Bestselling, award-winning romance author Carol Ericson has written over 65 books, mostly romantic suspense for Harlequin Intrigue. Also self-published, Ericson most recently released Saving Ian Pope, the first novel in a spicy popstar romcom series about five members of a boy band.
In Point of Disappearance, a monster is stalking the woods, and boys are disappearing. Finding human remains while putting out a fire isn’t something forest ranger Tate Mitchell ever expected. Nor is the appearance of far too appealing FBI agent Blanca Lopez. She’s on the island to solve a cold case involving a boy’s disappearance—a case Tate has tried very hard to forget. But when another boy vanishes, Tate and Blanca have to put aside their mutual attraction and find answers for the families.
When asked what contributed to the book landing on the Publishers Weekly bestseller list, Ericson said: “Honestly, I have no idea why some of my Intrigues made the list and some didn’t. One that made the list had an adorable baby on the cover; the latest one had a man holding a skull. A lot of it is just luck, especially for category romance like Harlequin. Sometimes it’s the cover; sometimes the title; sometimes it’s the author, who is an auto-buy for some readers. But I know that none of the books in what I consider my best series for Harlequin (A Kyra and Jake Investigation) made the Publishers Weekly bestseller list, so it’s really not about the best book.”
Given her many successes in the genre, Ericson has gone through considerable trial and error. “The only time I consciously wrote a series to try for USA Today [bestseller list] was when I wrote my Red, White, and Built series. I did more promo for that series, more events, more signings,” she said. Still, the books didn’t make a list. “At that point, I figured it was just dumb luck! … I know one time when one of my books made Publishers Weekly, fairly high on the list, but not USA Today, I checked the sales of the books that did make USA Today that were just a few spots ahead of me on PW and saw that they sold maybe 100 more copies than I did.”
Ericson’s advice to other authors is to keep writing what you enjoy. “You can’t chase trends, and you can’t chase a ranking on a list. If you write a good book, you will find your audience. That audience might not put you on bestseller lists, but you’re sharing your art with people who appreciate it, and that’s the point.”
E. J. Wenstrom believes in complicated heroes, horrifying monsters, purple hair dye and standing to the right on escalators so the left side can walk. She writes dark speculative fiction for adults and teens, including her new release, a young adult dystopian novel titled Departures (August 10, 2021). When she isn’t writing fiction, E. J. Wenstrom is a regular contributor to DIY MFA and BookRiot, and co-hosts the Fantasy+Girl Podcast. Learn more at her website.
