What do my historical fiction novel Shades of Gray, Virginia and romance have in common, you ask? Well, just in time for Valentine’s Day, Amazon has come out with its Top 20 List of Most Romantic Cities, and, as in previous years, Virginia is well represented.
In fact, Virginia not only grabbed the top spot with the beautiful city of Alexandria, it is also on the list with Arlington at No. 7, and Richmond at No. 14.
Of course, Shades of Gray just happens to take place entirely in Virginia and has become as well known in romance circles as in historical fiction. Last summer it even (temporarily) outranked the most well known romantic Civil War novel of all time, Gone with the Wind, on Amazon’s best-seller list.
I guess the Old Dominion got their slogan right: Virginia is for lovers!
For those who are interested, here is the full list of “Most Romantic Cities:”
1. Alexandria, Va.
2. Miami, Fla.
3. Cambridge, Mass.
4. Ann Arbor, Mich.
5. Berkeley, Calif.
6. Gainesville, Fla.
7. Arlington, Va.
8. Salt Lake City, Utah
9. Pittsburgh, Pa.
10. Orlando, Fla.
11. Washington, D.C.
12. Bellevue, Wash.
13. Seattle, Wash.
14. Richmond, Va.
15. Cincinnati, Ohio
16. Knoxville, Tenn.
17. Columbia, Mo.
18. Tallahassee, Fla.
19. Columbia, S.C.
20. Atlanta, Georgia
Thank you, Jessica! Happy Valentine’s Day! I am very proud of my home state of Virginia. It most certainly is for lovers! History lovers, wine lovers, beach lovers, mountain lovers, music lovers, fantastic food lovers….on and on! Please come and visit us as often as you like : )
Thank you also for being a living volume of history! With “Shades of Gray”, your blog posts and your website, you keep us in touch with our past. We should never forget how we made it to where we are, and we should think carefully about where we are going!