Rachel Vincent

Gingerbread 2009!

Thu, 24 Dec 2009 23:12:21 GMT

Okay, after three days of baking, assembling, and decorating, Gingerbread House 2009 is finally done!

Here is the dough, rolled out and ready to be cut. It's homemade, of course. Which reminds me--next year I need a bigger mixer. I don't think my current one can take another year of hardy gingerbread dough. ;-)

Here are some of the pieces in the oven. The window cutouts are filled with crushed cherry Lifesavers. I usually use Jolly Ranchers, and I'll be going back to those next year, because the Lifesavers turned out to be opaque. ;-(

Here the house is, assembled but undecorated. Since we don't actually eat it, I use a simple, very thick frosting made from powdered sugar and milk.

And here is the final product. Candy used: mini-candy canes, cherry Andes mints, wingergreen Lifesavers, Twizzlers pull-n-peel, Holiday M&Ms, little round red and green peppermint hard candies, and yogurt-covered pretzels.

Here's the side view.

And the other side.

What do you think? What are your holiday traditions?

Soul Screamers giveaway!

Mon, 21 Dec 2009 00:47:00 GMT

I am thrilled to report that I turned in the revisions for MY SOUL TO KEEP on Friday morning, and I am now on vacation for two weeks. Sort of. Mostly.

I won't be writing any fiction until after the new year (I have two short stories due in short order), but I will be doing guest blogs and interviews in preparation for the release of My Soul to Save on Dec. 29. And giving away a bunch of stuff.

Starting now.

But first, late next week I'll be posting the brand new, shiny trailer for My Soul to Save. But you can see it on Monday night, if you subscribe to my newsletter. Don't subscribe yet? Click here to remedy that:

Now for the giveaway! I'm trying a new form for my giveaway this time, hoping it'll be easier to count the entries and draw the winner, because counting through a couple hundred entries by hand isn't much fun. So please bear with me while we try this out.

Up for grabs: one signed copy each of My Soul to Take and My Soul to Save, the first two novels in the Soul Screamers series.

This entry is open to international shipping. Entries must be received by 11:59 pm (Central) on December 23rd, 2009. To enter, all you have to do is fill out the form with your name and email address. It's really that simple, no work required. However, you'll get an additional entry if you do any or all of the following:

Subscribe to my newsletter (or already subscribe)
Post about this giveaway in an acceptable online forum (NOT another author's discussion group or blog)
Post the MSTSave countdown widget on your blog or an acceptable online haunt. (Not another author's discussion group or blog)

Click here for the entry form on my blogger blog.

YA winners!

Thu, 17 Dec 2009 14:37:05 GMT

Okay, the YA giveaway closed last night, and we got waaaaay more entries than I expected, considering that it was open only to young adults and only to US and Canadian residents. I expected about 20. I got 125. So thanks so much to everyone who spread the word!

The winners (chosen by random number generator) are: Colleen, who whose comment began... "I loved My Soul to Take, and I read about this giveaway on The Story Siren. "

And...

Jenn (Books At Midnight) whose comment began... "Jenn, 15 I also heard about this from the Story Siren's YA connection."

Wow. Looks like a bunch of you read the Story Siren! Colleen and Jenn, please email me (RachelATrachelvincentDOTcom) with your full name and shipping address. And Jenn, since you're under 18, make sure to get a parent's permission before giving me your address.

Thanks so much to everyone who entered!

My Soul to Save is now only 12 days from its official release, which means you'll probably find it on most shelves next week. (Bookstores typically put them out as soon as possible, to keep from cluttering up their storage.) Which means I'll be commencing full-scale panic just as soon as I turn in revisions for My Soul to Keep.

One last thing before I take Kaci and Nyx to the vet for their shots... The trailer for My Soul to Save is finished, and I think it looks pretty good! I'll be including it with my newsletter on Monday, before I post it online, so if you want an early peek, click here to sign up for the newsletter.

And check back in tomorrow for another giveaway!

Where I'll be today...

Wed, 16 Dec 2009 15:35:34 GMT

[Note: Today's the last day to enter the YA only contest, if you're between the ages of 13 and 20. Click here for details.]

Okay, I'm officially behind on everything. No really. Everything. I owe my revisions to my editor, I owe books to winners and reviewers, I owe interview answers to interviewers, I owe Christmas cards to friends, I owe my mother a phone call...

It just never ends. And I've evidently dropped off the face of the Internet in the last week, unless you're on Twitter. And there couldn't be a worse time for it, considering that My Soul to Save comes out in two weeks.

So, I promise to try to be a better blogger. Even before the new year.

But for the moment, here's what's going on:

Elie has an interview with me and an Immortal giveaway here.
I'm participating in Harlequin's Open House Host Party all day today in the Mira/Luna/HQN forum, found here. Drop in if you want to chat! (Note: You must register to participate)
I'm also participating in the Kimani Tru/Harlequin Teen live chat tonight at 6pm (Central). Click here at that time to chat.

Other than that, I have soooo much work to do. But if I owe you something, I swear it's coming very shortly... ;-)

YA giveaway

Wed, 09 Dec 2009 16:22:18 GMT

Okay, this is a first for me, and I'm not sure how well it'll work out, but here goes:

This giveaway is open to young adults only. That's people ages 13-20. Because of holiday shipping concerns, this one is open to U.S. and Canadian residents only.

I realize that with these restrictions, I probably won't get many entries, and that's fine. I want to give actual teenagers a chance to win this YA book. So please, if you know a teenager who might be interested, let him or her know.

Up for grabs: finished copies of My Soul to Save

Number of winners: 2

To enter: leave a comment in the corresponding Blogger post, including your first name and age and how you heard about this giveaway. One entery per person.

Because I'm very serious about internet safety, there are a couple of do-nots:

Do not leave your last name
Do not leave your address
Do not leave your email address
Do not leave the name of your school, town, mascot, etc...

This giveaway is open until 11:59 pm (central) on Wednesday, Dec. 16, 2009. Check in the next day to see if you've won.

If you win, you must get a parent/guardian's permission to email me with a shipping address.

Okay, let's give this a shot... If you qualify, start commenting!

ARC winner!

Mon, 07 Dec 2009 15:21:40 GMT

The random number generator has spoken, and the winner of my only ARC of My Soul to Save is:

Scott Romanski

This may be a first, for two reasons. Scott was commenter #2 and he's a guy. I'm not sure either of those have ever happened in one of my giveaways, because I typically get well over 100 entries (170 this time) and they're almost all from women.

So, Scott, email me (rachelATrachelvincentDOTcom) with your mailing address, and I'll put your ARC in the mail.

Oddly enough, I got my author copies on Friday, so I now have finished copies of the book to give away! So check back tomorrow for another chance to win. Tomorrow's contest will be for teens/young adults only, so if you know any who might be interested, please let them know to check in here this week. As much as I love my adult readers (and I really, truly do), I also really want to connect with the target audience for my young adult series. ;-)

But there will be more giveaways open to all ages soon!

One final note: Page (a reader who's been with me almost from the start) says she received a pre-ordered copy of MSTSave from Amazon this past Friday! That's a full 3 weeks early, which is bothersome on some levels (which have nothing to do with readers), but exciting because it looks like you'll be able to get a copy before Christmas, if anyone's looking for a gift for a teenager. Or an adult who reads YA. As I do. ;-)

Pretties!

Sat, 05 Dec 2009 17:17:40 GMT

I have pretty things today!

First of all, my author copies came in! See?

Now I have bunches of finished copies of My Soul To Save. And I have to say, in person, these are beautiful. I was pretty fond of the original cover, so I'll admit to having misgivings when it was changed, and on the screen, the colors look kind of dull. But in person, they look amazing.

What you can't see in these pictures is the texture and the foil. The title and the Soul Screamers logo are both raised. But my favorite part (which you can just barely see in the picture) is this: you see how the word "Save" is repeated over and over in a word ribbon, wrapping around Kaylee? It's also repeated across the black part of the cover, in glossy black print, which continues onto the spine and is repeated on one corner of the back. That glossy black on black is such a cool little detail!

Unfortunately, my acknowledgements and dedication were somehow left out of the book, which is disappointing. But those who helped, you know who you are! ;-)

Also... last night I made a widget! Here it is. Feel free to steal and post. And to click on the excerpt button, to read part of chapter one. The excerpt starts about a third of the way through chapter one.

And thirdly, #1 made this awesome banner last night, which you're also free to use. I'm hoping he'll have a chance to make a couple of other sizes soon.

Anatomy of a (rewritten) scene

Fri, 04 Dec 2009 16:35:40 GMT

[You still have two more days to enter the current contest, and don’t forget to vote for your favorite urban fantasy covers here!

Also, Tynga has a new interview with me here, if you’re interested…]

For the last couple of days, I’ve been working on a new first chapter for MY SOUL TO KEEP. It needed a stronger opening, and I realized that giving it a new setting would allow me to introduce the important secondary characters faster and more naturally. But for me, completely rewriting a chapter/scene is sometimes even harder than writing it in the first place, because I have trouble picturing the events happening any way other than they originally happened. This is only complicated by the fact that I needed to keep some of the dialogue and descriptions. (Though they wound up being tweaked too.)

So here’s how I do all that...

I work with four documents open:

The manuscript marked up (in Word) that my editor sent back
The separate revision notes she also sent
My working copy of the manuscript
A new document, which will serve as my blank canvass.
(Oh, and Twitter and Email, but those don’t count.)

First, I take my working copy and open the clipboard (so that it’s visible on the screen), which will enable me to keep multiple clips of text and past them out of order. (If you don’t open the clipboard, you can only past the last thing you captured.)

Then I go through the chapter and copy the bits I need to keep into the clipboard. I don’t cut them, because I try to keep an intact version of the original on hand, just in case.

When I’m sure I have all the snippets of dialogue and description I might possibly need, I move over to the blank document and open the clipboard there, where all my snippets have been nicely transferred. (I love Word!)

Then I start the new version of the first chapter, pasting in the dialogue and description as needed.

It sounds simple, and it is in theory. But in practice, it can be a nightmare. I wound up using very few of those snippets verbatim, so I pretty much wrote the entire chapter over from scratch. But it’s done now, and I just sent it to my editor for a quick opinion. To make sure I’m on the right track.

Now I work on the rest of the manuscript while I wait…

More news and an ARC!

Wed, 02 Dec 2009 23:41:56 GMT

I have more bits of news today!

First, Shift is going to be released simultaneously in the US and the UK, so those of you in England shouldn’t have to wait or pay enormous shipping this time! In fact, you may get your copy earlier than those in the US this time, because Mira UK puts their books out the Friday before the typical US Tuesday release. ;-)

Second of all, Stray and Pride are going to be reprinted. This is the third printing for Stray, but I’m especially pleased that Pride is going back, because I really didn’t think that would happen. Also, this time I have the opportunity to correct typos, so if there’s one that’s been bugging you in either Stray or Pride, send me an email (rachelATrachelvincentDOTcom) with the page and line number, and I’ll send it in. We have to move quickly with these though. Just a couple of days. ;-)

And… My Soul to Save comes out officially on Dec. 29, and will probably be on the shelves 1-2 weeks before that, so it’s time to start the promo in earnest.

My awesome editor has sent me her personal ARC of My Soul to Save (since I only got one this time) so that I can host a giveaway. So listen up—this is your only chance to win a signed ARC of My Soul To Save. Ever. Anywhere. If you want it, leave me a comment in the corresponding Blogger post telling me what teen you’d like to introduce to the Soul Screamers series.

And if you don’t know any teens (‘cause that question’s bound to come up) tell me where you first heard of the Soul Screamers series.

Details:

This giveaway is open for worldwide shipping.
Comments must be received by 11:59 pm on Sunday, Dec. 6, 2009.
You must check back the next day to see if you won; I won’t track you down.
Please don’t leave your email address in the comments.

Okay, start commenting!

Tue, 01 Dec 2009 15:38:12 GMT

Today, I have some random excitement.

First, I turned in Alpha last night. That's right, it's off my plate until I get the revision notes. Now I have a matter of days to revise My Soul to Keep and get it turned in, then I hope to take the last half of December completely off. We'll see if that actually happens...

Second, on Friday, ABC's 20/20 featured a story about "real life" vampires, including an intro about vampire movies and books. And one of the books they showed a closeup of was... My Soul to Take. Yup, you read that right. Here's the proof (It's about a minute into the clip):

http://abcnews.go.com/video/playerindex?id=9194316

I find this both awesome and hilarious, for several reasons.

Awesome because it's national television, and even though it was just a millisecond shot, maybe it'll stick in the subconscious of a few book buyers this holiday season!
Hilarious because My Soul to Take isn't about vampires. In fact, there's nary a bloodsucker in it. It's about bean sidhes (banshees). ;-)
Both awesome and hilarious because ABC didn't tell either me or Harlequin that they were going to show my book. Thus the randomness. ;-)
Both awesome and hilarious because my mother was actually watching the broadcast live and called to tell me, very excited. But I couldn't verify it, so I hadn't mentioned it to anyone but my dad and my CP. So, score one for Mom!

Also very cool: The Eternal Kiss was also shown!
Third bit of random awesomeness: my covers are up for no less than five awards in the (first annual) 2009 Urban Fantasy Cover Art Awards.

My Soul to Take is up for Best YA Cover, Best Debut Cover, and Most Unique Cover
Shift is up for Most Anticipated Cover for 2010
And the entire Shifters series is up for Best Overall Covers in a Series.

Although, I have to say, there's some pretty stiff competition in each category. Isn't Hush, Hush just the most gorgeous cover ever? (Haven't read it, but I love the art!)
To vote or see the other nominees, click here. And I believe one voter will receive a prize, so don't forget to fill out the form!

Q&A and a winner!

Wed, 25 Nov 2009 15:36:22 GMT

First of all, the contest is now closed, and a winner of four signed Shifters books and a chocolate can has been drawn. The winner is:

Susy, who wrote...
Never heard about these books until now, but I promise to read them with great affection!

Susy, please email me (rachelATrachelvincentDOTcom) with your full name and mailing address, and I'll put your prizes in the mail.

Now for more Q&A!

Melina said...
I love both of your series. :D But for the shifters series, how did you come up with the idea to start the book? And was there ever a time in the writing process where you kept a distance from your work and then get back to it later?

Um… when I sat down to write Stray, I knew I wanted to write about shapeshifters (I love the inner beast motif) but had nothing to add to werewolf lore. And I love cats. And so my werecats were born. ;-)

As for the second part of your question (was there ever a time when I kept a distance from my work, then got back to it later), I’m not sure what you mean. Do you mean during the rough draft? Did I stop and take a break during the original composition for some distance, then go back to it? If so, the answer is no. I never intentionally take a break during a rough draft, because I then I become disconnected from the world I was writing from, and must read through everything written so far to get back to that “place” when I’m ready to write in it again.

Also, taking breaks makes me feel like the draft is taking too long to write, which messes with my sense of pacing. And I don’t like that.

However, sometimes I have to take breaks from a rough draft to do edits on another book (or to move to San Antonio ;-)), and it’s always really hard to get back into the story.

But I do try to take a break between finishing a rough draft and re-writing the book. That’s healthy, for perspective. ;-)

Anna said…
I just wanted to know how you know what needs to go into your books to make the story right. Is it some instinct I lack? Or is it me being stupid and asking questions that don't even make sense?

Um… at this point in my career, having written twelve novels, yes, a bit of it is instinct. But in the beginning, it was a lot of guess and check. I’d write whatever came to me (I didn’t become a plotter until Pride), then do a whole lot of clean up afterward, tightening and restructuring. And taking out what didn’t need to be there. Stray is a bit long because I didn’t really know how to do that then. But I got better. ;-)

I really don’t have a solution to your problem, unfortunately. It boils down to the fact that writing is very hard work. But aspects of it really do get easier with practice.

Jeffrey Lloyd said...
I know you probably have no input over this and it should be aimed at the publishing houses but, why are Urban Fantasy books so short in general compared to other genres (fantasy/sci-fi and most mystery)?

Actually, Urban Fantasy isn’t short, compared to other genres. In fact, it’s long compared to romance and traditional mystery. But it is shorter than high fantasy, because urban fantasy doesn’t typically require the world building that a novel set in another world requires, which saves word/page count. And a lot of it has to do with expectations. Most urban fantasy readers (as far as I know) come to the genre from romance, horror, or suspense/action (or from uf-like movies and TV shows) and often those readers don’t have the patience for 800 pages of world building/species history.

Casse AKA Catholic Kittie said...
I was reading the Alerts on RWA website on Harlequin and how does that effect you, or does it at all?

Honestly, I have no idea, and I’m really tired of the whole mess. But I’m hoping that it won’t affect me much at all. Except for the fact that my books are no longer eligible to enter into the Ritas. Which, honestly, doesn’t really bother me. I’ve never entered a writing contest in my life.

Nikki said...
My question to you […] is about Kaci's character. I am curious with her being so young and still with 2 more books coming out, could she possibly have her own shifter series in the future and possibly keeping the Sander's family involved.

Originally, I thought I’d write my first YA books about Kaci, in the werecat world, but when I sat down to do it, I couldn’t find the story. I’m not going to say that’ll never happen, but right now, I’m not planning a series from her perspective. But I am thrilled that you like the world and characters enough to want the Shifters series to go on. ;-)

Kayleigh said…
How hard was it at first to write everyday, no matter what, when you had a deadline? Any tips on how to do this/how you did it? (I'm asking because I'm doing NaNoWriMo.)

Honestly, I’ve never really had trouble sitting down and writing every day. In fact, on days when I can’t because of personal obligations, I sometimes go into writing withdrawal. I’m driven to write, to the point that I sometimes wonder if it’s unhealthy. But I think I’ll enjoy a good reading break when I finally get on top of my deadlines this time. ;-)

Emily said…
When you were planning your novels, how did you begin. Do you write a bit about each character first? Or do you figure out the plot? Oh and how did you come up with the idea for the Soul Screamers novels? ( I hope I got the name write) Because I want to write a book and I always get stuck on the planning :P

With the first book in a series, the main character always comes first for me. Sometimes I’ll sketch out a character bio, just to hash out he details. Then I figure out what she’s up to, and who’s with her. But for subsequent books in the series, most of the characters are already in place, so the plot takes up most of my plotting time.

As for how I came up with the idea for Soul Screamers, I was buried in research, looking for some element of fantasy or folklore that hadn’t already been thoroughly explored by existing books in the genre. The more I read about bean sidhes, the more I liked the idea, but in order to have a story, I had to make all that screaming mean something. And the soul screamers were born. ;-)

Questions answered...

Tue, 24 Nov 2009 18:41:57 GMT

[Note: today's the last day to enter the chocolate cat contest. Click here for details!]

Sorry this Q&A is late. I've been buried, trying to get ALPH polished and ready to turn in. But here goes...!

Tynga said...
I was wondering with the end of the shifters series, do you have plans for another adult series?

Yes! I’m currently contracted for two new adult books with Mira Books, in a new series. Unfortunately, that’s all I can say about that new venture right now. ;-)

Dannie said...
I have a question--what do you do when you get writer's block?

Um… Actually, I can’t remember ever getting writers block. When I sit down to write a book, it’s almost invariably already outlined, which pretty much takes care of writer’s block. However, sometimes I get plotter’s block (if you will), when I’m plotting and outlining, in preparation to write a new book. My solution is a combination of whiteboard brainstorming and fajita consumption. Seriously. I tend to throw every possible (book specific) idea onto my white board, waiting for one that feels right. One that introduces the proper conflict and/or resolution. And if that doesn’t work, I’ll discuss my plotting problem with #1, over fajitas.

So far (picture me crossing my fingers) this two-pronged approach has never failed. ;-)

Juliana said...
My question is, when/if ever you don't have the motivation to do your rewrites on your scripts, what do you do to get motivated? What makes you get in there, pick it up, and get to work?

Um… my motivation is pretty simple: deadlines. I don’t have the luxury of waiting for the proper mood to strike. However, for some scenes, I do need to be in a certain “place” emotionally. (Mostly death scenes, sex scenes, and fight scenes. Though I actually wrote my very first sex scene [the one in Stray] while plumbers [not hot werecat plumbers; just the regular kind] were banging on pipes in my bathroom. No joke.) The best way I’ve found to induce those particular emotions is with occasion-specific music. If that doesn’t work, I’ll move on and edit another scene and leave a note to remind myself that the earlier scene still needs work.

Ann said...
I wanted to know how do you make sure your secondary characters turn out interesting?

Thanks! I’m glad you think my secondary characters are interesting! And here’s the way that’s done: back story. Secondary characters need history and motivation just like main characters do, even if the writer is the only one who knows their entire back story. In my Shifters series, each of the background characters has interests, habits, and problems of his/her own.

For instance, Jace has serious family issues, which have made him who he is today, as well as who he’ll become over the course of the next two books. Marc is fiercely loyal to Faythe and to the Pride, because they’re literally all he has. All he knows. Manx is fierce, and protective, and fragile (but never really broken) because of what she’s been through, and that affects every decision she’s made, and every choice she’ll make in her future.

We know about Vic’s family deaths, and we’ll see more of Parker in the next two books. And Faythe’s brothers… well, you get the picture, right? ;-)

Nicole said...
I wonder if you found Prey as difficult to write as it was to read (and I mean that in a good way, of course). I'm currently doing a 'reread' of it via the audiobook, and I found myself crying like a baby, even though I knew what was coming.

Yes, Prey was very difficult to write, and I actually cried during the scene you’re referring to. And I yelled at Faythe during a subsequent scene, but I wrote it even though I knew she was making a mistake, because it was a very realistic mistake, and it felt honest. And the fallout is very real, and very painful for all involved. Which means that both SHIFT and ALPHA were also very hard to write. ALPHA in particular, for some of those same reasons.

The characters are hurting, and reacting, and changing. All of them. But the ones who survive will come out stronger for having suffered and fought, and the same goes for the relationships that survive.

Dannie said...
OOOH I have a better question--if you could meet your characters, would you give them spoilers?

Great question! And the answer is a resounding NO! If I told them how much they were all going to suffer, what all they were going to lose, or have to give up, they wouldn’t do as they were told, now would they? ;-)

I'll try to answer the rest of the questions tomorrow... ;-)

I'm only happy when it rains...

Fri, 20 Nov 2009 15:54:56 GMT

The Godiva cats (one of which is for this giveaway) arrived via UPS yesterday. I was hoping for author copies of My Soul to Save, but I suppose chocolate will have to suffice for now. However will I survive? ;-)

The Book Butterfly is still giving away a copy of My Soul to Take, and with My Soul to Save hitting the shelves in just over a month now, this is a great time to win a copy of the first in the series, if you haven't already read it. I'll be stopping by there this weekend to answer any questions in the comments section.

Also, the cover for Shift is now up on Amazon, and that's always fun for me. Makes it feel more real.

On the personal front after an extra week's delay, my new recliners are supposed to be delivered this afternoon, and I'm unreasonably tickled about this. Since I moved my old one into my office (it's been my writing chair for the past five years), my den looks... naked. Today it shall be clothed!

It's pouring in San Antonio today, for the first time since I started working in my office, and I love the rain! So I'm planning to cuddle up next to the window with my coffee and the ALPHA rewrites and see if I can make some major progress today.

On Monday, I'd like to do a Q & A post, so if anyone has any questions regarding either of my series, writing, publishing, etc..., leave them in a comment here. I'll try to answer them next week.

Celebrate! (and a contest!)

Tue, 17 Nov 2009 17:13:57 GMT

A couple of notes first:

The Book Butterfly has posted an interview with me as well as a giveaway of one signed copy of My Soul to Take. Click here to enter.
Also, Bitten By Books is holding a poll for the best urban fantasy villain, and Calvin Malone has been nominated. I find this interesting, because, yes, he's vile, but you guys haven't even really seen what he's capable of yet. But you will... Click here to vote (and enter for a prize), but I warn you, he's up against some truly evil competition! (Al the demon, the Tulpa, Akasha, Lucifer, etc...)

Now for my news! ALPHA is done! The first draft, anyway. It still needs work, and I have a couple of weeks to get it critiqued and polished before turning it over, but the story is written down, and that's the largest hurdle. Unless I've really messed things up. ;-)

For those who are interested, the numbers:

127,988 words (Yes, it's too long. I'm aware. I'll cut and tighten. No worries.)
445 manuscript pages
12th manuscript written
sixth book sold
will be my ninth book published
started Aug 8, 2009, finished Nov. 16, 2009

ALPHA took longer to write than any manuscript I've ever written, thanks to the move to San Antonio and revisions, copy edits, and page proofs for SHIFT. And the fact that this is the first series I've ever ended. It was NOT easy to wrap everything up neatly (or gorily), nor was it easy to say goodbye to Faythe and crew. So in a way, I'm glad I still have revisions and edits for this one, because that lets me put the real goodbye off a little bit.
But I am glad to have the rough draft done. So let's do something fun. In celebration of turning in the final edits for SHIFT and finishing the rough draft of ALPHA, I'm giving away a signed set of the first four Shifters books (Stray, Rogue, Pride, and Prey) along with a Godiva milk chocolate cat.

Yes, Halloween is gone, but there's never a bad time for a chocolate cat. Trust me. ;-)
To enter, leave me a comment in the corresponding Blogger post telling me who your favorite Shifters character is (if you've read the series) or where you heard about the Shifters series (if you haven't read it yet).
The details:

The contest will run until 11:59 pm (central) on Tuesday, November 24, 2009
entrants must check back here the following day to see who won--I will not track down the winner.
one entry per person
do not leave your email address in the comments
do not include spoilers in your comment
This entry is open to contestants wherever the US Post Office will deliver, but I make no promises about what shape the chocolate will arrive in, if you live too far away. ;-)

Okay, if you're interested, start commenting!

Page Proofs (w/screenshots)

Mon, 16 Nov 2009 15:46:37 GMT

After working all weekend, I sent in the page proofs for SHIFT last night, which means that one’s officially done! At least, my part. I won’t see it again until I get finished copies in the mail. Well, except for ARCs, which don't really count, because they're unedited.

Last night Aly, my awesome discussion group moderator, asked me what exactly I do with page proofs (Known as Author Alterations at my publisher), so here goes…

Page proofs are my last chance to make any changes to the manuscript before it goes to print. At this stage, most of the big stuff should already have been caught, so we’re mostly looking for typos, but I have been known to insert or delete as much as a paragraph at a time, to fix an overlooked inconsistency. Fortunately, that wasn’t necessary this time.

At this point, all of my work for my publisher is done electronically. I no longer receive or send anything in hard copy, though in the past I’ve received huge printed copies of manuscripts to proof, which was a total pain. I haven't printed or shipped a manuscript in more than two years, for which I'm thoroughly grateful. ;-)

For page proofs, my editor’s assistant sends me a PDF of the manuscript, with each page and every line numbered. It looks like this:

(This is an actual screenshot of the PDF of SHIFT that I worked from. It contains a Prey spoiler, so consider yourself warned. But I've already released this first paragraph online anyway. ;-))

She also sends an expandable Word form for me to type the changes directly into. The form looks like this:

(This is an actual screenshot of the form I sent back to Elizabeth, my editor's assistant. But there are no spoilers here. Just a glimpse of the changes I made, with the important part in red, so it's easier to see.)

I read through the manuscript carefully (these are edits, not pleasure reading) and document every typo or minor change by page and line number. When I’m done, I just save the form and email it back to her. She’ll use it to make my requested changes.

It's actually a pretty nice system, now that we're not messing with paper and killing trees. Plus, I have extra time to get stuff done, because I don't have to account for shipping time! Or pay to send heavy paper to NYC.

Anyway, up for today is the final fight scene I didn't actually get to on Friday. I wanted to write it. But I wasn't as done with the setup as I thought I was. But I'm ready now. ;-)

Since I turned in SHIFT (Shifters book 5) for the final time yesterday and hope to finish ALPHA (Shifters book 6) this week, I've just ordered something yummy for a celebratory giveaway. Stay tuned! As soon as I finish the book, I'll post the contest.

So close I can taste it...

Fri, 13 Nov 2009 16:17:26 GMT

I lost my home Internet connection yesterday (user error; there was no real problem) and got it back late last night only to discover bunches of spam blog comments. So I've had to turn on the word verification, at least for now. I'm sorry about the hassle, but wading through indecent website ads first thing in the morning is not a good way to start my day. I much prefer coffee and Special K. ;-)

In other news, ALPHA now stands at 114,764 words and 399 pages. I'm writing chapter 30 today. It's the big fight scene. At least, that's the plan. I'm hoping there will only be 31 chapters (the big fight scene, then the epilogue), but I'm not sure that'll work out. Because of pacing and chapter break tension, that may turn into 3 shorter chapters, rather than 2 longer ones.

Yesterday's chapter was... intense. It was tough to write, and took me until nearly 11 pm, but I'm very, very pleased with the result. I wish I could say more about it (writing triumph, and all!) but even the fastest readers out there are still two Shifters books behind, and this scene would spoil... well... everything. ;-)

Today will probably be another long day. Fight scenes are tough, and they take much layering, as I've already discussed. And this one involves a bunch of people, which will be hard to show, since we only experience what Faythe sees, hears, smells, and feels. And tastes, but in a fight scene, that's mostly just blood.

And... now I'm wondering if there's some way to integrate chocolate into a fight scene, just to give it a better taste. ;-)

Okay, wish me luck!

Office photos!

Wed, 11 Nov 2009 15:32:07 GMT

[I posted a photo tour of my workspace at the Deadline Dames today, so for more pictures and details, click here.]

Kaci's doing much better today. She's eating her prescription food and using her new litter box, so hopefully we can put this entire bladder infection issue behind us and get back to the usual routine. Which includes her ignoring me unless she wants food. Which, as you can see, she's getting plenty of. According to the vet, she weighs 14.5 lbs, which means she's gained two pounds this year. Somehow. Even though I measure her food carefully. I suspect she's been eating some of Nyx's food too.

Speaking of which, Nyx has discovered that Kaci's getting different food now, and she's trying to get in on the action. Which means I have to separate them while they eat, because Kaci's food is too acidic for Nyx's perfectly normal tummy.

How did I wind up with such high maintenance pets? I swear, they used to be the poster children for "Pets for Dummies." ;-)

My new recliner hasn't been delivered yet, but we moved the old one into my office anyway, so I could start working in there. I love it! I've never had an office before, and now I'm not sure how I ever managed without all my stuff so conveniently co-located. Here are a few pictures:

Okay, I'm off (though I'm not actually going anywhere) to work. Today I'm cutting a bunch of stuff that I no longer need, thanks to my newly re-ordered plot, then I'll be writing a new chapter. Hopefully. ALPHA is almost done!

Kitty drama

Tue, 10 Nov 2009 19:55:43 GMT

I'm behind(er) on Alpha. Again. I spent half of yesterday at the vet with Kaci, the oldest of my two cats, because I suspected she had a bladder infection. After a couple of hours, an X-ray, a couple of shots, a subcutaneous fluid injection, a prescription for special food, and a hefty vet bill, I'm still not sure exactly what was wrong with her. The vet says her bladder has "gunk" in it (I saw said "gunk" on the X-ray) and that it has inflamed her bladder. And that if it went untreated, it would become bladder stones.

She now has prescription S/D food, which has the proper acidity to break down the "gunk" (minerals) in her bladder and prevent it from reforming. After a month, she can switch to the "C Diet" food, but can't go back to regular cat food. Ever. Or we risk more gunk, which she is evidently susceptible to. Just because.

So, she's been treated and released, and I got her a new litter box, hoping she'll be willing to use it (please, please, please!) because she doesn't associate it with painful urination. And it's not in the laundry room, so the dryer won't scare her. Hopefully.

So, after much cat drama, I am now in my office trying to work, but half the day is gone, and I'm feeling kind of (really) stressed. Also, I'm feeling like someone set the universal clock to FF and forgot to tell me. So many deadlines, so little time. So I might not have time for much blogging in the next couple of weeks. Though I tend to hang out on Twitter, because 140 characters don't take much time. ;-)

Writing Progress: ALPHA stands at 110,291 words, but the story isn't quite over, even though I can only add 10,000 more words. Fortunately, I think I know where I can cut a bit. Wish me luck.

Anatomy of a fight scene

Fri, 06 Nov 2009 16:31:49 GMT

I’ve discovered a cure for the new release nerves. You ready? Deadlines. Yup, the way to keep from worrying about how one book will be received is to keep working on another. Or… three more.

My Soul to Save comes out in six and a half weeks, and I should be firmly planted inside the panic zone. But I’m not. There are a million things that could go wrong, but I just don’t have time to worry about them. Much. Not while I’m working on the rough draft of ALPHA, page proofs for Shift, and revisions for My Soul to Keep. All due within a month.

Then I have to turn in two short stories in January, and another complete novel in April.
For the moment, I’m focusing on Alpha, which now stands at 99,000 words. Almost officially long enough! Though of course, an acceptable word count means nothing without an appropriate ending. ;-)

I wrote chapter 23 yesterday, half of which was that fight scene I mentioned, and wound up with 4,200+ words for the day. It’s weird, though. It took me most of the day to write the first 1,200 words, then only an hour and a half to do the next 2,300. (There were more after that.) Why such a difference in productivity?

That first part was the fight scene.

The fight scenes typically flow very slowly for me. And they come in several different layers. The first is basic choreography: Where are the fighters and what are they doing? This was a one-on-one fight, in human form, unarmed, so it was a bit simpler in theory than past scenes where Faythe and crew fought several bad guys at once, either in cat form or wielding rudimentary weapons. Like that first fight scene in Prey.

However, it was that very simplicity (in theory) that made it so hard to write. Because of the particular (crucial) set up, they’re outside, on flat land. There are no walls or trees or bars to be thrown into. Nothing to be used as a weapon. No one to interfere or help. In short, nothing to make the fight interesting, other than the basic punching and kicking. Which means I had to get creative. ;-)

After the choreography comes the reactions. What the pain felt like and where it occurred. How it affects Faythe’s next move. How her blows slow the bad guy down—or just make him mad. Normally, bits of setting would also come in both of the first two phases, as integral parts of the fight. Being slammed into a brick wall (Stray), falling onto the mat (Rogue), being pounced on by a cat on the side of a hill (Pride), clinging to a locked car door handle to keep from being dragged away (Prey). But there was little of that in this scene, because there’s only the ground to interact with.

Next come the details that didn’t make it into the broad strokes above. Blood (or sweat) shining in sunlight (or moonlight) or dripping on the grass. The sounds of the fight: screams, grunts, moans, thunks, etc… Scents (very important to Shifters).

Last of all comes the internal monologue: what Faythe’s thinking as she fights. This should be sparse. There isn’t much time to think while you’re literally fighting for your life. But once I have just enough of that to establish her frame of mind… ta da! The fight scene is finished.

At least until it’s time to polish. Because yes, after all that, it’s still in rough draft form. ;-)

The scene after that was terribly traumatic for Faythe. (Always fun to write!) Don’t worry, no one died or broke up. It was a different kind of traumatic. But those really emotional scenes really flow quickly for me. Which is a huge relief after the fight scene. ;-)

Back in the swing!

Thu, 05 Nov 2009 16:10:51 GMT

First, a friend's amazing news: Keri Arthur's Bound to Shadows has hit #6 on the NYT bestseller list. (Which will be printed next week. The list, not the book. The book is already out.) And check out this huge display of them in my local HEB:

Also note my fellow Mira author Jennifer Armintrout's latest release, at the top of the photo! (The one with the cool neon seahorse.)

As for me, I had an awesome writing day yesterday, for the first time in weeks. Seriously. With the move and the laborious (read: pain in the tail) restructure of the Alpha plot, it's been awhile since I was truly happy with my work. And yesterday was awesome. I put in 3,900 words before dinner, then spent the evening helping #1 get our den organized.

That puts the novel at 95,004 words, and means I'm almost finished. I need about 20,000 more words, and they need to come very, very quickly. Which means I'll be working weekends too.

Today's chapter is a big fight scene. Not THE big fight scene, but the most important fight Faythe's ever had, so far. It's one on one, and she's definitely the underdog. Er... undercat. (Doesn't quite have the same ring, does it?) And the timing is... horrible. She's literally never been in a worse position, politically or emotionally, and there's sooo much going on. And going wrong...

Yesterday's chapter ended with her opponent (let's just say they have a history) throwing the first (surprise) blow, so things are not off to a good start for Faythe. But that's how I like it. I can't wait to write this scene!

In fact, you may not hear from me until it's finished...! ;-)

Want a peek?

Wed, 04 Nov 2009 16:18:12 GMT

I glanced at my calendar this morning—a dangerous prospect, when you have as many deadlines as I do at the moment—and realized it’s only eight weeks until My Soul to Save hits the shelf. I’m not sure where the time has gone since my first YA release, and I’m dismayed by how little I have to show for it (other than moving to San Antonio. And writing most of ALPHA. And doing revisions/copy edits on Shift), but it’s almost time to post the 1st chapter excerpt. I’m thinking next week, maybe.

Until then, however, how about a mini-excerpt?

But first a little background, for those unfamiliar with my Soul Screamers series…

SPOILER WARNING: IF YOU HAVEN’T READ MY SOUL TO TAKE, DO NOT READ ON UNLESS YOU DON’T MIND SPOILERS

This scene shows three of the principal characters:

Kaylee Cavanaugh is the viewpoint character, who, in the previous book, discovered that she’s a bean sidhe (banshee). Kaylee is clever, and resolute, and driven to help people, fueled in part by a determination to earn the life she’s been given. (That’ll make sense if you’ve read the first book.)

Nash Hudson is Kaylee’s boyfriend. Nash came onto the scene (in the previous book), knowing things about Kaylee that even she didn’t know. He gave her some much needed information and risked his life more than once to help her, both of which put him on the fast track into her heart. But from the beginning, Kaylee’s been suspicious of his interest in her, and trust doesn’t always come easily.

Tod is a rookie grim reaper, only a couple of years dead, whose humanity is just starting to fade. While he clings to the strongest, most volatile of his human emotions, he no longer has a firm grasp on gray area misdemeanors, like privacy and tact. Tod obviously cares about both Nash and Kaylee, but he has his own agenda, and he's increasingly unfettered by human restraint or propriety. [Note: he's one of my favorites! ;-)]

And with that, here’s a snippet of a scene from chapter two of My Soul to Save. Kaylee's the first one speaking…

“You don’t have to wait for us.” As cool as it would have been to meet Addison Page, telling a rising star that she was going to end both her career and her life in less than a week was so not on my to-do list. “I think I’m gonna sit this one out.” I propped my hands on my hips and glanced at Nash to see if he was with me, but he and Tod wore identical, half-amused, half-reluctant expressions. “What?”

“I’m dead, Kaylee.” Tod stopped in front of the first door we’d come to, his hand on the knob. “Addy came to my funeral. I can’t show up in her dressing room two years after I was buried and tell her not to kill herself. That would just be rude.”

I laughed at his idea of post-death etiquette, pretty sure that “rude” was a bit of an understatement. But I sobered quickly when his point sank in. “Wait, you want us to tell her?”

“If she sees me, she’ll freak out and spend the last days of her life in the psych ward.”

I bristled, irritated by the reminder of my own brief stay in the land of sedatives and straitjackets. “It’s called the mental health unit, thank you. And we are not going to go tell your famous ex-girlfriend to lighten up or she’ll be joining you six feet under. That would be rude.”

“She wouldn’t believe us, anyway,” Nash said, crossing his arms over his chest in a show of solidarity. “She’d probably call Security and have us arrested.”

“So make her believe you.” Tod gestured in exasperation. Like it’d be that easy. “I’ll be there to help. She just won’t be able to see me.”

I glanced at Nash and was relieved to see my reluctance still reflected in his features. As much as I wanted to help—to hopefully save Addison Page’s life—I did not want to be taken from her dressing room in handcuffs.

My dad would be soooo pissed if he had to bail me out of jail.

Interested? You can find both My Soul to Take and My Soul to Save here, as well as My Soul to Lose, the free ebook prequel/teaser here.

Halloween disaster; office!

Tue, 03 Nov 2009 02:34:41 GMT

If you haven't already seen it, Dame Jenna posted about changes in cover art today, including several before-and-after examples. And she's giving away her new release! Click here for details.

I hope everyone had a great Halloween. Mine was miserable, except for the steady stream of children demanding candy. This was the first year we've gotten a single trick-or-treater, and they were awesome! (In Oklahoma, we didn't live in a neighborhood, and we weren't in Louisiana over Halloween--that's right, we were there less than a year.)

Other than that, I was sick--I completely lost my voice for almost three days--and my kitchen faucet sprung a fantastic leak at 8:30 pm on Halloween night. I got soaked before I realized I should turn the water off. ;-)

Number 1 replaced it the next morning (I got to pick out a new one, and it's pretty!) but when he got ready to install it, he discovered that it had come with the wrong built-in sprayer. It didn't fit the rest of the unit. He took it back, only to discover that every single one of them had been packaged the same way! I've never heard of such a factory mess up. So he picked out a very similar faucet and got it installed in short order. And it's pretty too. ;-)

Also this weekend, we ordered new recliners. My old one (my writing chair for the past five years) will go in my new office once the new one arrives. Yes, except for my chair, the office is finished! I can't wait to show pictures. It's a very cat friendly office. I didn't realize I had so many black cats! I also have a model of the car that one of my heroines drives--complete with bullet holes and cracked glass--but it occurs to me now that I don't have any bean sidhes (banshees). Anyone know where you can get a stuffed bean sidhe? Or a bean sidhe doll, or something?

I'm just not sure my office will be complete without one... ;-)

About that gingerbread...

Sun, 01 Nov 2009 19:02:57 GMT

[Yesterday, I did a Halloween guest blog for Jeri Smith-Ready's Blogtoberfest. Click here to read the post and enter to win your choice of a signed copy of My Soul to Take or My Soul to Save! And don't forget to check out the other giveaways she still has open!]

If you've been reading my blog for long, you probably know a little bit about me, outside of my writing career. For instance, because my husband didn't choose a career that puts his face and name in front of thousands of readers, when I refer to him online, I call him #1, and I never post pictures of him. That's his choice.

[And by the way, #1 is both a Star Trek (TNG) and a Stephen King (Misery) reference. Not a bathroom reference. ;-)]

Anyway, you might also know that #1 and I are big kids at heart. And in perpetual self-image--he still thinks he's 18. ;-) Every Halloween, we carve pumpkins, watch a series of cheesy horror movies, and make a homemade gingerbread house. He designs (complete with blueprints), I bake, I make frosting/glue, he assembles, we decorate.

But this year, there was no time for gingerbread, which makes me very sad. Making our annual haunted gingerbread house is a 3-4 day labor. We're still unpacking, and I have three deadlines to meet in the next six weeks. Plus, I'm sick, and we've had a couple of new-to-us house issues (busted kitchen sink faucet = DISASTER!) to deal with as well.

I'm hoping we'll have time to do one for Thanksgiving instead. Something fall-themed and festive. And, of course, we'll do the traditional Christmas gingerbread house too. But in case you've never seen them, here are our haunted gingerbread houses from the past two years.

Monster House '07 from the front.

Monster House '07 from the back.

Amityville gingerbread '08, undecorated.
(For reference, here's the actual Amityville house.)

Amityville gingerbread '08 decorated.

And now, looking at these old pictures, I really wish we'd had time for it this year. ;-(

Blogtoberfest!

Sat, 31 Oct 2009 18:39:24 GMT

Today I have a Halloween guest post for Jeri Smith-Ready's Blogtoberfest! If you haven't already been following her month of guestposts and giveaways, head over there now. There are several contests still open (including mine), and the grand prize is over $300 worth of brand new YA books, including Jeri's YA debut, Shade, which I'm dying to read.

[Note: the grand prize is open to US residents only, because of shipping restrictions.]

To read my post and enter to win your choice of a signed copy My Soul to Take or a signed copy of My Soul to Save (once I have my copies), click here. And don't forget to check out the other guest posts and giveaways!

Happy Halloween!

SHIFT mini-excerpt #2

Thu, 29 Oct 2009 14:40:23 GMT

[I'm giving away a copy of Immortal at the Deadline Dames, at the end of a post about the hard truths in publishing. And... My friend and fellow author Jocelynn Drake is giving away a signed copy of Stray this week. If you're interested, click here to enter!]

I can't even begin to describe how much work I have to do, and how well it isn't flowing, so today I'm taking the easy way out: a mini-excerpt from Shift (March 1, 2010)!

Warning: the following contains a minor spoiler. Read at your own risk!

We all screamed. The van swerved. I rocked violently from side to side as Dodd tried to control the vehicle. And I could only stare at the bolder deeply embedded in the hood, pinning the thick canvas it had been carried in.

The van swerved left. Dodd over-compensated. We swerved right, and I braced my good arm against the dashboard. Dodd swerved again. The van careened off the road and smashed head-on into a trunk at the edge of the tree line.

For a moment, there was an eerie, shocked silence. Then Des started screaming.

I took a second to assess my injuries—a single, rapidly forming lump on the side of my head—then twisted to check on everyone else. “Are you guys okay?”

Manx nodded, dazed, one hand patting the screaming infant. Kaci peeked up from behind the backpack in her lap, and after a moment of consideration, she nodded too. “I think so—”

That’s when Teo’s door was ripped completely off the car.