Have you ever? Really? Thank you!

So, I'm sitting here chatting with a friend who happens to be one of my most fervent readers. She's literally read every single book I've ever written. It occurs to me, that some of my readers have reviewed everything they've written. Other readers have also gone so far as to leave testimonials for me, letting me know what they think of my writing and all that.

If you are a reader who has reviewed my books, I thank you from the very softest, warmest part of my heart. It truly means the world to me that you have taken the time to let me know what you think. If you've left me a testimonial... I am so humbled and honored. Thank you. ♥

If you have read my books but haven't reviewed them... thank you for reading, I appreciate it so much. I would love to know what you think of the books. Love them? Hate them? Find them to be 'meh'? Please pop in and give it a review and let me know. It helps me to write better books for you. And even if you hate the books... I love that you read them and reviewing them will only make me love you more.

If you'd like to leave a testimonial for me and don't mind seeing it on this website, please send it to me in an email or via my Facebook page. I love sharing what my readers think.

Now I'm done being a needy author and must be getting back to my writing...

Thank you for reading. ♥♣

#2018 #AmazonReviews #Facebook #Books #SHPrattRomanceAuthor #ContemporaryRomance #RomanceNovel #BookLovers

All the new books!

I know I've been MIA since New Year's but I have been working like a house elf to get the latest Green Brothers books out to the great wide world. It's been a tad harrowing but, I can happily say that both The Art of Forgiving and This Crazy Life are now live in eBook and paperback. For reasons known only to the great Amazonian beast, This Crazy Life was suppressed in paperback for a bit but that has since been tended to.

These newest Green Brothers books are monsters! The Art of Forgiving is over 400 pages and This Crazy Life over 500. Because of their sheer size, they are more expensive on Amazon and any other place you buy paperbacks... sort of. As I love my readers, I am keeping The Art of Forgiving at the usual $15 while This Crazy Life is $18... these prices are from ME and me alone as signed paperbacks. If you order them anywhere else, expect to pay more.

There is a companion book for This Crazy Life. It is a diary that is referred to a whole lot in This Crazy Life. It will be available only in paperback and only from me - so don't look for it on Amazon, it won't be there. It's $5 to get this little addition and if you order it with This Crazy Life, there is no additional shipping for it.

Also, in the midst of all the Green Brothers crazy, both of my Peace novellas left KU and went live over Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Kobo, and iTunes and were released as paperbacks. So, in the space of roughly four weeks, four brand new books were launched into the great wide world. That's some serious crazy right there. But, it means extra awesome stuff for you.

I am now working on DragonStar, my fantasy novel to be published as CK Brewer. There is much adjustment to be done and very little time to do so. I hope my fingers are up to the task and that my mother's health continues to hold steady.

I really hope you pick up one or more of the new books and leave me a review so that I know what you think of them. These most recent books run the gamut from sweet to semi-spicy; novella to full-length novel... but they are all quite intense in their own right. I shall look forward to hearing from you.

Thank you for reading.

#2018 #PeaceSeries #Books #Amazon #SHPrattRomanceAuthor #ContemporaryRomance #GreenBrothers #RomanceNovel

Reflection and all that jazz.

As I sit here listening to my boys playing a rousing game of Boggle, the clicks of the mouse of my daughter and husband as they play PC games, and the music of for King and Country, I find myself reflecting on where I was last year at this time compared to where I am this year.

I’m not as tired.

I’m more disillusioned and disgusted, but I’m not as tired.

2017 was a strange year. Political unrest, idiocy, and deceit (yeah, I know, weird from the world of politics, right? *insert rolling eyes here*). In reading my words from last year, I’m struck by how little has changed or worsened under the new idiocrasy – I cannot say Democracy because that is a dying concept in today’s political climate. Last year, these were my words:

“I’m tired of politicians promising one thing then doing the opposite. I’m tired of the lack of justice in so many cases. I’m tired of the government as we know it. The bullshit is deep and the whole mess needs to be eliminated in one fell swoop that would require a complete reboot and reformation of the system. It’s broken beyond repair and it’s time to toss it for a new, properly working model.

I’m tired of fighting against a machine that no longer gives a damn about the people it’s supposed to be working for. I’m tired of teachers being forced to shove bullshit at their students and having to teach to test. I’m tired of a system that is bound and determined to make every student stupid and focuses on quantity rather than quality. I’m tired of trying to teach my children that quality is infinitely better than quantity and that that doing their absolute best at everything is more important than being another drone. I’m tired of getting “that look” when I firmly state that I’m not going to bend to Common Core, I’m not going to let my children take the easy route in life – that they must earn what they want and get, and I’m going to celebrate every single moment in which they put the bullshit system to shame. I’m tired of the “standard” that each student is compared to and the labels that are assigned to those who are not that standard. There are square pegs, round pegs, and triangle pegs… they don’t all fit in that damned round hole and no amount of hammering will make them fit… EVER!”

So very little of the change that was promised during the elections has come to fruition but the climate has gotten more divisive, more hateful, more deceitful, and more offensive. I still believe a total reboot is necessary… in fact I’m even more positive it’s the only thing that will redeem this country and rebuild this country. This portion of my utter exhaustion has only deepened.

I’m still pretty damned tired whenever I think of the state of our personal finances – kids are still expensive, the raise has not only been found but now more deductions will further demoralize our budget. I’m saddened by the further decline of my mother, whose dementia has worsened but who has also been diagnosed with the worst possible breast cancer in existence to date… a cancer that due to her age and mental state is untreatable.

However, not all has stagnated. There have been more highs and less lows. Granted a couple of the lows have shaken me to my core, the highs have been so overwhelmingly amazing that they stole my breath. I found a new support system that bolstered my old one and made the overall support much bigger and warmer. Over the last year, I finished writing not one, not two, not three, but four books and a short story. A feat that eluded me through the last of 2015 and all of 2016. Two of those books and the short story were published in the last half of 2017, another feat that had been elusive. The other two books will find their release in the first half of 2018 along with another one. These simple pleasures have lifted me up in way that I cannot begin to convey. Yes, in the process of publishing the two books of 2017, I found myself the victim of a heartbreaking betrayal and theft. It’s a sad moment to realize that you’ve misplaced your trust and respect. But in my heart, I know that the person who stole my story idea and sold it as their own and betrayed my trust will pay for their deeds. Karma is not always the swiftest to exact her payment but she always collects it.

I have also found a bit of grounding in listening to my universal guide – higher power, intuition, whatever form you choose to call it. I’ve become less chaotic, panicked, and harried and have made sure to take more time for me. I have spent some time learning tarot. It has made me slow down and just breathe when I need to most.Are things still completely out of balance and disconcerting? Yes, but at this point in the grand scheme of things, I have to believe that voice in my head that tell me there is a greater plan in the offing and patience is going to be the key. Therefore, I am learning patience.

I spent some time contemplating the nature of my biggest concerns leaving 2017 and entering 2018, consulted the tarot, and tried to open myself to the voice in my head (not the one that gives me stories of emotional upheaval but the one that guides me. LOL). I find myself stepping forward into the new year with an air of caution, curiosity, and hope… and I find that I’m in a better place mentally and physically.

Thankfully…

I’m not as tired.

#2018 #2017 #ContemporaryRomance #SHPrattRomanceAuthor #NewYearsEve