Rachel Vincent's Blog, page 19

If I Die ARC giveaway!

As you probably know, last week at BEA, I managed to snag a couple of ARCs of If I Die (and one of Blood Bound, which I’ll be giving away next week). Here’s your chance to win one, four months before the official release.

The form will stay open through Thursday and I’ll announce the winner on Friday. International entries are fine. One entry per person. Duplicate entries will be deleted.

The only required information is your name and email address, so I have a way to contact the winner. None of the information submitted will be used for anything other than that purpose.

There are several optional questions I’d really love for you to answer, though, to satisfy my curiosity.

If you’re interested, fill out the form!

BEA 2011

So, yesterday was insane. There were delays at DFW, and I sat on the plane waiting for a gate for two hours. They even broke out the emergency rations (granola bars) from beneath my seat. Yes, I was in the very last seat on the plane. Even the flight attendant felt sorry for me.

But today is awesome. I love BEA.

After six hours of sleep, I lee the hotel this morning and signed ARCs of Blood Bound and ARCs of If I Die back to back. The crowd was huge. Gena Showalter and I were the bread on a Heather Graham Sandwich. Seriously. I ran out of books and had to apologize to people. I feel bad for everyone who waited for an hour and didn't get a book, but I'm so glad there were so many people interested. One of our handlers even brought a nice lady forward to claim my last copy of Blood Bound, because she'd been waiting for an hour and only wanted my book. I smiled for ten straight minutes.

The HQTeen/Kimani signing was equally awesome. And maybe even more fun. YA readers (both adult and teen) are very enthusiastic. Also, they had a green sharpie for me. It matched the book! That pleases me more than it should, I know.

The line for If I Die was too long, so they passed the books out in advance so people who wouldn't get one didn't have to wait in line for nothing. And…I snagged one o those ARCs for myself and will be giving it away here on my blog very soon.

In other news, my editor and I are very close to a decision on who will narrate the upcoming Soul Screamers online novella, and I'm really getting excited about writing it.

And…they have a big poster of If I Die right next to the cover for Aimee Carter's sequel in the Harlequin booth!

Today is a good day.

First of all, I'm on my way to NYC today, for BEA. If you're going to be there, scroll down to my previous entry to see where and when you can get an ARC of BLOOD BOUND and/or IF I DIE.

Today I'm stuck in the San Antonio airport (yes, just a few miles from my own house) waiting out a weather delay rooted in Dallas. The plane goes straight through to NYC, so hopefully that means I can't miss my connection, no matter how late the flight is. But I have heard otherwise. Wish me luck.

Yesterday I got a Facebook comment from one of my very best friends from high school, wishing me a safe trip today. (It's like she KNEW there'd be weather!) So, naturally, I clicked over to visit her Facebook profile. I hadn't been in a while, and she'd posted a picture of herself as a child. In the photo, I also recognized a couple of other people I went to high school with, one of whom is a very talented artist. I mean VERY talented.

He and I didn't have much social contact in high school. We ran in different circles. (I was a proud band nerd and most of my friends were in the band.) But I have only good memories of him, and one in particular stands out. After graduation, he showed up at a party my friend (who left me the comment yesterday) threw and we spoke a little. And he remembered that I liked to write. He said he hoped I'd be able to do something with my writing. I hoped he'd be able to do something with his art. That was the last time I spoke to him, and I haven't seen him or thought of him since, until yesterday.

So I clicked on the pictures in his Facebook profile, and I was STUNNED. He's now an AMAZING painter. So incredibly talented. I sat there studying his paintings, feeling so happy for him, that he's living his dream. Doing it for real, in the grownup world.

Then it occurred to me that I'm doing the same thing. I'm living my dream. I'm making a living from my writing. Subsisting on intellectual property. I am a very, very lucky woman.

This job is hard, and it's stressful. There's always something to worry about. Someone who's doing better than you are or getting more attention than you are. There are worries about sales, marketing, covers, list placement, and all kinds of things that never crossed my mind until five years ago. But the bottom line is that I have those worries because I'm fortunate enough to have this job. Because I stuck with my dream and was fortunate enough to receive just the right lucky breaks (mentor, agent, editor) at just the right time. (You can't get there on your own. You just can't.)

Today, I am grateful. I love my life. I love my job. And if either of those were easy, I'd be afraid I was dreaming.

Today is a good day.

Going to NYC? Want an ARC?

Tomorrow I leave for Book Expo America, where I will be signing ARCs (Advance Review Copies) of not one, but both of my fall releases: Blood Bound (August 20 US, UK, Canada) and If I Die (Sept 23 US, Canada). But I can’t get on the plane until I’ve packed, and I’m not allowed to pack until I’ve met my word count goal for today. How’s that for incentive?

If you’re going to be at BEA and would like an ARC of one (or both) of my upcoming releases, here’s where and when you should be:

Tuesday, 11 am
Paranormal Hour
Harlequin booth
Blood Bound

Tuesday, 12 pm
Harlequin Teen Hour
Harlequin booth
If I Die

Okay, I’m off to write more of SHADOW BOUND and do laundry. And pack. And confirm my flights. And maybe panic just a little bit. All in a day’s work.

Guess what!?!

So, as you can see, I have a new blog. (Though if you’re reading this in a cross-post, you probably have no idea what I’m talking about.) Yes, this means I’m giving up on Blogger, though I’ll leave my Blogger blog up for a while to redirect traffic here. Tonight I expect to have time to mess with the settings here at WordPress, so don’t be surprised if this looks different the next time you stop by.

And…!

To go along with the new blog, I have a shiny piece of news! I’ve been sitting on this announcement for several months now (it’s been AGONY, not being able to tell everyone who’s asked) so here goes:

I have accepted an offer for four new books. My amazing agent Merrilee Heifetz has sold books six and seven in the Soul Screamers series to Harlequin Teen, as well as a third Unbound novel and an additional adult novel to Mira Books. All will be edited by my wonderful editor Mary-Theresa Hussey, which pleases me to no end. Mary-Theresa and I have already worked on thirteen novels and two novellas together in the last five years, and I’m thrilled to be working on books 14-17 with her as well.

The only additional details I have right now are that Soul Screamers 6 will be called BEFORE I WAKE and that it’s currently scheduled for summer of 2012. And they’re about to start designing the cover. (I TOLD you I’ve been sitting on this announcement. )

Okay, that’s it for today! Yay!

Winner!

Sorry for the delay in posting the winner of last week's international edition giveaway. Blogger was down on Friday, so I couldn't post, then this week just got away from me. And on that note, Blogger STILL won't let me publish from my computer. I'm having to compose on my desktop, then publish the entries from my iPad. I can't highlight in compose mode, and I can't paste in compose mode. This is ridiculous, Blogger! As soon as I have time, I will probably have to abandon my Blogger home for Wordpress, which I've been avoiding for years. Grrr! But, on the bright side, there is a winner, and her name is:

Katrina W, whose comment began, "Hey Rachel, Im glad that you have found a happy medium..."

Katrina, please email me (rachelkvincentATgmailDOTcom) with your name and your choice of book from the following list.
 

Australian My Soul To Take
Australian My Soul To Save
Australian My Soul To Keep
Australian My Soul ToSteal (x2)
UK My Soul To Take
UK My Soul To Save (x3)
UK My Soul To Keep (x3)
French My Soul To Keep (Sauve Mon Ame!) (x2)
US Kiss Me Deadly (YA antho)
Australian Stray
Australian Rogue
Australian Pride (x2)
Australian Prey (x2)
Finnish Stray (Kissatytto) (x2)
Norwegian Stray (Herrelos) (x2)
Swedish Stray (Herrelos) (x2)
Italian Rogue (il Graffio della notte) (x2)
Italian Pride (Il
Graffio sulla pelle)

Rachel opens her big mouth...

Alternate title: "I had to do it. I dared myself."

Last night after I finished my wordcount goal, I watched Burlesque. I admit it, I'm a sucker for "country mouse goes to the city" kind of stories. And I think Christina Aguilera's voice is beyond amazing. So it's no surprise that I loved the movie. And I also may have made the mistake of suggesting on Twitter that I could fantasy-cast the entire Shifters series using only Burlesque actors.

Alas, I was wrong. There are no children to speak of in the movie, so Kaci went uncast, as did Karen, because I couldn't find anyone who fit the bill for her. But here's what I came up with:
 Katerina Mikailenko as Faythe. I don't think I've ever seen her in anything else, but I think she'd just about do it!  Not my top choice of all-time, but Michael Landes as Marc. To be fair, I tried to find a shirtless picture of him, since Jace is showing a little skin below, but the only one I could find of Michael shirtless also showed him in his underwear, and...well...he didn't look to be in mid-shift, so that felt inappropriate. ;)
 Possibly my favorite choice of all-time, Cam Gigandet as Jace. Can't you just see it? I can totally see it. In HD.   Eric Dane as Greg. (I know he's a little young, but with that gray streak, he just looks the part!)   And possibly Sarah Mitchell as Manx. Alas, I couldn't find roles for Christina Aguilera, Cher, or Stanley Tucci (one of my favorite actors EVER), but I am considering writing one for Tucci. Even if it never sees the light of day. So, I (kind of ) met the challenge. Anyone else feeling brave? What movie could you cast the entire Shifters series from?

Trying something new (+giveaway)

When I first started writing novels, back in 2005, about a year and a half before my first sale, I typically wrote 4,000+ words a day. Every day. I wrote my first three novels (355,000+ words) in ten months. I was fast. Not super-human-fast (Rachel Caine holds that title in my head), but pretty fast. And I was consistent.

I was also...not as good a writer as I am now. Seriously. I didn't even know that dialogue from two different people should go in two separate paragraphs. I didn't know when to start a new paragraph. I didn't know that you didn't have to show every single moment of the main character's day. Every single day. I was new, and inexperienced, but here's the thing: I was having fun. Writing was my recreation. My me-time. My escape.

There was no burnout. No carpel tunnel or neck aches from sitting in the wrong position. I looked forward to every single moment I spent writing.

Now writing is work. It's my day job. I still love it, and I know I'm one of very few people in the world who get to do what they love for a living. I wouldn't give it up for anything. But the shine has worn off. I've spent too many years doing nothing but writing and the related, non-writing parts of the job. (And by the way, if you're not a writer and you don't live with a writer, you probably can't IMAGINE how much time those parts take up.)

The thing about writing for a living is that there's no way to leave your work at work, because you work at home. You live with the work. Until you've met your deadline (and mine overlap one another all year long), you feel guilty for doing anything other than work. You get emails about work twenty-four hours a day, from all different timezones. Yes, you can let them wait, but then they pile up until your inbox resembles one of those over-the-top cartoon monsters from an episode of Scooby-Doo. And it WILL eat you alive, once it catches you. And it will catch you.

The stress caught up to me a few months ago. Nothing catastrophic. No drama. I just discovered that I didn't always love sitting down to write anymore. And I'd lost all perspective. I couldn't tell whether what I was writing was any good anymore. And finally, I figured out that all I really needed was some free time. Time spent doing nothing in particular, with no expectations put on me, even from myself. (And the most stressful of expectations usually come from yourself.) But my deadlines (which are always a good thing, because they mean you're employed) don't leave time for a vacation.

So now I'm trying something new. I got the idea from Jeri Smith-Ready, on Twitter, though she probably has no idea that she inspired me. Instead of sitting down every day knowing I have to write between 3,000 and 4,000 words before I can go to bed, a prospect which stresses me out lately, I've started tackling my daily writing goal in short spurts. (Those publishable words, btw, are much harder to come by than those just-for-fun words I could slap on the page back in 2005.)

I'm doing several 1 hr/1,000 word sprint sessions per day. Yesterday, I did three and a half of them, and wrote more than 3,700 words. Yup, I did my entire wordcount goal in 3.5 hours. Which left plenty of time for laundry, a mile on the treadmill, and four (count them--FOUR) episodes of Firefly, which I discovered only last week.

So far, this plan has been working out perfectly. I meet my goal. I have free time. I am not stressed. I think it's psychological. I don't have to write 3,000 words. I only have to write 1,000. Then I do it again, after lunch, or a TV show, or some other kind of non-work break. Whatever the reason, so far it's working. And the key to that, by the way, seems to be knowing what needs to be written before you sit down with your timer.

Okay, that's it for the work update today. Now, I really need to get rid of some of the foreign editions taking up space on my shelf. If you want one from the list below, leave me a comment in the corresponding Blogger post telling me what your passion is. What do you do to relax, and would you want to do it for a living if you could (assuming you're not already)?

I will draw one winner at random on Friday, and that winner may choose from the books below. Recently added to the list are three copies of the UK version of My Soul To Keep.

Australian My Soul To Take
Australian My Soul To Save
Australian My Soul To Keep
Australian My Soul To Steal (x2)
UK My Soul To Take
UK My Soul To Save (x3)
French My Soul To Keep (Sauve Mon Ame!) (x2)
US Kiss Me Deadly (YA antho)
Australian Stray
Australian Rogue
Australian Pride (x2)
Australian Prey (x2)
Finnish Stray (Kissatytto) (x2)
Norwegian Stray (Herrelos) (x2)
Swedish Stray (Herrelos) (x2)
Italian Rogue (il Graffio della notte) (x2)
Italian Pride (Il Graffio sulla pelle)

Edit: I don't resent my job. I LOVE my job, as I said. This post is just about finding a way to STAY in love with my job. To avoid burnout.

Posted via LiveJournal app for iPad.

Goddess Test winners!

Okay, we have a winner! Or, rather, two winners. The first will get a signed copy of The Goddess Test , straight from Aimee Carter. The second (overseas) winner will get an unsigned copy, from me. ;)

Drumroll....

The US/Canadian winner is: Hannah A. W., who wrote, I do have many Greek Mythology characters/storylines that I like, but I'm going to take this opportunity to speak of a different character, from Egyptian mythology. Bastet!

The international winner is: kara-karina, who wrote, This book is on my wishlist, so I hope the contest is international as I'm in UK.:)

Winners, please email me (rachelkvincentATgmailDOTcom) with your name and shipping information, so we can put your prizes in the mail.

Thanks so much to everyone who entered! And check back in next week, when I will resume the weekly giveaways!

At last!

People have been asking for the Blood Bound cover for several months now, and today I finally get to post not just the US cover (top), but the UK cover (bottom) as well. And since I'm posting the full cover for both, you can see the differences in how the two different marketing/art departments view the book.




 
Blood Bound is the book I've previously described as "Romeo and Juliet meets The Godfather." It's very dark and kind of twisted. Oh, and for those who have been asking me what Liv is, she is a Tracker. Kind of like a paranormal bloodhound. She finds people who need to be found. Most of whom don't want to be found. If Blood Bound were a movie, it'd be rated R for L, V, and SC. This is NOT YA.  
Blood Bound will be released simultaneously in the US and the UK on August 23, and as you can see, the art for the two versions is very different. They each also have slightly different back cover blurbs, and I find it fascinating to see which aspects different branches of the same publisher chose to highlight.
If you remember the poll held here a few weeks ago, you'll notice that the UK cover artist took note of the opinions and notes left by the readers, and I have to say, I love the coloring on this version. The reds and the golds. The interlocked rings in the title on both versions have significance in the story, as does the cityscape on the UK version. And I LOVE the tagline at the bottom of the UK version! For what it's worth, the US is marketing the series as paranormal romance and the UK is marketing it simultaneously as urban fantasy. I personally think it's somewhere in between. Liv and Cam each get their own POV, like a romance, but both of those are in first person, which is fairly common in urban fantasy. The next book in the series, Shadow Bound, will be told by a different set of characters, as is common in romance series, but all of the books are plot/worldbuilding-heavy. So I guess I'll let the readers classify the novel/series however they want, once the book is out.
 So...opinions? Comments? Preferences? Questions? 
P.S. Spell check isn't working today, so I apologize if I've missed any typos.