More details about the Evanovich/Cannell Collaboration
Publishing Newscollaborations / Janet Evanovich5 Comments
Bestsellers Janet Evanovich and Stephen J. Cannell have inked a deal with Warner Books to coauthor a series of adventure novels. The hardcover titles will be set in Orange County and follow the adventures of a former Special Forces operative, Benjamin Cannon. The first book, No Chance, is set to bow in fall 2007. . . . Evanovich was even more enthusiastic about the project. “Benjamin Cannon and crew are going to kick ass Jersey style in the world of OC glam,” she said of the books. Robert Gottlieb of Trident Media brokered the deals (on behalf of both authors) and Beth De Guzman, editor-in-chief of paperbacks, will edit the series. Via Publisher’s Weekly.
Edited to add: This appears to be scrapped. Trident and Evanovich have parted ways despite Trident brokering a $40 million 4 book deal for Evanovich. (paid link)
All I can think is ~meh~. I used to be a Plum fan, but now I just borrow the new Plum books from the library. I can’t say that I actively enjoy them any longer, but reading them is like watching a train wreck or rubber necking at an accident on the road — I can’t help it. But a new series? I’m just not interested. Unless Stephen J. Cannell is awesome, I don’t see how a new JE series is going to be worth my book dollars or my reading time.
Huh…former Special Forces operative? Bob Mayer, Jennifer Crusie’s partner, is one of those in real life. I too have lost some interest in the Plum series, but I have enjoyed Evanovich’s new series and gave a good review to MOTOR MOUTH. This story doesn’t sound particularly new though and with both of these people already in hardcover (Evanovich last one was $26!!) I imagine the book will be pricey.
Who knows what I’ll think a year from now. That’s many books away.
*sigh* Is she actually writing all these books? I thought I heard somewhere that her collaboratives with Charlotte Hughes were primarily written by Hughes and signed onto by Evanovich. I admire the woman’s success, and I still read and enjoy the Plum books (it’s easier for me to justify a hardcover when it’s only one a year), but I also know she’s incorporated herself as a sort of cottage industry with various members of her family. So even as I read the Plum books I have these twinges of, “is this Evanovich the person here, or Evanovich the named corporate entity I’m reading?” Isn’t she also collaborating with her daughter now, too?
I still look forward to those three hours or so right after I crack open the latest Plum hardcover, even if it’s a quick fix of brain candy. I’m fascinated by a couple of things in the series, including the way Stephanie would go berzerkers with jealousy at the very thought that Morelli had a female “Ranger” in his life (I keep waiting for this double-standard to come and bite Stephanie in the butt, even as I’m enjoying the fact that she gets to be the bad girl here). I also love watching Evanovich playing through the triangle between Ranger and Joe, and every time Ranger tells Stephanie how ill-equipped he is for serious committment, I always feel like Evanovich is trying to convince Ranger-fan readers of this, as well. I know there are readers who hate that the books seem to be feeding off the unresolvability of the triangle, but I’m can’t help but be curious about how Evanovich is going to extricate Stephanie — finally — from her dilemma.
I cannot seem to find the book. I ordered it back in September or October through Amazon.com and just recently received notice that their vendors could not get it? How does one get a copy?
Barbara – the collaboration has been put on hold. I don’t know if it is even written.