord of the Rings including a message on the back cover from Tolkien himself urging consumers to buy Ballantine's version and boycott "unauthorized editions" (i.e. the version from Ace Books). A separate Canadian edition of the books was published with different front cover art work. Tolkien asked for (and received) permission to add the back cover message. Betty Ballantine recalled:

And we did put a little statement on the back covers saying that Ace was not paying royalties to Professor Tolkien, and everybody who admired Lord of the Rings should only buy our paperback edition. Well, everybody got behind us. There was literally no publication that did not carry some kind of outraged article. And of course, the whole science fiction fraternity got behind the book; this was their meat and drink.^[2]

In 1969, Lin Carter edited the Ballantine Adult Fantasy series, which brought a number of rare titles back into print, as well as launching Katherine Kurtz's Deryni series. During the mid-1970s, Ballantine published the Star Trek Logs, a ten-volume series of Alan Dean Foster adaptations of the animated Star Trek. In 1968, Ballantine published the first non-fiction book related to Star Trek, The Making of Star Trek by Stephen E. Whitfield and Gene Roddenberry.

In 1977, Ballantine set up Del Rey Books as a science fiction and fantasy imprint under the editorship of Lester del Rey and his wife Judy-Lynn to rival Donald A. Wollheim's launch of specialist science fiction publisher DAW Books. Del Rey/Lucas Books has published novelizations of all six Star Wars films, in addition to other novels set in the Star Wars universe.

Cartoons, comics and humor books[link]

After publishing The World of Li'l Abner, Ballantine introduced Shel Silverstein in 1956 with his Grab Your Socks! collection of cartoons from Pacific Stars and Stripes. Ballantine also published several collections of Jim Davis' comic strip Garfield.

As an editor at Ballantine during the 1950s and 1960s, Bernard Shir-Cliff handled the Zacherley anthologies, the paperback of Hunter Thompson's Hell's Angels, Harvey Kurtzman's The Mad Reader and other early Mad paperbacks. He made four contributions to Mad and other magazines edited by Kurtzman. In 1956, Shir-Cliff edited a humor anthology, The Wild Reader, for Ballantine, including essays, poems and satirical pieces by Robert Benchley, Art Buchwald, Tom Lehrer, John Lardner, Shepherd Mead, Ogden Nash, S. J. Perelman, Frank Sullivan, James Thurber and others. The 154-page paperback was illustrated with cartoons by Kelly Freas who also did the front cover.

Another contributor to both Ballantine and the Kurtzman magazines was the cartoonist-author Roger Price. He did two humor books for Ballantine. I'm for Me First (1954) details Herman Clabbercutt's plan to launch a revolutionary political party known as the "I'm for Me First" Party. In One Head and Out the Other (1954) popularized the catchphrase "I had one grunch, but the eggplant over there." The nonsense non sequitur was immediately adopted by science fiction fandom, appearing occasionally in fanzines, as noted in Fancyclopedia II (1959).^[4]

Imprints[link]

Ballantine's 3000-title backlist includes titles from several imprints. Fawcett, now home to Ballantine's mysteries, was acquired in 1982. In 1987, Ivy Books was launched and now features Ballantine's romance novels. One World was founded in 1991 as a publisher of multicultural books, and Wellspring has published spiritual guidance and inspiration since 1999. Ian and Betty Ballantine also founded Rufus Publications.

Further reading[link]

• J. Grant Thiessen in Science-Fiction Collector #6 offered a detailed listing of all Ballantine science fiction, fantasy and horror titles from 1953 to 1976, including later printings.

Ballantine authors[link]

• Steve Berry
• Allison Brennan
• Suzanne Brockmann
• Harriet Brown
• Julie Garwood
• Tess Gerritsen
• Linda Howard
• Dr. Adam Ireland
• Jonathan Kellerman
• Anne Perry
• Jeff Shaara
• Angus Wells

References[link]

External links[link]

• Official website
• Bookscans: Ballantine covers

Philippa Ballantine
Born	(1971-08-08) August 8, 1971 (age 40) Wellington, New Zealand
Pen name	Pip Ballantine
Occupation	author
Nationality	New Zealand
Genres	Science Fiction/Fantasy/Steampunk
Literary movement	The Podiobook (Podcast Novel)
www.pjballantine.com

Philippa Jane Ballantine is a contemporary New Zealand author of speculative fiction and an avid podcaster. She now lives in Manassas, Virginia.

History[link]

Ballantine went first to Samuel Marsden Collegiate School, and then graduated from Victoria University of Wellington with a BA in English and Political Science. She also holds a Bachelor of Applied Science in Library Studies from The Open Polytechnic of New Zealand.

In 2006 Ballantine became the first New Zealand author to podcast her novel.^[1]

Ballantine's first Book of the Order, Geist was published by Ace Books in 2010 and the second book Spectyr in 2011. The series will conclude with Wrayth in 2012 and Harbinger in 2013^[2] Shortly after Geist's release Ace Books ordered another two books in the series.^[3]

She is also the co-author with Tee Morris of the Ministry of Peculiar Occurrences novels out with Harper Voyager. The first Phoenix Rising came out in 2011 and won an Airship Award for best written work.^[4]

Phoenix Rising was also rated in the top 10 science fiction books of 2011 on goodreads.com. ^[5]

In 2011 she also signed a book deal with Pyr books for a two book series, the first of which is Hunter and Fox.^[6]

Written Material / Podcasts[link]

Books in Print[link]

• Philippa Ballantine, Tee Morris, The Janus Affair: A Ministry of Peculiar Occurrences Novel (2012), HarperVoyager ISBN 0-06-204978-X
• Philippa Ballantine, Tee Morris, Phoenix Rising: A Ministry of Peculiar Occurrences Novel (2011), HarperVoyager ISBN 0-06-204976-3
• Philippa Ballantine, Spectyr (2011) Ace Books ISBN 0-441-02051-8
• Philippa Ballantine, Geist (2010) Ace Books ISBN 0-441-01961-7
• Philippa Ballantine, Digital Magic (2008) Dragon Moon Press ISBN 1-896944-88-4
• Philippa Ballantine, Chasing the Bard (2005) Dragon Moon Press ISBN 1-896944-17-5

Podcast Novels[link]

• Philippa Ballantine, Digital Magic (2010) Podiobooks.com
• Philippa Ballantine, Weather Child (2009) Podiobooks.com
• Philippa Ballantine, Chasing the Bard (2008) Podiobooks.com
• Philippa Ballantine, Weaver's Web (2006) Podiobooks.com

Collaborations[link]

• Philippa Ballantine, contributor, "Pieces" (2008) Podiobooks.com

Podcasts[link]

• Whispers at the Edge (2006–2008)
• The Shared Desk (2011–present)

Podcast Anthology[link]

• Tales from the Archives (2011–present)
• Chronicles of the Order (2010–present)
• Erotica à la Carte (2008–present)

Awards and recognition[link]

• 2011 Airship Award winner for best written work (with Tee Morris)^[7]
• 2011 Sir Julius Vogel Award nominee for Best Novel- Adult^[8]
• 2010 Parsec Award finalist for Best Speculative Fiction Magazine or Anthology Podcast^[9]
• 2010 Sir Julius Vogel Award finalist for Best fan production^[10]
• 2009 Parsec Award finalist for Best Speculative Fiction Magazine or Anthology Podcast^[11]
• 2009 Sir Julius Vogel Award winner for Best fan production^[12]
• 2009 Sir Julius Vogel Award nominee for Best Novel- Adult^[13]
• 2007 Parsec Award finalist for Best Writing Podcast
• 2006 Sir Julius Vogel Award nominee for Best Novel^[14]

External links[link]

• Philippa Ballantine's home page
• Philippa Ballantine's works at Podiobooks
• Philippa Ballantine at the Internet Speculative Fiction Database

References[link]

Kristin Hannah (born September 1960 in Southern California, U.S.A.) is an award-winning and bestselling^[1] American writer, who has won numerous awards, including the Golden Heart, the Maggie, and the 1996 National Reader's Choice award.^[2]

Biography[link]

Hannah graduated from law school in Washington and practiced law in Seattle before becoming a full-time writer. She lives on Bainbridge Island, Washington,^[3] with her husband and their son.

Bibliography[link]

Single novels[link]

• A Handful of Heaven (July 1991)
• The Enchantment (June 1992)
• Once in Every Life (December 1992)
• If You Believe (December 1993)
• When Lightnings Strikes (October 1994)
• Waiting for the Moon (September 1995)
• Home Again (October 1996)
• On Mystic Lake (February 1999)
• Angel Falls (April 2000)
• Summer Island (March 2001)
• Distant Shores (July 2002)
• Between Sisters (April 2003)
• The Things we Do for Love (June 2004)
• Comfort and Joy (October 2005)
• Magic Hour (February 2006)
• Firefly Lane (2008)
• True Colors (2009)
• Winter Garden (2010)
• Night Road (March 2011)
• Home Front (2012)

Omnibus[link]

• On Mystic Lake / Summer Island (2005)

Anthologies in collaboration[link]

• "Liar's Moon" in Harvest Hearts 1993 (with Joanne Cassity, Sharon Harlow and Rebecca Paisley)
• Of Love and Life 2000 (with Janice Graham and Philippa Gregory)
• "Liar's Moon" in With Love 2002 (with Jennifer Blake and Linda Lael Miller)

References and sources[link]

1. ^ The Best Reviews: Kristin Hannah
2. ^ Kristin Hannah
3. ^ Mary Ann Gwinn (April 10, 2011), 10 top-selling Washington state authors, Seattle Times, http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/books/2014724474_litlife11.htmlaccessdate=2012-01-25 

External links[link]

• Kristin Hannah Official Website
• Biography and Interview at teensreads.com
• Biography at bookreporter.com
• Kristin Hannah at FantasticFiction

Suzanne Brockmann (born 1960) is an award-winning American romantic fiction writer. She lives outside of Boston, Massachusetts with her husband, Ed Gaffney, and their two children, Melanie and Jason.^[1] She has also penned works under the name Anne Brock.

Biography[link]

Brockmann attended Boston University's School of Broadcasting and Film majoring in film and minoring in creative writing before dropping out to join a band.^[2] Afterwards she met her husband and started a family. It was after having her second child that Brockmann started writing. Initially she focused on television scripts, screen plays and Star Trek novels but after doing research Brockmann decided to focus her efforts on the Romance genre.^[2] Her first published novel, Future Perfect in 1993, was written along with nine other manuscripts in 1992 after her decision to publish a romance novel.^[2]

In 1996, Brockmann published the first in her Tall, Dark & Dangerous series. The series develops among a fictional group of Navy SEALs. The books following in the series, and that of the Troubleshooters, Inc. series are all classified in a sub genre known as 'military/romantic suspense'.^[3]

Brockmann has garnered the attention of magazines such as Out and Bay Windows,^[4] both of which serve the gay community, due to a subplot dealing with the romance of an openly gay character in her Troubleshooters, Inc. series.^[5] Brockmann has stated that she is a PFLAG mom, supporting her gay son, Jason, and dedicating her 2004 book Hot Target to him.^[1] In 2007 Brockmann donated the profits of her holiday novella, All Through the Night, to MassEquality.^[6]

Awards[link]

Brockmann is a two time winner of the RITA Award from the Romance Writers of America.^[7][8] She has also appeared on the Romance Writers of America Honor Roll for having appeared on both the USA Today and the New York Times Best Sellers list.^[9][10] She has been the recipient of the Romantic Times Reviewers' Choice Awards in 1996,^[11] 1998,^[12] and 1999,^[13] as well as the Romantic Times Career Achievement Award for Series Romance in 1997,^[14] 2000,^[15] and 2002.^[16]

List of works[link]

Tall, Dark and Dangerous

• Prince Joe, Silhouette Intimate Moments, June 1996, Reissued by Mira, May 2002
• Forever Blue, Silhouette Intimate Moments, October 1996, Reissued by Mira, February 2003
• Frisco's Kid, Silhouette Intimate Moments, January 1997, Reissued by Mira, June 2003
• Everyday, Average Jones, Silhouette Intimate Moments, August 1998
• Harvard's Education, Silhouette Intimate Moments, October 1998
• It Came Upon a Midnight Clear, Silhouette Intimate Moments, December 1998
• Admiral's Bride, Silhouette Intimate Moments, November 1999
• Identity: Unknown, Silhouette Intimate Moments, January 2000
• Get Lucky, Silhouette Intimate Moments, March 2000
• Taylor's Temptation, Silhouette Intimate Moments, July 2001
• Night Watch, Silhouette Intimate Moments, September 2003

Troubleshooters

• Unsung Hero, Ivy, June 2000
• Defiant Hero, Ivy, March 2001
• Over the Edge, Ivy, September 2001
• Out of Control, Ballantine, March 2002
• Into the Night, Ballantine, November 2002
• Gone Too Far, Ballantine, July 2003
• Flashpoint, Ballantine, March 2004
• Hot Target, Ballantine, December 2004
• Breaking Point, Ballantine, July 2005
• Into the Storm, Ballantine, November 2006
• Force the Nature, Ballantine, August 2007
• All Through the Night, Ballantine, October 2007
• Into the Fire, Ballantine, July 2008
• Dark of Night, Ballantine, 2009
• Hot Pursuit, Ballantine, July 2009
• Breaking the Rules, Ballantine, March 2011

Stand alone novels

• Future Perfect, Meteor Kismet, August 1993
• Hero Under Cover, Silhouette Intimate Moments, June 1994
• Embraced By Love, Pinnacle, January 1995
• Not Without Risk, Silhouette Intimate Moments, June 1995
• A Man to Die For, Silhouette Intimate Moments, December 1995
• No Ordinary Man, Harlequin Intrigue, April 1996
• Kiss and Tell, Bantam Loveswept, May 1996
• The Kissing Game, Bantam Loveswept, December 1996
• Otherwise Engaged, Bantam Loveswept, February 1997
• Forbidden, Bantam Loveswept, April 1997
• Stand-In Groom, Bantam Loveswept, June 1997
• Ladies' Man, Bantam Loveswept, August 1997
• Time Enough For Love, Bantam Loveswept, November 1997
• Give Me Liberty, Precious Gems, Fall 97 (as Anne Brock)
• Love With the Proper Stranger, Silhouette Intimate Moments, January 1998
• Freedom's Price, Bantam Loveswept, February 1998
• Body Language, Bantam Loveswept, May 1998
• Heart Throb, Fawcett, March 1999
• Undercover Princess, Silhouette Intimate Moments, December 1999
• Bodyguard, Fawcett, December 1999
• Letters to Kelly, Silhouette Intimate Moments, April 2003
• Scenes of Passion, Silhouette Desire, July 2003
• Infamous, Ballantine, July 2010

References[link]

External links[link]

• Official website

Richard Montanari
Born	(1952-12-06) December 6, 1952 (age 59)
Nationality
Period	1995 – present
Genres	Crime fiction, Mystery, Thriller
Notable work(s)	Deviant Way, The Violet Hour, Kiss of Evil, The Rosary Girls, The Skin Gods, Merciless, Badlands, The Devil's Garden, The Echo Man
Notable award(s)	Online Mystery Award – Best First Mystery 1995 Deviant Way
richardmontanari.com

Richard Montanari is an American crime writer who debuted with his novel Deviant Way, published by Simon & Schuster, in 1995. It won the Online Mystery Award (OLMA) for Best First Mystery. He has since published seven more novels, which are now available in almost 30 languages.

In 2005 he began his Philadelphia crime series with The Rosary Girls, a police procedural thriller set inside the homicide unit of the Philadelphia Police Department, introducing detectives Kevin Byrne and Jessica Balzano.

Montanari was born in Northeast Ohio, where he still resides.

Publishing History[link]

Cleveland Series[link]

• Deviant Way (1995)
• Kiss of Evil (2001)

In 1995 Montanari wrote Deviant Way, introducing Cleveland Police Department homicide detective John Paris. The story, a suspense novel chronicling a pair of thrill killers, earned him a two book deal from Michael Korda at Simon & Schuster. In 2001 Montanari published the sequel, Kiss of Evil. Both novels have been published worldwide, and were recently reissued by Random House UK.

Philadelphia Series[link]

• The Rosary Girls (2005)
• The Skin Gods (2006)
• Merciless (2007) (UK title Broken Angels) (2007)
• Badlands (UK title Play Dead) (2008)
• The Echo Man (2011)

Set inside the homicide unit of the Philadelphia Police Department, these novels include the alternating narratives of veteran police detective Kevin Francis Byrne, and his younger partner Jessica Balzano.

The stories, which "possess a psychological depth all too rare in such fiction" (Publishers Weekly), also include other recurring characters, most notably Detective Joshua Bontrager, who was, at one time, a member of the Amish church. Each book in the series was an instant top 10 bestseller on the Sunday Times hardcover list.^{[citation needed]} This series is published in France by Le Cherche Midi, in Italy by Editrice Nord, in Germany by Verlagsgruppe Lübbe, and in Denmark by People's Press.

Other Works[link]

In addition to his crime series, Montanari has penned two stand-alone novels. In 1998 he published The Violet Hour, a thriller featuring freelance writer Nicky Stella. In 2009 he published The Devil’s Garden, a psychological thriller introducing New York District Attorney Michael Roman.

As a journalist Montanari has written essays, profiles, articles, and both film and literary criticism in more than 200 publications, including The Chicago Tribune, Detroit Free Press, The Seattle Times, The Plain Dealer, and many others.

References[link]

• "Interview, Richard Montanari" Book Reporter 2006
• "Interview, Richard Montanari" Chris High, Crime Time Magazine 2007
• "Interview, Richard Montanari" Shots Magazine 2009

External links[link]

• Richard Montanari website
• Richard Montanari at Random House US
• Richard Montanari at Random House UK
• The Rosary Girls mini-site