This Summer Camp Is My Sports Car

As I write this Just One Night is the #1 bestselling iBook in the UK. I am the #3 bestselling fiction author on Amazon. James Patterson is #2 (and yes I realize that there are probably around 100,000 books/week that separate the #3 spot from the #2 spot but still!). People are emailing me about film rights and, well things are happening.

The thing is, I've been so busy parenting, promoting, writing, editing and so on that it's only now that all this is really hitting me. For some time now I've been waiting for the inevitable decline. And while I know my rankings that I listed above won't stay this way forever the fact that they've actually continued to improve over the weeks since the book's release...well it's sorta huge.

And yesterday one of my son's teachers emailed me asking if I would consider signing my boy up for one of the school's summer programs: Entertainment Production (can you tell we live in LA?). The teacher really feels that being able to help write and produce a web-series (which is what they'll be doing) will help him develop and fine tune his strengths (writing and creative thinking) not to mention boost his confidence among his peers.

I had actually gotten a list of the school's summer programs a few weeks ago but hadn't even looked at them. Why? Because I didn't need to look at them to know I couldn't afford them. I've sacrificed a lot to have my son in this school which is for gifted students with learning differences and I can see how great it's been for him. He's finally in a place that can help him reach his full potential, challenge him, help him feel comfortable with who his is and find his place in the world. All that's great but the school's also costing me $36,000/year. Why would I be looking at summer camps when I can barely afford groceries?

But here's the thing,  in addition to everything that's going on with the Just One Night series I also produced a Sophie Katz audiobook with the truly fabulous Gabra Zackman (Vanity, Vengeance & A Weekend In Vegas) a little while back, and that too has been selling very well. I just received my royalty check for that this weekend and I know that I've earned out my advance for The Stranger and Exposed so in August more royalties will be coming. In other words for once I actually can afford to send my son to a summer program. I'm not even going to have to scrounge to do it.

You have to understand, for me this is like being told I can afford to buy a Porsche...or Mr. Dade's Alfa Romeo Spider. People are always telling me about things that would be great for my son and I can never afford them.

But now I can...or at least I can afford  this particular summer program and I'm totally giddy about it! As I look around my tiny apartment it doesn't even seem possible. But it must be possible because as Kasie knows, numbers don't lie.

And in my case, numbers come from readers. I've gotten emails and messages from some of you telling me that you emailed all your friends about these latest books, others have convinced all the women in their office to buy the books as well. That's the kind of word-of-mouth publicity that's propelling Just One Night toward the top and if those books weren't on top my son wouldn't be able to help his friends produce this web-series.

I've thank you all so many times already I feel like a broken record...but I can't seem to stop myself. Thank you, thank you, thank you!!

Oh and one more thing, THANK YOU!