Enthralled! (And Rachel talks about Nash.)

Today is the official release day for Enthralled!



As I've mentioned before, my story "Niederwald" is a Soul Screamers story featuring Emma and Sabine alone on a roadtrip. During which they bond. Kind of. They survive, anyway.

This anthology is also packed full of stories from wonderful YA writers (I'm thrilled to have been included!), some set in their existing series' worlds, others introducing brand new worlds and characters. If you like YA, pick this one up today!

Yesterday was the first stop on the IF I DIE blog tour, with an interview and give away at The Story Siren (who reviewed books 3, 4, and 5 here--scroll down). The winner of yesterday's giveaway is Minnah Prufer, whose entry was a question for me, which I've answered below, because my response was too long to fit into a status update on Facebook.

Minnah's Question: Despite what it seems like most people, I actually kind of like Nash. In My Soul to Steal, a ton of crap happens to him, mostly on his own accord though. Did you always plan on putting him through all that and how hard was it for you to put that on him?

Rachel says: I’ve wanted to discuss Nash for quite a while now, and your question has given me the opportunity I was looking for. So thanks!

I like Nash too. Nash is troubled, and the truth is that he's been troubled for quite a while. He lost both his father and older brother, and afterward in both cases, he was moved away from the house/town that held memories of lost loved ones. He also recently lost his two best friends, one to death, the other to a mental institution, so in spite of his remaining family and friends, he’s feeling lost and lonely right now.

He's always been prone to addiction and dependency, which he first experienced along with his first love, an obsessive, co-dependent relationship with Sabine, which neither of them has been able to completely put behind them. Nash feels everything (love, loss, pleasure, pain) very deeply and often has trouble making sense of the things he’s feeling, so his emotions tend to get all tumbled together, like shoes in the dryer. He doesn’t want to be judged, so when he needs help, he tends to look for it in the wrong places. Which only complicates his problems. But he’s trying. And he always will try, because Nash is a good guy.

As for whether or not I planned to put him through all that…Well, my process doesn’t really work like that. It’s not that I piled problems onto him. It’s that I discovered them as I dug deeper into his character. This is who Nash is, and like real people, he was influenced by both nature and nurture. Will he ever go back to being the good student and gifted athlete we first met in My Soul To Take? I don’t know. He hasn’t lost any of that potential, and academics and athletics are both healthier outlets than some of the other options available to him. But in the end, that’s all up to Nash.

Don't forget, the blog tour continues tomorrow, when Kaylee and Sabine interview one another. And there will be more prizes! Click below for the complete blog tour schedule.