Yay-Yays for Ya-Yas

by Daisy Maryles -- Publishers Weekly, 4/11/2005

The Ya-Ya Sisterhood was more than ready for Rebecca Wells's latest book, Ya-Yas in Bloom.Released March 29 with a hefty 365,000 copies in print after three trips to press, it hits the PW list in the #3 spot after less than a week in the stores. Wells's first two books, Divine Secrets of the Ya-Ya Sisterhood (1996) and Little Altars Everywhere (1998) have a combined hardcover/paperback sale of about 8.5 million copies in the U.S. Shortly after the mega-success of Little Altars, Wells began to suffer from a debilitating illness that was finally diagnosed as Lyme disease and babesiosis (a rare, tick-borne illness with malaria-like symptoms). The illness severely compromised her stamina and ability to write for long hours (for her first two books, eight- to 10-hour days were the norm), so for this latest release, Wells did two wire service interviews and will do all promotion from her home. HarperCollins put together a Ya-Yas in Bloom party kit (posters, balloons, buttons, streamers and more) and the author presigned about 8,000 books; events were held in about 12 cities.