I'm a country boy. I hate New York. But that's where things happen, so I use it as a base for stories, I know enough about it. But I have to keep going back there.
If the public likes you, you're good.
I'm a commercial writer, not an author. Margaret Mitchell was an author. She wrote one book.
The first page sells this book. The last page sells your next book.
The first chapter sells the book; the last chapter sells the next book.
The most important part of a story is the ending. No one reads a book to get to the middle.