Recent Questions

Below are answers to readers' questions. These questions are updated frequently so make sure to check back soon!

08/31/10

Is it possible to get an autographed copy of one of the Stephanie Plum series books. I live in Australia and my girlfriend and I are big fans.

Yes, we currently have Plum Lovin'  in our online store available to ship in the U.S. and to anywhere outside the U.S. -- Alex

Was Mr. Plum once an army ranger like Ranger?

No, but Frank Plum did serve his country as a proud U.S. postal carrier. -- Alex

In a lot of American novels they talk about eating biscuits for breakfast.  Biscuits over here in England are like cookies, so what are biscuits in the USA?

They are like miniature, bite-sized loaves of bread - shortening, milk, flour and baking soda - that are baked by the dozen on a greased baking sheet.  A tablespoon of dough makes a biscuit that can be eaten in a few bites.  Having them for breakfast is mostly a Southern U.S. thing.  Other parts of the country would probably choose toast, a bagel or a donut over a biscuit.  However, they go great with fried chicken. -- Alex

My large print copy of Eleven on Top contains bold type in places where it shouldn't be.  Why is that?

It's our understanding that the large print editions use bold type where regular editions will use italic because it's easier to see. -- Alex

08/28/10

In Troublemaker, what does "Cheese It" mean?

It's slang for "run away."  In movies in the 1930s it was often used this way -- "Cheese it.  The cops!" -- Alex

How do I submit a pet photo for Janets site?

To get your pet's picture on the pet page, just send it to webmaster@evanovich.com.  Make sure it's a gif or a jpg.  We have problems publishing other formats.  We'll e-mail you when it's your pet's turn, so you won't miss him. -- Alex

Will Wicked Appetite be available on audio cd?  and if so will it be read by Loreli King?

Yes, it will be published the same day as the book -- September 14.  And Lorelei will indeed be reading it. -- Alex

When will Troublemaker the second book come out?

Troublemaker, part 2 will be published on November 9. -- Alex

Did Janet ever live in Jersey?

Janet grew up in South River, New Jersey and was educated at Douglass College -- a Jersey girl through and through. -- Alex

08/24/10

Which book has Carl the monkey in it?

Carl the monkey is introduced in Fearless Fourteen.  He makes another appearance in Plum Spooky.  Carl will also be a recurring character in the new Diesel series, starting with Wicked Appetite on September 14. -- Alex

When will the new books be available in the ebook format?

That depends on which of the ever-growing number of e-readers, and from which site, you are downloading.  With the exception of Troublemaker and Troublemaker 2 (because they are comics) the e-books should be available on the same day as the hardcover.  But this is still all pretty new stuff, and sometimes things don't go exactly as planned.  Dark Horse will be making e and iPad versions of the Troublemaker books, but we don't have a date yet. -- Alex

I have a question about Wicked Appetite.  Does this mean that there will be no more between books in the Plum series?

The Between the Numbers books (Visions of Sugar Plums, Plum Lovin', Plum Lucky and Plum Spooky) are on hold while Janet concentrates on the adventures of Diesel, Wulf and Carl the Monkey in Wicked Appetite. -- Alex

Stephanie's sister hasn't been mentioned recently, will her and her family be featured in any future books?

The Kloughns are alive and well and living in the Burg.  I'm sure we'll hear from Albert, Valerie and the girls sometime in the future. -- Alex

Will Stephanie and company make guest appearances in the Unmentionables series?

There is currently no plan to have the Plum gang travel to Massachusetts to be part of Diesel's series. -- Alex

08/20/10

I would like to know when Rex will be replaced, he has already outlived the normal hamster life span by 3X.

Actually, more like 5X.  Like all the Plum characters, he never ages.  Rex will continue in good health forever. -- Alex

You told us when Ranger's Birthday is, but when is Stephanie's and Joe's Birthday?

Joe's birthday is March 1.  Stephanie's birthday is October 12. -- Alex

My hamster wants to know if we'll ever see Batser on the site again? It was great!

I miss Batster, too!  Unfortunately I just can't find the time to do another Batster comic these days.  For those of you who are new to the site, a number of years ago we had a comic on the site that was about a super hero hamster and his beaver cousin. -- Alex

Has Janet ever considered writing a book or novella (or even a few chapters) from Ranger's or Morelli's voice / point of view?

As Janet likes to say, when writing in first person, she likes to write a female point of view because she has no idea what goes on inside a man's head.  Besides, Ranger is such a man of few words, if she wrote in his voice, the book probably would only be about 10 pages long. -- Alex

When does Sizzling Sixteen come out in paperbook?

Most fiction paperbacks come out about a year after the hard cover.  Look for Sizzling Sixteen to be in paperback next June -- more than likely on the same day as the hard cover of Book Seventeen. -- Alex

08/17/10

We are waiting for this book through Amazon.com, but I don't see it listed on your website.  Does it exist?  Between the numbers #5 a stephanie plum novel.  We have been waiting for months.

It's the book that never was.  The library listing services (who make it possible for patrons to sign up early to borrow books) and the online sellers (who like to offer their customers the ability to pre-order books) got this one wrong.  They assumed that since Janet had written Between the Numbers books for the last several Januaries, 2010 would be no different.  However, there was no Between the Numbers book this year because Janet is spinning off the Diesel character into his own series starting with Wicked Appetite on September 14. -- Alex

When will we find out who won the contest of naming Janet's 17th book?

We'll probably announce on the site around October 1, and then again in the E-News newsletter on December 1.  You can get the E-News delivered to your e-mail inbox by signing up here. -- Alex

Why don't you get some magnets for the online store?

We have three magnets that can go on your refrigerator or car. -- Alex
Rangeman
I "heart" Bob
I "heart" Rex"

I was wondering how you come up with bounty hunter dilemmas. Did you have to do a lot of research beforehand?

Janet did a lot of research initially and for the first few books.  The business hasn't changed a whole lot over the years, so not as much research is required these days.  However, she does still check in with friends at the Trenton P.D. every now and then for info. -- Alex

Would you consider some recipes at the end of each book?

Helen Plum does know her way around the kitchen and some of her recipes are worthy of sharing.  But instead of putting those recipes at the end of each book, we have them on the website.  During the holidays, we put up a whole bunch of recipes in the Fun Stuff section of the website that are sent in by readers. -- Alex

What is Diesel's last name?

Diesel is a lot like Lula, in that he only goes by one name. -- Alex

08/13/10

Will you be having any Mooner, Lula, or Grandma Mazur merchandise in your store any time soon?

We're working on something for Mooner.  We have a Carl shirt coming in soon, and we just got more Sally Sweet T-shirts. -- Alex

Is Elizabeth Tucker going to be a main character in all of the Unmentionable books?

Yes, the books will be written in first person from Lizzy's point of view.  You can read an excerpt here. -- Alex

As I was reading my book I came to page 119 and it is missing along with 120-150. Pages 151-182 are printed twice.

Printing errors occur from time to time.  Just bring your book back to the store at which you bought it.  They should be more than happy to exchange your misprinted copy for a good copy. -- Alex

How did Ranger spend his birthday?

Yesterday was Ranger's birthday and he spent it like he spends most Thursdays -- working.  He did take time to enjoy the healthy carrot cake Stephanie got him.  He put the handmade birthday card his daughter sent him on his refrigerator. -- Alex

I would like to know where I can get the Tasty Cakes your always talking about?

You can mail order Tastykakes online at www.tastykake.com. -- Alex

I was wondering where I could buy Troublemaker in Australia?

We were told that it should have become available in Australia around August 3, so check your local bookstore and places like Borders.  You can also get it directly from our online store, where we've made signed copies available for international ordering ($19.50 USD no extra shipping) as well as for ordering in the U.S. ($10.50 no extra shipping). -- Alex

08/10/10

We will be driving 1200 miles to the Northville, Michigan signing. I have heard the crowds are huge for the signings. Can you give me a general idea of how early I will need to get there to be sure to have books signed? I'm thrilled to death to be coming and don't want to drive all that way to be disappointed.

Wow, that's a long way!  Some people show up early in the morning, before the store opens, to line up for a wristband.  But if you can't do that, don't worry.  When you arrive at the store, you will get a wristband with a number that will show you, relatively speaking, when your group will be called to join the line.  Sometimes the signings go late into the night, but Janet will stay until the last person in line gets his or her books signed. -- Alex

I would like to know what happen to Randy Briggs?  When will Sally Sweet come back?

Randy Briggs is alive and well and living in the Burg.  So is the cross-dressing Sally.  I'm sure it's only a matter of time before we will be seeing them again. -- Alex

Was wondering why the new book Troublemaker is not being sold in other stores, just Barnes and Noble or just ording on line.

Troublemaker is available at all Barnes and Nobles, Borders, Books A Millions, Hastings, Targets and comic book stores.  Our understanding is that select locations of Wal*Mart also have it.  Places like grocery and chain drug stores aren't carrying it.  Dark Horse Comics is the publisher and the market for graphic novels (a bound comic book containing more than 25 pages) is a lot more specialized than for regular books. -- Alex

I have a question about One for the Money.  I own a hardcover copy and am wondering if it is a First Edition.

For some reason, first editions of that book do not have the words "first edition" on the copyright page (the page right after the full title page).  They do, however, have a sequence of numbers that refers to the number of printings -- 1, 3, 5, 7, 9, 10, 8, 6, 4, 2 -- at the bottom of the page.  If the number 1 is one of those numbers, it is a first printing and can assumed to be a first edition. -- Alex

I know this is a weird question but could I ask you where your name came from?

Evanovich is Janet's married name.  We're not entirely sure on the orgins of the Evanovich side (there was a lot of moving around), but the name Evanovich is Slavic in nature.  Janet's side of the family came from Denmark. -- Alex