R.I.P. Philip Jose Farmer 1918-2009

My first exposure to Philip Jose Farmer was his ‘World Of Tiers’ series, followed by ‘Doc Savage: His Apocalyptic Life’, and I’ve enjoyed reading his works ever since. To me, his work is very easy to read and I can click with his characters right away. I’m glad he chose to become an author otherwise the world would have missed a great talent.

From his official website:
Philip José Farmer passed away peacefully in his sleep this morning.

He will be missed greatly by his wife Bette, his children, grandchildren, great-grandchildren, friends and countless fans around the world.

January 26, 1918 – February 25, 2009. R.I.P.

We love you Phil.

Stephenie Meyer becomes Biggest Selling Writer In U.S. For 2008

Stephenie Meyer, whose novel Twilight launched a vampiric franchise that led to November’s hit movie of the same name, was the biggest selling writer in the U.S. last year. She moved 15 million books as of Dec. 28, according to figures released by Nielsen BookScan USA.

Meyer’s novels accounted for a remarkable four of 2008′s top 10 titles, and nine of the top 50.

Her most recent novel, Breaking Dawn, was the No. 1 book of the year, selling 3,310,000 copies, followed closely by her debut novel, Twilight, with 3,175,000 copies. It’s rare for sales of older titles to return to the bestseller lists, but her 2006 novel was boosted by the release of the film, which proved so successful that a cinematic sequel was immediately put into the works.

Harry Potter creator J. K. Rowling came in at No. 8 with The Tales of Beedle the Bard, followed closely by Christopher Paolini’s Brisinger at No. 9.

Source: Scifi Wire