Going Into the Eclipse

I took some pictures going into the eclipse to celebrate Starbreaker's birthday.

Photoshop isn't my thing, but you can see the progression I got to see below.

Hope you enjoyed the eclipse.

Hope you enjoy the book even more! :)

Pictures by Sheralyn Pratt

Words by Sheralyn Pratt

STARBREAKER Synopsis, Book 1 FREE for 2 Days

For those of you who have been waiting with extreme patience, PIMPERNEL: STARBREAKER is finally up on Amazon.

Release Date: January 20, 2019

It was going to be the 22nd, but then I saw there was a total lunar eclipse on the 20th and I had to go with that day.

Are you ready for the synopsis? (Of course, you are!)

Vic Davalos is one of the most successful models of her generation. She's also scheduled to be taken out by a hitman by the next new moon. 

Jack Cavanaugh, also known as the Pimpernel, has less than a week to change the woman's fate. The Cupid who brings Jack this news insists he must save Vic so true love can succeed in bringing two soulmates together who will change the world for the better. 

While Jack is always happy to stop a murder, his personal motive is to catch the Starbreaker that's been hired to make sure Vic Davalos doesn't survive past the new moon. Statistically speaking, saving Vic and catching the Starbreaker is an impossible feat. If historic lore is to be believed, no one has caught a Starbreaker since the 1700s. They are notorious for never leaving fingerprints on their handiwork and, therefore, leave no trail to follow.

A Starbreaker has to be caught in the act, or not at all.

The chances of Jack succeeding with an extemporaneous plan and only the assistance of his new Shade, Kali, are so close to zero they aren't even worth calculating.

But he has to try.
--

Can't wait to get this book into your hands!

To celebrate the release date, Book 1 is FREE on Amazon today (Friday) and tomorrow. If someone you know has yet to pick up a copy, now is the perfect time to get it in their hands, so feel free to share!

Get Pimpernel FREE for the next 2 days here.

Pre-order Starbreaker here.

Cover Reveal: Pimpernel Book 3

Are you ready for a new Pimpernel book this fall?

Because it's coming!

Get ready for Pimpernel: Starbreaker

First Paperback of 2018

Every so often people email me asking me when I'm going to start putting my books out in paperback. I've put it off for a number of reasons, but this year I decided to put all those reasons aside and put some books out.

The first offering?

The last book in the Rhea Jensen series, Walk of Infamy.

Now available at Amazon.

I intentionally wrote this book both as a conclusion to the series and a standalone for anyone who wants to read it as a supplement to the Pimpernel series, without having to read the whole series.

Hope you enjoy!!!

Synopsis:

Rhea always knew she worked for powerful men, but she didn’t understand the full scope of their influence until she quit her job—or tried to. 

The clandestine group that calls themselves The Fours doesn’t accept two-week’s notice from employees. Instead, they’re demanding Rhea perform a final task of their choosing to earn a life free from their demands. 

Rhea knows whatever The Fours ask of her will be unlike any challenge she’s ever faced. She’s prepared for the worst, but what she’s about to learn is that groups like The Fours are a secret for a reason. 

Because no one gets to walk away from them. Not even Rhea.

Chapter 18

I don't think this counts as a spoiler because I'm not telling you anything that happens, other than confessing that there's some sleight of hand in the book.

To better visualize it, either before or after reading the book, I present you with two magicians:

Pimpernel: Royal Ball - Coming December 12th!

Synopsis

One man, one night, one dance, and one question…none of which Claire Ramsey sees coming.

She thinks the night is a test—a call to rise above her insecurities and step more fully into her skills. It’s been a year since she learned about the Pimpernel and fell in love with the man of so many masks.

Jack’s world is full of high stakes and big players, and Claire wants in. To her frustration, Jack is dragging his feet on letting her all the way into both his heart and his work. The risk is too high, he says.

But Claire is ready to prove him wrong. She’s ready to go all-in.

What Claire doesn’t know is that Jack is no lone wolf, and the world he is shielding her from is much bigger than she has ever imagined.

And one man, one night, one dance, and one question will change everything.

Sequel to the award-winning novel, Pimpernel 
Release Date: December 12, 2017 
I recommend reading Pimpernel and Walk of Infamy first. (*see bottom of post for why)

About Royal Ball

I’m excited.

And I’m nervous.

I’m nervous and excited.

Pimpernel: Royal Ball will be in your hands on the 12th and the book is a gateway for the big, wide world Jack operates in.

You’re going to meet more people.

You’re going to see things.

Some of it you’ll understand out of the gate, some of it you won’t.

One thing is certain: This will be unlike any Royal Ball you’ve ever imagined.

One of the most frequently asked questions about the Pimpernel series is:

How many books to do I foresee in the series?

After reading Royal Ball, I think most of you will understand that the answer to that could any number at all.

Could there be six books? Sure.

A dozen? Just as easily.

A whole break off series into other characters? Yes, please.

Some beta readers for Royal Ball even asked about that, which made me smile. Personally, I think it would be so fun to give you a book of short stories from the perspective of different characters. If you read Royal Ball and think the same thing, feel free to make your wishes known.

I’m a writer with a lot of muses. I can go a lot of directions, and it’s way more fun when people want to come with me. I don’t accept input on plots or character choices, but I am open to hearing who you’re most interested in reading about.

So if you really, really want to read about something, let me know.

Another question I get (more than any other) is:

Are you going to put your books into print?

Truth is, I was considering giving printing rights to a publisher. But I think I’m past that now. This means that in 2018, all my books will appear in print and new releases will have paperbacks, too. I don’t have exact dates for all of them yet, but I’ll let you know when I do.

And thank you, in advance, to all of you looking to put my books on your shelf. It’s an honor!

Casting Characters

One of my favorite things is when someone is reading my book and they take the time to send me a picture of the actors they imagine in each role.

This makes me smile every time.

So, I figure, why not make a contest out of it? And why not add a prize? Anyone can submit a photo for casting, I’ll post them all, and we’ll see who gets the most votes.

I know there are websites that do this, but many want you to create an account and that makes things a little less fun. I’d much prefer people just be able to click and vote within a system that only allows one vote per person.

If you have a favorite site for things like this, let me know. Otherwise, I’ll probably just jerry-rig something.

That's all for now.

We're less than a week out, which gives me just enough time to cross my fingers, freak out, and hope you like being dropped into the deep end of a series I personally love.

Hope you love it, too. But let me know either way (and definitely share it and review it, if you do--that's how we writers get to keep writing)!!!

*

Why read Pimpernel first?
That is where we meet all the characters and Royal Ball makes the assumption that you are up to speed on who they are and what they are about. There isn't a ton of backtracking or info dumping. The book is too busy moving you forward to spend much time rewinding.

Why read Walk of Infamy first?
Walk of Infamy is much less essential, but it does give you backstory on Kali. I specifically wrote this book as a standalone in its series, with all the relevant backstory to crossover into Pimpernel.

Royal Ball: Are You Ready?

So…I have to say that I’m really excited for Pimpernel: Royal Ball…but maybe not for the reasons you’d expect.

Often—and, some might say, always—things come to us differently in our minds than they end up manifesting in the real world. We create some elaborate mental picture and, when we go to manifest it in reality, some things don’t translate from the mental to the physical the way we thought.

This always happens to me when I write. Characters come to me fully formed and are pretty immutable, but they are pretty resistant to formulaic story arcs and have no allegiance to outlines. So I have to be willing to be flexible when they start pushing back on forced moves.

With Pimpernel I thought I was going to write the whole series on a certain level, with many dynamics touched on but not fully explained. It worked in my mind, but when I wrote it out, it just came across as convoluted and intentionally obtuse.

Characters I was trying to keep a bit masked had no interest in hiding, and even less interest in being chronically misunderstood in the name of mystery. They looked at how they were coming across on the page and just shook their heads, sighing as if to say, “It’s your life. Do what you will…but I’m over here if you're open to any suggestions.”

Still, I kept writing…sensing the judgy eyes of my muses that forced me to objectively admit that the transition from mental mansion to written page had some serious hiccups and honest complaining points. And no one wants that in a book they take the time to read, so I had to back up a bit. Think a bit. And, as I thought, I realized something.

The muses are right. Skip the soft-shoeing. Skip the roundabout route. It’s time to let you into the world.

Life’s short, right? So let’s get fancy.

For all those who are up for the ride, Royal Ball is the onramp to the world Jack operates in. And I love that world. I thought I had to wait to bring you in. Turns out, I totally didn’t.

So step further into the world of Jack, Margot, Ren, Claire, and Kali with Pimpernel: Royal Ball. I love the world, and hope you do too!

I’ll let you know the December release date soon!

New Book Title and Cover Reveal

It's (past) time for a new book from me.

Are you ready for more Pimpernel?

How about a royal ball?

Both are coming your way, and here is the official cover reveal.

What to Look for From Me in 2017

First off, how is it possible that we’re already ¼ of the way through 2017?

Like, seriously…how?

Whether the time is flying for you (like it is for me), I wanted to give you a heads up on how things look for the year.

First off, some of you may be have noticed that I planned to have The Third Wheel out by now. What you may not know is that I have since been contracted to write a screenplay that will be filmed in the Middle East. The movie is not an adaptation of any of my stories. I am writing a story that an amazing director wants to shoot. Her name is Eva Daoud, and she is an internationally award-winning director for each of the short films she has created. This will be her first feature-length film, and I have the honor of writing it. Doing so meant switching my schedule around, but when you have a phenomenal director who wants to work with you, you kind of push current projects back in the queue and get to work.

Or at least that’s what I ended up doing.

This means that while last year I put out three books, this year I plan on putting out two: The Third Wheel and Pimpernel 2, in that order. The Third Wheel will be in summer and Pimpernel 2 in the fall.

I’m really excited for both!

The Third Wheel is Luke’s story and ties in with The Kiss That Launched 1,000 GIFs and King of the Friend Zone. I do have to mention that it’s a bit more intense and deals with some heavier topics, like gaslighting, narcissism, abuse, and infidelity. It’s a bit of a heavy one to write, but it has a whole lot of heart. I think you’ll like it…or at least my fingers are crossed that you will.

As for the second Pimpernel book, what is there to say about that except that each book in the series goes bigger than the last and they’re all giant rides. So if you liked the first one, I’m hoping you like the next one even better.

But right now all the focus is on getting the screenplay done.

An interesting thing about these projects is that they’re all intense in different ways. Writers have different ways of composing their stories, but I’m one of those writers who goes and sits in a scene and tries to capture what I see and experience with text. Sometimes scenes kindly loop over and over, letting me see things again and again (sometimes even zooming in and out) until I get them right; sometimes they pass through like a gusting breeze that makes contact before zipping on, and I have to focus to capture that one exposure as best I can before a bunch of other breezes cloud that specific memory. So it’s interesting to sit inside the scenes of an accused suicide bomber, a devoted gaslit wife, and a mastermind guiding a team of differently gifted masters who pull and snip strings in the world of “too big to fail.”

I love it. I wouldn’t trade these muses for any others, but the screenplay and The Third Wheel, in particular, are intense scenes to sit in and it’s a challenge (that I happily accept) to find the right words to pull you into that space with me and share those journeys.

So that’s where I am right now.

I’ll fill you in as things unfold, but I wanted to let you know where things are at.

Also, we’re less than 2 months out in finding out if either Walk of Infamy or Pimpernel will win a Whitney Award. Fingers crossed, but thank you so much for nominating me! That means a ton! I could tell you which muse wants it more, but I’ll keep that to myself for now.

Thank you for your support and thank you for reading! I literally couldn’t do any of this without you.

Hugs!

COMING SOON: Walk of Infamy

Some of you are about to fist-pump the air while saying, “It’s about time!”

Others of you are going to be hearing about the Rhea Jensen series for the first time and not be sure if it’s worth getting excited about.

Either way, it’s official: the next book of mine to hit digital shelves will be Walk of Infamy—the final book in the Rhea Jensen series. And while this is Book 6 in the series (Book 7, if you count The Avenues novella), Walk of Infamy is a STANDALONE NOVEL. This means you can read it whether you’ve read any of the other books in the Rhea Jensen series or not.

What I can tell you is that if you loved Pimpernel, you’ll definitely want to pick up Walk of Infamy; and if you like the Rhea Jensen series, then buckle up. Things are about to get real.

What’s Walk of Infamy About? 

Rhea Jensen has a date with destiny. A powerful, multi-national group calling itself The Fours considers her a threat. She doesn’t know why The Fours think this, only that they will destroy her life and the lives of everyone she loves if she doesn’t do as she’s asked.

Rhea knows where to be, when to be there, and that the odds are not in her favor for a happy ending. That’s it. What she’s about to learn is that the past seven years of her life were not what they seemed, and there is a 99.9% chance she will not live to see another day. Her date with destiny is rigged to become a date with infamy.

The question Rhea must ask herself is: Is she going to die on her terms, or on The Fours terms?

Her life, and the end thereof, has just become a game for the rich and powerful to watch play out live, and they’ve played this game many time before with other people more skilled than Rhea. The rules are designed so that the House wins every time. Rhea knows she can’t win—not without a miracle. But if she’s not going to get what she wants, well then, neither are The Fours. The clock is running, though, so whatever Rhea’s going to do, she needs to do it quick.

My Thoughts About the Book

Walk of Infamy is a total ride that keeps on moving and will be a bit intense for some people. Yes, it is a standalone novel, but those of you who have read the rest of the series know that there’s a lot to tie in and tie up, and none of it is for the faint of heart.

While Walk of Infamy is a clean read and is PG as far as outright content, thematically this book is easily PG-13 and there are triggers in it for sensitive readers. I like to be upfront about that, because I know that while some readers love intensity, others like their reading time to be a trigger-free escape. Walk of Infamy has some triggers along the way, so if you have any concerns about whether or not this book is for you, feel free to use the “Look Inside” feature on Amazon to start reading before you buy.

All that said, I’m so excited to finally get this book out there. Those of you who have been waiting for it know that it’s taken me quite a while. I adore Rhea and her story, but this last book is pretty rated-R in my mind and it took a while to figure out how to tell Rhea’s final chapter in the right way.

So…Rhea fans and Pimpernel fans? This one’s for you! Buckle up, and get ready for a serious ride in 2016, because Walk of Infamy is coming your way!

Look for it coming this June. :)

If You Pre-Ordered Pimpernel

Those of you who pre-ordered Pimpernel may notice that you got more than the average amount of typos in your final book. For this, I sincerely apologize.

The short version for why there are so many typos is that the story took 3 weeks longer to write than planned and Amazon demanded the final manuscript a week earlier than the last time I put a book up for pre-order. Add that to editors taking a Christmas break, and you have my perfect storm.

So, among other things, I learned that releasing books in January is not something I should repeat.

That said, if you did me the high honor of pre-ordering and have a copy of the book with more typos than you would like, try these two solutions:

1. Turn on your Automatic Book Updates on your Kindle. Hopefully, this will allow you to get the new version hassle-free. (Instructions here)
2. If automatic book updates fail you for some reason, message me on FB. I'll get things sorted.

Hope you love the book. And to thank all you who pre-ordered, I'll make it so all those who pre-order The Third Wheel only pay $2.99, and the day after it comes out it will go up to $4.99. Gotta say thank you somehow, right?

Thank you for your support!

Hugs.

PIMPERNEL - Now Available!

If you're in the mood for an adventure-rom, then Pimpernel is for you.

Rather than posting the synopsis here, I thought I'd answer a few questions you might have about my second romance novel.

Question #1: Is this a retelling of the Scarlet Pimpernel?

Answer: No. I do adore that book/movie, but this is not a retelling of it. You could say that the two are related, though.

Question #2: How "clean" is this book?

Answer: There are no swears and the book is technically clean. But, like The Kiss that Launched 1,000 GIFs, there may be those who wish the kissing was a little more platonic. But hey...I just write what I see ;)

Question #3: What do you mean by "adventure-rom"?

Answer: Unlike The Kiss that Launched 1,000 GIFs, Pimpernel is not a romance-driven storyline. If you're wanting chemistry to drip off the page and for the sighs/tension to begin from page 1, Pimpernel will not deliver that for you. This book is more Rhea-level in its romance. The task at hand is the first priority, and no one is really looking for love along the way.

But that doesn't mean it doesn't find them.

Question #4: What should I expect with Pimpernel?

Answer: Smart characters, colorful personalities, and a fast-moving story.

A little insider tidbit is that I literally cut 35% out of the final book. All the stuff I cut could have stayed in, but most of my readers are mothers and I respect your time. If you like the series and want me to continue it, then I can put all the info I cut into other books. But this time around I wanted to give you a more streamlined book that didn't have the word count of a fantasy novel.

That said, I do think that this is one book that most people will not finish in one sitting. I usually like to keep things light and fluffy and flowy, but these characters will give your brain a bit to process (or, at least, they gave my brain a lot to process, so maybe I'm projecting here), which means you might need to take a break.

I did.

Question #5: Is this book part of a series?

Answer: It could be. It's up to you. If you like it, definitely review it. If readers want more, I'd love my first book of 2017 to be the next book in this series. But I also have a dozen other books I could write starting next year.

I'll let you decide. How about that?


Thank you for your readership and support. Without it, I don't get to write. If you want random updates from me, feel free to follow me on:

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Click here to start reading Pimpernel for free!

Pimpernel Cover Reveal

Psssst. No release date, but I just had to share the cover of my next book, Pimpernel.

Hope you likey, and more coming soon!