Believing in bestsellers

Do you think maybe I need psychiatric help? You see, I find it really hard to believe sometimes when I hit a bit of writing success. Like the fact that since last night my book Balancing on the Edge of the World has been on the Amazon short-story bestseller list - up to no 36 this morning.

There are three other Salt books on the list, Tania Hershman's The White Road, Vanessa Gebbie's Words from a Glass Bubble and David Gaffney's Sawn-Off Tales. This is obviously down to all the wonderful people who have responded to the appeal to save Salt by buying their books, and it's a great big thank you to all those of you who are doing so, and who are spreading the word on the web.

Last night Jamieson Wolf generously weighed in on his blog, and said this:

...why not try the incredible Balancing on the Edge of the World by the lovely Elizabeth Baines, one of the best short story collections I have ever read.

And I'm thinking: What? Eh? The best he has ever read? Hasn't he read many short story collections, then? Or is he just one of those people given to overstatement?

Or maybe do you think someone needs to have a word with my mother?

As for the sales: well, one brief flash in the best-seller charts does not a whole future create, so please, please if you haven't yet done so, buy a Salt book - they're fabulous!!! Go to the website and see the wonderful array of books on offer.