J.D. Robb novel Fantasy in Death scheduled for February 2010 release

From Examiner --

J.D. Robb novel Fantasy in Death scheduled for February 2010 release --

by Carol Thomas --
August 10, 2009 --

The always productive Nora Roberts has yet another of her J.D. Robb novels waiting in the wings. Even though the next title in her In Death series, Kindred in Death, will not be released in the U.S. until November 3, 2009, she has already scheduled Fantasy in Death, the title to follow Kindred, to be available on February 23, 2010.

Amazon.com’s U.S. website, as of August 10, 2009, limits itself to providing only the product details listed below. However, Roberts' U.K. publishers, Piatkus Books, have, as usual, provided more detailed information to Amazon.com’s U.K. website.

According to their summary, the book will focus on four friends involved in creating virtual reality games – Cill, Var, Benny and Bart. Bart is murdered, apparently a victim of the group's newest game. Eve Dallas discovers "secrets, revenge and misplaced allegiances" as she investigates the crime.

J.D. Robb novel Kindred in Death scheduled for November 2009 release

From Examiner --

J.D. Robb novel Kindred in Death scheduled for November 2009 release --

by Carol Thomas --
August 9, 2009 --

Nora Roberts' alter ego, J.D. Robb, has scheduled Kindred in Death, the latest title in her In Death series, for a November 3, 2009 release. According to Amazon.com’s U.K. website, Kindred in Death will begin with the death of Deena McMasters, the teenage daughter of Captain Jonah McMasters, who heads the NYPD drug squad. Deena has been raped and murdered in her bedroom.

Later, a video of the badly beaten Deena surfaces which links her death to a criminal associated with McMasters. A second rape and murder, followed by a second video, soon reveals a killer whose intent is "merciless retribution."

Amazon.com’s U.S. website is less specific in the information it provides about Kindred in Death, revealing only that a recently promoted NYPSD captain and his wife return early from a vacation to discover their sixteen-year-old daughter’s brutal murder. The captain specifically asks that Eve be assigned to investigate. When Eve and her colleagues think they are ready to arrest the killer, they discover that he has been using different identities to taunt them.

Both of the major Robb and Roberts fan sites, ADWOFF and WikiInDeath, have been speculating for months about the contents of Kindred in Death. WikiInDeath members have searched for clues to the book's plot in the covers of both the American and British editions. One ADWOFF participant recently revealed on their private "Spoiler Board" forum than an excerpt from Kindred in Death can be found in the paperback edition of the book’s predecessor, Promises in Death. That paperback edition was released on July 28, 2009.

Plum pleasure (Janet Evanovich)

From Toronto Sun --

Plum pleasure --
Janet Evanovich knows how to play the numbers game --

By DON ERMEN --
Last Updated: 2nd August 2009 --

There are very few characters that can survive for almost 20 novels.

But Stephanie Plum is one of them. The female bondsman with the wacky family and the two men who keep coming and going into her life, Plum is comfort food for her fans.

Author Janet Evanovich has a new Plum adventure on book shelves -- Finger Lickin' Fifteen.

The strength of Plum is Evanovich's writing and her commitment to the characters. For fans, these characters are like family. They're well drawn.

There might not be a lot of surprises but they're dependable --Ranger, Joe Morelli, Grandma Mazure, the parents and Lula. Throw them into some interesting adventures and you've got a recipe for a good weekend read.

And speaking of adventures, Lulu takes centre stage in this one. She's the only witness to the murder of celebrity chef Stanley Chipotle who travels to Trenton, N.J., to participate in a barbecue cook-off.

Lula, who usually plays sidekick to Plum, convinces Plum to help for find the killers and collect the million dollar reward. That's on top of her day of job of tracking down bail skippers and working at night for Ranger's security outfit.

Finger Lickin' Fifteen is Evanovich at her best and Plum fans won't be disappointed.

Recently, I had a chance to hook up with Evanovich by e-mail.

Q. Fifteen books in the Stephanie Plum series (plus a few non-numbered ones). Congratulations. Does it get more challenging with each novel to keep Plum fresh, a woman you know so well?

A. It's increasingly difficult to maintain the sexual tension between Stephanie and the two men in her life, but it's still great to get up in the morning and go back into the WORLD of PLUM.

Q. One of the things I've always enjoyed about the novels is how unconventional Plum is -- and not just because she's a bounty hunter. But also because she has this sexual/romantic tension with two recurring characters. There have been numerous TV series and movies where it starts with two character that the audience is just waiting to see if they get together. Is there temptation ... to finally resolve Plum's relationship status?

A. No! I hated when Maddie and Dave got together in Moonlighting. It was all downhill from there. The fun is in the chase.

Q. I've often thought Stephanie Plum would make a great movie character as well. Maybe a Sandra Bullock. Any idea when Hollywood might finally make this a reality?

A. If you could see me, you'd know that I'm rolling my eyes and wildly waving my arms in the air in frustration. I have no idea what's taking TriStar so long to make this into a movie.

Q. You've also started a few other series (Alex Barnaby and Full novels). Are those going to continue and what is the attraction to writing about the same characters?

A. I like developing characters and sticking with them as their life rolls along. Alex Barnaby is going to become a graphic novel published by Dark Horse in 2010. The Full novels have ended because it was time for my co-author to set out on her own. She's now publishing terrific books under her own name.

Q. The business of writing is a family affair for you. What's it like to have son, daughter and husband all working full-time for you?

A. It's good. I have a very talented family and we work really well together. We all live within 10 minutes of each other, and not only do we work together but we also frequently eat together.

Q. What's next for Janet Evanovich?

A. I'm currently writing the next full size book featuring Diesel. It will be in stores late summer 2010 and I'm very excited about it. I think Diesel is my most fun hot guy.

Q&A: Charlaine Harris on Sookie books and 'True Blood.'

From Orange County Register --

Q&A: Charlaine Harris on Sookie books and 'True Blood.' --

By DIANA McCABE --
Thursday, August 6, 2009 --


Charlaine Harris is pretty much everywhere these days. The author of the Sookie Stackhouse series, which HBO is basing its "True Blood" shows on, is working on her 10th Sookie book (due May 2010) and keeping an eye on the TV show.


I asked her a few things about the latest book out, "Dead and Gone," and a little bit about the show.

Q . Do you think Eric (the powerful vampire and love interest in the book) has grown because of his relationship with Sookie, who is human?

A. I think parts of Eric have surfaced that he thought were buried for good.

Q. What will it take for Sookie to understand the blood bond? It seems as if she is losing her ability to distinguish between her own feelings, Eric's feelings and those generated by the blood bond.

A. This is an issue in the next book.

Q. How would you compare the strengths between the bonds of vampire and sire, a vampire and his/her king or queen, and a vampire and his/her sheriff?

A. The vampire/sire relationship is the strongest.

Q . In one podcast interview, you said you didn't see Sookie turning into a vampire or even winding up with one – in the sense that she would lead a normal life and be with a human. Do you still think she will be able to do that – settle with one person? Not a vampire?

A. I said that Sookie will never become a vampire. And a vampire can't give her what she's always thought she wanted; a regular marriage with children. But that doesn't mean Sookie will end up with exactly what she wants. I see no reason why she couldn't settle with one person.

Q. What did you want readers to take away from "Dead and Gone"?

A. I don't know that I had a specific goal; I had several themes, though. The ruthlessness and inhumanity of the fae, the outrages we commit in the name of love, and the loneliness of those who simply can't fit in and are doomed by their own nature . . . those were all elements of the book.

Q. Do you have a good idea of how the series will eventually end? If so -- have you ever changed your mind about the ending?

A. I do know how the series will end. And I have never changed my mind.

Q. Tell us a little bit about your cameo at the end of season 2.

A. I'm sitting in Merlotte's at the bar talking to Sam. I'm wearing a striped shirt. I have a line. I almost hope they cut it. I'm not an actor.

Q. Alan Ball has certainly developed the HBO show differently from the books. Does his vision of the show make you think about how you're writing your current book? Have you ever gotten an idea from the show to build on in the book series?

A. I keep them separate in my mind. The book characters have been living with me for a long, long time.

Q. Do you and HBO's Alan Ball talk before, during, after the season?

A. We e-mail back and forth from time to time, more frequently before each season. We are both very busy people. If I'm in Los Angeles, we usually have lunch together or something. And we have some good conversations when we're doing publicity for the show.

Q. What's been the most interesting/surprising or creative storyline(s) that HBO has developed in the series?

A. Jessica, without a doubt.

Q. Which parts of the TV series most visually match what you envisioned when you wrote your book series?

A. Sookie's house is perfect, though it doesn't have the same layout. But the rooms are just right. In Sam's office, the desk is turned in a different direction, but other than that it's wonderful.

Q. Do you know ahead of time what is on each episode? Do you watch each Sunday?

A. I do know ahead of time. And I do watch each Sunday.

Q. OK— gotta ask because fans of your books and "True Blood," and fans of the Twilight series and movie are fighting about this all over the Internet. Your vampire Bill Compton vs. Twilight's vampire Edward Cullen?

A. There is no contest.

Stephanie Plum mysteries keep laughs coming (Janet Evanovich)

From News & Record (Greensboro, NC) --

Stephanie Plum mysteries keep laughs coming --

by Whitney Cork --
Wednesday, July 29, 2009 --

Reading a mystery by Janet Evanovich always provides me with laugh-out-loud moments, and “Finger Lickin’ Fifteen” didn’t let me down. For a mystery book with humor (or a humor book with mystery), Evanovich is my go-to author.

In the 15th of the numbered mysteries, bounty hunter Stephanie Plum and her friend Lula try to solve the murder of a TV chef. Along the way, Stephanie eats some less-than-delicious barbecue, runs afoul of a pyromaniac, tries to outsmart high-tech burglars, and dresses up in a hot dog costume. What’s not to like?

For romance fans, the fun and mayhem also includes Stephanie’s ongoing struggle to figure out whether her true love is Morelli, a Trenton, N.J., cop, or Ranger, a dressed-in-black man of mystery.

“Finger Lickin’ Fifteen” hit the bookstores in late June. It’s still on the NYT’s best-sellers list, which means a substantial discount at many bookstores.

Evanovich pulls out a Plum

From The Chronicle Herald - Halifax, NS --

Evanovich pulls out a Plum --
Best-selling author brings literary punch to crime formula --

By STEPHEN CLARE --
Sun. Jul 19, 2009 --

FOR SOMEONE who seems to have a lot to say, Janet Evanovich is proving herself to be a very good listener.

In fact, over the course of our 30-minute phone interview, I find myself opening up to the popular American author quite freely.

"I have to come clean about something before we begin," I say sheepishly at the start. "Um, up until just a few days ago, I had never actually read any of your books.

"To be completely honest," I continue, now a little embarrassed, "although I have seen your name before on bookstore shelves and bestseller lists, I really had no idea who you were or what kind of novels you wrote."

I confess to my new-found confidante — I am now sputtering like a madman, determined to let it all fall to the floor — that I am probably "not as well versed in the genre of mystery-adventure-romance novels as I perhaps could be," and that I have always been "somewhat suspicious" or even "disdainful" of writers who pump out two or three books a year like some sort of literary "mass-production appliance."

And then I tell her that it feels really good to finally get all of this off of my chest.

Evanovich laughs. I laugh also, maybe a little too long. There is a pause — a moment of awkward silence. I feel like an idiot, waiting for the receiver to drop on the other end. Finally she replies, "Well, I guess we have a lot to talk about then!"

I am overcome with relief. I then admit to her that I was actually quite surprised at how much I enjoyed her new book Finger Lickin’ Fifteen and how much I was looking forward to back-stepping my way through the previous works in her catalogue.

I am telling Evanovich the truth. The latest in her widely-acclaimed Stephanie Plum series is masterfully constructed; the writing is excellent, the pace is fluid, the storyline is well-developed, as are each of the characters — especially the story’s central persona.

"Thank you," she says.

"I have had a lot of practice at piecing these books together — Finger Lickin’ Fifteen is Stephanie’s 18th time around in print."

Although the New Jersey-born writer never goes so far as to call her style of writing a formula for success, she does understand the power of familiarity.

"By now I have figured out what my readers want and what they don’t want," she says.

"Like a favourite meal or a well-worn pair of slippers, they are looking for what they know. We are, after all, creatures of comfort."

As such, the series’ protagonist has become like a close friend or a family member for many book lovers.

"You can get to know someone — even a fictional bond enforcement officer — pretty well after 15 years," notes the 66-year-old novelist. "A lot of people have grown up with Stephanie, and they have watched her character evolve alongside the course of their own lives."

Evanovich believes that her readers have come to identify with Plum’s all-too-human qualities. "Because Stephanie isn’t perfect — because she has all of these fears and flaws and makes mistakes in both her personal and professional lives — we are able to relate and connect with her."

That bond of trust, adds the author, is the real secret behind her good fortune. "People come up to me all the time at book signings and readings and talk to me about what is going on in their own lives. I probably do more listening at these events than speaking and I absolutely love that part of the job.

"And it is really heartwarming for me to know that others are as passionate about Stephanie as I am. A lot of them ask me personal questions about her life and about what I have planned for her. And I tell them quite honestly I don’t know."

That is part of the fun, says Evanovich.

"I get as much of a kick out of writing these books as others get out of reading them. Stephanie’s future is as much of a mystery to me as it is to my readers and I think that it is this combination of the known and the unknown that keeps all of us coming back for more."

Evanovich formula still finger lickin’ good

From The Boston Globe --

Evanovich formula still finger lickin’ good --

By Rich Barlow --
July 15, 2009 --

We observed one of summer’s major holidays on June 23. In case you missed it, that was the day the new Stephanie Plum novel hit bookstores. Every June, mystery writer Janet Evanovich releases the latest installment about bounty hunter Plum, whose saga now totals 19 books with “Finger Lickin’ Fifteen.’’ (Reviewer bias: I’m a proud native of Trenton, N.J., where the stories are set.)
As sure as the summer solstice, the books hit the bestseller lists, and the series has made New Jersey-born Evanovich a multimillionaire who splits her time between New Hampshire and Florida.

The real mystery is why this one-woman hit factory can’t singlehandedly support the entire publishing industry. The mysteries in her books, by contrast, are mere appendages, having evolved from plot to formula to specimens preserved in literary amber during the series’ 15-year run. Plum plots are devices to introduce Evanovich’s focus and trademark: humor involving Stephanie’s oddball circle. These include Lula, her flamboyantly flatulent fellow felon-finder; her Grandma Mazur, young at heart but proof that seniors with impulse-control issues shouldn’t carry guns; her cousin Vinnie, who employs Stephanie at his bail-bond agency and is suspected by his employees of being a closet pervert; and detective Joe Morelli, Stephanie’s on-again-off-again boyfriend.

The question each summer is whether the new book delivers more or fewer laughs than is par. “Finger Lickin’ Fifteen’’ delivers more, earning it a thumbs-up and a beach pass.

There are two plotlines, the first involving a celebrity chef’s beheading by mob thugs who then target the lone witness, Lula. As gruesome as this sounds, it’s played more for laughs: Lula’s gastrointestinal issues are pivotal, and the killers are incompetents, one of many examples of the series’ indifference to realism.

The other plot involves Stephanie’s moonlighting for a security agency run by Ranger, an ex-soldier and Plum fantasy object whose vocabulary approximates Rambo’s. (“Babe’’ is his standard greeting for Stephanie.) Someone is burglarizing Ranger’s clients, and since it appears to be an inside job, Ranger brings in Stephanie to find the turncoat. That a self-described bungler at bounty hunting could be helpful to the supposedly precision-trained, superman Ranger requires another suspension of belief.

A subplot has Stephanie helping Lula’s efforts to win a barbecue contest at which the decapitated chef was to appear. As these story strands unwind, the forever put-upon Plum loses her apartment and two company cars to assorted bombings and arson. She and her building supervisor commiserate that the apartment fire didn’t reach her ratty bathroom. The super tries to cheer her up: “I’m sure this isn’t the last time you’ll ever get firebombed, so maybe you’ll have better luck next time.’’

The New Jersey of “Finger Lickin’ Fifteen’’ is a place where people use words like “boinking,’’ “number two’’ (a bathroom reference), and “doodah’’ (a woman’s genitalia), and where funeral home viewings are social occasions as much as occasions to mourn the dead. Referring to the section of Trenton where her family lives, Stephanie says: “Death in the Burg was like pot roast at six o’clock. An unavoidable and perfectly normal part of the fabric of life. You got born, you ate pot roast, and you died.’’

Blissfully ignoring the far-fetched parts, I giggled throughout. Near the end, one of Stephanie’s co-workers suggests that they learn the winner of the barbecue contest in the next day’s paper. People reading newspapers in 2009? Talk about unrealistic.