After Hollywood interest was brewing last week for Clete Smith's YA novel, Grandma's Intergalactic Bed & Breakfast, Jody Hotchkiss of Hotchkiss & Associates has closed on a deal for film rights with Disney. The lit rights, being handled by Sterling Lord's George Nicholson, remain up for grabs.

Smith, who has an M.F.A. from Vermont College and has won a handful of screenwriting contests, is a "promising comedic talent," said Nicholson. Word on his book--about a boy who goes to spend the summer at his grandmother's Washington State B&B only to find out the place caters to vacationing aliens--is that it has the kind of high-concept potential Hollywood targets. David Hoberman (Beverly Hills Chihuahua; Traitor) is attached as a producer. Nicholson said he has hopes for a "swift sale."