Echo Springs – #3 book in the top 10 Romance Books in Australia

It seems Echo Springs is the little series that could. I was so proud and thrilled yesterday when fellow Echo Springs author, Daniel de Lorne posted this:

Echo Springs is #3 in the top 10 selling romance books in Australia as listed in the Sydney Morning Herald

(source Nielsen Bookscan).

Number 3!

In the top 10!

Not just #3 of the top 10 in iBooks or Amazon or Booktopia, but in the entire of Australia!

I had to read it a bunch of times before it sank in, especially because, even though I’m so proud of this book and always have been, it is the book that I almost said no to writing. I’m so thankful that my family told me to go for it and my agent (after an hour conversation) talked me into it, but most of all, that my beautiful best friend, Helen Petrou, who as you might know, passed away after a 28 year fight with cancer at the beginning of August, told me I’d be an idiot if I didn’t take every single opportunity that came my way and that of course I could write this book, even though it was in a shorter length that scared the hell out of me to write (I usually write at least twice as long.)

I dedicated my part, Dangerous Echoes, to Helen, before she knew she had the cancer that would take her from me and all those who loved her, and she was so proud of the fact when I told her.

Sadly, she never got to hold or read the book that was written in great part because she gave me a big kick up the bum and told me I had to do it. But it did arrive in time for her to see the dedication and a picture of me holding my treasured copies – I sent her the photos straight away and had the final conversation I ever had with her about this, just three days before she passed. I know she is looking down now and doing a major fist pump and doing her ‘na-na-na-na-na-I-told-you-you-could-do-it-I’m-such-a-brilliant-know-it-all’ dance and blowing huge kisses my way.

Number 3, Helen, of the top 10! Number 3. You did know it. You are brilliant. Keep sending that brilliance my way, okay?

Of course, this isn’t all my win. I’m only 1/4 of the amazing authors I had the absolute pleasure of working with to create our little town and the dangers that threaten it. Daniel de Lorne, Shannon Curtis and TJ Hamilton – you guys are amazing and I’d love to work with you all again. I love how your minds work and how each of our stories has such a unique voice and a different look at country town life and our little cop shop.

My boys in Big W – Tuggeranong

Also, Kate Cuthbert – you rock! You brought us together, authors with such different voices, and knew it would work. Thank you for your trust in us with the brainchild that was yours.

And to Laurie Ormond, editor extraordinaire, who worked so hard and so quickly to bring it all into a cohesive whole and make our stories live and link together – you are amazing. And also to the marketing department at Harlequin Australia who have done an amazing job of getting it into so many book shops and the big DDS like Big W, Kmart, Dymocks and so on.

This win is all of ours. #3!

But for my little part, it is dedicated to my beautiful, brilliant, always missed and always treasured friend forever, Helen. #3 would not have happened for me without you. I love you, beautiful girl. This one’s for you.

I also just want to shout out to all the other Aussie authors mentioned on the list: Annie Seaton, Penelope Janu, Barbara Hannay, Susan Bellamy, Lee Christine, S.E. Gilchrist, Lauren K McKellar and Alli Sinclair. All amazing authors and all deserving of being in the top 10. I think it says something that most of the writers on the list are Australian authors. Well done all of us!

You can buy Dangerous Echoes as an eBook from:

iBooks, Google Play, Kobo, Amazon AU

And you can buy Echo Springs (comprising of Dangerous Echoes (by me!), Embers and Echoes (Daniel de Lorne), Echoes of the Past (TJ Hamilton) and Hope Echoes (Shannon Curtis)) at:

Big W, Kmart, Angus&Robertson, Booktopia, The Nile, Boomerang Books, Dymocks

Happy reading!

4 Comments on “Echo Springs – #3 book in the top 10 Romance Books in Australia”

  1. I’m always late with these things but … that is such a lovely post, Leisl, and even though I’ve never met your wonderful friend I can so clearly imagine her saying ‘I told you so.’ Because that’s why good friends are so precious – so often they know us so much better than we know ourselves, and let us be more than we think we can be. Congratulations again. A very well deserved success. Pen xxx

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