Those of you who have been following my blog for a while know that my first novel, AMELIA, has a beautiful new cover! Yesterday, I decided to look on Amazon for my novel, AMELIA. I had to look twice when I saw my novel listed as #23 in Victorian Historical Romance (Kindle Store). Really? Can this be true? I clicked on Victorian Historical Romance (Kindle Store) and arrived at Amazon Best Sellers, Best Sellers in Victorian Historical Romance. I scrolled down the list of Top 100 Free and found my novel! I had to take a screen shot on my iPad just to confirm it was real and then I showed my husband and shed tears of joy.

I went to sleep wondering what rank my novel would be at in the morning only to awaken at 4:46 am for a drink of water. I couldn’t resist checking Amazon on my iPad and had to blink when I saw that my novel had jumped up to #16. I went back to bed and whispered to my husband the good news. When I woke up in the morning, it was still #16. I was thrilled beyond belief!

Unfortunately, in the early evening, it went down a bit to #21, then #22 and now it’s #27 at 10 pm. Am I disappointed that it’s coming down? Perhaps. But I have to remember several things. First, something Wayne Dyer said about his self-help books on best sellers lists–Don’t confuse the book ranking with the self. While I should feel honored to have to have my novel ranked in the top 100, it’s a ranking of a novel, not myself. (Even though a lot of personal effort went into it!)

The second thing I need to remember is this–Joys in life are sometimes fleeting. But it’s good to remember those joys even if they don’t last forever. I should remember how wonderful it felt when I saw my book at #16, even if it was only for a short time.

I have heard that a cover makes all the difference and after this experience, I can vouch for that. Sarah Keturah, my cover designer, currently works as a graphic designer for a television network and has previously worked on blockbuster movies. I am also proud to say she is my youngest daughter! I am a lucky mother and author to have a professional graphic designer as a daughter!