Rachel Vincent's Blog, page 25

Winners!

Okay, the random number generator has chosen winners for both ARC contests that closed on Wednesday, and the winners have been notified via email. But here they are, just in case:

The winners of the MSTSteal ARC giveaway are:

Stephanie M.
Kellye F.
Natasha R.

And the winner of the "Reaper" trivia ARC giveaway is:

Clarisse

Congratulations to the winners, and thanks so much to all who entered!

If you didn't win, don't worry. I'll probably be giving away some more finished copies in the next couple of weeks, leading up to the release. And My Soul To Steal is already up for pre-order just about everywhere!

In other news...my December is totally made of crazy this year. It's like life has decided I don't have enough balls to juggle already, so it tossed on a few more. So here I stand, feet spread for balance, gamely tossing balls back up in the air, trying to watch everything all at once, knowing I'm going to drop something and dreading the moment it smashes on the ground.

Chief among those (at least, at this point) is finishing the rough draft of my new adult novel. Regarding plot, I'm almost done. There's nothing left but the big reveal (in the middle of that now, and boy is it a doozy), the big fight scene, and the denouement (the final clarification or resolution of a plot ). Then the first draft will be done. But it will gain words on the rewrites, when I add the bits of worldbuilding that still need to be blended in and that one scene I've put off writing for a month.

Right now, I'm at the point in the big reveal where Big Things are being revealed (not just explained) to one (baaaaad) character by one of the viewpoint characters, and I'm not really sure in what order the details should come. So for now, I'm just throwing them in there and hoping I'll have the clarity to sort it all out later. That's sometimes how the first draft goes.

So far, here's where it stands.

85,497 / 100,000
(85.5%)

Yesterday was insane (rush, rush, rush!) so I only made half my wordcount. Must do much better than that today. Wish me luck!

One more time!

First, today's the last day to enter to win one of three ARCs of My Soul To Steal . I'll be mailing out the prizes (and everything else I still owe other people) at the end of this week, so don't forget to check back in tomorrow to see if you've won. Though I'll also be emailing the winners privately.

Also, today's my day to blog at the Deadline Dames and I'll be posting a short excerpt from My Soul To Steal, so skip on over there to check that out. (And while you're there, wish Dame Jackie a Happy 40th Birthday!!!)

Also at the Dames site, I'll be announcing the winner of the MSTSteal giveaway I hosted there two weeks ago.

But up for today...another ARC giveaway! This one is a one-day-only, quick-n-dirty contest, but it does require a little bit of work--you have to fill out the entry form answering one question. The catch? You have to have read "Reaper" to answer the question.

The good news is that "Reaper" is free. Here's a list of the places you can find it in various formats. I'd hoped to have it up in PDF on my site before this giveaway, but #1's been unavailable to load it for me so far (but look for that very soon, if you haven't already read it).

You can enter this contest even if you've entered one of the others, but you may only win one of them. And yes, the giveaway is international, but it ends at 11:59 central tonight ! To enter, fill out the short form below!

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In case you were wondering.

This is why I write:

I write for the moments in a story that make me catch my breath. Those moments of epiphany or catharsis. The big reveal. A stunning realization. An emotional purge so raw it bleeds, and my heart bleeds with it. I write for the tears and the triumph. I write for the moments that haunt me. For the moments that make me believe.

I write for the scenes that can't wait to be written. The scenes that keep me awake past all reason and fatigue. I write for the scenes that pour from my fingertips through the keys and onto the screen in a flow of inspiration so pure and fast I get caught up in the current and emerge miles from where I dove in.

I write because I love it, even when I hate it. I write when the words fight me and must be pulled from the muck of exhaustion one at a time, then painstakingly polished and set into place. I write because not writing is no more viable an option than not breathing, and I'm fairly sure the two are linked in me, one fueling the other, their roles alternating as the need arises.

That is why I write. In case you were wondering.

Who wants an ARC (3 winners)

First of all, Alpha and the entire Shifters series have been nominated for Best Female Cover and Best Series Covers respectively! This is the second year (I believe) that the Shifters series has been nominated, and the competition is pretty fierce! Click the image below will take you to the fine print and a list of prizes that can be won by voting, and it'll also link to the voting ballot.

Spread the word! Vote! Post the graphic!




Also, as I said yesterday, the fine folks at Harlequin Teen found a bunch more ARCs of My Soul To Steal and sent them to me, because we had such a great demand for the one I gave away last month. So here's a second chance! (And yes, the giveaway is open to international entries.)And this time, I'm giving away three of them! To enter fill out the form below...

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Still looking for "Reaper?"

[Edit: I'm told there's a free Kindle app for PCs, so those without a Kindle can download Kindle ebooks! Not sure if that helps those overseas or not.]

I don't feel good today, and all I really want to do is lie in bed and watch Pandorum again. Alas, there is work to be done and evidently, if I don't write this book, no one else is going to do it for me. No substitutes allowed. Who knew? ;)

But first, in case you haven't already seen it, "Reaper" is out, and it is free!

I've had some complaints from people overseas (FYI, I'm in Texas, USA) that they can't get the Kindle format (or one of the others), or they can't get their format for free. I'm sorry about that. Unfortunately, there's nothing I can do about international availability and I don't know when that availability will change. But ..."Reaper" is available in PDF format and that should be readable anywhere in the world, so long as you read English and have Adobe (the free version). It will be up on my site just as soon as I receive the file from my publisher, and it will stay free on my site forever, even after the other sites/formats have to start charging for it.

So, here's where you can find it, in various formats:


Harlequin Teen - Adobe, microsoft, and mobipocket formats. If you can, please go get it here. This is my publisher, and they've indulged my wish that "Reaper" be free, and they've been awesome in promoting it. Also, when you buy books direct from the publisher ("Reaper" is free, but the others aren't), you ALWAYS get a discount over retail.Barnes & Noble - "Reaper" is currently free on the Nook, which I find very cool!Amazon.com - if you have a Kindle, here's where you can get "Reaper" for free.Books on Board - They have it in several formats, but they seem to be charging for most of them. Not sure why. But if you don't have an ereader, this is a good way to go, because BoB has a free PDF, which doesn't require a reader or any software, other than the free version of AdobeBooks-A-Million currently has "Reaper" listed at $2.99 in several formats, including Sony, Alex, and Onyx. I'm not sure why they're charging for all formats, but there's nothing I can do about that. Sorry!Borders doesn't appear to be carrying "Reaper." Not sure why. Fortunately, you can find it at all of the links above!

In other news...I didn't quite make my November writing goal, which is disappointing. However, I did make very good progress in the book and am currently on track to finish, rewrite, and have it turned in Jan 1. May have to work through the holiday, though.

Here's where the new adult book stands:

74,539 / 100,000
(74.54%)

And here's my November progress:

58,159 / 65,000
(89.48%)

Given two more days, I would have easily made it, but November ends when it ends. Now to finish the book!

And, last of all, I got a box full of leftover ARCs of My Soul To Steal! Check back in tomorrow for a giveaway!

"Reaper" is here!

Today, I have a guest post up at the HQ Paranormal blog, talking about "Reaper," which is out today! And it's free in several formats, here!

I'm also answering questions about Soul Screamers and "Reaper" at the HQTeen Facebook page, and to celebrate the "Reaper" release, they're giving away a copy of each of the first three Soul Screamers books! All you have to do to enter is leave me a comment/question on the appropriate wall post.

Opinions?

First, I have a question for you guys: how many of you have read My Soul To Keep and would be interested in a live chat with me (and each other) about a particular issue from the book? I'm finding two different prominent opinions about the way the book ended, and I'd love to discuss. If you've read it and would like to chat, please let me know in the comments! ----- If you haven't already seen them, there are TWO chances to win an early copy of My Soul to Steal at the Deadline Dames right now. The first is at the monthly Readers On Deadline feature (this month's prompt image is awesome!) and the other is just a regular giveaway, found here. You have until this Wednesday at 11:59 pm (Central) to enter.

----- In other news, tomorrow I'll be chatting with readers at the HQTeen Facebook page for the "Reaper" launch party. You can go there now and leave questions! -----
So, it turns out that having no home internet is good for my productivity. So good that I almost wish #1 hadn't reestablished our home network, because the temptation to surf the internet every time I'm at a loss for a particular word is unbearable for me. ;)

I didn't actually get started writing yesterday until around noon, and still managed 4,171 words. It's not enough to put me back on track for my November goal of 65,000, but it does put 60,000 words well within reach for today. If I don't get distracted. And I'm pretty happy with that, considering the three days I took off for a holiday roadtrip.

Here's where the new adult novel stands:


70,834 / 100,000
(70.83%)


and here's where I stand on my November goal, with one day left:


54,454 / 65,000
(83.78%)

Don't forget to click the image below to check out my CP Rinda Elliott's progress, as we cheer each other on!

I'm back!

[This is the entry I wrote earlier today, but couldn't post because I had no home internet.]

I'm back, after a quick holiday trip to Dallas, then central Oklahoma, and I have to admit, I didn't do much work. But I did get caught up with my family, eat lots of turkey and ham, and strike up an iPhone game of Words with Friends with my dad, who's sure to beat me quickly and viciously. But with a smile. ;)

If you haven't already seen it, there are TWO chances to win an early copy of My Soul to Steal at the Deadline Dames right now. The first is at the monthly Readers On Deadline feature (this month's promp image is awesome!) and the other is just a regular giveaway, found here. You have until this Wednesday at 11:59 pm (Central) to enter.

I have a couple of interactive Q&A type online events scheduled for this week, so stay tuned if you'd like to chat!

And, of course, "Reaper" comes out officially this week!!! I've already heard from a bunch of people who read it early on the free PDF from Books on Board, and so far the reviews are mostly very positive. I will admit that it was very hard to write Tod from his own POV (we're used to seeing what he says through Kaylee's eyes, not what he feels and thinks through his own), so I'm nervous about the reactions. Which is normal.

And...I got my author copies of My Soul To Steal not twenty minutes before I left for Dallas last week. See!
I'll be giving a few of those away in the next month leading up to the official US/Canadian/AU release!

Unfortunately, with all the holiday excitement, my progress on the new adult novel did not soar this weekend. But it is still moving along, after the brief hiatus. Here's where I stand on the new adult novel:


66,693 / 100,000
(66.69%)

And here's my progress toward my November goal:


50,283 / 65,000
(77.36%)
It's not looking like I'm going to make my November goal, though I did make the typical NaNo 50,000 word mark. I'll keep chugging along, though, in spite of that embarassment. Don't forget to click below to check out my CP Rinda Elliott's progress toward her goal!

On one hand...

The cable guy just left my house. Fortunately, he looked nothing like Jim Carey. The good news is that I have TV again, so I can watch last night's Dexter over lunch. The bad news is that I won't have access to my home internet connection until #1 gets home from work and can reset everything that got unset when the cable guy rebooted the system. Which means I can't post the blog post I wrote this morning, because I have no way to get it from my laptop to the Internet. Thank goodness for 3G, or I wouldn't be able to check email or write this quick blog from my iPad.

The other good news is that without my main Internet connection, I'm sure to get lots of actual work done today! Wish me luck!

More later, when I have my home network back!

I'm ready for my cape!

Yesterday, I was superwoman! Okay, not really. I just got a lot done. I made my wordcount goal (barely, but that counts!), cleaned three bathrooms, did thee loads of laundry, and baked sugar cookies from scratch. With my very first royal icing. See!


(Sorry the picture is sideways. It won't cooperate.)

Since this was my first try at the royal icing, I'm considering these a practice run. I'm still working on getting the "flood" icing to the right consistency and my hands aren't incredibly steady, so my piping is kind of...shaky. But not bad for the first time, right?

I haven't finished decorating them yet, but in the pic above, you can see some "flooded" (filled in with the thinner consistency icing) and others only outlined. No detailing yet, except for the edible pearls.

The nice thing about royal icing is that it dries hard, like a candy shell, so the cookies can be stacked without messing up the frosting. But I have a long way to go before I'll be giving any of these away.

-----
Unfortunately, today hasn't been quite so productive. Errands this morning and several things on the business side of publishing this afternoon have kind of gotten in the way. So I'll be offline most of the rest of today to write, and after that for the holiday. But I'll also be working on something kind of fun (assuming I can pull it together) for when I get back next week.

Here's my progress on the new adult novel so far:


62,113 / 100,000
(62.11%)

And here's where I stand on my November goal:


45,703 / 65,000
(70.31%) Don't forget to check out my CP Rinda Elliott's progress on her November writing goal by clicking the image below!