Tis the season for sales

My friend Julie called me today to tell me that Wal-mart in Union, MO, only had two of my books left on the shelves--meaning I'd sold eight out of 10 in a store I usually only sell half. I was thrilled.

Every time a book gets into the stores I worry about it. The books that I think will do really well sometimes don't. Case in point, Legally Tender, my January 06 American, didn't sell as well as predicted. Maybe it was January, when everyone is broke from holiday spending and making those resolutions to cut back. Maybe it was because it was of the cover. I know I read one blog where the woman loved the book, but she bought it only after someone recommended it to her. She blogged that she hated the title, and had it not been recommended, she never would have bought the book--just because of the title.

So The Wedding Secret is out there now. I can't fix anything about it and I am already writing my November 2007 American. But a book is like a baby, once it's born, you can't send it back if it's not what you expected. However, I love this book. It's one of my favorites. So I hope everyone will love my baby just as much as I do. I hope they'll spare a few Christmas dollars to pick up a little romantic escape. Until the January Americans arrive, I nervously check stores, Amazon numbers and pray. You'd think that after 13 times I'd stop worrying. But I won't.

So I'm like the stores holding their breath on sales numbers. Only time will tell. And come April, when Nine Months' Notice hits the stands, the butterflies and nerves will take flight again. I guess it's all part of the process.

Michele