The One for the Money trailer is out, and I'll give it a solid "looks better than I thought it would". (Apart from Heigl's Jersey accent, which is straight-up embarrassing.)
My, my... Janet Evanovich has written a full-length novel about Diesel, the mysterious supernatural being who consistently turns up to hit on the heroine in Evanovich's holiday-themed Stephanie Plum novellas. Wicked Appetite will be out next month and appears to be the start of a new series. You can read an excerpt here. Behold:
I can't believe that Laurell K. Hamilton hasn't already used that title, can you?
If you're interested in Janet Evanovich's upcoming graphic novel Troublemaker (a continuation of her Alex Barnaby series), you should check out the—mildly NSFW!—Etsy Shop of Joëlle Jones, the illustrator for the book. I'm pretty stoked: unlike many author/artist combos (ahem, Marvel), this woman's stuff looks like it will be a great fit for Evanovich's writing style.
Worst casting news ever: Columbia Pictures and Lakeshore Entertainment have signed Katherine Heigl to play Stephanie Plum, the hapless lingerie-buyer-turned-bounty-hunter heroine of Janet Evanovich's popular series. Apparently, Reese Witherspoon was previously attached to the role (not really spot-on casting either, IMO), but still about a thousand times better than Katherine Heigl. Seriously, you have to wonder if the bigwigs at Columbia/Lakeshore have ever A) read the books, or B) seen Heigl act.
Great news! According to the Times, Janet Evanovich is co-writing (with her daughter) a graphic novel for Dark Horse Comics based on her Metro Girl and Motor Mouth books. According to the article, Ms. Evanovich is justifiably stoked:
"We’re comic book fans; we’re huge Nascar fans,” Ms. Evanovich said in a telephone interview. “[The graphic novel] allows me to feed my Nascar addiction and comic book addiction all at the same time.”
The book is expected to come out next year, and I trust it will be awesome.
We have a title and release date for the thirteenth book in the Stephanie Plum series. Lean Mean Thirteen will be out on June 19th! For those of you who can't wait to see what Stephanie gets herself into this time, the first ten pages are up on Ms. Evanovich's website. You should definitely check them out!
Whether you are heading off on vacation or just hanging by the pool this four-day weekend, here are a few new book suggestions to check out.
Jennifer Colt -The Mangler of Malibu Canyon If you haven't gotten a chance to check out Jennifer Colt's books yet, then this is a perfect weekend to grab The Butcher of Beverly Hills and The Mangler of Malibu Canyon and settle down for a great time. I haven't had a chance to read the second book (since someone--JULIA--is hoarding the ARC copy), but I plan to pick it up when I get paid Friday. I'm excited to see what the twins get themselves into this time!
Janet Evanovich -Twelve Sharp It's always a good month when we get a new Stephanie Plum novel, and Twelve Sharp is completely worth the price of the hardback edition. It is full of crazy skips, insane outfits, Grandma Mazur in rare form, Lula, and lots and lots of Ranger-y goodness. (Mmm, Ranger....)
Carrie Vaughn -Kitty Goes to Washington The next installment of Kitty's adventures is coming out just in time for the holiday weekend. After barely escaping Denver skin-intact, Kitty Norville takes her radio show on the road, and ends up in our nation's capital. This promises to be a fun read. In related news, Ms. Vaughn will be producing at least two more books about Kitty: she's finished Kitty takes a Holiday, and is starting on Kitty and the Silver Bullet. They'll be available in early and late 2007, if all goes according to plan.
Laurell K. Hamilton -Danse Macabre And for those of you who are not faint of heart, there is also the the new Anita Blake novel. Since the pain from her last book Micah hasn't really healed (Julia is still really bitter--you should hear her bitch), no one here at Wordcandy bothered to request an ARC (and none of us are remotely willing to pay for it in hardcover). Maybe when it comes out in paperback we'll pick it up, but until then we would love to hear what you guys think of it!
Excerpt from: Seven Up, by Janet Evanovich Why you should buy a copy of your very own: Nobody does inspired lunacy like Janet Evanovich. Her Stephanie Plum series can be a little uneven (and I usually forget the plot about four seconds after finishing the book), but her books are always guaranteed to have at least two scenes that make me laugh 'til I choke.
In this scene... Stephanie is introducing herself.
"For the better part of my childhood, my professional aspirations were simple--I wanted to be an intergalactic princess. I didn't care much about ruling hordes of space people. Mostly I wanted to wear the cape and the sexy boots and carry a cool weapon.
As it happens, the princess thing didn't work out for me, so I went to college and when I graduated I went to work as a lingerie buyer for a chain store. Then that didn't work out, so I blackmailed my bail bondsman cousin into giving me a job as a bounty hunter. Funny how fate steps in. I never did get the cape or the sexy boots, but I do finally have a sort of cool weapon. Well, okay, it's a little .38 and I keep in my cookie jar, but it's still a weapon, right?"
For those of you who are not familiar with how Janet Evanovich comes up with the titles for her Stephanie Plum series... well, she makes her fans do all the work. So if you're good with words, check this contest out. Good luck!
RULES You may enter as many different "Thirteen" titles as you can think up. Please try not to enter the same title more than once. You do not have to send in each title separately. Lists of titles are acceptable. Everyone who lives on planet Earth is allowed to play. Please do NOT send in titles for books other than Thirteen.
The contest runs from May 1 through August 31, 2006. A title will be chosen from the list of entries. Everyone who entered the chosen title in the Name Book Thirteen Contest between May 1 and August 31 will have their name added ONCE to a hat. ONE winner will be randomly pulled out. That person is the winner.
The winner will receive a signed, advanced copy of Thirteen (as soon as it's available) and an acknowledgment in the book.
It looks like we finally have a date for the twelfth book in the Stephanie Plum series. Twelve Sharp will be released June 20th! For those of you who can't wait to see what trouble Stephanie gets herself into this time, the first 8 pages are up on Ms. Evanovich's website. You should definitely check them out!
