THE INNOCENCE OF JOAN LITTLE is Opioned by Paulist Productions

Author Solutions, LLC, the world leader in supported self-publishing services, has announced today that iUniverse title "The Innocence of Joan Little: A Southern Mystery," (ISBN: 978-0-59515-323-7) written by James Reston, Jr., and originally published by Time Books in 1977, has been optioned by Paulist Productions. Paulist will produce the work as a limited series.

"The Innocence of Joan Little: A Southern Mystery" details the landmark trial and acquittal of Joan Little, a young black woman who stabbed her white jailer/rapist and was tried for capital murder in 1974. The case drew international attention regarding a woman's right to kill a rapist in self-defense, civil rights, prisoners' rights and capital punishment. Author Solutions' Hollywood-based director of media services, Caroline Weiss, discovered the title and alerted Paulist Productions through the two companies' development partnership.

"Paulist Productions has a long history of addressing pressing social issues and challenging the status quo through films and television. The prejudice, hatred and bigotry that Joan Little faced are still all too pervasive, and we are grateful for the opportunity to tell her remarkable story," said Chris Donahue, president of Paulist Productions.

Acclaimed journalist and author Reston added, "With its fabulous set of characters and its implications for civil rights, prisoners' rights, women's rights and capital punishment, the case centered on an issue that is as relevant today as it was 40 years ago: does a woman have the right to kill an attacker who is trying to rape her?"

For more information about Author Solutions' self-publishing services, please visit authorsolutions.com, follow @authorsolutions on Twitter and "like" us at facebook.com/AuthorSolutions for the latest supported self-publishing news.

About Author Solutions, LLC:
Author Solutions, LLC, is the world's leading supported self-publishing services provider. Author Solutions' leading self-publishing imprints - AuthorHouse, iUniverse, Palibrio, Trafford Publishing and Xlibris - have helped more than 200,000 authors self-publish, promote and bring to market more than 275,000 new titles. Through strategic alliances with leading trade publishers, Author Solutions is making it possible to develop new literary talent efficiently and providing authors with a platform for bringing their books to market. Headquartered in Bloomington, Indiana, Author Solutions' global reach includes imprints developed specifically for authors in Australia, New Zealand, the United Kingdom, Singapore, Africa and India. For more information, please visit authorsolutions.com. For the latest news, follow @authorsolutions on Twitter and "like" them at facebook.com/AuthorSolutions.

About Paulist Productions:
Paulist Productions was founded over 50 years ago to provide thought-provoking entertainment that explores the human condition and has produced award-winning documentaries, feature films, television and TV movies addressing pressing social issues and important moral questions. Paulist has created programming for Paramount, Warner Bros., CBS, ABC, A&E, the History Channel, Hallmark Hall of Fame and UPtv, collaborating with industry greats such as Martin Sheen, William Shatner and Tom Fontana. In a time of rapid change and declining options for family viewing, Paulist is dedicated to developing positive programming with meaningful content. For updates, please visit us at facebook.com/PaulistProductions