Thursday 28 October 2010

TEN MILLION, AND COUNTING.....

I've never been very good at sums and although I had a very good relationship with my maths teacher (Mr. Barrett!) - I wasn't allowed to sit my Maths G.C.E because it was accepted that I would fail.

But authors are supposed to keep a tally of the books they've written. For a start, when the numbers accrue, some of those numbers become milestones - like 75, for example - and you get something silver and rather gorgeous, from Tiffany. Yum!

I was sure I'd written 75. So I asked one of our editors if she could find out - and she did. Turns out that I'd actually written 81!

From the very first, back in 1988:



To the one which is out this month:

She also told me that I had sold ten million books - which means more to me than anything which comes in a turquoise box.
In fact, it seemed unbelievable.
It still does.
I might just have to write it down as numbers to see what if that helps...
10.000,000
No. That really IS unbelievable!
So thank you to all you lovely readers who keep buying the books and telling me how much you enjoy them - you're the ones who really count.

22 comments:

  1. Congrats Sharon!!
    I do hope you are going to NYC so that you can get your lovely Tiffany thing at the Harlequin party.
    10,000,000,000 is a fantastic number!
    It doesn't matter that you are not good at maths as you are excellent at writing.

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  2. Oops too many zeros -- that is the trouble with millions...

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  3. Ooh, Michelle - now you've made ten million look teeny!

    Yes, I am going to NYC to receive it - and make it feel even more unbelievable!

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  4. Congratulations, Sharon! It must be a great satisfaction.

    About maths, I’ve always hated it – but always been good at it for some unknown reason…
    It was also present in my recent exam with things I had studied at18 for the last time!
    I guess Russell Crowe in “A beautiful mind” helped me to enter the right mood to face the proof!

    Now I’m reading books and watching films in French and Spanish for my next and very last proof – in order to gain more scores for the ranking. This is my field!
    My house is breathing an international air these days…
    Anyway… who loves humanities ALWAYS hates maths.

    The old cover of your first book is so fascinating – but I’ve never read it! Sadly…
    And it would be hard to find a new edition of it in Italy at the moment.

    A question: why a pseudonym for that book?

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  5. It's not a pseudonym, Michela - but my maiden name - which I loved because it was so unusual.
    Then, when I started to move away from the medical books, I used my married name - which has stuck.

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  6. Oohh, lovely! :) And romantic! I like it! x

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  7. Congrats mum!
    Is it possible that I saw that last title, the wonderfully named "Shameful Secret, Shotgun Wedding" in a charity shop yesterday? Or am I confusing it with another one which also involves a quick wedding?

    Patch

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  8. Thanks, Patrick!

    As for SHAMEFUL SECRET, SHOTGUN WEDDING - I would be very surprised if you'd seen it in a charity shop - unless someone had read it very quickly!

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  9. congratulations Sharon I didn't now you started out at medicals

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  10. Yes, Joanna - I wrote nine in total.

    I love that first cover.....if you look closely, you can just about make out a Kookaburra sitting in the tree behind - just in case you needed to know that the book was set in Australia!

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  11. Hi Sharon, and huge congratulations on selling 10.000,00 copies. (Had to check twice that I had put enough nought's).
    You are a huge asset to the M&B line. You always provide me with a read that sweeps me off to the perfect fantasy.
    Not least your latest: Shameful Secret, Shotgun Wedding. I adored the whole book, full of Christmas and passion. Just about perfect!!
    xx Karen

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  12. Coo - thanks a lot, Karen - especially about the latest book, cos that's also what counts....

    (And you missed out a nought!!!!)

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  13. Wow. Just, wow. And well done!

    Also, I for one would love to see more mathematicians as romantic heroes and heroines. I recently read Laura Kinsale's fabulous Flowers from the Storm, and was instantly won over when I found that the hero is a mathematical genius.

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  14. Sincere congratulations, Sharon. This is an impressive feat. You should be very proud. The diversity of your fan-base is almost more impressive than its size. I'm a former automobile mechanic from Chicago and although my current career is on the "white collar" side of the business, I am definitely a fan. "The Prince's Chambermaid" was my first step into the world of romance novels. It was the quality of the writing that got my attention and the themes and characters that held it. I am willing to bet that there are many, many people who would agree with me. 10 million books. Wow!

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  15. Thanks, Ros- my latest heroine has inherited her Dad's scientific gene - will that do?

    And Dan - thank you for being such an open-minded reader!

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  16. That's one heck of a milestone Sharon! Well done on 10 million books. Love, love, love your books and can't wait for more.

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  17. Well my dear,

    Hearty congratulations are indeed in order.

    A simply wonderful achievement.

    All the very best

    DBC

    xXx xXx
    xXXXx xXXXx
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    XXXXXXXXXXX
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    xXx
    X

    ps You still have 643 titles and 990,000,000 sales to go to catch my record though...

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  18. Oh fuschia fiddlesticks! The heart of kisses at the end of my message came out squiffy ...

    Here's some flowers instead.

    DBC X

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  19. Massive congratulations Sharon on a fab milestone. Caroline x

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  20. Well done Sharon - you're an inspiration as I sweat and toil over my measly book number 17..gah!
    x

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  21. Thanks so much, Rachael and Caroline....
    And 17 is brilliant, Daisy - especially as you've only been doing it five minutes!

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  22. Congratulations Sharon...that's just mind-boggling! Hoping you still get the Tiffany too. =)

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