Justin Cronin's Houston book party draws a cerebral crowd, no vampires

Champagne glasses were raised high Friday night for Houston author and newly-minted national book celebrity Justin Cronin. The mood was practically giddy in the Stablewood home of Andrea and Bill White where more than 60 friends and fans gathered to celebrate publication of Cronin's vampire novel, The Passage.

The excitement was for good reason. In case you've been living under a rock in recent weeks, Cronin's vampire trilogy (this is the first installment) earned him a $3.75 million contract with Ballantine and a $1.75 million contract for movie rights. The book will be released Tuesday. The buzz has been all but deafening.

Cronin smiled broadly (no obvious fangs) as he mingled through the party scene, visiting with booksellers McKenna Jordan and David Thompson from Murder By the Book and with Blue Willow's Valerie Koehler. Literary book critic Edward Nowatka, Inprint Inc. executive director Rich Levy and columnist and author Leon Hale were among the bookish set attending.

Andrea White, a published author in her own right, was the first to formally toast the 47-year-old Cronin. She had studied creative writing with him and told the gathering that Cronin as a teacher was "completely generous in his commitment and time." He advised students that every good writer needs a tribe. 'We hope you find your tribe in this room with all of your friends," White said raising her glass.

It appears that he has done just that. "It's as if everything changed completely and as if nothing changed at all. I can't tell," Cronin told CultureMap. "I'm still in the cave writing. But when I came out of the cave this time, there seemed to be a lot of people around and that's exciting."

The party was hosted by Texas Monthly contributor Mimi Swartz, Carolyn Henneman, Andrea White and Leslie Cronin, the author's wife.

Leslie, who met her husband when they both attended the Iowa Writers Workshop in 1989, told the group gathered in the Whites' living room, that her family has been so busy that they have had few moments to recognize Justin's achievements. "We don't have time to sit back and kind of acknowledge what has happened ... which is why this night is so nice," she said.

The final toast came from 13-year-old Iris Cronin, who is credited with providing inspiration for The Passage. Occasionally, fans want to give her part of the credit for the book. But, no. She announced from the stairway that served as stage for the toasts, "Don't go thinking this is my idea, my creation ... it's all him." And as the room broke up in laughter, she added "I'm being serious here."

Also on hand to offer good wishes were Helena Michie, head of the English department at Rice University where Cronin has been teaching, plus Marion Barthleme and Jeff Fort, Liz Bennett and University of Houston profs Alex Parsons and Robert Cremins.