Sheralyn Pratt's Blog, page 4

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:

Turn on your Automatic Book Updates on your Kindle. Hopefully, this will allow you to get the new version hassle-free. (Instructions here)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!

Swoony Award Pick!

I have to confess that from the moment I heard that there was such a thing as a Swoony Award, I wanted one.

Swoony Award...it just sounds so fun! And if I'm going to have an award on my shelf, Swoony pretty much tops the list as Best Name EVER.

So I wanted one. And while I technically didn't win one, I did get a Book Favorite of the Year by one of the judges (thanks, Katie!) so I'll joyously bask in that.

This year: Fave Pick.
Next year: Fave Pick AND a Swoony!

Is it greedy to want to much? Maybe.

Is it a worthy goal? Totally!

So thank you all for reading my books, and if you're looking for another clean read that has been vetted and recommended, check out the Swoony Award winners by clicking here.

Power of the Matchmaker Launches with "Broken Things to Mend"

So it's 2016, which means THE POWER OF THE MATCHMAKER series is officially on!
If you know who Rachael Anderson, this series is pretty much her brain child. She first brought up to me in 2014 when we were at the same conference. She had a vision of 12 different authors writing a series that included the same matchmaker, with one standalone book coming out each month. At the time, I wasn't a romance writer, but she invited me to join the club anyway.
Since I adore Rachael, I said yes.
For almost a year, I didn't really hear anything more about it. Then, in the beginning of 2015, I get an email from Rachael saying that they're scheduling the books and asking me if I'm still in. I said yes, and of the months remaining, I chose November.
The concept of the series is introduced in the novella, The Power of The Matchmaker. This is where we are introduced to Mae Li, the somewhat supernatural matchmaker who plays a role in each of the books in the series. Some of the books in the series are dramas, some are comedies. The one thing they have in common? Without Mae Li, the protagonists would never end up together.
Such is the case in the first book in the series.

Book 1 in The Power of the Matchmaker series is by bestselling author Karey White. Broken Things to Mend tells the tale of Celia, a girl on the run. The open road of the unknown is less terrifying to Celia than the world she knows, which is why she spends nearly every penny getting to a place chosen at random on a map.
If you're ready for a book that deals with some tough subjects and shows the power bring the good Samaritan in someone's life can have, this book for you.
As a reminder, ALL the books in the series are standalone books. Reading the prequel novella helps you understand why and how the books in the series can take place over more than a century with Mae Li still being around to participate in each generation, but each book stands on its own legs.
So join the ride, and check out a different book each month from a different bestselling author. Start today with The Power of The Matchmaker and Broken Things to Mend.

Haunting Christmas

We rarely stop to appreciate the difference between major and minor keys when it comes to songs we enjoy.

Take "All I Want for Christmas," for example. Do Christmas songs get much more perky than that?

Well, change the key to A-minor, and you might just have a completely different song all together. And I like it... You could write a good little scary story with this as the soundtrack. :)

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!

Presidential Poll: RESULTS

So last week I asked you 4 questions:

Who do you think the next Republican presidential candidate will be?Who do you think the next Democrat presidential candidate will be?Who do you think the next president will be?Which candidate would you actually vote for?
As promised, here are the results!

Question # 1 Results: Who do you think the next Republican presidential candidate will be? (Remember, this is not someone they would necessarily vote for, but who they predict will be chosen.)


This looks like a pie no one really wants to eat, which pretty much describes the Republican party right now. All over the place with both its messaging and agenda.

That said, Ben Carson gets the most votes as the prediction for the next Republican candidate. It's not a landslide victory, but in the end he edges out the competition.

Question # 2 Results: Who do you think the next Democrat presidential candidate will be? 
(Again, this is not someone they would necessarily vote for, but who they predict will be chosen.)


This pie is a little less chaotic, with Hillary not being too big of a surprise as the popular pick.

Question #3 Results: Who will be the next president?


Again, the predictions say Hillary, with Ben Carson and Bernie Sanders being the next favorites to win.

But here's where things get interesting. The next question is about who people would vote for if they voted today, and check out the candidates.

Question #4 Results: Who would you vote for today?Are you ready for this one?


Predicted favorite to win, Hillary, has exactly zero votes, two new names appear on the list of possible nominees, and the most votes going to a named candidate are voting for someone who isn't officially in the running yet: Mitt Romney.

Now, before you scoff, remember that it's not to late for him to be thrown into the mix. If the Republican party doesn't have faith in a candidate going into the convention, they can vote Romney in as their candidate, which would definitely cause a big stir and make loads and loads of headlines.

But the most surprising part of this poll is that the ONLY name on this last list that is a front runner on any of the other lists in Bernie Sanders. No votes for Ben Carson, none for Donald Trump, and none for any of the other predicted candidates.

So do with that what you will. ;)

Presidential Poll

Elections are still nearly a year away, yet presidential candidates have been quite active this fall, which leads me to wonder: Does the zeitgeist already know who the next president will be?

So here's a poll, just to see where a random sampling puts things at the moment. Share as often as you like. More the merrier, and I'll post the results next week :)

* Note: For those of you wondering why Mitt Romney's name appears, I'm putting it in there for funsies in case Trump continues his popularity and Republicans choose to undermine him at the convention and vote Romney in as a candidate. Can you imagine the temper tantrum that would get from the Trump camp?

When you're done imagining that pretty picture, here's the poll. Thanks for participating.

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An Ill-Advised Post: Thoughts The LDS Church's New Stance on Children of Same-Sex Marriages

I said online yesterday that I didn’t dare talk about this topic. I still thinks it’s ill-advised, but it’s also important. People commit suicide over things like this. I know, because I know someone who has.
So in honor of this person, I won’t be silent today.
If you’re not Mormon (LDS) or don’t live around Mormons, you may not have seen anything about this yet, but a topic that is on fire in my feed is the “leak” of a new church policy.
I say “leak” because this new practice has been added to a handbook for bishops and other local LDS leaders that most members never see. It’s a reference book, so to speak, and there are probably a lot of things spelled out in it that many would take issue with, if posted publicly. Bishops don’t post handbook publicly for similar reasons employees don’t post their employer’s internal manuals on social media—they’re asked not to, so they don’t. No press conferences are ever held to explain the contents of leadership handbooks, since they are not intended for lay members, not to mention the public. These handbooks are given to the bishop as a resource with the direction that they are to be used prayerfully.
However, the latest version of this handbook has a significant addition. An excommunicated member of LDS church got eyes on the new policy and felt it a matter of public concern, so he broke protocol and reached out to the media. The local CBS news station he shared the screen grabs with agreed with his assessment that it was newsworthy and broke the story in an online article.
So what’s the new church policy? 
Boiled down, it states that:
Children living in a home with same-sex parents cannot become members of the The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints or receive any of the rites until they are 18 years of age, have moved out of their parents’ home, and renounce gay marriage—including that of their parents.

At the heart of the policy (and arguably the most hurtful part) is expanding the term "apostate" to include married same-sex couples, which creates precedence for creating limitations for their children. Polygamists practicing plural marriage are also apostates, and their children are forbidden from baptism until they are adults, so this policy doesn't come out of the blue.
Still, if you know someone who is gay, this policy probably has a bit of a slap to it. You may need a moment to process the news before even pretending to read on objectively. If don't affiliate with any gay people or have any in your family, you might get behind the stance more quickly.
For those who doubt that this is an actual stance within the church, a PR representative of the church confirmed that the new policy is accurate, issuing a written statement that says:
"While [the church] respects the law of the land and acknowledges the right of others to think and act differently, it does not perform or accept same-sex marriage within its membership."
I think it’s very important to look at this written statement carefully when choosing how to respond to this news, yet very few people are. Almost everyone I see online is making this a conversation about sin, but I don’t think it is at all. So instead of writing fiction today, I’m going to blog. #poorlifedecisions
To those of you who are about to skewer me for it, I respect both you and your feelings. But my hope is that maybe this will help change the conversation I’m seeing online to move a more healthy direction.
My Take on the New Policy (as objectively as I am able to state it)
The new stance that children of same-sex parents cannot become members until they are legal adults is not a policy of inspiration, but rather a practical policy that eliminates lawsuits that could and would arise from parents who felt their children were being led to disown their families to be more faithful to the church.
Look at the Church’s statement again:
"While [the church] respects the law of the land and acknowledges the right of others to think and act differently, it does not perform or accept same-sex marriage within its membership."
This is all the church has said publicly on the matter. The end. That’s it. And a church leader didn't say it, an employee did--and only when forced to make any statement at all.
Consider that.
We all know that the LDS church fought long and hard against the legalization of same-sex marriage—a fight that ironically led to creating the very resistance that rose up and brought the issue before the Supreme Court. In the end, same-sex marriage became legal, but since the church still preaches against it, they have to create some policy changes to ensure that they are allowed to stay a religion. And not having a parade of legal cases against them claiming that they are breaking up gay families is one of them.
I think creating this policy in reaction to a new law is something almost everyone on the planet can wrap their heads around, whether they like the policy or not. You don’t have to agree or be a member of the church to understand a legal move like this. It’s rational. It makes sense.
The problem? No one within church leadership is stating this directly, which leads people to assume that this is a policy of inspiration—that this is a revelation somehow protecting both children and same-sex parents from bringing the gospel into an environment where it can only wither and die.
Really? And, I repeat, REALLY? (Sorry for the loss of objectivity. I have my limits.)
My advice is to be very careful before you start sounding that drum. 
Even if you have an experience that makes you feel confident in making a declaration on another parent or child’s worthiness to make spiritual choices, watch your step. Your experience is not universal. For example, I’m allergic to pumpkin pie. If my personal experience with pumnpkin pie created a global policy for all, pumpkin pie would be forbidden and feared around the world. My experience with it doesn’t give me the right to dictate someone else’s unless they have the same (bizarre) allergy.
Pumpkin pie may seem like a trite example that's out of scope for this topic, but that doesn’t mean it doesn’t apply. The scriptures I’ve seen people pull out of their hats to justify this new policy as spiritually necessary are soul-chilling and completely devoid of empathy.
You are being excluded for your own benefit and protection, is how they read between the lines. We only want what’s best for you, but until you rise up to our level of spiritual righteousness, we must act on your behalf so as to ensure you are not condemned by God. This is the will of the Lord.
Again, really? Is that not the very definition of pride?
Comments in this vein may feel gratifying to post, but you never know how the words are hitting people you know and love. Benevolent bigotry never feels like bigotry, because the person doing it is honestly trying find the love in an action they feel is inevitable. After they go through this process and decide what first appeared to be harmful is actually helpful and necessary, it can be hard to imagine that their efforts to help are received more like writing I love you on a rock and throwing it at the other person's head.
Yet that is often how good intentions are received.
So for all the people I know who are descending into a dark place after reading this new policy and seeing the justifications people are tossing around for it, I say this:
Anyone currently seeing this new policy as God writing off gay people and their children as spiritual less-thans needs to stop and reconsider.
This policy is the church protecting itself legally. End of story. No scriptures are cited in the church’s written statement or in the policy itself, because none apply. You can find scriptures that apply to how you feel about reading the policy that children of gay parents can't be baptized until the government considers them adults, but these scriptures are a reflection of you and your mind.
Again, the church and its leaders have released no such citations, nor do they include any in the handbook. Creating a story based on scriptures and memories that pop to mind, does not make your thought process true. Take it from someone who writes fiction. You can create any number of stories with the same elements. It’s something we all do every day, but what can be hard to remember that the story you wrote is your story only. No one else shares it, even if you both seem to have arrived at the same destination. Another's path to where you stand was different, and they still see many things differently.
Other people have their own story, just as valid as yours.
Perhaps the LDS church will come out with a statement later contradicting what I’m saying now. Maybe leaders really do intend to divide members and let the tares fall where they may, but I don’t think so. I would be beyond surprised, even though the pariah class willbe created with this new policy. That’s unavoidable based on the track history of human nature, but if/when that happens, it will be by people believe this is a spiritual revelation, not a legal C.Y.A. created by a lawyer.
I’m writing this ill-advised post to beg people to be kind as they discuss this topic, and to be very careful about pounding the drums of spiritual righteousness. Instead, think about the thousands upon thousands of existing members of the LDS church who are processing this:Grandmothers who just learned their grandchildren can’t be baptized until they’re adultsExes who now wonder if custody situations will impact their children’s access to ritesGay former members who believe the doctrine and made a commitment to raise children in it, even if they couldn't fully live itGay people who have been fighting to stay in the church, but now feel fully rejected
There are A LOT more Mormons impacted by this than most imagine. The world is a big place. These days, it’s also a more accepting place, which means more and more gay people are living with fewer and fewer lies because we are moving into a culture that allows them to be honest.
Ironically, in a way, gay people have straight people to thank for this. Straight people are the ones that made the huge, multi-generational push to move from arranged marriages to marrying for love. In a culture where parents choose the spouses of their children, homosexuality can’t thrive in the mainstream, because few people end up with the person their heart bonds with. They marry out of duty. But once all the straight people started being able to pair off with people of their own choosing, that put gay people in the position to do the same or lie to avoid death or being cast out. 
These days, fewer people are choosing death and lies, and do you really blame them? We live in a culture of choosing our own mate and celebrating them. We are raised with the culture and the stories from birth, so we can’t pretend to be blindsided when the gay children want to live out the same story when they grow up.
First comes love, then comes marriage, then comes the baby in the baby carriage.
This is something ALL American children are raised with, so why be baffled when all types of children grow up and want it?
But I digress. This is another tangent entirely.
Back to the topic at hand.
I want to say that the most troubling part of the conversations I’m currently seeing online is how often gay people are being compared to murderers, rapists, pedophiles, and other felons, as if these are groups of people who actually do belong in the same category in God’s eyes.
If you believe that, there is likely nothing I can say that will change your mind. But if you don’t believe gay people belong in the same category as killers and rapists, let’s call those comments out and move away from that narrative where possible, shall we?
Please consider the idea that this is a legal move drafted by a lawyer after a new law was passed, and not a spiritual revelation given to an inspired leader.
Why? Again, because there is every evidence of the former, and no evidence for the latter. 
This policy is something that members are going to have to live with from now on, but the attitude surrounding this policy can make a huge difference. It can be the difference between a fragile person taking their own life…or not.
To those who have read this far, thank you.
If you’re offended, my apologies. If it makes you feel better, about 90% of my family is LDS, and at least 50% of them won’t be thrilled I’m writing this. Again, because of the assumption that this is something that must be accepted on faith and requires no explanation outside of what has already been taught.
But the thing is, this policy does demand an explanation. And if I'm going to get fully on my high horse on the matter, I'll say that it's outright negligence on behalf of the church’s PR department at this point to let reporters and social media comments control the narrative. I understand that in their minds this should never have been in the news, and therefore, there is no need to comment. The story will peak and fade quickly in their minds, then be done.
True. This is how things will play out in the news cycles, but there is aftermath that follows that peak and simmering. There is the mental process millions of people went through to wrap their brains around the “leak” and justify it, or not justify it. Quite possibly the most dangerous of conclusions (that is already present to a large degree) is the perception that this policy is a doctrinal position declared by God and implemented by inspired men who have devoted their lives to the service of God.
Faithful members have to have their leaders backs, right? The policy must be defended, even if it's not understood. Understanding will come with time, but defense needs to happen today—even though the assumption that this is a spiritual declaration is supported by nothing, including scriptures and the wording of the handbook itself.
So if you are a member of the LDS church and feel the need to fall in line and defend this policy with whatever you've got right now, keep an open mind. And be kind. That’s all I ask.
This is a policy that has sucker punched a lot of people (including the people reaching for straws to defend it), which makes now a bad time for bravado, tough love, and trolling. People on every side of the fence have to process this, from the orthodox to the progressive to the apostate to the person who only hears about Mormons when something freaky or intolerant happens.
This will not blow over in the true sense of the phrase. This will have impact. It will determine the outcome of court cases and contact children have with parents as they choose which parent to live with based on whether they want to be accepted into the church. It will impact cases after a parent dies, when grandparents will fight for custody so they can raise their grandchildren in the church. This is a policy that will divide families just as much—or more so—than if it wasn’t in place. You have a hard fight ahead of you if you want to deny that. The difference is that people will be suing each other, not the church.
That’s a fact, and #sorrynotsorry if it hurts your feelings, but I do have a track history of being a little bit of a reality fairy. There will be fallout from this for as long as this policy stands, and it will fracture families; it will just do so in a way that keeps the church's legal department out of the fray. And it is 100% in the church's interest and their lay members to occupy their time and resources to other things.
So they are.
That's my take, and I'll stop there. It's as good a place as any.
Much love, and may life be kind!

The Power of the Matchmaker in 2016

It’s officially November. In my world, this means the countdown has officially begun for getting a very specific book in your hands—not my next book, mind you. But a totally fun book that will be part of a year-long series with 11 other awesome authors.
From January 2016 to December 2016, one book will be released each month by a different author in The Power of the Matchmaker series. All the books will be romance, but happen in different eras and locations in the world.
The covers in the graphic are in order by month, so you can get a feel for them at a glance.
The series has an intro novella (entitled Power of the Matchmaker) that introduces you to the backstory of the matchmaker, Mae Li, and all of the novels after that are stories of people she pairs together over time. 
As mentioned, my month is November, and my book is called King of the Friend Zone. I haven’t written it yet, but I totally love the story in my head. For those of you who read The Kiss That Launched 1,000 GIFs, this is Esme’s story. 
Here's a closer look at the cover. :)


It’s going to be a fun, fun book!
To be clear, King of the Friend Zone will not be my next book. If I do things right, I’ll get you three other books before next November, and I’ll talk about those another time. But for now, here’s the deets on The Power of the Matchmaker series.Starts January 2016One book will be released each month by a different author (all finalized covers and titles above)All books are clean romanceAll the authors are awesomeMy month is November with other awesome authors every other month
And there you have it! The bare bones of one fun thing that’s happening in 2016.
Have any questions? Feel free to ask them in the comments section, and THANKS FOR READING!