Top 100: Celebrating the Highs (and managing the lows)

For the first time, one of my books has hit the top 100 in the UK Kindle chart, and number 10 in Romantic Comedy!! I’ve had lovely messages of congratulations from my editor and others at my publisher and it’s quite surreal that one of my books has made it!

I truly hope this is the start of more consistent visibility for my books, but even if it’s not, it’s worth celebrating that this one has been zooming up the charts. My publisher is so committed to marketing that a lot of their books have had great success in the Kindle charts. Of my previous books, only Italy Ever After has really sold well, so this is exciting for me, although also mystifying because I don’t know what it is about this book that is drawing eyes and clicks!

That’s why, although I’m thrilled to be in the charts, it’s my previous readers, those of you who loved my Venice books, that didn’t do quite so well, who are most important to me! Finding my ideal readers slowly and steadily is just as satisfying as having a book shoot up the charts, because ‘what goes up must come down’. There are always disappointments in publishing as well as these high moments.

But I also love that I’m carrying the flag for romance in the UK top 100. It’s not the most respected genre in the UK (although readers often disagree with critics), but there are so many wonderful, layered, page-turning romances out there that readers never discover because they’ve bought into the idea that romance is a second-rate genre, a ‘guilty pleasure’.

I’m immensely proud of a Taste of Italian Sunshine as a real romance, with sexual and romantic tension, banter, the gradual growth of feelings and even a kind of grand gesture at the end before the happily-ever-after – everything a romance reader knows and loves. There is a strong sense of place and background about prosecco and the region, but the storyline is entirely about the two main characters getting to know each other and falling in love despite the obstacles. Hopefully some people who don’t usually read romance will pick it up and discover the joy of following along while two people fall in love!