Sheralyn Pratt's Blog, page 2

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 FREE & Royal Ball Rafflecopter

   

Welcome to December 12, 2017--the Official Launch Date of Pimpernel: Royal Ball.To celebrate, Royal Ball's birthday, Pimpernel will be free th 12th (today) - 15th (Friday).Below you will find the Rafflecopter, sponsored by I  Am A Reader. She's giving away  money, so if you want to throw your hat in the ring on that
   


  
Pimpernel: Royal Ball by Sheralyn Pratt

Sequel to the award-winning novel, Pimpernel 

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.

But one man, one night, one dance, and one question will change all of that in a way Claire never saw coming.

    
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Claire was not alone.

There was a man in the room—a dark-haired man with unreal green eyes and a suit that looked ready for a fashion shoot. The intruder was fit and tall, with a trimmed beard that looked like it had been shaped with laser precision.

 Do. Not. Scream. (Again.) Do not freak. Coherency is your only bargaining chip, and only one of you works here.

For the first time that day, Claire wasn’t arguing with her instincts.

“How did you get in here?” she accused.

“Someone left the door open.” 

Oh. Yeah. That would be her. She opened the floor. And left it open.

Whoops.

But that still didn’t explain what this man was doing in Margot’s office wearing the most refined suit she’d ever seen.

Part of Claire felt reassured that if this man was an assassin, it would be a tidy affair. He wouldn’t want to get blood on his clothes.

“Who are you?” she asked, trying to get a sense for exactly how much trouble she was in.

“I’m the boss’s son.”

That made no sense. “Margot is the boss.”

He seemed to weigh her answer. “Depends on how you look at it. If you’re talking about the business, yes. That’s Margot’s. But if we’re talking about what brought you here tonight, then Jack works for my father. His line has served ours faithfully for many years. We like Jack.”

Wait. What?

Claire knew Ren’s family had served Margot’s for generations, but she’d always thought that more as a bodyguard thing. Jack wasn’t a bodyguard. He was a problem-solver for the elite. When people growing into their power started doing things that threatened the safety of civilians, Jack was brought in to—

Something clicked in Claire’s brain.

It wasn’t like her to be the last one to catch on to something, but everything Claire had seen in the past year fit very nicely into this man’s claim. When a job came in, Jack and Margot did it. They didn’t argue over its merit or vet the client. They solved the problem. Because someone asked—allegedly, this guy’s father.

So either this man was an assassin sent to kill her, or the boss’s son had just caught her red-handed. Whatever the case, running away and pretending this never happened didn’t seem to be an option.

Stand your ground, instinct whispered.

“You need to make a choice before you speak again, Claire,” the green-eyed man said. “You must decide if you’ve just been caught where you ought not to be, or if you’re exactly where you want to be.”

Um, both felt like traps the way he said them.


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 Pimpernel by Sheralyn Pratt For centuries, the elite of the world have sought the Pimpernel everywhere. Some want to kill him, others want to hire him, but Jack Cavanaugh knows that the love/hate relationship comes with the job title. At present, Jack is trying to dismantle an investment scheme centered in Las Vegas, but "trying" is the operative word. It's been a month since he put the face of the scheme behind bars, yet the scam is still going strong. As Jack tries to uncover who has stepped in as the new head, what miniscule evidence there is all seems to point him back to Claire Ramsey, an introverted PhD student studying at UNLV. If ever there as an unlikely head of an investment scheme, Claire's it. She has a genius IQ, but from all Jack has seen, Claire’s intelligence is as much a blessing as a curse when paired up with her acute OCD. Claire can barely make conversation with the cute guy down the hall, which makes it hard to believe she could be the charismatic salesperson who is getting international businessmen to invest $5—50 million a pop. So what is Jack missing? What is the real story behind Claire Ramsey? And once Jack learns it, will he be able to walk away?

  

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Praise for Pimpernel
"My go-to book that has it all--action-adventure, mystery. and intrigue, all wrapped up in a sweet (but not overdone) romance." 

"Leverage. Mission Impossible. Pimpernel... If you like those first two, you’re going to love Pimpernel!...Secret identities, twists and turns, cons within cons, with just a bit of romance." 

"Intrigue, romance, and that vague something that sticks with you."  

 

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Author Sheralyn Pratt Sheralyn was born at an early age, with 10 fingers and 10 toes. She is proud to report that she currently retains all 20 digits. Described by one reviewer as "the bomb dot com" (url already claimed... bummer), Sheralyn has been a karate instructor, musical theater performer, a beach bum, freelance writer, nomadic traveler, and, yes, a private investigator. At the moment she enjoys working with and training her dog to give the poor thing breaks from sitting and Sheralyn's feet with the unbearable task of watching someone write a book. Really, and you thought your job was bad! Sheralyn currently resides in Salt Lake City, Utah, although as people who know her can attest to, that is subject to change at any time ;)

 
* – * – * – * – * – * – * – * – * – * – * – * – * – * – *Also by Sheralyn Pratt [image error] [image error] [image error]  
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Giveaway Details$25 Amazon Gift Card or Paypal Cash GiveawayEnds 12/26/17Open only to those who can legally enter, receive and use an Amazon.com Gift Code or Paypal Cash. Winning Entry will be verified prior to prize being awarded. No purchase necessary. You must be 18 or older to enter or have your parent enter for you. The winner will be chosen by rafflecopter and announced here as well as emailed and will have 48 hours to respond or a new winner will be chosen. This giveaway is in no way associated with Facebook, Twitter, Rafflecopter or any other entity unless otherwise specified. The number of eligible entries received determines the odds of winning. Giveaway was organized by Kathy from I Am A Reader and sponsored by the author. VOID WHERE PROHIBITED BY LAW. a Rafflecopter giveaway

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)!!!
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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.

August 2017 Update

So it's been a while since I updated...some might say too long, and I would have to agree with that.

Sorry about that.

I have been busy, though!

Since you last heard from me, I wrote The Third Wheel...and it just didn't sing to me. I got something wrong, and I couldn't figure out what. So I decided to write a fun rom-com to balance out the heavy energy from The Third Wheel. But then I couldn't tell if the new story was fun or boring...and that seemed like a bad sign.

So I put rom-com to the side and peeked Pimpernel's way.

There was a lot of internal debate when it came to switching over to Pimpernel. I'd told myself (and you!) that I was going to write The Third Wheel first, and technically I did. I just didn't publish it. I debated back and forth as to whether I was going to be one of those fickle creative types, who says one thing on the itinerary and then changes things real-time.

I don't want to be that person. But, alas...I think I am that person.

I am so in love with the Pimpernel world, and it's speaking to me right now, so who am I to shun the muses and tell them to depart to make way for a story that is stalled while I figure out where I screwed up?

The situation is kind of akin to being out in the middle of nowhere with two cars to choose from: one that's stalled out and not even trying to make a sound when you turn the key, and another car that revs right up.

Which car do you choose to get you down the road?

A publisher would never let me get away with this. I would just have to plow through and release the books in their assigned order and just make them "good enough" to go to print. There are definite pros to being pushed like that, but conversely, sometimes (all the time, in my experience) when something is off, it means there's something I need to learn that I'm currently getting wrong.

It definitely happened with Kay, in the Rhea series. Kay was the first muse to snub me. She only talked to me in the first place because of Rhea (who is infinitely more patient). But somewhere along the line, I put some words into Kay's mouth that belonged in someone else's mouth, and BOOM! She was gone with the percussion of a slammed door that had no interest in opening again.

I didn't catch on to her exit immediately, which was the reason it took me so long to figure the sin that had put me into storyteller time out. But once I figured it out, Rhea talked Kay into coming back and finishing the story, as a personal favor.

At least, that's what happened if you believe in muses. If you don't, then...I just got writer's block for a while before I had a breakthrough and finished Kay'sville, and I have a similar block with The Third Wheel now, and I'll let you know when it's sorted.

I'll let you know when Pimpernel has a firm date for release in fall of 2017.

Thanks for your patience and support! It means a lot!!!

8 Minutes of Zen

If you're feeling overwhelmed recently, you're not alone.

Look around. Anyone plugged in to social media is probably experiencing some level of anxiety. There's politics, sure, but also parenting styles, levels of desirability, social standards, and all manner of areas of people's lives where they may feel shamed or confused.

Shame sells. Confusion creates clicks. So if you feel like part of your brain has been hijacked, it's probably because that's exactly what's happened on some level.

If you find yourself in any sort of anxious or stressed state, the scientists at Mindlabs in the UK have a song for you, found to be the most effective at reducing stress in clinical tests. Listening to it "resulted in a striking 65 percent reduction in participants' overall anxiety, and a 35 percent reduction in their usual physiological resting rates."

To read the full article and see their Top 10 list, check out this article.

To experience their #1 choice and decompress right now, press play.

Let's Talk About Syria

Six weeks ago, I had the opportunity to spend time in Bahrain. I’m writing a screenplay for a fantastic director there, and since it takes place in the Middle East, there was everything to be learned by visiting the region. So I did.
I've debated sharing conversations I had while I was there. With everyone already overwhelmed with politics and Trump seemingly stepping back from interventionism in Syria, there didn't seem to be a need to walk people through conversations I had with Syrians while in the Middle East.

But Trump just bombed a Syrian air base.

Overnight, it feels like the conversations I had while in the Middle East need to be shared. Because Americans don't want war, and Syrians don't want war.

Yet here we are.

So let's talk.

* As a disclaimer, everything I say from here on out is based on personal interactions with Syrians. I'm not claiming to be an expert, only a person who has had conversations with Syrians recently. If my statements after this seem one-sided, it's because the people all said similar things.

** A secondary note is that I will be using the term ISIS throughout. That was the term referenced in all my conversations, so I will repeat the term throughout here.
Opinions of President Assad
Let's start with the man at the center of all this: Bashar al-Assad
President Assad won open Syrian elections in a landslide victory in 2014. Everyone I met had voted for him, and no one I met had changed their vote since.
When I asked why they support him, they explained that President Assad leads with a secular hand. Syria, when not under siege by terrorists, has the legacy of an open, welcome melting pot, probably similar to how Americans view New York.
President Assad is not a theocrat (although he easily could be, and those who oppose him likely would be) and the policies of Syria (until recently) created an educated, accepting government that attracted Muslims and non-Muslims alike from around the globe. A woman is just as likely to have a PhD as a man, and upward mobility is a dream fulfilled by many—even those who immigrate there from countries where they never would have had a chance.
The critique that came up when I asked what they didn’t like about him was that President Assad had chosen Iran as his ally rather than Israel. Given how progressive and educated most Syrians are, they see aligning with an empire like Iran, with an extensive history of absorbing other nations in the name of growing an empire, as a tactical mistake. They want to stay sovereign and they want to be friendly with the western world, not to set themselves up to be absorbed into an empire over time.
War and the spread of theocracy have equally low standing in the minds of every Syrian I talked to. They were all very progressive and joy-seeking people. It was honestly like talking to people in Seattle or New York, to give you a sense of the vibe.

Syria, when not under siege, is quite progressive. So are Syrians.

Click here for a more detailed analysis on why Syrians support President Assad.
Refugees
Syrians do not want to be refugees. They love their country. It’s a beautiful land, rich with legacy. They love their culture, homes, and the lives they have built.
Not one Syrian I met wanted American refugee status. They want to go home, and support the efforts of their elected leader to protect their homes.
Aleppo
Probably the biggest surprise I had while was over there was talking to people about Aleppo. When I asked Syrians what should be done there, they did not hesitate to reply. One person I spoke to was particularly frank with their language.
“An attack on Aleppo is an attack on ISIS,” they said. “That’s one of their strongholds, and they expand their territory by going around killing anyone who isn’t them. What is Assad supposed to do? ISIS does unspeakable things and then say it is the regime doing it to its own people. And when Assad tries to fight them, the western media blames him for attacking his own people. I understand that you are all getting bad information, but at this point, pretty much anyone in Aleppo is ISIS. I have no pity for them and support any attack Assad makes in that area.”
[image error] Source: Youngzine
Whether or not an area is ISIS-controlled or not would seem to be an important detail to make note of when stories of news atrocities come out of those areas. It doesn't seem like an irrational ask from locals to place suspicion on the terrorists for events like gassing citizens in areas where the Islamic State is losing ground and fighting for control.
Chemical Attacks
Syrians I met believe the attacks are committed by ISIS and the White Helmets to draw other countries—particularly America—into the conflict to defeat President Assad on behalf the terrorists.
As of right now, President Assad is winning the fight against the Islamic State in their country. Syrians believe the only way for the Islamic State to win now is to get some big-time help, which is the motive for gassing citizens and children and making sure the images get to the rest of the world with the message that President Assad did it. 
Several American leaders agree with this local stance.



Calling Out Unreliable News Sources
There is a Canadian journalist named Eva Bartlett who went to town on this topic this past December. Intelligent, articulate, and well-traveled in Syria over the past two years, she had a lot to say about the media coverage happening there.

After speaking at length about the misinformation surrounding Syria, this is a short (and informative) exchange between her and a fellow reporter who challenged her:

This clip is a bit longer, but is worth the time if you want more of her insight.

(If you want to watch the entire panel, follow the clips to YouTube and you can watch it there.)
Perspectives to Consider
After Trump fired missiles into Syria, I reached out to a friend ask if there were any news sources I should be paying attention to that accurately reflected what is going on. I was pointed to an American in Syria named Janice Kortkamp and some articles written by the Ron Paul Foundation.

Not a ton of reference material, but it was enough to get a sense of the voice they identified with.

Also, for those of you who like to give equal time to alternate perspectives, here's a look at Russia's news reports frame the attacks.



The White Helmets
The White Helmets …what a mess.



As Eva Bartlett mentions above, The White Helmets were founded in 2013 by a British military officer and operate in ISIS-controlled areas, largely responding to bombings from President Assad…who is bombing areas being taken over by the Islamic State to protect the citizens of the country (which the Islamic State does not hesitate to kill).
The White Helmets are a messy situation for anyone getting their news through mainstream media because they are largely the sources in “credible” news reports in the area. They have money from governments, the ear of the media of those same governments, they provide almost all of the images that we see.

And now they have George Clooney and Netflix producing them.

Click here for a quick look at that controversy.
George Clooney weighing in is a big deal, not because he has credibility in the Middle East, but because his wife does. A lot. She’s probably the most famous human rights lawyer alive, for crying out loud. If he and, by proxy, she are standing behind the White Helmets internationally, that sends a very loud message to Syrians about how unlikely the west is to ever believe them.
An oversimplified reframing of the Clooney dynamic would be if Ellen Degeneres produced a documentary on people who were saving gay people in the Middle East.

In this modified scenario, imagine if gay people from the Middle East came to Ellen and said, “These people aren’t saving us. They are the killers. They serve themselves until they need some more funding or political clout, then they go blow up a gay club and use the dead and dying bodies--especially those of children--as props to get more support.”
And it would be like Ellen replying, “I’ve seen their footage and I stand behind them. The White Helmets are heroes, and I'm going to prove it to the world.”

It's an almost unbelievable scenario, yet it's playing out right now. And who are you supposed to believe?

If you don't have a quick answer to that, that probably means you're a pretty smart person and you know you don't even have close to enough facts to come to a conclusion. If that's where you find yourself, I would invite you to do enough research to develop an opinion.
War, innocent lives, and the sovereignty of a nation are at stake. Becoming informed is certainly not time wasted.
What I've Gleaned from My Feed
According to posts and comments in my feed, most Syrians have never had contact with White Helmets, the alleged reason being that the White Helmets are an ISIS arm serving ISIS members in ISIS-held areas.

It's alleged that when they do venture out to regular citizens, the White Helmets are the ones that set the bombs and kill the people, then film the aftermath.

One of the more unforgettable posts I saw from a Syrian right after the Oscars claimed that if you ever got in a White Helmet ambulance, you weren’t coming back. It claimed that the organ harvesting business is alive and well across the Syrian-Turkish border and White Helmets were also in the business of attacking groups of citizens and transporting their bodies to be harvested.

I, of course, have no evidence that this is true. But if nothing else, it relates the level of trust between Syrian citizens and the White Helmets.

There is none.
Swedish Doctors For Human Rights (SWEDHR) Weigh in on White Helmets
Syrians aren’t the only ones claiming that the White Helmets aren’t saving lives.

A Swedish group of doctors has watched White Helmet footage and denounced them as providing any life-saving measures. Conversely, they say that many of the people and children shown are either already dead or killed on camera using techniques unheard of or outright fatal.
An article criticizing the White Helmets and their techniques can be found here.

If you have a medical background, I invite you to challenge their assessment to see if you see any flaws in their criticism.

VIEWER DISCRETION is ADVISED with the following video. This, and videos like it, contain images of dead or dying children, but also show examples of techniques being criticized.


Why So Much Talk About the White Helmets?
A reminder that the reason the topic of the White Helmets is so pivotal to all this rests on the fact that if you are seeing a picture taken in Syria, like images of the chemical gas attacks and other atrocities, it has probably been provided to the media via the White Helmets.

The official story is that they are a bunch of upstart heroes with $100 million in international funding who run around war zones with a camera crew and save lives while capturing images for the media.

They are also able to treat sarin gas without so much as latex gloves.



That said, if you were curious about how President Assad responded to them getting an Oscar for Best Documentary: Short, a video for that actually exists.

Keeping this Short(ish)
I'm starting to get snarky, which means it's time to stop.

I just want to encourage us all—myself included—to ask questions, hard questions, about Syria. Even if that means coming back later and learning that everything I just typed is embarrassingly wrong, I will still stand behind this as my starting point on the journey.
Right now, I know this: 100% of the Syrians I know are saying the same thing. When the testimony of people living through an event is consistent, I can’t ignore that. Especially when their lives are on the line.
I know that the political climate in America is such that most of you are like fully water-logged sponges being asked to take on another cup of water by looking into this. But maybe that’s not accidental. Maybe an overwhelmed people is exactly what a government needs to start yet another war to gain control of the Middle East.
We are on the cusp of war. The line hasn't been fully crossed, but the US bombing of the airstrip in Syria is a reminder that we could all go to sleep one night and wake up to a world where bombs have been dropped and lines crossed while we slept.
We may be powerless against that potential, but we do not need to be ignorant.
I think it's time for the members of the world to become experts in Syria. Isn't that the least we can do before supporting (or staying silent) in a war that destroys it? Have we learned nothing from the wars of the past several decades where we blow things up first and gather facts later?
How about we learn from the lessons of the past this time and listen to the voices coming from within the country before we choose our course of action?
To that end, I'll finish with Janice's (mentioned above) most recent post from inside Syria, as of the date of this publication.

Early Award for Best Marketing Campaign for 2017 Goes to...

I love writing books, but when I work for other people it's often in the PR or Instructional Design fields. This means I also compulsively study both fields in day-to-day life and try to pay attention to what works, what doesn't, and why.

In the realm of PR and Marketing, everyone business (wo)man is looking to make their mark in this world, but the issue of whether are not that happens or not often comes down to variations of one question: Why you?

Why buy you?
What's your USP?
What do people get when they choose you, and why is that superior to something else?

Well, one product that has been around for a bit just launched an advertising campaign that literally crashed its site with traffic on Day 1.

Perhaps you've seen this product demoed in Bed, Bath & Beyond or other stores, but I'll bet you money right now that you're going to start seeing them in people's homes within the next 3-6 months based on one brilliant ad campaign.

So, for those of you looking to grab an audience, watch this vid and visit the site. Then make a list of all the things this company did oh-so-very right. :)



Now visit the site: http://www.nanodrop.org/ ...because you know you want to ;)

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!