New online home!

In case you missed it, I'm no longer blogging at Blogger. My new online home is: http://rkvincent.wordpress.com/

Also, I have a shiny new website. If you've been to my site before, you may have to refresh your browser to purge the cached copy.

The end. Kind of.

I am sorry to say that after five years here at this url, I'm leaving my Blogger blog. Blogger has just become too unreliable and too difficult to work with.

If you're interested in following me to my new online home, I can be found on Wordpress here. And today, there's a big new announcement here, so please go take a look.

I'll leave this up for a while to redirect traffic, and I hope to see lots of you there.

Winner!

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

Grrr!

But, on the bright side, there is a winner, and her name is:

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

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

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

Rachel opens her big mouth...

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

Alas, I was wrong. There are no children to speak of in the movie, so Kaci went uncast, as did Karen, because I couldn't find anyone who fit the bill for her. But here's what I came up with:

Katerina Mikailenko as Faythe. I don't think I've ever seen her in anything else, but I think she'd just about do it!

Not my top choice of all-time, but Michael Landes as Marc. To be fair, I tried to find a shirtless picture of him, since Jace is showing a little skin below, but the only one I could find of Michael shirtless also showed him in his underwear, and...well...he didn't look to be in mid-shift, so that felt inappropriate. ;)

Possibly my favorite choice of all-time, Cam Gigandet as Jace. Can't you just see it? I can totally see it. In HD.

Eric Dane as Greg. (I know he's a little young, but with that gray streak, he just looks the part!)

And possibly Sarah Mitchell as Manx.

Alas, I couldn't find roles for Christina Aguilera, Cher, or Stanley Tucci (one of my favorite actors EVER), but I am considering writing one for Tucci. Even if it never sees the light of day.

So, I (kind of ) met the challenge. Anyone else feeling brave? What movie could you cast the entire Shifters series from?

Trying something new (+giveaway)

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Goddess Test winners!

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

Drumroll....

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

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

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

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

At last!

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

Blood Bound is the book I've previously described as "Romeo and Juliet meets The Godfather." It's very dark and kind of twisted. Oh, and for those who have been asking me what Liv is, she is a Tracker. Kind of like a paranormal bloodhound. She finds people who need to be found. Most of whom don't want to be found. If Blood Bound were a movie, it'd be rated R for L, V, and SC. This is NOT YA.

Blood Bound will be released simultaneously in the US and the UK on August 23, and as you can see, the art for the two versions is very different. They each also have slightly different back cover blurbs, and I find it fascinating to see which aspects different branches of the same publisher chose to highlight.

If you remember the poll held here a few weeks ago, you'll notice that the UK cover artist took note of the opinions and notes left by the readers, and I have to say, I love the coloring on this version. The reds and the golds. The interlocked rings in the title on both versions have significance in the story, as does the cityscape on the UK version. And I LOVE the tagline at the bottom of the UK version!

For what it's worth, the US is marketing the series as paranormal romance and the UK is marketing it simultaneously as urban fantasy. I personally think it's somewhere in between. Liv and Cam each get their own POV, like a romance, but both of those are in first person, which is fairly common in urban fantasy. The next book in the series, Shadow Bound, will be told by a different set of characters, as is common in romance series, but all of the books are plot/worldbuilding-heavy. So I guess I'll let the readers classify the novel/series however they want, once the book is out.

So...opinions? Comments? Preferences? Questions?

P.S. Spell check isn't working today, so I apologize if I've missed any typos.

Meet Aimee Carter!

This giveaway is now closed. Thanks to all who entered!

[Update: I completely forgot that this giveaway was supposed to be limited to US/Canadian residents, and since that was my mistake, I'm going to throw in a second copy of Aimee's debut, which I'll personally ship to one international winner. Of course, it won't be signed, unless you want me to sign her book. ;)]

It's been a while since I've had a guest on my blog, and I couldn't think of a better way to resurrect the idea than by inviting my fellow Harlequin Teen author Aimee Carter over for an interview. And Aimee has graciously agreed to give away a signed copy of her debut novel, The Goddess Test for one lucky commenter!





Rachel: Hi Aimee! Thanks so much for participating in my little interview! And for offering a prize!

Aimee: Hi Rachel! Thank you so much for having me!

Rachel: First of all, our mutual editor tells me your name is not pronounced like “Amy.” Could you please clear that up for me so I can stop making a fool of myself every time I mention you? ;)

Aimee: You’re not making a fool of yourself at all, don’t worry! Technically my name is pronounced “ah-MAY,” but so many people call me “Amy” that I don’t even think about it. So if you want to stick with “Amy,” that works for me!

Rachel: Thanks! Now on to the questions!

So, the Persephone myth! One of my favorites. Have you always been a fan of classical mythology? Do you have a favorite myth or deity?

Aimee: I’m a huge fan of classical mythology and have been since childhood. One of my favorite books when I was a kid was D’Aulaires’ Book of Greek Myths, and I used to pore through it again and again. The myth of Hades and Persephone always fascinated me, not necessarily because of what happened to Persephone, but because I wondered how lonely Hades must have been to have to force someone to marry him and keep him company. As I learned more about Hades – that he wasn’t the evil god that pop culture depicts him as, and that he really did love Persephone – I began to look at that myth in a different way. Hence The Goddess Test, which is really more of a sequel to the myth than a retelling, since it’s about Hades finding a new Queen of the Underworld after Persephone leaves him. As for favorite deities, I’d have to say Athena – she has brains, beauty, courage, and an independent streak a mile wide. Can’t beat that!

Rachel: Goddess Interrupted, the first sequel, is scheduled for February 2012, right? Are you continuing with the same myth in the sequel, or will you be updating another? Any hints? Have you seen the cover yet?

Aimee: Yep, Goddess Interrupted is scheduled for February 2012! The sequel incorporates several other myths, though none are strictly a retelling. They’re more like callbacks to the original myths. It’s hard to give hints without revealing the whole plot, but I will say that there are several new characters, including a few mentioned but not seen in the first novel, and their corresponding myths play a role. I’ve seen the first version of the cover, and it’s utterly gorgeous.

Rachel: Did you always envision this as a trilogy? Did you plot all three books at once?

Aimee: I originally wrote The Goddess Test as a standalone novel, actually, though I was aware that it could be extended into more books if it came to that. It was only after I signed with my agent that I really sat down and did a loose outline of the next two stories.

Rachel: Now for some quick, fun either/or questions about your taste in fiction:

• Love triangle or one true love? – One true love! Though I can’t say no to a good love triangle.




• Brooding, strong and silent type, or quick-witted funny man? – Brooding, strong and silent type, but only by a hair.




• Paranormal, contemporary, historical, or some combination of the three? – I have an odd love for historical, but I will read anything that catches my attention regardless of genre.




• Super strength or telepathy? – Telepathy.




• The truth hurts, or the truth will set you free? – The truth will set you free while going at you with a meat tenderizer.
  

Rachel: And now let’s talk about writing/publishing:

The Goddess Test is your debut, right? What’s surprised you most about the publishing industry so far? –

Aimee: Definitely the amount of creative freedom I’ve been allowed so far. I don’t know if that’s a typical experience or not, but our mutual editor is so wonderful and so receptive to ideas, and the Harlequin Teen team is so respectful. Before all of this, I’d heard over and over again that once you sign with a publisher, you lose all control, but I’ve never once felt that way. And I’m extremely grateful for it.

Rachel: I have to agree, our editor is awesome, and I've experienced that same creative freedom! Is there any aspect of writing for publication that turned out to be exactly like you expected?

Aimee: I’d spent years hearing about how supportive writers are of one another, and I’ve made so many wonderful friends in the writing community so far. It’s really helped me feel like I’m a part of things, and while I’m a very little fish in a very big pond, it’s nice to be able to wave at the other fish and not feel like a fool.

Rachel: What’s your favorite part of the process? (plotting, rough draft, revisions, edits, etc…)

Aimee: It’s a tie between plotting and revising. I love the rush of first outlining an idea and seeing it turn into something tangible, and I absolutely adore revising and editing. For me, it’s a chance to correct the mistakes in earlier drafts and really make the story the best it can be, and I love the rush of pride that comes along with finishing those revisions. Of course, that’s completely shattered in the next round of edits, but it’s nice while it lasts. For me, the most difficult part about writing is the rough draft.

Rachel: Are you making any appearances for this first release? –

Aimee: I’ll be doing a signing in Lansing on June 2 with Leah Clifford, Lisa Desrochers, and Courtney Allison Moulton, and there is also at least one other appearance in the works around the beginning of August. I’ll be sure to post more on my site (http://www.aimeecarter.com/) when everything is confirmed.

Rachel: I hear you’ve sold a second trilogy to Harlequin Teen! Congratulations! Anything you can tell us about that? –

Aimee: Thank you so much! The first book is called Masked, and it’s a dystopian series set in a future America ruled by a rigid ranking system. It’s about an orphaned girl, Kitty, who is surgically altered to replace the Prime Minister’s assassinated niece. Unfortunately for Kitty, she must deal with the dead girl’s secret life, her fiancé, a growing rebellion and a kidnapped heir, along with the knowledge that the Prime Minister will kill to preserve his own secrets. It’s action-packed, and I’m extremely excited about it.

Rachel: Wow, that sounds awesome, and I love dystopian, so I'll probably be bugging our editor for an early copy. ;) Thanks so much for answering my questions!

Aimee: Thank you so much for having me, Rachel!

-----

Now, readers, if you're interested in a signed copy of The Goddess Test, leave Aimee a comment here telling her which is your favorite mythological (it doesn't have to be Greek)diety/myth/concept/human character, etc... Or, if you're unfamiliar with mythology, just tell Aimee how awesome her hair looks in her official author photo.

I'll draw a winner at random on Friday and will announce the winner's name here.

Please note: You MUST check back in on Friday to see if you've won and claim your prize.

By popular demand...

Several people have asked me to post the Soul Screamers character Q&A, so here it is, cross-posted and compiled from Facebook:

(Please note: I am not currently answering any more questions from the characters' points of view. I may do more later, but I'm done for now.)

Warning: the following Q&A contains spoilers from both My Soul To Keep and My Soul To Steal. Proceed at your own risk.







Q: Levi, How did you become a reaper?
Levi: I died.

Q: Brenden, will you ever tell Sophie how her mom died?
Brendon: I hope Sophie never finds out what really happened. She deserves better than that.

Q: Kaylee, Will you ever be able to forgive your dad completely?
Kalyee: For leaving? I already have. For family dinner Sundays? The jury's still out.

Q: Sabine, if [...] this whole situation were different, do you think that you might even like [Kaylee]?
Sabine: She's alive, isn't she?

Q: Nash, how much would you give to get [your memories of Kaylee] back?
Nash: I would give anything to get them back.
Tod: Too bad that's not an option...

Q: Tod, will you ever tell nash [how you really died]?
Tod: There are many things I'd like to say to Nash but that isn't on the list.

Q: Sabine, what brought you to the high school that Nash and Kaylee goes to?
Sabine: I brought me there. You think I'd sit around and wait for that to happen on its own? Haven't you been paying attention?

Q: Harmony, do you blame Kaylee for Nash's addiction?
Harmony: No. I think there's enough blame to go around on that one, and I certainly bear my share. But pointing fingers helps nothing.

Q: Nash, if you could go back in time, what would you change and why?
Nash: I wouldn't inhale.

The best laid plans

Alternate title: Rachel Underestimates the Internet. Again.

So, the plan was to reveal the cover for If I Die in the middle of May. But because the universe likes to keep us on our toes (and the Internet likes to see me fall on my face, evidently), the BEA book catalogue beat us to the punch. And we weren't the only ones caught unaware. ;)

But, it's hard to be upset over something so exciting, so (cue drum roll...) I give you the final cover of If I Die, which was just emailed to me an hour ago:

Click on the image for a larger view. And please, if you like it, let me know, and let the folks at HQTeen know. They'll be posting it shortly. We really value opinions, especially from readers, and those help shape the direction of future covers. ;)

Playing Catch-up again...

Sorry for the recent blog drought. As usual, I'm kind of swamped with deadlines (fortunately) and it's become so much easier to do a quick Twitter or Facebook update than to sit down and compose a longer blog entry, especially when Blogger is so often a pain to work with. (A couple of weeks ago, Blogger was stripping all the hard returns from my posts, which was infuriating and time consuming.)

Also, I haven't really had much news lately. But today it occurred to me that the little bits of news sometimes add up. So here's a rundown of what's coming up:

Next month, I'll be at Book Expo America in NYC and my editor tells me that in addition to signing ARCs of If I Die (which I've known for a while), I'll also be signing ARCs of Blood Bound. I'm very, very excited about this, and more than a little nervous. It's a new series, and it's very different from either my Shifters or my Soul Screamers worlds, and as eager as I am to be putting something new out into the world, I know that there are going to be people who like the Shifters series better (Soul Screamers is YA, and thus a completely different beast, IMO). It's already found its fans, and that's as it should be. But I'm hoping that the Unbound series will be able to stand on its own too, with both new and existing readers.

For those who have been asking about the new covers, I still don't have a final version of either the If I Die or Blood Bound covers, but I'm told that HQTeen will be showing off the If I Die cover around the middle of next month, in advance of the signings at BEA. I have seen the art (though not the final cover) and it is undeniably beautiful.

I have no idea when I'll be able to share the Blood Bound cover. But you'll see it as soon as I have permission. ;)

And now for some International release news:

The covers for the German translation of the Soul Screamers series are up, and the books are up for preorder from Amazon and straight from the publisher. I really love the British cover art, which the German editions are also using. Also, I love that the books are numbered in Germany. I get LOTS of questions in the US about what order the books should be read in.

Also, Rogue is up for pre-order in Sweden, Finland, and Norway. And My Soul To Steal (La rose et l'ombre, "The Rose and the Shadow") is up for preorder in France, but I haven't seen a cover for that one yet either.

If you're still with me after such a long post, check back in soon for an interview with and giveaway from HQTeen debut author Aimee Carter!

Character Q&A (and a winner)

And...once again I forgot to post the winner of last week's International Edition Giveaway. So here's the winner, better late than never:

Orlandovacationchef, whose comment began, "I met Brent Weeks, author of The Night Angle Trillogy and Black Prism when he came to Orlando to do a book signing. "

Orlando, please email me (rachelkvincentATgmailDOTcom) with your real name and shipping information and the book you've chosen from this list, and I'll put your prize in the mail, along with several others I still owe people.

Since it's already the middle of the week and this entry is already destined to be long, I'm not going to host an International Edition Giveaway this week, but they will resume next week, so check back then for another chance to win.

Yesterday I didn't want to blog about the same old stuff (completely forgot I had a winner to announce) so instead, I did a character Q&A on Facebook. I know those of you not on Facebook were left out, and I'm sorry about that, but the Q&A was impromptu, so no one really had much notice. And for those who missed it, I'm going to post the questions I chose and the answers from the Shifters characters below.

The Soul Screamers Q&A is still going, in case anyone not on Facebook wants to submit a question. You can leave them here, or in the original Facebook note. Here's how to play:

You may ask any of the Soul Screamers characters a question in the comments and I'll pick one per character to answer, later today. Unless we get more than one really awesome question for a specific character, in which case, I reserve the right to answer more than one.

Rules:

1. You must address the characters directly.
2. It won't do any good to ask them about something that hasn't happened yet in the Soul Screamers world, because none of them can see the future. Except maybe Avari. But he doesn't answer questions for free, unless your question highly amuses him, so good luck with that one.
3. No X rated questions.

And, here's the spoiler warning:

BOTH THE COMMENTS IN AND THE CONTENT OF THIS POST (BELOW THIS POINT) CONTAIN MAJOR SPOILERS FOR THE SHIFTERS AND SOUL SCREAMERS SERIES. READ AT YOUR OWN RISK.

Here are the questions the Shifters characters answered on Facebook yesterday:


Q: Faythe, who's the best kisser, Marc or Jace? I'd rather ask who's best on another level but I don't think I can say that here lol

Jace: How 'bout I answer that one...

-----

Q: Michael, it is possible you could "infect" your wife [...] it seems an option so you could have children. Has that occured to either of you?

Michael: I would NEVER intentionally infect Holly. Ever.

-----

Q: Kaci are you gunning for a chance at jace now?? You know 18 is not toooooooo far away ;)

Kaci: I'm spending spring break with his Pride. And I don't have to be 18. Faythe was only 16 when she and Marc first--

Faythe. Eighteen! You have to be eighteen.

Marc: Thirty.

-----

Q: Manx when will u say yes and marry Owen and how is baby DES??

Manx: I cannot answer a question that has not been asked. But I think he will ask. And then, I will answer.

Des is healthy and beautiful. He is sitting up now. And pulling hair. He smiles when Owen talks to him.

-----

Q: Marc, is there any part of you that is still not over the Faythe-Jace thing?

Marc: I wake up with her every morning. That's all that matters now.

-----

Q: Jace, is there really any point in asking about the colour of your underwear when it's more likely you aren't wearing any?

Jace: You're right. That would be a pointless question. ;)

-----

Q: Owen, plan on popping the question to Manx anytime in the near future? We're all dying for a wedding...

Owen: Great! Now she's going to think it was *your* idea!

-----

Q: Karen, you said your husband was your true love. If you you had the chance to be with your Live Wire again would you?

Karen: My live wire is still with his true love, and I wouldn't come between them for anything. Even if that were not true, I would rather live with Greg's memory than with anyone else in the world. I am where I belong, in the home he built, with the family we raised.

-----

Q: Faythe, do you have any regrets?

Faythe: Of course. I regret keeping secrets. I regret hurting people I love. I regret not killing Dean when I first had the chance. My dad was right about that. But changing anything I did then would mean potentially losing everything I have now.

Memory is bittersweet. Regrets and what-ifs are pointless. I look forward. And I keep walking.

In the middle of the night...

Last night, I stayed up too late and when I went to bed, instead of succumbing to sleep, my mind started writing a story. Something completely unconnected to anything I've written before. It was really weird. The lines just started playing in my head, along with the images. So I decided I'd better write them down.

At one am, I got up and connected my Mac keyboard to my iPad, so I wouldn't have to fire up my computer. (One advantage of my iPad is that it's instantly there and ready to go.) Exactly an hour later, I had exactly 2000 words. Again, it was really weird.

I was so tired while I was writing that one of the characters evidently named herself after a minor from Fallout 3.

I have no idea if this story will go anywhere. Goodness knows I don't have time for another novel right now. So maybe it'll be a short story. Not that I have time for that either, unless I'm willing to give up an hour of sleep in the middle of every night. But at least for that hour, I was kind of obsessed by this idea, this girl, and the incredibly tough choice she's facing. So maybe we'll meet again, this middle-of-the-night story and I. Or maybe not.

--------------------------

I've been promising this week's International Edition Giveaway for two weeks now, so this is me finally living up to my word! To enter this week's giveaway, leave me a comment telling me who the last author you met in person was, or which author you'd most like to meet, if you've never met one. (I've always wanted to meet Stephen King, but I'm fairly sure I'd make a total fool of myself!) One comment will be chosen at random and the winner will be announced on Monday. You must check back here see if you've won and claim your prize, or I will redraw a winner next week. Books up for grabs:

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

Please note that the Italian copies of Rogue were lightly damaged during shipping (dented spine). Also, two of the UK copies of MSTSave were slightly more lightly damaged during shipping (crimped cover, dented spine). I hate that that happened, but the books are still readable, so if you're looking for either edition...I have them.)

Also, next week I will have a different kind of giveaway. I have a couple of Enthralled ARCs and books signed by Kelley Armstrong and Melissa Marr from RT last week!

Back from LA!

I'm back, after nearly a week in LA for the 2011 Romantic Times Booklover's Convention! I had such a great week! I spoke on panels, signed books, participated in the Teen Day speed dating and speed reading, then ended this year's convention at the Teen Day party, where a couple hundred readers were given bags full of books, as well as the opportunity to wander around the room and get most of those books signed on the spot. Teen Day was a huge success, and I hope it happens again next year. ;)

But as much fun as all that official stuff is, I always look forward to conference/convention season for the opportunity to get caught up with a bunch of friends I rarely see in person. And inevitably, I meet someone new! This year, I got to hang out with a bunch of people I met on last year's Smart Chicks tour, as well as many, many fellow authors I already knew. I also got to put some faces to several Facebook/Twitter friends for whom I only knew screen names before.

There were lots of high heels, lots of coffee, several group dinners, and lots of familiar faces. I got to hear excerpts read aloud from Holly Black, Carrie Ryan, Anne Aguirre, Rosemary Clement Moore, Jennifer Lynne Barnes, Cassandra Clare, and Sarah Rees Brennan, all of which were awesome. That was one of the highlights for me--hearing the authors read their own work. (I also read from IF I DIE.)

I took home lots of books, including some signed by Kelley Armstrong and Melissa Marr, which I'll be giving away here soon. I also wound up with several ARCs of the ENTHRALLED anthology, but I was too distracted to actually get it signed by the 11 authors who were actually at RT this year, though I signed half a dozen of them myself.

I also forgot to take pictures. I think I took, maybe...two the entire time. And those were on my phone.

Anyway, I'll be posting this week's contest here tomorrow, but in closing my RT recap, I have to say that I am constantly and repeatedly awed by what an amazingly open and inclusive writing community I am blessed to have found. Particularly the YA community, which was heartily represented at this year's RT. (There was an unfortunate shortage of adult urban fantasy authors this year, for the most part, though I did see several I know or recognize, and many who write both YA and adult.) Every time I turned around, there was another smiling face or a friendly voice calling my name. Thank you so much, to everyone who kept me company!

In other news, I'm told after the fact that there were, in fact, IF I DIE bookmarks in the Teen Day giveaway bags, but that the cover they show is not the final version. That's the cover that is on the ARCs (I'll be signing them at BEA next month in NYC) and I'm hoping not to find it online before the official reveal, which should be coming up in the next few weeks. ;)

Romantic Times 2011

Tomorrow, I leave for L.A. Am I ready? Not even close. But I have compiled my schedule. Here's where I'll be next week, and what I'll be doing.

(And for your convenience, here's the master schedule for Teen Day and the Teen Day Facebook page!)

URBAN FANTASY: Worldbuilding in Urban Fantasy
Date: Wed, April 6, 2011
Time: 01:00 pm - 02:00 pm

Bestselling urban fantasy authors discuss designing characters/creatures, new directions in urban fantasy, research and how to build and manage the details of fantasy worlds that will sustain a series and draw readers in!

Captain: Richelle Mead
Moderator: Jackie Morse Kessler
Panelists: Kelley Armstrong, P.N. Elrod, Rachel Vincent, Jaye Wells

YOUNG ADULT: The Never-Ending Story: YA Series and Sequels
Date: Wed, April 6, 2011
Time: 04:45 pm - 05:45 pm

Successful series dominate the YA market, but selling and writing a series comes with a unique set of challenges. Join four bestselling series writers as they talk about the appeal of series to a teen audience — and how to keep readers coming back, book after book, without losing your sanity somewhere along the way.

Moderator: Jennifer Lynn Barnes
Panelists: Melissa de la Cruz, Stacey Kade, Carrie Ryan, Rachel Vincent

Giant Book Fair
Date: Saturday, April 9, 2011
Time: 11am-2pm

I believe I'll be signing Alpha and My Soul To Steal, and whatever anyone else brings me to sign, of course.

TEEN DAY
Date: Saturday, April 9, 2011

2:30-3:30 AUTHOR SPEED-DATING (Session 1) Lightning fast rounds of small-group conversation with some of our phenomenal Young Adult authors. NOTE: Sign-ups required. Seating is limited.

AUTHORS: Richelle Mead, Alyson Noel, Ally Carter, Rachel Vincent, Margaret Stohl, Mari Mancusi, Simone Elkeles, Colleen Houck, Nikki Carter, Jennifer Lynn Barnes

3:45-4:45 pm AUTHOR SPEED-READING (Session 2) Meet more authors in this continuation of Author Speed Reading with a host of Young Adult authors will read very short excerpts from their latest and future books in these timed YA fiction readings.

AUTHORS: Sarah Rees Brennan, Holly Black, Cassie Clare, Ann Aguirre, Carrie Ryan, Rosemary Clement-Moore, Jennifer Lynn Barnes, Kristi Cooke, Kim Derting, Rachel Vincent

6:00-7:30 pm TEEN PARTY A lively, fun Teen Party will follow the sessions and lots of giveaways are planned. At the party you’ll meet YA panelists as well as all of the YA authors who signed at the book fair. FREE Gift Bags filled with goodies to the the first 250 TEENS who register as well as music and refreshments! Swag Bags will only be given out to adults if there are any left after ALL THE TEENS HAVE RECEIVED THEIRS.