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.