Debut Author with No Following Lands #2 on Amazon’s Hispanic & Latino eBooks Bestsellers List

East Brunswick, NJ, December 08, 2025 --(PR.com)-- New Jersey debut author Alessandra Alma is celebrating an unexpected milestone after her first novel, Twelve Days to Win a Count, debuted at #2 on Amazon’s Hispanic & Latino eBooks Bestsellers list—despite having no social media following, no email list, and a readership consisting only of her immediate circle.

Alma self-published her historical holiday romance quietly, expecting a slow start as a new, unknown writer. Instead, she was surprised by a surge of early sales and interest, propelling her book into Amazon’s top charts within days of release.

“Seeing my book chart at #2 was surreal,” Alma said. “I don’t have a platform or a built-in audience. I’m just someone who loves writing and wanted to tell a story that blended culture, romance, and history.”

Synopsis: Twelve Days to Win a Count

Set in 1897 during the days leading to Christmas and Three Kings Day, the novel follows Esperanza Pérez y Cruz, a Puerto Rican sugar heiress who travels to Spain expecting to claim her inheritance. Instead, she discovers a hidden stipulation: she must marry by her twenty-first birthday—in twelve days—or lose everything and be sent to a convent.

To navigate the impossible deadline, Esperanza becomes secretary to the calculating Count of Dorado, who is himself searching for a way out of an arranged match. Their intertwined dilemmas spark reluctant attraction, high tension, and a series of emotional and cultural conflicts set against the rich holiday traditions of the era.

Themes include:
- forced proximity
- marriage-of-convenience
- slow-burn romantic tension
- cultural and seasonal traditions
- a determined Latina heroine fighting for agency

Early Praise

Early readers describe the novel as “warm, witty, and high-stakes,” applauding its blend of romance, humor, and vivid historical detail.

An Unexpected Personal Turning Point

“Writing has been therapeutic for me,” Alma shared. “It helped me work through PTSD and bipolar disorder.”

A disabled U.S. Air Force veteran and former Captain, Alma served during the Global War on Terrorism in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom. After leaving the military, she found her creative voice through storytelling, later completing the Writers Guild Foundation Veterans Writing Program.

Connecting With Readers Online

To continue building a community from scratch, Alma hosts live reading sessions on TikTok and Instagram, where she reads excerpts, answers questions, and gives away copies of her book.

Live Schedule (Mon–Fri):
3–4 PM EST

These sessions offer readers a chance to engage directly with the author as she builds her platform authentically and organically—one reader at a time.

Availability

Twelve Days to Win a Count is available now in eBook and paperback on Amazon and is included in Kindle Unlimited.

About Alessandra Alma

Alessandra Alma is a romance author, former software engineer, disabled U.S. Air Force veteran, and alumna of the Writers Guild Foundation Veterans Writing Program. She is a member of New Jersey Romance Writers and lives in New Jersey with her family and service dog. Twelve Days to Win a Count is her debut novel.

Alma is also an accomplished screenwriter; several of her screenplays have placed in national writing competitions, highlighting her broad storytelling range.

Her upcoming book, The Prince and the Patriot, is a contemporary romantic suspense following an American special agent assigned to protect a foreign prince. After an assassination attempt forces them into hiding, she makes him pose as her boyfriend to stay undercover—only to discover their fake relationship is starting to feel dangerously real.

More information can be found at www.alessandraalma.com.