Obits

Judith Barnard, 94, died on May 6 of heart failure, the New York Times reports. Under the pseudonym Judith Michael, Barnard wrote 11 romantic thrillers with her husband Michael Fain, starting with the bestselling Deceptions in 1982. Barnard previously worked as a journalist and in 1967 published the novel The Past and Present of Solomon Sorge under her own name.

Author and literary agent Rhian Thomas-Parry, 30, died on April 25 after a stage four cancer diagnosis. Thomas-Parry was an agent with Blair Partnership, where she also managed film, TV and audio rights and permissions. She had just signed with Lauren Gardner at Bell Lomax Moreton for her romantasy novel A Mortal Drowning. Gardner told The Bookseller, “Rhian and I signed together last summer for her romantasy novel A Mortal Drowning, after I fell in love with her lyrical and witty prose. When Rhian shared the news of her diagnosis with me, she told me that she wanted to pursue writing for […]

Dean Cooke, 71, founder of CookeMcDermid, died on April 14 “after a brief illness.” The agency writes in a memorial post on Instagram, “Dean was a consummate book person who devoted over forty years of his life to publishing. He knew every aspect of the business, starting in a warehouse and working his way up through different depatments at Doubleday and Lester & Orpen Dennys, and later became Publisher of Bantam Seal. He began his agency work at Livingston Cooke in 1992, which merged with the Harding Agency and later The McDermid Agency to become CookeMcDermid in 2017.” The remembrance continues, […]

Former Scholastic executive Nelson Gomez, 60, died suddenly on March 30. Gomez was most recently vice president of digital operations for the trade publishing business at Scholastic, where he worked for a combined 23 years. Between stints at Scholastic, Gomez was director of digital technology and development at Callaway Arts & Entertainment. “His impact went well beyond his title and it is hard to capture the breadth and scope of how he helped so many people in so many ways,” Gomez’s friend, Scholastic svp, deputy general counsel Mark Seidenfeld said. “Nelson extended his time and kindness to anyone who asked […]

Australian fantasy author John Flanagan, 81, has died. He wrote the bestselling Ranger’s Apprentice series for children, as well as thrillers and historical novels for adults. His books have sold more than 20 million copies worldwide, according to Penguin Young Readers. “His work has had a lasting impact on a generation of readers and Penguin Young Readers is grateful to have had the joy and privilege of working with him for over 20 years,” the publisher said in a statement.