It seemed like the impossible dream.
A big thanks to my co-author Staci Stallings for writing today’s post.
When twelve Christian Romance authors came together in February of 2016, they had a vision for what could be accomplished if they worked not as “indies” but as a team. On July 7, 2016, that vision became reality when WHISPERS OF LOVE, a compilation of 12 brand new contemporary Christian romance novels, crested the hill and broke onto the USA Today Best Sellers list at #79.
“Writing is an uphill climb most days,” Lesley Ann McDaniel, author of Oceans Apart, said. “The days when you get to stop and enjoy the view are few and far between, and I’m really happy to be enjoying this particular view with this amazing group of authors.”
The twelve newly-minted USAT best sellers and titles include:
Lesley Ann McDaniel Oceans Apart
Valerie Comer Secrets of Sunbeams
JoAnn Durgin Gentle Like The Rain
Kimberly Rae Jordan A Change of Heart
Jan Thompson Smile for Me
Marion Ueckermann The Other You
Autumn Macarthur Teapots & Tiaras
Leah Atwood Not This Time
Staci Stallings Flight 259
Sally Bradley Homestands
Carol Moncado The Lifeguard, the Abandoned Heiress, and Frozen Custard
Christina Coryell Overture and a Prince
“To land at #79 (on the list) had me dancing in the living room, and overdosing on gingersnap cookies,” Comer said. “Everyone in the set worked so hard to get the word out to our fans and beyond. It’s been an amazing journey.”
The idea behind the set, conceived and shepherded to completion by Jan Thompson, was to take twelve current Amazon bestselling authors, get each of them to contribute a brand-new, never-before-released novel, and then market the books as a unit rather than as individual books. However, while the destination was always in mind, just how to get there wasn’t always so clear.
“The cover was one of the hardest things about the set,” Stallings said. “We knew it had to be perfect, and somehow it needed to perfectly convey all twelve stories and authors. That is a much bigger challenge than it might at first appear.”
With story settings ranging from the USA to Canada and South Africa to the Bahamas, not to mention such varied characters as an architect, a doctor, a principal, an artist, a lifeguard, an athlete, and a medical missionary, even finding common ground was no easy task.
After discussing and submitting many, many possibilities, Durgin finally dropped the right piece into the overwhelming puzzle. The picture featured on the front cover was from an actual wedding shoot, and perfect it turned out to be.
“I think it says Christian romance,” Stallings said. “Gentle, fun, quirky but really, really romantic just like the stories. It’s an absolutely perfect match for such a diverse collection.”
The stories contained in the WHISPERS OF LOVE collection range from one about a swim team to one that features a cantankerous goat. From tears to laughter, this collection has it all and will surely prove to be one of the most enjoyable reads of the summer.
Jordan summed up the experience well. “My goal has always been to write stories that I would like to read myself. I have been so very blessed to find other readers along the way who actually enjoy the stories I like to write. Without them, I would not be where I am today.”
The USA Today Bestselling collection, WHISPERS OF LOVE, can be found at the following online bookstores:
Amazon US: amzn.to/1Zng2RN
iBooks: https://itunes.apple.com/us/book/id1125090462
Barnes & Noble: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/whispers-of-love…/1123628509
Kobo: https://store.kobobooks.com/ebook/whispers-of-love-12-christian-romance-novels
And if you’d like to see the list of USA Today Bestsellers for the week of July 7, 2016, here it is: http://www.usatoday.com/life/books/best-selling/week/2016/27/page/8/
It was such an amazing journey, with 11 other incredible authors, to hit that USAT list. I hope this is the first of many such ventures.
Agreed, Marion!
It truly has been an amazing experience! So grateful to be part of it with such wonderful company!
Yes, indeed.
Great idea and it paid off. What a blessing. Congrats, best-selling author