Rachel Vincent's Blog, page 12
November 7, 2011
Want to discuss spoilers? You're in luck.
Some of you may remember that I once had an online forum called The Pride. It's still there, but it's almost completely inactive. That's my fault. I loved that forum, and at first I moderated it myself, and I used to check it every day. Then things got complicated. I started writing a second series, and I had less time, and questions came up, like, "Why is it called The Pride, if you also write about bean sidhes?"
Then Shifters ended, and The Pride seemed totally irrelevant. Or so I thought.
Then I started getting questions, like "What happened to The Pride?" And that's when I realized that even though Alpha, the last Shifters book, is already out in the US, the series still has new readers here (I hear from them every day on Twitter and FB) and more every day in other countries, which are just now getting the series. People are still reading the Shifters series. (Yay!) And they seem to want to talk about them. But we've grown beyond The Pride, I think. We need something bigger, but simpler. Because people are now also asking where they can openly discuss recent developments in the Soul Screamers series.
Not coincidentally, I discovered recently that the web host I've been using for four years (I LOVE Hostmonster) includes several types of forum software and hosting in my package. I've been paying for a forum all along. So now I'm gonna use it.
The new forum is easier to read and better organized than The Pride was. And it's hosted on my site, so it should be even easier to find, even before I get the links up on my website.
Why do I need a forum (you might be asking) if I'm already active on both Twitter and Facebook? Two reasons:
Discussion that doesn't disappear from the screen as soon as new people comment. Discussion on forums is archived. You can read through it and find what you're looking for more than a day after it was posted. That's what passes for permanence on the Internet.Spoilers. People hate stumbling across them accidentally, but they also want to be able to discuss them freely. My new forum provides a place for both. I've structured the boards so that there is a clear divide between spoiler-free and spoilery zones.If you want to talk spoilers with fellow readers (and maybe me), the new forum is the place to go. If you want to talk to other readers who haven't yet read the latest book without being spoiled, the new forum is the place to go.
I haven't named it yet. Maybe I'll hold a contest and let one of you name it. But the new forum is up, and it's running, and it appears functional. I'll soon be officially deleting The Pride, so if there's a discussion there that you want to continue or revive, feel free to copy and paste it into the appropriate board on the new forum.
Right now, you have to join to have access to the spoilery discussions. That's to encourage membership and to make discussion easier. Responding to posts from "anonymous" gets old.
Here's what it looks like (click to enlarge):
Interested? Click here to check it out.
Then Shifters ended, and The Pride seemed totally irrelevant. Or so I thought.
Then I started getting questions, like "What happened to The Pride?" And that's when I realized that even though Alpha, the last Shifters book, is already out in the US, the series still has new readers here (I hear from them every day on Twitter and FB) and more every day in other countries, which are just now getting the series. People are still reading the Shifters series. (Yay!) And they seem to want to talk about them. But we've grown beyond The Pride, I think. We need something bigger, but simpler. Because people are now also asking where they can openly discuss recent developments in the Soul Screamers series.
Not coincidentally, I discovered recently that the web host I've been using for four years (I LOVE Hostmonster) includes several types of forum software and hosting in my package. I've been paying for a forum all along. So now I'm gonna use it.
The new forum is easier to read and better organized than The Pride was. And it's hosted on my site, so it should be even easier to find, even before I get the links up on my website.
Why do I need a forum (you might be asking) if I'm already active on both Twitter and Facebook? Two reasons:
Discussion that doesn't disappear from the screen as soon as new people comment. Discussion on forums is archived. You can read through it and find what you're looking for more than a day after it was posted. That's what passes for permanence on the Internet.Spoilers. People hate stumbling across them accidentally, but they also want to be able to discuss them freely. My new forum provides a place for both. I've structured the boards so that there is a clear divide between spoiler-free and spoilery zones.If you want to talk spoilers with fellow readers (and maybe me), the new forum is the place to go. If you want to talk to other readers who haven't yet read the latest book without being spoiled, the new forum is the place to go.
I haven't named it yet. Maybe I'll hold a contest and let one of you name it. But the new forum is up, and it's running, and it appears functional. I'll soon be officially deleting The Pride, so if there's a discussion there that you want to continue or revive, feel free to copy and paste it into the appropriate board on the new forum.
Right now, you have to join to have access to the spoilery discussions. That's to encourage membership and to make discussion easier. Responding to posts from "anonymous" gets old.
Here's what it looks like (click to enlarge):
Interested? Click here to check it out.
November 1, 2011
Who wants to hear the title?
Today I saw the cover for the upcoming Soul Screamers novella, and I'm thrilled to say that it actually says "A Soul Screamers Novella." I'm hoping that'll cut down on the confusion. You would not believe how many bad reviews and 1 star ratings both "My Soul To Lose" and "Reaper" got (even though they were offered for free for months) because people were expecting a full novel. And that's not an assumption on my part. That's actually stated in many, many reviews.
I don't have permission to post the cover yet, but I do want to say a couple of things about the novella today before I eliminate another possible narrator. I'm going to do that by answering the most common questions I get about the Soul Screamers novellas.
Q: Why do you write these novellas? It's a gimmick, isn't it? You're just trying to snare new readers, right?
Rachel: With "My Soul To Lose?" Yes. Guilty as charged. I'm not sure why some people are offended by a self-employed writer (yes, novelists are considered self-employed) wanting to increase her readership by offering a free sample, but there you go. The original free sample idea came from Harlequin Teen, several months before the launch of the line. Soul Screamers was new. Harlequin Teen was new. I was new to YA. The idea was to give potential readers a free sample of my writing and world building, as well as an early glimpse of Kaylee, the main character. "My Soul To Lose" launched the entire line.
If it were up to me, the story would have remained free, but my publisher has business restrictions and concerns I won't even pretend to fully understand. However, they kept it free for as long as they could, and they let me keep it up on my website for free in PDF format for more than two years, and I'm beyond grateful for that.
The idea for "Reaper" was mine. I wanted to tell the story of how Tod died. I pitched the idea to my editor and she liked it, and my published came back with an offer for not one, but two new Soul Screamers novellas, both of which would be offered free to readers for a limited time. The point this time was not to snare new readers. In fact, I did my best to warn people that "Reaper" was best read after the third novel. "Reaper" was intended as a "thank you" from me to the readers who made it possible for me to have a YA writing career.
The same is true of this new novella. It is INCREDIBLY spoilery for one of the major events in If I Die (I'll explain why down below) and it sets up some stuff in Before I Wake.
So, neither "Reaper" nor the new novella are intended to trick people into reading Soul Screamers. Would I turn down new readers? Of course not. I'd be thrilled to have them. But I can't recommend this new novella as a good way to start the series, unless you want to be spoiled from the start. ;)
Q: Why aren't the novellas in print?
Rachel: Because releasing them in electronic format allows us to put them out faster and cheaper, and to make them free for at least the first few months. However, "My Soul To Lose" is now in print in the Soul Screamers omnibus Volume One, which comes out later this month.
Q: Why don't you just post them to your website instead of letting your publisher publish them, so they could be free forever?
Rachel: That's a complicated question with a complicated answer. The simple version is that I'm a writer, not an editor or a cover designer. I need my editor to edit the novellas and I need HQTeen to design the covers. Sure, given enough time, I could figure those things out for myself or hire someone to do them. But if I hired help, I couldn't afford to offer them for free, and if I spend time learning to be a publisher, I'd fall behind on the books I'm already under contract for.
Okay, now for the fun part--a couple of tidbits about the novella that you didn't already know. The new novella will be called...
"Never To Sleep"
You can thank my editor for that title. I think. We bounced around more than a dozen titles, and I think she's the one who came up with this one.
And... "Never To Sleep" takes place during If I Die. That's right. It takes place right in the middle of the novel. And you will see one of the most memorable scenes in If I Die from this mystery narrator's perspective. Which is why I would NOT start the Soul Screamers series with "Never To Sleep," even if it will be free for a while.
I'm not ready to tell you who's narrating yet, although I suspect what I've just revealed with narrow down your guesses a bit. So I'll help out by crossing out another potential narrator below.
Feel free to discuss. But be warned: there may be spoilers in the comments!
The list, in random order:
◦Tod
◦Sabine
◦Nash
◦Alec
◦Sophie
◦Emma
◦Avari
◦Addison
◦Scott
◦Lydia
◦Levi
A reminder: Notice that Kaylee isn’t on the list. Consider that your freebie. Kaylee is not the narrator.
I don't have permission to post the cover yet, but I do want to say a couple of things about the novella today before I eliminate another possible narrator. I'm going to do that by answering the most common questions I get about the Soul Screamers novellas.
Q: Why do you write these novellas? It's a gimmick, isn't it? You're just trying to snare new readers, right?
Rachel: With "My Soul To Lose?" Yes. Guilty as charged. I'm not sure why some people are offended by a self-employed writer (yes, novelists are considered self-employed) wanting to increase her readership by offering a free sample, but there you go. The original free sample idea came from Harlequin Teen, several months before the launch of the line. Soul Screamers was new. Harlequin Teen was new. I was new to YA. The idea was to give potential readers a free sample of my writing and world building, as well as an early glimpse of Kaylee, the main character. "My Soul To Lose" launched the entire line.
If it were up to me, the story would have remained free, but my publisher has business restrictions and concerns I won't even pretend to fully understand. However, they kept it free for as long as they could, and they let me keep it up on my website for free in PDF format for more than two years, and I'm beyond grateful for that.
The idea for "Reaper" was mine. I wanted to tell the story of how Tod died. I pitched the idea to my editor and she liked it, and my published came back with an offer for not one, but two new Soul Screamers novellas, both of which would be offered free to readers for a limited time. The point this time was not to snare new readers. In fact, I did my best to warn people that "Reaper" was best read after the third novel. "Reaper" was intended as a "thank you" from me to the readers who made it possible for me to have a YA writing career.
The same is true of this new novella. It is INCREDIBLY spoilery for one of the major events in If I Die (I'll explain why down below) and it sets up some stuff in Before I Wake.
So, neither "Reaper" nor the new novella are intended to trick people into reading Soul Screamers. Would I turn down new readers? Of course not. I'd be thrilled to have them. But I can't recommend this new novella as a good way to start the series, unless you want to be spoiled from the start. ;)
Q: Why aren't the novellas in print?
Rachel: Because releasing them in electronic format allows us to put them out faster and cheaper, and to make them free for at least the first few months. However, "My Soul To Lose" is now in print in the Soul Screamers omnibus Volume One, which comes out later this month.
Q: Why don't you just post them to your website instead of letting your publisher publish them, so they could be free forever?
Rachel: That's a complicated question with a complicated answer. The simple version is that I'm a writer, not an editor or a cover designer. I need my editor to edit the novellas and I need HQTeen to design the covers. Sure, given enough time, I could figure those things out for myself or hire someone to do them. But if I hired help, I couldn't afford to offer them for free, and if I spend time learning to be a publisher, I'd fall behind on the books I'm already under contract for.
Okay, now for the fun part--a couple of tidbits about the novella that you didn't already know. The new novella will be called...
"Never To Sleep"
You can thank my editor for that title. I think. We bounced around more than a dozen titles, and I think she's the one who came up with this one.
And... "Never To Sleep" takes place during If I Die. That's right. It takes place right in the middle of the novel. And you will see one of the most memorable scenes in If I Die from this mystery narrator's perspective. Which is why I would NOT start the Soul Screamers series with "Never To Sleep," even if it will be free for a while.
I'm not ready to tell you who's narrating yet, although I suspect what I've just revealed with narrow down your guesses a bit. So I'll help out by crossing out another potential narrator below.
Feel free to discuss. But be warned: there may be spoilers in the comments!
The list, in random order:
◦Tod
◦Sabine
◦Nash
◦Alec
◦Sophie
◦Emma
◦Avari
◦Addison
◦Scott
◦Lydia
◦Levi
A reminder: Notice that Kaylee isn’t on the list. Consider that your freebie. Kaylee is not the narrator.
October 31, 2011
Marzipan Plants vs. Gingerbread Zombies!
If you've been following my blog for very long, you probably know by now that I am a complete dork. And that I'm big on tradition. And that I like to bake. And that Halloween is one of my favorite holidays. When you put all that together, you get my annual Halloween gingerbread house. (By "my" I mean "our." Number one is heavily involved in the process. And we do a Christmas one too.) Here's last year's monster house. A couple of years ago, we replicated the Amityville Horror house.
This year, the theme seemed obvious. Considering how much of my scarce free time I've spent playing Plants vs. Zombies on my phone and iPad, there was really only one way to go. So I give you...
Marzipan Plants vs. Gingerbread Zombies!
In case you're not familiar with the concept, it's an iPhone app game where the player collects rays of sunshine (falling from the sky and produced by sunflowers) in order to buy plants which can fend off successive waves of zombie hoards. It looks like this:
Ours looks like this:
Features of note: Number 1 made a "cabbage-pult" out of marzipan. Second row, first column. I was impressed. Several zombies have been hit with peas fired from the "pea shooters." One's lost his head. The lawn is made of green frosting, piped in squares. The house is whitewashed with thinned white frosting and bricked in Jolly Ranchers. The roof tiles are orange candy melt disks.
Their house pre-zombie hoard:
Our house pre-zombie hoard. And frosting.
Your first line of defense is a good line of "Tall-nuts." We were out of walnuts, so we used Brazil nuts. See?
Sunflowers produce rays of sunshine, which work like currency. Our sunflowers are made of marzipan, food coloring, and black gel icing.
The zombie horde, waiting to attack. By the way, making zombies out of gingerbread men is HARD. We dipped them in melted chocolate to approximate the suits the regular zombies wear in the game. Details are black and white gel frosting. For the green, rotting flesh , we dipped their heads and hands in green candy melt.
"Pea shooters" are the basic offensive unit. Ours are made of marzipan, like the sunflowers.
I made that long, misshappen one. Number one is a MUCH better sculpter than I am. I guess I'll stick to writing. ;)
Oh no! The zombies have penetrated our defenses and made it to the front door! ZOMBIES ATE MY BRAINS!!!
This year, the theme seemed obvious. Considering how much of my scarce free time I've spent playing Plants vs. Zombies on my phone and iPad, there was really only one way to go. So I give you...
Marzipan Plants vs. Gingerbread Zombies!
In case you're not familiar with the concept, it's an iPhone app game where the player collects rays of sunshine (falling from the sky and produced by sunflowers) in order to buy plants which can fend off successive waves of zombie hoards. It looks like this:
Ours looks like this:
Features of note: Number 1 made a "cabbage-pult" out of marzipan. Second row, first column. I was impressed. Several zombies have been hit with peas fired from the "pea shooters." One's lost his head. The lawn is made of green frosting, piped in squares. The house is whitewashed with thinned white frosting and bricked in Jolly Ranchers. The roof tiles are orange candy melt disks.
Their house pre-zombie hoard:
Our house pre-zombie hoard. And frosting.
Your first line of defense is a good line of "Tall-nuts." We were out of walnuts, so we used Brazil nuts. See?
Sunflowers produce rays of sunshine, which work like currency. Our sunflowers are made of marzipan, food coloring, and black gel icing.
The zombie horde, waiting to attack. By the way, making zombies out of gingerbread men is HARD. We dipped them in melted chocolate to approximate the suits the regular zombies wear in the game. Details are black and white gel frosting. For the green, rotting flesh , we dipped their heads and hands in green candy melt.
"Pea shooters" are the basic offensive unit. Ours are made of marzipan, like the sunflowers.
I made that long, misshappen one. Number one is a MUCH better sculpter than I am. I guess I'll stick to writing. ;)
Oh no! The zombies have penetrated our defenses and made it to the front door! ZOMBIES ATE MY BRAINS!!!
October 28, 2011
Calling librarians! (also, blog tour and winners)
I'm so embarrassed. I've been meaning to blog about this for more than a week, and I keep forgetting. But there's still a couple of days left!
I'm participating in the Crossroads YA paranormal blog tour. See?
Click the image for details, including a linked list of all the participating blogs and the entry questions. There are prizes, including signed books and swag, and libraries who participate will be entered in a drawing to win a Skype visit with me! (It's my first time. Go easy on me. ;))
And, now for a winner!
There were nearly 280 awesome entries in the Share The Love giveaway, and because they were all so wonderful, I'm actually drawing two winners instead of one.
Winner #1: Laura Andreula who wrote, "If I win, I will give one of the copies to one of my nieces – (I have three – all teens and sisters) so I would actually be adding three new readers to your list…:-)"
Winner #2: Shallynn who wrote (in part): I would give one copy to my cousin Jennah. [...] I would like to give the second copy to my seventh grade Language Arts teacher. [...] I think it would be a nice addition to her class library.
Winners, please email me (rachelkvincentATgmailDOTcom) with your shipping information and let me know how you'd like the books signed.
Thanks so much to all who entered. You may not know this, but the most powerful force in publishing isn't the art department who designs the covers, or the marketing team that markets the books, or the sales team who pitches the sales catalogue to book buyers. It's word of mouth from readers. Word of mouth creates demand, which prompts publishers to buy more books from authors, which prompts authors to write more books for readers. That's how this works, and those of you who enjoy the Soul Screamer series and have tried to pass on that passion have my undying gratitude.
And one more thing. I'm interested in donating several copies of the Soul Screamers omnibus to libraries and high schools. If you're an interested librarian or high school English teacher, please leave me a comment in this post and I'll tell you how to proceed.
If you know of a librarian or English teacher who might be interested, please let him or her know about this.
Thanks, and have a great weekend!
I'm participating in the Crossroads YA paranormal blog tour. See?
Click the image for details, including a linked list of all the participating blogs and the entry questions. There are prizes, including signed books and swag, and libraries who participate will be entered in a drawing to win a Skype visit with me! (It's my first time. Go easy on me. ;))
And, now for a winner!
There were nearly 280 awesome entries in the Share The Love giveaway, and because they were all so wonderful, I'm actually drawing two winners instead of one.
Winner #1: Laura Andreula who wrote, "If I win, I will give one of the copies to one of my nieces – (I have three – all teens and sisters) so I would actually be adding three new readers to your list…:-)"
Winner #2: Shallynn who wrote (in part): I would give one copy to my cousin Jennah. [...] I would like to give the second copy to my seventh grade Language Arts teacher. [...] I think it would be a nice addition to her class library.
Winners, please email me (rachelkvincentATgmailDOTcom) with your shipping information and let me know how you'd like the books signed.
Thanks so much to all who entered. You may not know this, but the most powerful force in publishing isn't the art department who designs the covers, or the marketing team that markets the books, or the sales team who pitches the sales catalogue to book buyers. It's word of mouth from readers. Word of mouth creates demand, which prompts publishers to buy more books from authors, which prompts authors to write more books for readers. That's how this works, and those of you who enjoy the Soul Screamer series and have tried to pass on that passion have my undying gratitude.
And one more thing. I'm interested in donating several copies of the Soul Screamers omnibus to libraries and high schools. If you're an interested librarian or high school English teacher, please leave me a comment in this post and I'll tell you how to proceed.
If you know of a librarian or English teacher who might be interested, please let him or her know about this.
Thanks, and have a great weekend!
October 26, 2011
Shadow Bound: first peek.
I'm working on copy edits for Shadow Bound today, so this seems like a good time for the official announcement...
I think this cover's kind of perfect. I love the gritty urban background and the colors. The shadowy smoke is both moody and relevant. I like that Kori and Ian are touching, but upright and fully clothed. I like that they're face-to-face and on even footing (I worked really hard to make sure that they both got equal facetime in the book). And I have to say, the models are perfect.
So, what's it about? Here's the back cover synopsis:
If you've read Blood Bound, you no doubt remember Kori, who narrates half of Shadow Bound. And yes, this time the chapters are labeled by narrator.
Kori:
Ian is a new character, and like everyone else in the Unbound world, he has secrets. He also has a decent sense of humor and a dangerous job to do.
Ian:
Shadow Bound is currently scheduled for a June 1 release, but because that's more than seven months away, there are no pre-order links available yet. So I may repost this entire entry in a couple of months, when those links go up. But you can add Shadow Bound on Goodreads. ;)
I think this cover's kind of perfect. I love the gritty urban background and the colors. The shadowy smoke is both moody and relevant. I like that Kori and Ian are touching, but upright and fully clothed. I like that they're face-to-face and on even footing (I worked really hard to make sure that they both got equal facetime in the book). And I have to say, the models are perfect.
So, what's it about? Here's the back cover synopsis:
If you live in the dark long enough, you begin to forget the light…
KORI DANIELS is a shadow-walker, able to travel instantly from one shadow to another. After weeks of confinement for betraying her boss, she's ready to break free of the Tower syndicate for good. But Jake Tower has one final job for Kori, one chance to secure freedom for herself and her sister, Kenley, even if that means taking it from someone else…
The job? Recruit Ian Holt—or kill him.
Ian's ability to manipulate the dark has drawn interest from every syndicate in the world, most notably an invitation from Jake Tower. Though he has no interest in organized crime, Ian accepts the invite, because he's on a mission of his own. Ian has come to kill Tower's top Binder: Kori's little sister.
Amid the tangle of lies, an unexpected thread of truth connecting Ian and Kori comes to light. But with opposing goals, they'll have to choose between love and liberty….
If you've read Blood Bound, you no doubt remember Kori, who narrates half of Shadow Bound. And yes, this time the chapters are labeled by narrator.
Kori:
The dark and I used to be friends. No, lovers. When I was alone, I walked around naked just to feel it on my skin, cool and calm, and more intimate than any hand that had ever touched me. The dark was alive, and it was seductive. We used to slide in and out of one another, the shadows and I, always touching, caressing. Sometimes I couldn't tell where the dark ended and I began, and at some point I'd decided that division didn't really exist. I was the dark, and the dark was me.
But the darkness in the basement was different. It was false. Broken. Weakened by infrared lights I couldn't see, but I could feel blazing down on me. Caging me. Draining me. The shadows were dead, and touching them was like touching the stiff limbs of a lover's corpse.
Ian is a new character, and like everyone else in the Unbound world, he has secrets. He also has a decent sense of humor and a dangerous job to do.
Ian:
"Have I told you you're an idiot?" Aaron asked, staring through the windshield at the tall iron gate and the even taller house behind it. If such a monstrosity could even be called a house. It was more like a modern fortress.
"About twenty times since my plane landed." I flipped down the driver's side sunshade and checked my tie in the mirror.
"Has it sunk in yet?"
I glanced at him in the thick shadows of the car's interior, lit only by the green numbers scrolling across the radio's display in the dashboard. "Your puny verbal barbs are no match for my thick skull."
"You do have a freakishly thick skull," Aaron said, flipping through the stations on my rental car's radio. "But that won't stop a bullet. They may look civilized in tuxedos and sequins, but they're really monsters in men's clothing, every single one of them. They're going to eat you alive in there, Ian."
"Then may they choke on my corpse."
Shadow Bound is currently scheduled for a June 1 release, but because that's more than seven months away, there are no pre-order links available yet. So I may repost this entire entry in a couple of months, when those links go up. But you can add Shadow Bound on Goodreads. ;)
October 24, 2011
Share the love.
This is a giveaway post. Because I feel like giving something away and because I got my author copies of the Soul Screamers omnibus last week.
Here's what's up for grabs: two (2) signed copies of Soul Screamers Vol. One, which contains "My Soul To Lose," My Soul To Take, and My Soul To Save.
The catch: You have to give one of the copies to someone who's never read a Soul Screamers book. Preferably to a teenager, but any new reader will do. Of course, you can give them both away. Or you can keep one for yourself and give your existing copies of MSTTake and MSTSave to someone else. Whatever. So long as a new reader gets one copy of the omnibus.
To enter, leave me a comment in the corresponding Wordpress post telling me who you'll give the extra copy to, if you win. No last names or profile links. (This blog believes in protecting the identity and privacy of minors.) In fact, you can just say, "I'd give a copy to my niece/daughter/sister/best friend." Or whatever.
Who may enter: US residents thirteen (13) years of age and up. Those under eighteen (18) must have a parent's permission to enter. Void where prohibited by law.
Why US residents only? Because this is a big, heavy book, and I'm giving away two of them. And shipping is expensive. In fact, for a book this big, shipping will probably cost more than the prize is worth. I'm trying to figure out some way to give away copies to international winners who are willing to pay shipping, but since I use the UPS store rather than the post office, IRCs aren't working out very well. But I'll let you all know if I figure it out.
The list, in random order:
◦Tod
◦Sabine
◦Nash
◦Alec
◦Sophie
◦Emma
◦Avari
◦Addison
◦Scott
◦Lydia
◦Levi
A reminder: Notice that Kaylee isn’t on the list. Consider that your freebie. Kaylee is not the narrator.
Here's what's up for grabs: two (2) signed copies of Soul Screamers Vol. One, which contains "My Soul To Lose," My Soul To Take, and My Soul To Save.
The catch: You have to give one of the copies to someone who's never read a Soul Screamers book. Preferably to a teenager, but any new reader will do. Of course, you can give them both away. Or you can keep one for yourself and give your existing copies of MSTTake and MSTSave to someone else. Whatever. So long as a new reader gets one copy of the omnibus.
To enter, leave me a comment in the corresponding Wordpress post telling me who you'll give the extra copy to, if you win. No last names or profile links. (This blog believes in protecting the identity and privacy of minors.) In fact, you can just say, "I'd give a copy to my niece/daughter/sister/best friend." Or whatever.
Who may enter: US residents thirteen (13) years of age and up. Those under eighteen (18) must have a parent's permission to enter. Void where prohibited by law.
Why US residents only? Because this is a big, heavy book, and I'm giving away two of them. And shipping is expensive. In fact, for a book this big, shipping will probably cost more than the prize is worth. I'm trying to figure out some way to give away copies to international winners who are willing to pay shipping, but since I use the UPS store rather than the post office, IRCs aren't working out very well. But I'll let you all know if I figure it out.
-----
And...it's time to eliminate another narrator from the list of possibilities for the upcoming Soul Screamers novella.
The list, in random order:
◦Tod
◦Sabine
◦Nash
◦Alec
◦Sophie
◦Emma
◦Avari
◦Addison
◦Scott
◦Lydia
◦Levi
A reminder: Notice that Kaylee isn’t on the list. Consider that your freebie. Kaylee is not the narrator.
October 21, 2011
Thoughts. And pretties.
On Wednesday afternoon, I finally let go of the Before I Wake manuscript. Which means I turned it in to my editor. Well, I turned it in to two editors, actually. My editor has already finished it. She says she's still processing the ending. I think I may have scared her. Or scarred her. This is the fourteenth novel we've worked together on since 2006, when she began editing my first novel, Stray, which came out in 2007. You'd think I'd know exactly what she's going to think about every element of everything I write by now, right?
Yeah. Not so much. I have no idea if she'll actually like the ending or not, once she's done processing. Honestly, I have no idea whether or not I'll like the ending, after she's done processing. I fiddled with it over and over, delaying turning the book in because I was scared. Yes, fourteen novels in, I was scared. You see...If I Die was a game-changer in the Soul Screamers series, in several different ways. It's also gotten the best critical response (at least from readers and blog reviewers) of anything I've ever written. (Which probably means it'll be a commercial failure. I'm pretty sure commercial and critical success are mutually exclusive.) What that means is that If I Die was INCREDIBLY hard to follow.
Why? Because each book in a series needs to be better than the previous book and the plot must flow naturally from the conclusion of the previous story. But everything has to be taken up a level. Everything. Bad guys. Drama. Plot. Emotion. Angst. And the characters have to develop or evolve. For the main character (at least), that evolution must be in the form of maturity.
BUT... (You knew there was a but, right?) But, the next-levelness of the whole thing canNOT be over-the-top. It must all be believable and feel natural. Let me just say, that's HARD. And I have no idea whether or not I succeeded.
Okay, enough about my insecurities. Now for some pretties...
Remember the other day, when I said I didn't have copies of the Soul Screamers omnibus yet? They came in last night, while I was doing a live chat. And they are gorgeous!!!
Also, they're kind of huge. And here's why:
The omnibus comes out a month from tomorrow, and I could not be more excited.
Oh, also, I forgot to eliminate a narrator from the list of possibilities for the new Soul Screamers novella. So here goes:
The list, in random order:TodSabineNashAlecSophieEmmaAvariAddisonScottLydiaLevi
A reminder: Notice that Kaylee isn’t on the list. Consider that your freebie. Kaylee is not the narrator.
Come back Monday, and I'll give away an omnibus!
Yeah. Not so much. I have no idea if she'll actually like the ending or not, once she's done processing. Honestly, I have no idea whether or not I'll like the ending, after she's done processing. I fiddled with it over and over, delaying turning the book in because I was scared. Yes, fourteen novels in, I was scared. You see...If I Die was a game-changer in the Soul Screamers series, in several different ways. It's also gotten the best critical response (at least from readers and blog reviewers) of anything I've ever written. (Which probably means it'll be a commercial failure. I'm pretty sure commercial and critical success are mutually exclusive.) What that means is that If I Die was INCREDIBLY hard to follow.
Why? Because each book in a series needs to be better than the previous book and the plot must flow naturally from the conclusion of the previous story. But everything has to be taken up a level. Everything. Bad guys. Drama. Plot. Emotion. Angst. And the characters have to develop or evolve. For the main character (at least), that evolution must be in the form of maturity.
BUT... (You knew there was a but, right?) But, the next-levelness of the whole thing canNOT be over-the-top. It must all be believable and feel natural. Let me just say, that's HARD. And I have no idea whether or not I succeeded.
Okay, enough about my insecurities. Now for some pretties...
Remember the other day, when I said I didn't have copies of the Soul Screamers omnibus yet? They came in last night, while I was doing a live chat. And they are gorgeous!!!
Also, they're kind of huge. And here's why:
The omnibus comes out a month from tomorrow, and I could not be more excited.
Oh, also, I forgot to eliminate a narrator from the list of possibilities for the new Soul Screamers novella. So here goes:
The list, in random order:TodSabineNashAlecSophieEmmaAvariAddisonScottLydiaLevi
A reminder: Notice that Kaylee isn’t on the list. Consider that your freebie. Kaylee is not the narrator.
Come back Monday, and I'll give away an omnibus!
October 19, 2011
Ride the omnibus!
[I know. Cheesy blog post title. That's what happens when I'm this close to turning in a manuscript to my editor.]
In just over a month, the Soul Screamers omnibus (aptly titled Soul Screamers Volume I) hits US and Canadian shelves.
I haven't seen the actual book yet, but yesterday I got an envelope FULL of cover flats. See:
For those who don't know, a cover flat is just the cover of a paperback book, unfolded, without the book inside it. A few years ago, they were often printed up as promotional items, with the marketing plan printed on the back, but now that everything's done digitally, there are very few cover flats printed anymore. In fact, I haven't gotten any in a couple of years, and these were a total surprise.
These are the final flats, so the back has what's actually printed inside the cover of the book (the other books in the series and my picture and bio). My new phone takes a great picture, but no photo can do this cover justice. I think the black-and-white contrast with the brightly colored individual book covers (in the US) was a really good way to go, and in person, these flats are stunning. They have a beautiful matte finish and raised glossy print, and I keep touching them. Because they feel pretty. ;)
Anyway, I guess I'll be giving a bunch of these flats away, once I actually ship all the prizes piling up in my office (if I owe you a prize, I swear it's coming!). But for now, I wanted to mention what a great opportunity omnibuses are, and how thrilled I am to have one coming out. If there's a series you've been meaning to start (or meaning to get a friend hooked on), starting with the omnibus gets you the first two (or three) books in the series for the price of one, with an added benefit: when you finish the first book, you don't have to go hunt the second one down. It's right there, ready to read. ;)
Not familiar with omnibuses? Here are a couple of others already available. These two happen to be by my fellow Texas YA authors Rachel Caine and Marianne Mancusi.
Morganville Vampires Volume I contains Glass Houses and The Dead Girls' Dance, the first two books in Rachel Caine's Morganville Vampires series.
The Blood Coven Vampires Volume I contains Boys That Bite and Stake That, the first two books in Marianne's Blood Coven series.
My own omnibus isn't about vampires, of course. But it is very pretty, and it has a bonus feature! This is the only place you can get "My Soul To Lose" in print. It is still available as an ebook, though, wherever ebooks are sold.
In just over a month, the Soul Screamers omnibus (aptly titled Soul Screamers Volume I) hits US and Canadian shelves.
I haven't seen the actual book yet, but yesterday I got an envelope FULL of cover flats. See:
For those who don't know, a cover flat is just the cover of a paperback book, unfolded, without the book inside it. A few years ago, they were often printed up as promotional items, with the marketing plan printed on the back, but now that everything's done digitally, there are very few cover flats printed anymore. In fact, I haven't gotten any in a couple of years, and these were a total surprise.
These are the final flats, so the back has what's actually printed inside the cover of the book (the other books in the series and my picture and bio). My new phone takes a great picture, but no photo can do this cover justice. I think the black-and-white contrast with the brightly colored individual book covers (in the US) was a really good way to go, and in person, these flats are stunning. They have a beautiful matte finish and raised glossy print, and I keep touching them. Because they feel pretty. ;)
Anyway, I guess I'll be giving a bunch of these flats away, once I actually ship all the prizes piling up in my office (if I owe you a prize, I swear it's coming!). But for now, I wanted to mention what a great opportunity omnibuses are, and how thrilled I am to have one coming out. If there's a series you've been meaning to start (or meaning to get a friend hooked on), starting with the omnibus gets you the first two (or three) books in the series for the price of one, with an added benefit: when you finish the first book, you don't have to go hunt the second one down. It's right there, ready to read. ;)
Not familiar with omnibuses? Here are a couple of others already available. These two happen to be by my fellow Texas YA authors Rachel Caine and Marianne Mancusi.
Morganville Vampires Volume I contains Glass Houses and The Dead Girls' Dance, the first two books in Rachel Caine's Morganville Vampires series.
The Blood Coven Vampires Volume I contains Boys That Bite and Stake That, the first two books in Marianne's Blood Coven series.
My own omnibus isn't about vampires, of course. But it is very pretty, and it has a bonus feature! This is the only place you can get "My Soul To Lose" in print. It is still available as an ebook, though, wherever ebooks are sold.
October 14, 2011
Survivante!
Look what I found! The French cover for If I Die!
I think it's kind of stunning! The title translates to "Survivor," I believe, and I have to say, I love that! If there's one thing Kaylee is, it's a survivor. For comparison, below are the UK and US covers for If I Die, and as you can see, all three countries went in a different direction with the art.
You might also notice that Darkiss (who publishes Soul Screamers in France) has used the same cover art that Mira Ink used for My Soul To Take last year. But I think the difference in tone is pretty noteworthy. Below are both, side-by-side:
The color saturation in the French version gives it a grittier feel and kind of pulls it out of "vampire book" territory. And I have to say, as much as I liked (and still like) the UK MSTTake cover, I like the art and this new tone even better for the French version of If I Die. If you've read the book, tell me what you think. Does this fit with the story?
I think it's kind of stunning! The title translates to "Survivor," I believe, and I have to say, I love that! If there's one thing Kaylee is, it's a survivor. For comparison, below are the UK and US covers for If I Die, and as you can see, all three countries went in a different direction with the art.
You might also notice that Darkiss (who publishes Soul Screamers in France) has used the same cover art that Mira Ink used for My Soul To Take last year. But I think the difference in tone is pretty noteworthy. Below are both, side-by-side:
The color saturation in the French version gives it a grittier feel and kind of pulls it out of "vampire book" territory. And I have to say, as much as I liked (and still like) the UK MSTTake cover, I like the art and this new tone even better for the French version of If I Die. If you've read the book, tell me what you think. Does this fit with the story?
October 10, 2011
Guess the POV character.
Now that If I Die is officially out in the world, I can't help looking forward the next couple of Soul Screamers releases. In November, the Soul Screamers omnibus will be out, just in time for [insert your preferred holiday here]! If you've been meaning to start the series or you know a young adult (or adult-adult) who might like it, this is the perfect place to start. And to get three stories for the price of one. Also, this is your only chance to get the prequel "My Soul To Lose" in print.
And, the new Soul Screamers online novella will hit the digital shelves on Jan. 1, 2012, just in time for all those holiday gift ereaders. I believe this one will be free too, for a limited time.
I hadn't intended to keep the title, narrator, and plot a secret. It just kind of worked out that way, because the title was really hard to come up with, and I didn't want to say much about it until we knew for sure what the story would be called. But now we know, and I'm getting a bunch of questions, and teasing you guys is just too much fun to give up.
So. All will be revealed along with the cover, whenever that comes. Until then, let's play a little game. Here's how it works. I'm going to post a list of characters who might have narrated the new online story. Then, I'll cross one off every few days, thus narrowing the pool and the speculation. Feel free to guess and discuss. But please be aware that the story has already been written, revised, and edited. It's almost completely done, so your wish can't actually affect anything. This is all in fun. ;)
The list, in random order:
TodSabineNashAlecSophieEmmaAvariAddisonScottLydiaLevi
Notice that Kaylee isn't on the list. Consider that your freebie. Kaylee is not the narrator. ;)
And now I'm totally tempted to post a few mini-excerpts from the story to see if you can guess who's speaking...!
