I do get the odd piece of fan mail and I can't tell you how lovely it is to receive. To know that someone has enjoyed my hard work gives me more pleasure than my royalty cheques, to be honest, but a girls got to pay the bills.

Readers share their comments through many different mechanisms-reviews (can't underestimate the power of a good review), Twitter, Facebook, Myspace, Readers' forums etc and then there are those fans who take the time to email you directly.

Today I received a very special email from a reader called Pam. It was special because

1. She doesn't read exclusively romance

2. She put a lot of thought and effort into her email

3. She thanked me for writing the story

4. And she wanted to read more of my work...

Here is her unedited email, and I hope she doesn't mind me sharing it, it's just that I'm so touched she took the time to email me, let alone an email this long and with such depth...

Hello,

I just wanted to drop a quick message to tell you how much I enjoyed To Wager The Marquis of Wolverstone.  It's rare for me to find a romance novel that's so engaging and leaves you with a smile on your face when you're done.  You have no idea how much money I've wasted over the years with various romance novels. You have no idea the countless books I've never even finished they were so bad.  But I always give this genre a chance because when I do find that rare gem, it makes it all worth it.  I honestly don't know what made me try your story. I think I was browsing Amazon and came across it as a recommendation.  The premise was interesting and the price (best $3 I've spent) left little risk, so I bought it. I finished the book in one sitting, and the moment I finished I started the book again!  So not only is your book fast-paced, romantic, thought-provoking and hot with a good touch of angst... it even has replay value lol  

 I love the characters you created in this novel.  Let's start off with the hero and heroine.  I really liked them both.  You may be thinking, well yeah you're supposed to... but I've just gone through so many romance novels where I only liked one of the characters at best or wanted to strangle both of them at worst.  So thank you for making your protagonists not merely caricatures, but relatable characters that I can sympathize with and root for.  When I first started the book, I had doubts on whether or not we could have fleshed out characters since the novel was relatively short, glad my doubts were quickly erased.  I like how Marcus although he was angry with Sabine, didn't cross the line to becoming a villain (for lack of a better word).  It's a delicate balance, almost like walking a tightrope. A lot of authors have had similar storylines, but their heroes pretty much became jerks and you can no longer empathize.  Throughout the whole novel, my heart hurt for both Marcus and Sabine, but I never took sides (which in my opinion is a good thing).  Back to Marcus, he was such a wonderful hero because he obviously had flaws (his stubborn male pride) but to the core he was an honorable man.  He not only accepted Sabine's son, but loved him like his own. And Sabine, wow, what a brave young woman.  She was faced with such terrible choices, but she made the best out of her situation. What I loved most about Sabine was that as much as she loved Marcus, she loved her son more.  She was willing to give anything and everything up for Marcus except her son's happiness.  That to me is the true measure of a woman.  It's her sacrificing her own happiness with the man she loves to give her son the best possible future. 

 I also wanted to tell you how refreshing it is to have such a wonderful "other woman" in Lady Amy Shipton.  Usually, in romance novels, that 'other woman' is horrible just to emphasize how wonderful the heroine of the novel is, but the reader is left scratching their heads as to how the hero felt any attraction with her to begin with aside from her looks.  I actually felt a little bad for Lady Shipton at the end there.  I really do hope she gets her own happy ending.  What an endearing character to put other people ahead of herself.  I'm looking forward to reading your other novels. Do you have a recommendation?  Anyway, thank you for a well-written and engaging romance novel.  You will now be on my autobuy list.

Thanks, Pam. You've made my day, week, month and year.  I think I'll frame this.

PS: Pam, check out the blurb for the last book in the Wicked Wagers trilogy, To Challenge the Earl of Cravenswood.  It's Amy Shipton's HEA...