One of the strangest things about publishing a book is that characters who have lived entirely inside your head suddenly belong, in a small way, to other people too.
This week, Cold As Silk reached double figures for ratings on Amazon, while more ratings and reviews have continued to appear on Goodreads.
For an established author, those might be tiny numbers. For me, watching my first book in this series gradually find its readers, they're anything but.
The stars are lovely, of course. But what I've enjoyed most is discovering why people connected with the story.
Readers have mentioned Eleanor's journey from surviving to reclaiming her strength. They've noticed the way Nathan supports her without trying to rescue her. They've described their relationship as natural and built on trust and mutual respect.
And then there are the other characters.
One recent review described them as well drawn and said the reader was looking forward to the books that would follow them.
That one made me smile.
Because while readers are discovering Eleanor and Nathan, I'm now editing Against The Code, Sebastian and Addison's story.
Their relationship is very different. Their story has its own complications, its own humour and its own rhythm, but they're part of the same world readers first entered with Cold As Silk.
Perhaps that's what I've enjoyed most about the reviews so far.
People aren't simply rating a book.
They're meeting these characters.
And some of them want to spend a little more time with them.
Thank you to everyone who's bought, borrowed, rated or reviewed Cold As Silk. I'm enormously grateful that you gave Eleanor and Nathan a chance.
And for those waiting to find out who's next...
Sebastian and Addison are getting closer.
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