Devil May Care media roundup

There has been an avalanche of publicity following the announcement of the 2008 Centenary novel, Devil May Care by Sebastian Faulks. Here are a few worthy links to articles that appeared over the last few days:

• The Name’s Faulks, Sebastian Faulks. Entertainment Weekly’s blog, Popwatch, scored the first post announcement interview with Sebastian Faulks.

• The Thriller Writer With The Golden Touch. Ben Macintyre in the London Times discusses the selection of Faulks and James Bond's place in the Western Canon.

• Hands off 007 or I’ll Shoot You. Journalist Jeremy Clarkson struggles with his jealously over the selection of Faulks in The Times.

• Live and Let Buy. In celebration of the Centenary announcement, The Telegraph presents a (spoof) selection of James Bond works in progress.

• Watch ITV News coverage of the Faulks announcement on YouTube.

• ABC News reports that this is “the first new Bond book in 42 years” which is, of course, untrue. Nice to see fans setting them straight in the comments section.

Devil May Care will be released by Penguin Books in the UK and Doubleday in the U.S. on May 28, 2008.

Sebastian Faulks penned Bond parody in 2006

Looks like the highly anticipated centenary novel, Devil May Care, is not the first time author Sebastian Faulks has penned a James Bond adventure (of sorts). In his 2006 collection of parodies, Pistache, Faulks included “Even James Bond Goes Shopping”, a snippet of which was reprinted in The Guardian:

"Bond lowered himself through a ventilation grille in the ceiling above the savoury dips aisle. He lit one of his custom-made Morland cigarettes with the three gold rings round the tip.

"What you think you're doin'?" said a bald Cockney. "You can't smoke in 'ere mate." Bond drove the steel-reinforced toecap of his calfskin loafer into the red gaping mouth...

"He eliminated the three people ahead of him in the queue by triggering a lethal dart from the adapted handle of his twin-exhaust wire trolley and found himself staring at a familiar face. 'Ah, Moneypenny,' he said. 'What are you doing here? Are you licensed to till?'"

Penguin creates special 007 imprint, website

CommanderBond.net reports that Penguin Books will be creating a special James Bond imprint, Penguin 007 -- within which the recently announced Devil May Care will be published in May 2008, as well as launching a new website: www.penguin007.com.

Penguin UK publishes all 14 of Fleming’s Bond novels, the Charlie Higson Young Bond series, as well as Fleming’s children’s classic Chitty Chitty Bang Bang.

Devil May Care will be at the center of a larger program of Ian Fleming celebratory events that will run throughout 2008.

It’s going to be quite a year!

Higson says Faulks doesn’t know what he’s in for

Young Bond author Charlie Higson has commented on the news that Sebastian Faulks is the new Centenary Bond novelist.

Charlie told The Guardian, “I think Sebastian probably doesn't know what he has let himself in for. He will find himself completely immersed in the world of Bond and for ever after will be pursued as a Bond author.”

Charlie added: “He will now find himself getting requests to do photo shoots wearing the odd tuxedo, and I imagine he'll say no, but after a while you sort of give in. That's the thing about James Bond. It just turns everyone into kids.”

Faulks’ Bond novel, Devil May Care, will be released next year by Penguin Books in the UK and Doubleday in the U.S.

Secret Servant paperback released

The paperback edition of Secret Servant by Samantha Weinberg (aka Kate Westbrook) is officially released today in the UK.

Secret Servant is the thrilling second book in Samantha’s Moneypenny Diaries Trilogy. In it, Miss Jane Moneypenny travels to Russia where she’s swept up in Cold War intrigue and uncovers dark secrets about her own past.

The book also reveals details of exactly what happened to Commander Bond during his infamous “visit” to Russia between You Only Live Twice and The Man With The Golden Gun.

Samantha Weinberg is currently at work on the concluding chapter of the series, Final Fling, which takes place during the same time period as the recently announced Devil May Care by Sebastian Faulks. Both books will be released in 2008.

Thus far, the Moneypenny novels have only been published in the UK.