ReadersRoom: Janet, first off, thank you for taking time out of your busy schedule to visit with us at Readers Room.
Janet: Looking forward to it.
ReadersRoom: Let's start off by talking about the character that readers have fallen in love with, the hapless bounty hunter Stephanie Plum. She seems to have become larger than life, and taken on direction of her own. How did this affect you initially, and was it hard to adjust to the hoopla surrounding your novels?
Janet: The hoopla happened very gradually. One for the Money only shipped about 17,000 hard covers. I actually like the hoopla now.
ReadersRoom: That's great! You have very devoted fans. I have to ask: Is there a lot of Stephanie Plum in you?
Janet: Stephanie and I share a lot of the same history. We both graduated from Douglass College. I learned to drive on the dreaded '53 Buick. We usually think alike. Stephanie dresses more like my Webmaster daughter Alex. They usually drive the same car and listen to the same music.
ReadersRoom: If One for the Money shipped 17,000, how many did Hard Eight ship?
Janet: I don't remember the exact number on Hard Eight but To the Nines shipped 750,000 hard covers.
ReadersRoom: That's wonderful! When was To the Nines released? And why didn't anyone tell me?
Janet: Yeah, it's fun to know that many people are in the world of Plum. To the Nines will be released July 15 but they're shipping now. It's just that they stay embargoed in stock rooms until the 15th.
ReadersRoom: I see. I was getting ready to make a bookstore run. People seem to relate to Stephanie, because she is so human. Did you start your first book with a specific character in mind, or did she just grow as you wrote?
Janet: I pretty much knew who Stephanie was when I started the series. I'd already published twelve romance novels and knew a lot about the sort of heroine I liked.
ReadersRoom: Do you find it difficult to keep continuity with your characters over the course of nine novels?
Janet: I was worried about that but it hasn't been an issue. I suppose if I had time to take a vacation between books I might have more of a problem.
ReadersRoom: Your fans probably keep you busy begging for more. Janet, I know that you wrote series romance novels before you created Stephanie Plum. Can you tell us more about how you got started in this business? And did you find the crossover from romance to mystery
difficult?
Janet: I can't keep up with my fans. I did two Stephanie books last year. One was a Christmas novella. Next year I'll do one Stephanie and a new single title adventure/thriller that will come out in fall 2004. I also am doing a more romantic series with a friend of mine, Charlotte Hughes.
ReadersRoom: Yes, I read Full House and Full Tilt.
Janet: The crossover to crime was painless. I took all the things that I loved about romance --the sexual tension, the great positive characters, the humor and I squashed it into a more active adventure format.
ReadersRoom: Very effectively, too. So, tell us more about your single title adventure/thriller.
Janet: I've signed a two book contract with Harper Collins to do two non-Plum books. They'll be full length books and will be in my usual voice with humor and edge and action. Some sex, some cussing, some pizza. The first book will take place in Miami.
ReadersRoom: You seem to really enjoy writing in this genre. It comes out in your very real--and quirky--characters. Have any of your books been adapted to film or television?
Janet: Yeah, I feel like I'm in the right place. I have a lot of freedom to do my thing and the Jersey in me is able to get out and be heard. TriStar bought the rights to One but has never gone very far in
development. Hollyweird. Go figure.
ReadersRoom: You seem to work very closely with your daughter, Alex, who is your Web master and your fan base seems to relate to her as well. Do you feel that letting your human side show--in other words, I am NOT just a best selling author, but I have a real life--has helped to increase your popularity?
Janet: I go on tour and everyone's excited to see Alex. Then I hear people say things like ...look it's Alex's mother, too. I think people like to feel connected and we encourage the readers to be part of the Plum and Evanovich family. It's more fun that way!
ReadersRoom: Can you tell us a bit more about your newest book, To the Nines? What is Stephanie in for this time?
Janet: To the Nines is of course in the world of Plum with all the usual dysfunctional characters (said affectionately). Stephanie is after a guy who's been given a visa bond and has disappeared. What's fun about this book is that the last chapter is very scary. And I think the ending holds some surprises.
ReadersRoom: I can't wait! Janet, can you tell us about your writing schedule? Do you have a set schedule? Or do you just write when the muse takes hold?
Janet: I like to be at my computer by 5:30 a.m. and I write until about 2:00. If I'm behind schedule I write until early evening. Otherwise I stop around 2:00 and become a business person answering phone calls, doing mail, having discussions with my publicist and whatever.
ReadersRoom: Janet, can you answer some questions from our readers?
Janet: Of course.
ReadersRoom: From Maggie in Georgia: I would like to ask Janet Evanovitch about her narrator for the audio books, Tanya Eby. Is she a friend of the author's? Any special reason that Eby does her narrating?
Janet: The narrator is chosen by the audio publisher and I have a veto vote. Tanya Eby wasn't one of our more successful readers and I believe she only did one book.
ReadersRoom: From Lora in Arizona: Is Stephanie EVER going to get back with Ranger, or can we expect smooth sailing with Morelli from here on out?
Janet: I don't think smooth sailing will ever be a good description of Stephanie's life.
ReadersRoom: From Carol, Piscataway NJ: "Hi Ms. Evanovich. It says on your book covers that you live in New Hampshire, but you have North 'Joisey' down cold. Did you live there long -- and do you go back often?"
Janet: I was born and raised in South River, New Jersey. I graduated from Douglass and after marrying a guy from Sayreville started moving around, following his career. We moved to NH about seven years ago, hoping to give me a more serene environment. Hah! As if a move would do that!!
ReadersRoom: Not while Stephanie lives in your head! From Aggie in Houston: When does Lula get to have a love life? Have you ever thought of spinning her off into her own series?
Janet: There's a lot going on with Lula between books. Probably I won't give her a series of her own, but she'll never be left out of a Plum book.
ReadersRoom: From Callie in Wisconsin: Stephanie Plum seems to collect such an oddball group of friends. Is this at all autobiographical?
Janet: Most of the Plum characters are composites of friends and family. Lula is Stephanie times two. Ranger is entirely fictitious and a left-over from my bad boy romance days.
ReadersRoom: Phil in Baltimore: I pre-ordered To the Nines from Amazon, but I just have to know -- what is the title of "Ten" going to be?
Janet: We don't have a title for ten yet. We hold a contest every year and let the readers name the book. Go to my website --www.evanovich.com --and enter to win.
ReadersRoom: Great! Well, Janet, before we go, do you have anything you
want to say to your many, many fans?
Janet: Be brave, have fun, eat some birthday cake.
ReadersRoom: Thanks again, Janet, for taking the time to visit with us at
Readers Room. We're looking forward to reading To the Nines.
Janet: Thanks guys. Anytime.
Copyright 2003 by ReadersRoom, LLC. All rights reserved.
