Yesterday I felt like Danielle Steele

I love hearing from readers. To me, that is the best part of this whole book business. Yesterday was one of those very special days.
I had an email from a woman who said this was the first time she had ever written to "somebody famous." Well, that set me to laughing from the start. I don't think of myself as famous. Anyway, she went on to say that she had gone to my website and saw that my PromoPaks are coming out in printed format. She said she couldn't wait to get them to add to her "Janet Elaine Smith Collection." I wrote back and asked her if she is also an author, since the PromoPaks are geared towards authors, and certainly not my idea of a "fun read" for anyone else.
She must have been online, as she answered right back. She said she is not an author, but she would hate for her collection to be incomplete.
Well, since I had her attention at that moment, I replied to her, telling her my favorite Danielle Steele story. Quite a few years ago, my husband and I were at our local mall. We had been in Waldenbooks, and I finished my shopping in there before he did, so I went outside and sat on one of the benches to wait until he was done. Two elderly ladies came along and one of them spotted the big cardboard display stand with Danielle Steele's new book on it.
"Oh, look!" she exclaimed excitedly to her friend. "A new Danielle Steele book! I have to have it."
Her friend commented, "I've never read one of her books."
"Oh, neither have I," the first woman replied, "but it looks so impressive to have them all on the shelves in my library!"
The woman I was corresponding with last evening sent a note back to me immediately again. "Oh, but you are so much better than Danielle Steele," she wrote. "I have read every one or your books at least three times. In fact, I have three copies of A Lumberjack Christmas...Revisited. Each one has a different cover. I had to read each one of them to see if you had changed something inside too. I was so glad you hadn't. I think it's my favorite of all of your books. Either that or A Christmas Dream. You really need to do a new Christmas book!"
I thanked her so much for her kind words, and let her know that a letter like hers is what feeds the kitty on the craps table of a writer's life. It is by far my favorite way to hit the jackpot.
I debated about telling her that I found two copies of my earlier edition (from an old publisher) of Dunnottar for sale through Amazon for a few cents over $115.00, but I would have felt very guilty if she had decided to buy one of them! I did tell her that I will let her know when the PromoPaks are available, though.
To each one of my "fans" who contact me, I cannot begin to tell you how much you all mean to me. Thank you from the bottom of my heart!