The August 2006 Locus looks to have the usual complement of interesting features and reviews, including appreciations of the recently-deceased publisher Jim Baen, but my immediate destination is always the People & Publishing section. Some news from said section:

• Tanya Huff’s VALOR’S TRIAL, fourth in her Confederation military series, went to Sheila Gilbert at DAW via Joshua Blimes
• Cherie Priest sold urban fantasy FATHOM and “trashy noir vampire novel” AWAKE INTO DARKNESS to Liz Gorinsky at Tor via Jennifer Jackson of the Donald Maass Agency
• Lily Archer’s THE POISON APPLES, about three teenaged girls battling “the Evilest Stepmother in the Cosmos,” went to Jean Feiwel at Feiwel & Friends via Melissa Flashman of Trident Media Group
• Sarah Beth Durst’s YA fantasy RAPUNZEL’S DAUGHTER went to Liesa Abrams at Razorbill via Andrew Somberg*
• Justine Musk’s supernatural teen novel STRANGER went to Jennifer Heddle for MTV Books via Andrea Somberg*
• Lyda Morehouse writing as “Tate Hallaway,” delivered DEAD SEXY, sequel to TALL DARK AND DEAD, to Anne Sowards for Berkley
• A film version of Philip Pullman‘s THE GOLDEN COMPASS has been greenlighted by New Line Cinema, with a budget of around $150 million. The film will begin shooting in the UK in September 2006

*Is that a husband and wife literary agent team or a typo in the mag?