Signed 1st editions of Smokin’ Seventeen by Janet Evanovich are now shipping!

VJ Books has received:  Janet Evanovich – Wicked Appetite, Jose Rodrigues dos Santos – Einstein Enigma, Archer Mayor – Red Herring, Ken Follett – Fall of Giants, Michael Connelly – The Reversal, Catherine Coulter – The Valcourt Heiress, Robert B. Parker – Painted Ladies, William Gibson – Zero History, Ted Bell – Warlord, Kevin Guilfoile – The Thousand, Joyce Carol Oates – Sourland, Lisa Black – Trail of Blood, Stephen White – Last Lie, Spencer Quinn – To Fetch a Thief, Clive Cussler – The Lost Empire, Harlan Coben – Back Spin, Bernard Cornwell The Fort, and Richard Castle – Naked Heat.

Janet Evanovich’s eventful book tour launched with a June 23 street fair in her honor in Cherry Hill, N.J., where the B&N store and locatl mall ran contests, gave out gift cards and served food from area restaurants, all leading up to an evening signing:  six hours, 2,500 people.  When a wheelchair-bound fan at a Toronto Chapter’s Bookstore event the next day requested a photo with Evanovich, she happily obliged.  Heading toward the person, however, she tripped on a riser, fell and broker her foot.  But the show must go on, and 500 books later she was done.  Onto Chicago the next morning:  X-rays, a temporary cast and an evening signing.  Signings in Atlanta and Fort Myers, Fla., followed.  Can you say “trouper”?  St. Martin’s reports six to eight weeks in a cast for Evanovich, and two million copies in print of her latest opus.

(Publisher’s Weekly, July 6)

Don’t want to brave the crowds? 

VJ Books has signed first edition copies of Finger Lickin’ Fifteen by Janet Evanovich for sale!

Here’s a look at Publisher’s Weekly fiction bestsellers as we reach the half-year.  It’s become increasingly hard of late for authors to hold onto the #1 spot, but this year seems tougher still.  Of the 18 authors who have nabbed that perch, only three – John Grisham, The Associate; Janet Evanovich, Plum Spooky; and Jodi Picoult, Handle with Care – have exceeded a week’s stay.  Such bestseller veterans as Michael Connelly, James Patterson, Harlan Coben, Mary Higgins Clark and others have managed only one week on top.  Of this year’s fiction newcomers, the five longest-running tenures to date are David Baldacci (First Family, nine weeks and counting); James Patterson (Run for Your Life, nine weeks); James Patterson (The 8th Confession, seven weeks); Maeve Binchy (Heart and Soul, seven weeks) and W.E.B. Griffin (Black Ops, seven weeks).

(Publisher’s Weekly, June 29)

(blogs.thetimes.co.za, Nov. 26)

Forbes Magazine has released its list of the world’s highest paid authors. In a year when financial returns are a great source of consternation, some writers have still managed to rake in the cash. Top of the list is unsurprisingly J.K Rowling who managed to make $300 million over the course of the year. The Harry Potter franchise has generated $4.5 billion dollars since Rowling published the first of the stories dealing with young Harry and his magical exploits in 1998 catapulting the author from an existence as a single mother on welfare to the billionaire status in just ten years.

Second on the list is the ever productive James Patterson who made $50 million dollars this year. Patterson churns out his novels at the rate of at least two a year and has already sold more than 150 million books worldwide.

Third place goes to the king of horror Stephen King with $45 million made this year. The one time school teacher has published over 40 books and sold more than 350 million copies since the publication of Carrie in 1974.

Fourth place belongs to Tom Clancy, king of the political thriller and creator of Jack Ryan star of novels such as Patriot Games, The Hunt for Red October and Clear and Present Danger. Last year Clancy sold videogame rights to Ubisoft for an estimated $100 million.

And finally in fifth place is the queen of the romance novel Danielle Steel who earned $30 million this year. Steel’s books (more than 70 titles) have been published in 47 countries and 28 languages and she also has an Elizabeth Arden perfume and a San Francisco art gallery on her resume.

Nicholas Sparks, Janet Evanovich, John Grisham, Dean Koontz and Ken Follett round up the list for this year.

(nzherald.co.nz, Jan 09, Nicky Pellegrino)

When writing about the year ahead it seems almost mandatory to be all doom and economic gloom, but for book lovers at least, 2009 holds plenty of promise – new authors to discover, new releases from well- loved writers and a publishing industry that is as vibrant as it’s ever been.

First, let’s get the shameless self-promotion out the way. My own new novel, The Italian Wedding (Orion) is released here in April (two months before the UK gets it) and is a story about food, feuds and discovering who your parents really are. Naturally, highly recommend it!

Most publishing companies encourage their big-name authors to release a book each year so I can expect some stiff competition on the shop shelves. For instance Jodi Picoult’s next blockbuster also lands in April. Handle With Care is the story of a child born with brittle bone disease whose mother decides to file a wrongful birth lawsuit against the obstetrician who also happens to be her best friend.

Crime/thriller writers tend to be especially prolific for some reason. Michael Connelly has two new titles on offer this year as do Janet Evanovich, Jonathan Kellerman and Ian Rankin, who will be introducing
readers to a brand new series to replace the retired Rebus.

There will also be offerings from all the usual suspects: John Grisham, Jeffrey Deaver … and a book called Dead Man’s Dust about a vigilante hero from newcomer Matt Hilton, who’s being heralded as the next big (more…)

(Tampa Bay Online, Jan 4, Mary Beth Thompson)

The tree is down, the decorations are put away, and the last cookies have been eaten. I can’t think of a better way to start out the new year than with Janet Evanovich and Stephanie Plum.

If you are as loyal to Stephanie as I am, you are waiting impatiently for that 15th numbered book to come out. But in the meantime, this fourth “Between the Numbers” novel does not disappoint. If you haven’t read any of the “between” novels – which Evanovich knocks out between the regular Plum series, all of which have numbers in the title – you are missing out.

“Plum Spooky” brings Diesel back into Stephanie’s complicated, barely-making-it-as-a-bounty-hunter life. Diesel is on the hunt for his bad cousin, Wulf, who is involved with the latest bail jumper Stephanie is trying to apprehend.

Diesel shows up out of nowhere, “smells like Christmas,” travels the world tracking Unmentionables who have gone to the dark side (these are people with abilities beyond what normal folks have) and “neutralizes” them, whatever that means.

Stephanie is looking for Martin Munch, a nerdy little guy who looks like he is about 12. He assaulted his boss and took off with a “magnetometer” from the research facility he was working for. He is in cahoots with Wulf to develop a way to control the weather that involves shooting off rockets causing lightning and torrential rain. The trail takes them through the Pine Barrens of New Jersey, which, for those who have never been, is basically the middle of nowhere.

Stephanie’s on-again boyfriend Joe Morelli is busy cleaning up after his brother Anthony, who is staying with Joe until his wife will take him back. For reasons too complex to address here, Anthony ends up a victim of a nail-gun blast in the backside and becomes an even bigger pain in the butt to Joe.

Ranger, another of Stephanie’s admirers, along with his crew of minions, has Stephanie’s back from a distance to make sure she doesn’t get into too much trouble. She always ends up with one of his vehicles, and he seems to show up when she needs him the most.

Also thrown into the mix is Lula, our favorite former prostitute, and Carl the Monkey (anyone remember him?), who tag along to the Pine Barrens in search of creepy little Munch, who is hiding out with a bunch of other Jersey nuts, such as Sasquatch. Did I forget to mention that Munch also has the hots for our bounty hunter and wants her to be his “first”?

Now here I am waiting impatiently for the next numbered book to come out …

Get your signed copy of Plum Spooky at www.vjbooks.com today!

The First Full Length Stephanie Plum Between-the-Numbers Novel from #1 Bestselling Author Janet Evanovich!

Turn on all the lights and check under your bed. Things are about to get spooky in Trenton, New Jersey. According to legend, the Jersey Devil prowls the Pine Barrens and soars above the treetops in the dark of night. As eerie as this might seem, there are things in the Barrens that are even more frightening and dangerous. And there are monkeys. Lots of monkeys.

Wulf Grimoire is a world wanderer and an opportunist who can kill without remorse and disappear like smoke. He’s chosen Martin Munch, boy genius, as his new business partner, and he’s chosen the Barrens as his new playground. Munch received his doctorate degree in quantum physics when he was twenty-two. He’s now twenty-four, and while his brain is large, his body hasn’t made it out of the boys’ department at Macy’s. Anyone who says good things come in small packages hasn’t met Munch. Wulf Grimoire is looking for world domination. Martin Munch would be happy if he could just get a woman naked and tied to a tree.

Bounty hunter Stephanie Plum has Munch on her most-wanted list for failure to appear in court. Plum is the all-American girl stuck in an uncomfortable job, succeeding on luck and tenacity. Usually she gets her man. This time she gets a monkey. She also gets a big guy named Diesel. Diesel pops in and out of Plum’s life like birthday cake – delicious to look at and taste, not especially healthy as a steady diet, gone by the end of the week if not sooner. He’s an über bounty hunter with special skills when it comes to tracking men and pleasing women. He’s after Grimoire, and now he’s also after Munch. And if truth were told, he wouldn’t mind setting Stephanie Plum in his crosshairs.

Diesel and Plum hunt down Munch and Grimoire, following them into the Barrens, surviving cranberry bogs, the Jersey Devil, a hair-raising experience, sand in their underwear, and, of course . . . monkeys.

See signed books by Janet Evanovich at www.vjbooks.com

Charged with misconduct in a high-profile solicitation of murder case, Scully is forced to resign from the LAPD of face criminal prosecution. His wife Alexa leaves him, seeking a divorce for his alleged dalliance with the accused in the case, a well-known Hollywood actress. His son, Chooch, horrified by these events, won’t speak to him.

In order to make a living, Scully seeks employment where he can: the Haven Park, California PD. Haven Park is a small, incorporated city near downtown LA, populated largely by illegal immigrants. The department is known for its corruption, in effect the Mayor’s personal goon squad and collection agency. As Shane gets involved, he learns that things are rarely what they seem. Relentlessly harassed by an over-zealous FBI agent, the beautiful Ophelia Love, and under the constant, sometimes violent, extremely paranoid scrutiny of his new comrades-at-arms, Shane finds that Alex may be the only one who can get him out of this new mess alive.

But is she willing to?

“Stephen J. Cannell is one of my favorite authors. Read Steve – you’ll be hooked!” – Janet Evanovich