What I Learned In California
I’ve actually been away for a few days. Took off to California for some family visiting. Hung out with Wendy. Met Kassia and managed to make her late for an appointment (’tho it is now clear she drives really, really fast). All in all, I had a lovely time. In addition to all the eating, visiting, book browsing, chatting, gossiping (not me, of course - I just listened while others gossiped…) and lounging in the sun, some other very cool things happened over the past few days. The list goes like this:
1. Saw my book on the shelf at Borders. The greatest thing ever? Yeah, pretty damn close. Making literary star and writing professor Tod Goldberg go up to the info desk and ask for a book called When Good Things Happen To Bad Boys - let’s just say that was priceless.
2. Heard from Ellen that the book is hitting the shelves in other states and without having to harass store employees to venture into the back and unpack it. And, Ellen bought it. I would have sent it to her for free, so it was doubly sweet of her to buy it.
3. Heard from Sylvia and my editor (they both emailed at the same time and I love them both for delivering the good news) that When Good Things Happen To Bad Boys - which doesn’t officially come out until April 4th - is on the Borders Romance Bestseller List for the week ending March 25th. There are others on the list, of course, but I think #5 is the most interesting:
1 THE DEVIL IN WINTER
Lisa Kleypas
Avon
2 THREE LITTLE SECRETS
Liz Carlyle
Pocket Books
3 FATAL BURN
Lisa Jackson
Kensington
4 THE MACGREGORS; ALAN & GRANT
Nora Roberts
Silhouette
5 WHEN GOOD THINGS HAPPEN TO BAD BOYS
Lori Foster, Erin McCarthy, HelenKay Dimon
Kensington
6 DEEP, DARK & DANGEROUS
Jaid Black
Pocket Books
7 PRETTY WOMAN
Fern Michaels
Pocket Books
8 TIME & AGAIN
Nora Roberts
Silhouette
9 THE ADMIRALS BRIDE
Suzanne Brockmann
Silhouette
10 IMPOSSIBLE
Danielle Steel
Dell
In the not-so-lovely category, here is some advice: Do not fly through Chicago. Trust me. Don’t.
March 29th, 2006 at 8:22 am
Yay! You’re a bestseller even before the book’s official release date! How cool!!!
March 29th, 2006 at 9:43 am
Congratulations! I didn’t see it here yesterday, but will look on Friday.
March 29th, 2006 at 7:24 pm
Oh, how WICKED cool is that?
Congratulations!
And did he blush? Stutter?
I can’t imagine how cool it must be to see one’s name on a list above Danielle Steel’s.
March 30th, 2006 at 10:33 am
Congrats HelenKay! I got my copy (sorry, I know I’m supposed to wait til the release date, but those evil booksellers - where I work p/t btw - leave them out in a blatant attempt to get my money!) and I can’t wait to start it.
Um, I live in Chicago - have no choice. But if you traveled recently, maybe it was all the springbreakers clogging the airport?
March 31st, 2006 at 11:55 pm
Uh, what about the joy of suckering an innocent bystander into buying your book (early!) and then, ahem, forgetting to autograph it? I’m still waiting for the video of Tod in the bookstore. I’m seeing major viral video.
It was so cool meeting you (I’ll almost totally back up the “I didn’t gossip” fantasy” if you’ll back mine). Also, 90 is not fast.
September 1st, 2006 at 5:07 pm
Keep up the great work on your blog. Best wishes WaltDe