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Dear Readers,
I love to hear from you! You can contact me through this website, and I'm always delighted to respond. So please write and let me know what's going on in your lives.
One of the questions that I'm often asked is, "Where do you get your ideas?" Some of them are my own inspiration, some I brainstorm on my own or with others, but many ideas come from people who are totally unaware that they've sparked the seed of a story.
For instance, let me tell you about that time in the Piggly Wiggly, a grocery store in the small town where I used to live. "I hope I get to see him," a woman ahead of me said as she leafed through a tabloid newspaper bearing the smiling image of a major movie box-office star. "Imagine him coming here to film a movie at our race track!"
Her friend kept tossing items from the cart onto the counter. "They're going to need lots of extras for the crowd scenes. I saw an ad in the paper for tryouts. You should go and sign up."
Those women went on their way, happily planning to become movie extras, but they'd left me with questions: What if Mr. Hunky Movie Star visits this small South Carolina town and falls in love? And what if the object of his affection says, "No way, I'm not interested in you and all your Hollywood glamour." Hey, stranger things have happened!
But the time wasn't right for that book when I first thought of it. In those days, small towns weren't considered particularly exciting settings for romance novels, and movie stars were taboo heroes (don't ask me why! I have no idea). Now, more than twenty years later, those things have changed, and so this past year, I finally buckled down and wrote the book. It's Down Home Carolina Christmas, a November 2007 release from Harlequin American Romance.
Now for the reasons I like to hear from readers: I want to know what's important to you, about your family life, about your favorite books, and most of all, why you chose to read one of mine (or not!). Your feedback helps me to keep those good books coming as I have for the more than twenty years. I never forget that I owe my success to you, the readers. And I am very grateful for your continued support.
Love and best wishes,
Pamela Browning
P.S. Did you know that if you buy a used copy of a book, the author doesn't profit from the sale? That's right, the person who conceived the idea, created the characters, came up with the plot, and wrote the book loses out unless you buy the book new. I'm not saying you shouldn't buy used books - lots of readers have found my books that way, and I buy them sometimes myself. Just keep in mind that if you really love an author's work and want her publisher to keep on publishing what she writes, you can vote with your pocketbook. Publishers read that important bottom line, and they won't continue to publish an author whose books aren't selling new. That's because our publishers keep a hefty portion of the book's earnings for themselves, and they don't profit from used-book sales either. Lots of fine authors aren't able to find publishers for their work these days and have stopped writing. I miss their books, and I know you do too. So next time you want to buy a book from a local used-book store, eBay, or one of the big online stores offering used books alongside new ones, think about it first. If you value that author's work, if you want to read many more books by her in the future, you might want to change your mind. I thought you'd want to know how this works - so now consider yourself in the know. :-) PB
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