Justin Cronin, writing as Jordan Ainsley, sold a “postapocalyptic vampire trilogy” to Mark Tavani at Ballantine, via agent Ellen Levine of Trident Media. The sale was made based on a 400-page partial manuscript for $3.75 million for North American rights.
The story is set in 2016, and “revolves around a US government project gone awry that affects a group of experimental subjects—condemned inmates plucked from death row—turning them into highly infectious vampires. Meanwhile, an orphan named Amy discovers that she has unusual powers, seemingly related to the crisis that quickly overtakes civilized society.” New York magazine reports that “it’s pretty dark, though not completely without humor—the governor of Texas in 2016, for example, is Jenna Bush.”
Justin Cronin is the author of Mary and O’Neil, a collection which won the Pen/Hemingway Award, as well as novels such as The Summer Guest.