Rachel Vincent's Blog, page 24
January 7, 2011
Catching up (& winners!)
Wow, I haven't blogged in a while. In fact, I've hardly been online at all since I turned in the first book in my new adult series on Tuesday. That's right, I TURNED THE BOOK IN!
This is cause for celebration, at least for me. As the first in a new series, this book was extra hard to write, because both the characters and the world building are all new. And it was extra, extra hard to write because it doesn't use any already established mythology that readers may be familiar with. I made it all up. Which means I had to explain every single element of this new word, either through narration, dialogue, or action. And I only had three months, from the day I started the first draft to the day I turned the whole thing in. And those three months included three major holidays, necessitating travel and days off.
But, I got it done. Eight weeks (or so) for the rough draft, and three more to polish, send to CP, and repolish. And when I turned it in, the manuscript weighed in at a healthy 114,000+ words. I'm sure my editor will have suggestions, but for now, I'm pleased. The story is very twisty-turny, and full of secrets, and drama, and bloodshed. Also, betrayals, and bad guys, and rampant loss of free will. And the book is now in possession of a brand new twist ending you're all either going to love or hate. Or love to hate.
Either way, the manuscript is out of my hands for the moment, and I have a little time before the next one's due, so I'm working on something NEW. And also EXCITING! And...totally top secret.
I know, it probably seems like I haven't revealed any real information about what I'm doing lately, but I swear it's coming. I should have covers and back cover synopses for both IF I DIE and the new adult ms soon. And, of course, I'll share when I can...
For now, I'm working on this new secret project, watching a Prison Break marathon, and answering a ton of interview questions for my UK blog tour. Which is kind of cool. My Soul To Take came out in the UK on the same day My Soul To Steal came out in the US, so I'm promoting both at once, and I'm seeing a resurgence of reviews for MSTTake, as a result of this new release. And since blogs know no international barriers, I'm hoping to reach more US readers too, with the UK blog tour. ;)
Now, I must apologize for my complete failure to announce winners. I owe people books. And here's who I owe...
Winner of the New Year's contest (hosted on the Deadline Dames blog) is:
Kyrstin S., who wrote:
"This year I married my best friend and we're working towards making our lives together forever. "
Congratulations, Kyrstin, on both the marriage and on winning your choice of an ARC of MSTSteal or an Australian copy of either Rogue or Pride.
And the winner of the New Release contest is:
Lexie, who wrote:
"I would LOVE to win the Soul Screamers series!"
Kyrstin and Lexie, please email me (rachelATrachelvincentDOTcom) with your shipping information, and I'll put your prizes in the mail!
Thanks so much to everyone who entered, and again, I'm so sorry for the delay in posting the winners!
This is cause for celebration, at least for me. As the first in a new series, this book was extra hard to write, because both the characters and the world building are all new. And it was extra, extra hard to write because it doesn't use any already established mythology that readers may be familiar with. I made it all up. Which means I had to explain every single element of this new word, either through narration, dialogue, or action. And I only had three months, from the day I started the first draft to the day I turned the whole thing in. And those three months included three major holidays, necessitating travel and days off.
But, I got it done. Eight weeks (or so) for the rough draft, and three more to polish, send to CP, and repolish. And when I turned it in, the manuscript weighed in at a healthy 114,000+ words. I'm sure my editor will have suggestions, but for now, I'm pleased. The story is very twisty-turny, and full of secrets, and drama, and bloodshed. Also, betrayals, and bad guys, and rampant loss of free will. And the book is now in possession of a brand new twist ending you're all either going to love or hate. Or love to hate.
Either way, the manuscript is out of my hands for the moment, and I have a little time before the next one's due, so I'm working on something NEW. And also EXCITING! And...totally top secret.
I know, it probably seems like I haven't revealed any real information about what I'm doing lately, but I swear it's coming. I should have covers and back cover synopses for both IF I DIE and the new adult ms soon. And, of course, I'll share when I can...
For now, I'm working on this new secret project, watching a Prison Break marathon, and answering a ton of interview questions for my UK blog tour. Which is kind of cool. My Soul To Take came out in the UK on the same day My Soul To Steal came out in the US, so I'm promoting both at once, and I'm seeing a resurgence of reviews for MSTTake, as a result of this new release. And since blogs know no international barriers, I'm hoping to reach more US readers too, with the UK blog tour. ;)
Now, I must apologize for my complete failure to announce winners. I owe people books. And here's who I owe...
Winner of the New Year's contest (hosted on the Deadline Dames blog) is:
Kyrstin S., who wrote:
"This year I married my best friend and we're working towards making our lives together forever. "
Congratulations, Kyrstin, on both the marriage and on winning your choice of an ARC of MSTSteal or an Australian copy of either Rogue or Pride.
And the winner of the New Release contest is:
Lexie, who wrote:
"I would LOVE to win the Soul Screamers series!"
Kyrstin and Lexie, please email me (rachelATrachelvincentDOTcom) with your shipping information, and I'll put your prizes in the mail!
Thanks so much to everyone who entered, and again, I'm so sorry for the delay in posting the winners!
December 30, 2010
UK Copies!
Look what just came in the mail!!! UK copies of
My Soul To Take
! And I have to say, I really love this edition of the book.
I love how the color scheme matches the US covers, but the image is completely different. I think that both versions (the US and the UK) capture different elements of the feel of the book, and I could not be more pleased. Also, I love that the UK versions show the Netherworld fog that surrounds everything when Kaylee's crossing over. Love!
And...look what's in the back of the UK version!
I wrote the Netherworld survival guide a few months ago and was thrilled when Mira Ink asked if they could print it in the back of the books. It'll be up on my website soon (we're working on the graphics) but for now, it's exclusive to the UK copies of the books. The only downside is that you won't actually be introduced to Alec (the character whose journal the pages are taken from) until the third book (My Soul To Keep).
And, the UK version has a sneak peek at the first two chapters of My Soul To Save , which will be out in the UK in February.
-----
Also, if you missed it yesterday, here are the contests I currently have going on, one of which ends tomorrow!
New Release contest - post My Soul To Steal trailer and release info and enter to win your choice of a complete signed Rachel Vincent seriesNew Year's contest - tell me what 2010 accomplishment you're proud of and enter to win your choice of Rogue (AU version) or an ARC of My Soul To Steal .
I love how the color scheme matches the US covers, but the image is completely different. I think that both versions (the US and the UK) capture different elements of the feel of the book, and I could not be more pleased. Also, I love that the UK versions show the Netherworld fog that surrounds everything when Kaylee's crossing over. Love!
And...look what's in the back of the UK version!
I wrote the Netherworld survival guide a few months ago and was thrilled when Mira Ink asked if they could print it in the back of the books. It'll be up on my website soon (we're working on the graphics) but for now, it's exclusive to the UK copies of the books. The only downside is that you won't actually be introduced to Alec (the character whose journal the pages are taken from) until the third book (My Soul To Keep).
And, the UK version has a sneak peek at the first two chapters of My Soul To Save , which will be out in the UK in February.
-----
Also, if you missed it yesterday, here are the contests I currently have going on, one of which ends tomorrow!
New Release contest - post My Soul To Steal trailer and release info and enter to win your choice of a complete signed Rachel Vincent seriesNew Year's contest - tell me what 2010 accomplishment you're proud of and enter to win your choice of Rogue (AU version) or an ARC of My Soul To Steal .
December 29, 2010
Soul Screamers link-up
Today I have a ton of work to do, so I offer up some yummy link salad.
Contests:
New Release contest - post My Soul To Steal trailer and release info and enter to win your choice of a complete signed Rachel Vincent seriesNew Year's contest - tell me what 2010 accomplishment you're proud of and enter to win your choice of Rogue (AU version) or an ARC of My Soul To Steal .
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Contests:
New Release contest - post My Soul To Steal trailer and release info and enter to win your choice of a complete signed Rachel Vincent seriesNew Year's contest - tell me what 2010 accomplishment you're proud of and enter to win your choice of Rogue (AU version) or an ARC of My Soul To Steal .
Guest blogs:
I blogged about Kaylee and Sabine hereI blogged about "Reaper" hereAnd, evidently there's a My Soul To Steal widget! Who knew! Feel free to share!
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December 28, 2010
New Release contest!
I hope everyone had a great holiday! I took a couple of days off for Christmas, though I worked in the car on the way to and from my dad's house in Dallas. At least, until I got car sick and my laptop battery died. Fortunately, those seemed to happen at about the same time. ;)
For Christmas this year, Santa brought both an Xbox Kinect and the Move accessories and software for our PS3. Evidently the goal is to get me up and moving before my lower half becomes molded into the shape of my office chair. And I love both systems!
The good news? I am currently undefeated on both the virtual soccer field and the gladiator ring. The bad news? I seem to have damaged my right rotator cuff by viciously stabbing and jump-attacking #1 in the Colosseum. Good thing I have this manuscript to polish while I'm recovering from my video game injury. ;)
Aside from that, do you know what today is? Well, it might be the official shelf date for My Soul To Steal . It's one of the dates, anyway. And if you haven't been able to find it on the shelf yet, you should be able to by Jan 1, in the US, Canada, and Australia.
To celebrate, how 'bout a contest?
Up for grabs: Winner's choice of
The complete Soul Screamers series to date + a copy of the Kiss Me Deadly antho, containing the "Fearless" short story. All signed and personalized.
Official blurb:
For Christmas this year, Santa brought both an Xbox Kinect and the Move accessories and software for our PS3. Evidently the goal is to get me up and moving before my lower half becomes molded into the shape of my office chair. And I love both systems!
The good news? I am currently undefeated on both the virtual soccer field and the gladiator ring. The bad news? I seem to have damaged my right rotator cuff by viciously stabbing and jump-attacking #1 in the Colosseum. Good thing I have this manuscript to polish while I'm recovering from my video game injury. ;)
Aside from that, do you know what today is? Well, it might be the official shelf date for My Soul To Steal . It's one of the dates, anyway. And if you haven't been able to find it on the shelf yet, you should be able to by Jan 1, in the US, Canada, and Australia.
To celebrate, how 'bout a contest?
Up for grabs: Winner's choice of
The complete Soul Screamers series to date + a copy of the Kiss Me Deadly antho, containing the "Fearless" short story. All signed and personalized.
Or...
The complete Shifters series, American editions. All signed and personalized.How you can enter:
On or before Jan 4th, 2010, post the My Soul To Steal trailer on your blog or Facebook page, along with the cover blurb, a release announcement, and a link to at least one site where a copy can be purchased legally. Then come back here and leave me a link to where you posted in the comments.
The code for the trailer and the official cover blurb are below. Interested? Start posting!
Official blurb:
YOU WANT MY SOUL AND MY BOYFRIEND?
Trying to work things out with
Nash—her maybe boyfriend—is hard enough for Kaylee Cavanaugh. She can't just
pretend nothing happened. But "complicated" doesn't even begin to describe their
relationship when his ex-girlfriend transfers to their school, determined to
take Nash back.
See, Sabine isn't just an ordinary girl. She's a mara,
the living personification of a nightmare. She can read people's fears—and craft
them into nightmares while her victims sleep. Feeding from human fear is how she
survives.
And Sabine isn't above scaring Kaylee and the entire school to
death to get whatever—and whoever—she wants.
I DON'T THINK SO.
December 23, 2010
Gingerbread House 2010
[Yesterday at the Deadline Dames site, I posted my year-end list of accomplishments and invited readers to share theirs in the comments to enter my end-of-year reader's-choice giveaway!]
With a deadline, a new release, and the holidays, I'm super-busy this month, but last night #1 and I made time to assemble and decorate our annual Christmas gingerbread house. He gets credit for the design and most of the construction. He's getting really good at it.
Since we were short on time, we went with a simple, classic looking design. It's Santa's House! (Our idea of it, anyway...)
As you can see, this year he used wooden supports to keep the pieces in place while the frosting cement dried. Smart, huh?
I make and roll the gingerbread, make the frosting, and help decorate. This year's house has a large front picture window made of crushed cherry Jolly Ranchers baked into the house. The left side has three more windows, two made of apple Jolly Ranchers, and one more of cherry. Festive, huh?
The ground of this year's house is Rice Crispy treat, molded directly onto the custom base while it was still warm.
This year we used gumdrops for bushes, peppermints for roof tiles, and pull-apart Twizzlers and red hots to line the roof.
Here you can see how transparent the windows are. That's one of my favorite parts. There's also a green licorice belt walkway lined in old-fashioned peppermints, a white-fudge pretzel fence, and candy-cane gates.
We shook powdered sugar all over for snow, and #1 carefully made frosting icicles hanging from the roof.
Here, from the side, you can see the actual North Pole (a giant candy-cane stick) and the side windows.
So, what do you think? What are your holiday traditions?
With a deadline, a new release, and the holidays, I'm super-busy this month, but last night #1 and I made time to assemble and decorate our annual Christmas gingerbread house. He gets credit for the design and most of the construction. He's getting really good at it.
Since we were short on time, we went with a simple, classic looking design. It's Santa's House! (Our idea of it, anyway...)
As you can see, this year he used wooden supports to keep the pieces in place while the frosting cement dried. Smart, huh?
I make and roll the gingerbread, make the frosting, and help decorate. This year's house has a large front picture window made of crushed cherry Jolly Ranchers baked into the house. The left side has three more windows, two made of apple Jolly Ranchers, and one more of cherry. Festive, huh?
The ground of this year's house is Rice Crispy treat, molded directly onto the custom base while it was still warm.
This year we used gumdrops for bushes, peppermints for roof tiles, and pull-apart Twizzlers and red hots to line the roof.
Here you can see how transparent the windows are. That's one of my favorite parts. There's also a green licorice belt walkway lined in old-fashioned peppermints, a white-fudge pretzel fence, and candy-cane gates.
We shook powdered sugar all over for snow, and #1 carefully made frosting icicles hanging from the roof.
Here, from the side, you can see the actual North Pole (a giant candy-cane stick) and the side windows.
So, what do you think? What are your holiday traditions?
December 21, 2010
Release day chaos.
Okay, I'm officially confused. I cave to the mystery that is book release dates. Do you hear me, publishing world?! I give!
The official release date for My Soul To Steal is January 1. Usually books get shelved early in a lot of places, which is what I expected. Except that according to Chapters (Canada), Amazon and Barnes & Noble, today is the official shelf date for MSTSteal. Which would be awesome, except that Amazon says it is ALREADY OUT OF STOCK! How is that possible?
To further complicate things, Borders, and Books-A-Million list it as a December 28th release and still have it up for pre-order. As does The Book Depository (international shipping) and Mills and Boon Australia, which lists it as a Jan 1 release.
So, to make this long story a little shorter: Sorry, but I don't know when My Soul To Steal will be available. Maybe today. Maybe Dec 28th. Maybe Jan 1. Your only sure bet for today is Barnes & Noble in the US and Chapters (Indigo) in Canada.
And...
To add just a teeny bit more to the confusion, I've just discovered that Mills and Boon (Australia) is releasing Prey in AU with an altered version of the US/Canadian cover from Alpha. I have no idea what they're planning to do with the Shift and Alpha covers down under, but I can't wait to see them!
The official release date for My Soul To Steal is January 1. Usually books get shelved early in a lot of places, which is what I expected. Except that according to Chapters (Canada), Amazon and Barnes & Noble, today is the official shelf date for MSTSteal. Which would be awesome, except that Amazon says it is ALREADY OUT OF STOCK! How is that possible?
To further complicate things, Borders, and Books-A-Million list it as a December 28th release and still have it up for pre-order. As does The Book Depository (international shipping) and Mills and Boon Australia, which lists it as a Jan 1 release.
So, to make this long story a little shorter: Sorry, but I don't know when My Soul To Steal will be available. Maybe today. Maybe Dec 28th. Maybe Jan 1. Your only sure bet for today is Barnes & Noble in the US and Chapters (Indigo) in Canada.
And...
To add just a teeny bit more to the confusion, I've just discovered that Mills and Boon (Australia) is releasing Prey in AU with an altered version of the US/Canadian cover from Alpha. I have no idea what they're planning to do with the Shift and Alpha covers down under, but I can't wait to see them!
December 20, 2010
MSTSteal Trailer!
The good news: I finished the new adult manuscript early on Thursday and took a long weekend off. Completely offline.
The bad news: things piled up in my absence and I still have to rewrite this new manuscript before I can turn it in. So...I'll be busy over the next week or so, in addition to the holidays.
But...I really meant to post this earlier, but with everything going on, I forgot. And since the official shelf date of My Soul To Steal is TOMORROW (yeah, how did I miss that?!?), without further ado, I give you the My Soul To Steal trailer:
You can also see it in HD on my website or at YouTube.
Feel free to re-post (in fact, I'd love that!) and maybe mention that tomorrow's the shelf date (as opposed to the official release on Jan 1), just in time for Christmas!
Okay, back to the grindstone. Whatever that means. ;)
The bad news: things piled up in my absence and I still have to rewrite this new manuscript before I can turn it in. So...I'll be busy over the next week or so, in addition to the holidays.
But...I really meant to post this earlier, but with everything going on, I forgot. And since the official shelf date of My Soul To Steal is TOMORROW (yeah, how did I miss that?!?), without further ado, I give you the My Soul To Steal trailer:
You can also see it in HD on my website or at YouTube.
Feel free to re-post (in fact, I'd love that!) and maybe mention that tomorrow's the shelf date (as opposed to the official release on Jan 1), just in time for Christmas!
Okay, back to the grindstone. Whatever that means. ;)
December 16, 2010
So...close...!
I worked all day yesterday and added 5,000 words to the new adult manuscript, which pushed the novel past the 100,000 word mark--and busted my wordcount progress bar wide open. That means the novel's done, right? What else could a busted wordcount meter mean?
Sigh. All that broken bit of html means is that the book will be a little longer than I'd intended. But I'm almost there. In fact, I got up extra early to finish the book, which I need to do before noon, because this afternoon is dedicated to finding something shiny/flattering/awesome to wear to #1's office holiday party tonight. (Yes, that IS a half-day exercise in futility.) Because evidently the official writer's uniform (PJs, jeans & tee, or well-worn sweats) won't cut it when there will be other real, live people present.
To reward myself for an awesome, productive day of writing, I watched the season finale of The Walking Dead with #1 last night (it was a little anti-climactic--the CDC guy wasn't as evil as I wanted him to be) and this morning, I feel like I could be a cast member. Of the undead variety. Pretty sure my skin is sagging and greenish this morning from exhaustion.
But...work goes on. You'll know I've finished the book when you hear that scream of relief joy echoing across the planet later today.
Wish me luck!
December 15, 2010
Live chat today!
Today I'm REALLY hoping to write the final fight scene in this new adult book, leaving only the final wrap-it-up chapter for tomorrow.
96,034 / 100,000
(96.03%)
***
In other news, the My Soul To Steal trailer is finished!!! It should go up online very soon, and I think it's gorgeous! Number 1 has outdone himself, and I can't wait to show it off. ;)
***
Also, though, I'm going to be dropping in on the Harlequin Community Open House 2010 post party. I'll be in the HQN/Mira/Luna post party room (my adult books are published through Mira) with JT Ellison, Lindsay McKenna, Nicola Cornick, and Robin D. Owens. And rumor has it there will be a couple of prizes given out.
Also, from 7-8 pm eastern, I'll be doing a live chat with Harlequin Teen & Kimani TRU authors Artist Arthur and Mara Purnhagen. We'll be chatting with readers and answering questions about our YA series, and I KNOW there will be prizes at this event, because I donated a copy of My Soul To Steal.
96,034 / 100,000
(96.03%)
***
In other news, the My Soul To Steal trailer is finished!!! It should go up online very soon, and I think it's gorgeous! Number 1 has outdone himself, and I can't wait to show it off. ;)
***
Also, though, I'm going to be dropping in on the Harlequin Community Open House 2010 post party. I'll be in the HQN/Mira/Luna post party room (my adult books are published through Mira) with JT Ellison, Lindsay McKenna, Nicola Cornick, and Robin D. Owens. And rumor has it there will be a couple of prizes given out.
Also, from 7-8 pm eastern, I'll be doing a live chat with Harlequin Teen & Kimani TRU authors Artist Arthur and Mara Purnhagen. We'll be chatting with readers and answering questions about our YA series, and I KNOW there will be prizes at this event, because I donated a copy of My Soul To Steal.
December 13, 2010
Facebook ARC contest today!
I'm within 10,000 words (less than 3 days' work) of finishing the new adult novel, so I'm going to be scarce online for the next few days while I push this thing through to the end.
Crunch time, you know.
But...
On Saturday, I gave away 10 ARCs of My Soul To Steal on Twitter with a trivia contest. It went really well. Since the contest was live, I got the shipping information instantly and mailed all the prizes THAT DAY. So today I'm going to repeat that with 3 of my remaining 6 ARCs on Facebook.
The three trivia questions will be asked one at a time, two hours apart, and the first correct response wins. So have your Soul Screamers books/novellas ready. I don't care how you get the answers (look it up, Google, ask a friend, make a wish) but if Saturday's trivia is any indication, you'll have to be pretty fast.
Now, FYI, the questions will be asked at the following times (in San Antonio, where I live), spread out in an attempt to include more people:
Q1: 2:00 pm Central (Convert to your time zone by entering your city here.)
Q2: 4:00 pm Central (Convert to your time zone by entering your city here.)
Q3: 6:00 pm Central (Convert to your time zone by entering your city here.)
I will ship internationally and anyone can win, except for those who've already won a copy or read a digital copy.
Where can you go to play the trivia game? My facebook page.
You do not not have to be a blog/Twitter follower and I'm not sure if you have to "like" the Facebook page to comment, but yes, you DO have to be a member of Facebook to play. Sorry. I can't help that. Twitter and Facebook are where I get the most traffic/have the most followers, so the first giveaways are on those venues. But I will still have 3 more ARCs to giveaway elsewhere tomorrow, so stay tuned if you can't access the Facebook contest.
Questions? You have approx. 3 hours to ask me... ;)
Crunch time, you know.
But...
On Saturday, I gave away 10 ARCs of My Soul To Steal on Twitter with a trivia contest. It went really well. Since the contest was live, I got the shipping information instantly and mailed all the prizes THAT DAY. So today I'm going to repeat that with 3 of my remaining 6 ARCs on Facebook.
The three trivia questions will be asked one at a time, two hours apart, and the first correct response wins. So have your Soul Screamers books/novellas ready. I don't care how you get the answers (look it up, Google, ask a friend, make a wish) but if Saturday's trivia is any indication, you'll have to be pretty fast.
Now, FYI, the questions will be asked at the following times (in San Antonio, where I live), spread out in an attempt to include more people:
Q1: 2:00 pm Central (Convert to your time zone by entering your city here.)
Q2: 4:00 pm Central (Convert to your time zone by entering your city here.)
Q3: 6:00 pm Central (Convert to your time zone by entering your city here.)
I will ship internationally and anyone can win, except for those who've already won a copy or read a digital copy.
Where can you go to play the trivia game? My facebook page.
You do not not have to be a blog/Twitter follower and I'm not sure if you have to "like" the Facebook page to comment, but yes, you DO have to be a member of Facebook to play. Sorry. I can't help that. Twitter and Facebook are where I get the most traffic/have the most followers, so the first giveaways are on those venues. But I will still have 3 more ARCs to giveaway elsewhere tomorrow, so stay tuned if you can't access the Facebook contest.
Questions? You have approx. 3 hours to ask me... ;)
