This week I wanted to do a fun post looking at where my readers have so far let me they are reading from! It's everywhere!
So, where are the most exotic sounding places? Where are the places I've been to? Where might I have lived?
I recently updated the reader map page so that's it's now super easy to tell me where you are reading. Remember, when you next go on holiday, take my book with you and then let me know! I'll add it to the map and any future updates.
The Stats
Read stats, not States… though there are a growing number of US states adding to the list. The map has had 3,138 views at the time of writing this. You can see the live map here.
There are 23 countries listed! Wow! And there are 88 cities/towns/locations.
There are still some huge gaps! Nothing in South America. Nothing in Asia. Very little in Africa.
Exotic Locations
This is subjective, of course. I don't know these places, I might just be going off the name or the region. But here goes.
- Ocean View, Hawaii
- Spanish Lookout, Belize
- Morlaix, France
- Albury-Wodonga, Australia
- Colorado Springs, CO, USA
- Coquitlam, Canada
- Coimbra, Portugal
- Batemans Bay, Australia
- Ra'anana, Israel
- Edenvale, South Africa
- Dunedin, New Zealand
- Perth, Australia
- Egg Harbor Township, NJ, USA
- Athens, Greece
- Tinos, Greece
- Apopka, FL, USA
- Laguna Niguel, CA, USA
- Moreno Valley, CA, USA
- Chocorus, NH, USA
- Ballyfermot, Ireland
- Lund, Sweden
- Verona, Italy
- Johannesburg, South Africa
- Voorschoten, Netherlands
Wow, there are a lot (and I skipped faster through the end of the list so apologies if I didn't include your place). Truth is, they are all amazing sounding locations. For places that I might choose to visit right now given the heavy snow here, I guess I would say Hawaii, Canada and New Zealand (all in good weather, naturally). Then the rest…
Places That I've Visited
There are a few places I spot that I've visited (so they aren't on the list above, or below, for this very reason). These are in no particular order, and are in the UK unless stated in brackets after.
Ashton-under-Lynn, Cardiff, West Midlands, Aberdeen, Dover, St Helens, Dudley, Salisbury, Rhyl, Timperley, Las Vegas (USA), Geneva (Switzerland, first overseas place I ever went to, a lovely city), Manchester, Stock-on-Trent, Smiltene (Latvia), Gdańsk (Poland), Stevenage.
Places Where I've Lived
Tallinn, Stockport, London.
That only leaves St Petersburg, Russia, as missing. Come on guys (actually, I know someone did read my books there so it's most certainly happened, but I ONLY ever list on the map when a reader tells me. I never assume).
Could There Be More?
Without question. I only started the map in 2021, nine years after my first book came out, a title that through free promotions and a long period of being permanently free, had 10,000s of downloads, all around the world. So this is why I keep asking. Do let me know on this link if you haven't yet.
Where Next?
There is so much more of Europe to explore. Not just countries, but cities, too. France, for example, is listed (Morlaix) but the map is vast here, with lots of empty gaps. The UK and the USA are certainly the ones where I have the most locations noted. These maps are filling up, which is great. There are plenty of states in the US yet to be listed, however, so that would also be good to see each one represented.
I hope you enjoyed this little snapshot, and if you are in one of the cities listed, great for you! If you are in one of the exotic locations, in my must-see places, why not create a book event and invite me… I'm kidding, okay (unless you are serious, and then I'll be there!).
The map is live, updated the day I hear from anyone, so it is changing all the time. In the future, I might update here on the blog with new locations. Let's see where this goes…