Hollywood Calls as Texas Author Tours

Houston-area author J R Lankford begins a Texas book-signing tour at Barnes & Nobles for her acclaimed, Hollywood-bound thriller, The Jesus Thief, the story of a scientist who steals DNA from the Shroud of Turin and tries to clone Jesus Christ. Cities: Plano, Midland, Lubbock, Houston, Humble, Austin, Corpus Christi, El Paso, McAllen, San Antonio, Dallas

Houston, TX (PRWEB) February 17, 2004 --Pop into your neighborhood Barnes & Noble in Texas in coming weeks and it's possible you'll see Houston-area author J R Lankford signing copies of her acclaimed thriller, The Jesus Thief -- the story of a scientist who steals DNA from the Shroud of Turin and tries to clone Jesus Christ. Best grab one, if so, because when the novel comes to the screen, the lines may be long. Hollywood film rights are being optioned by the Emmy-winning, Oscar-nominated actress that Lankford imagined in the role of Maggie during the writing.

The Jesus Thief earlier prompted famed agent Albert Zuckerman, founder of Writers House [Ken Follett, Nora Roberts, Christoper Paolini], to open his door to Lankford, an unknown author, on a Friday afternoon and sign her on the spot.

According to Lankford its been like this from the start, as if her book has a guardian angel. When my then agent despaired of selling The Jesus Thief in the post-September 11 shifts in our collective psyche, nine wonderful men whom I call my band of angels" opened their wallets. A year ago we formed a publishing company of our own, Great Reads Books LLC, with The Jesus Thief as our first title. That was miracle number one."

On its heels miracle number two promptly arrived in the form of a coveted starred review in the March 1 American Library Associations Booklist, dubbing the novel great stuff," then an excursion onto Amazons mystery-thriller best seller list just two weeks after the pub date. The book garnered praise in eminent scientific circles and a finger-wagging from ThisChristianLife.com which nevertheless called it breathtaking." Inquiries about translation rights began to arrive [the Portuguese edition was just released] and before long the first print run of The Jesus Thief-a respectable 3000 hardcovers-had disappeared, sending the new publisher back for a second, larger printing.

As Zuckerman mans the rights reins, Great Reads continues its publicity push which featured ads in the NYT Book Review and an ongoing book signing/talk radio tour for the author. What a great movie this would make," said Mancow at Q101 Chicago. Former Redding, CA mayor Ken Murray told his KQMS news talk 1400 listeners in northern California: "Awesome book. I want to thank you for writing a book that I enjoyed so much." Lee Davis, host of The Breakfast Club," a popular program out of Green Bay, WI predicted bestsellerdom for The Jesus Thief.

Whats the cause of this growing excitement?

According to rave reviews steadily appearing as her novel is discovered, Lankford, a black author, writes with equal passion and authority about everything from the Jews of Fascist Italy, to the hot bed issues of cloning and the varied sexual nature of human beings.

The Jesus Thief is the culmination of a yearning Ive had all my life," says Lankford, former international engineer turned novelist, to write books which reflect our common humanity."

The Jesus Thief is the story of Harvard MD-PhD Dr. Felix Rossi, devout only-son of a Catholic family-or so he has always believed. Rossi, a passionate aficionado of the Shroud of Turin, is convinced that the face on the ancient linen is Jesus Christ and that the linens Type AB blood contains the DNA of God. The novel opens as his dream of
conducting research on the Shroud comes true. Yet Felix is in turmoil, having just learned that his family had been Jews who escaped World War II Italy.

Instead of studying the Shroud, Felix finds himself stealing two of its threads. If a Jew clones Jesus Christ, he thinks, the persecution of the Jews will finally end.

Felixs cloning progress is impeded by Lankfords cast of diverse characters, whom she crafted to represent the three aspects of human existence: mind, body and spirit. There is an atheist British aristocrat reporter, Felixs ethereal fiancée, his prying black maid from Harlem, their Irish-American doorman.

Through them, Lankford explores the issues and science of human cloning and her underlying theme that all religions teach love.

John Grant, co-editor of the HUGO and NEBULA award-winning Encyclopedia of Fantasy said the novel has more thoughtful elements that make it-unlike so many thrillers-a roller coaster ride that one actually remembers after finishing the book ... The Jesus Thief-a thoroughly entertaining tale, will richly repay your time."