Double prizes! [Edited]

As you may or may not know, Vicki Petterson and I are release buddies, for, I believe, the first time ever! Today, City of Souls officially hits the shelf, and tomorrow is the official release date for Prey! And to celebrate, I'm giving them both away here!

About the books:

The Fourth Sign of the Zodiac

CITY OF SOULS

Joanna Archer, Agent of Light, has survived a violent initiation into the paranormal world lurking behind the seedy seams of Las Vegas. She's found a home, friends, and even the chance for a new life and love.

But evil never rests, and to save her beloved city, and herself, Joanna must venture into a new world hidden among the shadows, one where the line between good and evil is barely visible, every agent is a rogue ... and each breath could be her last.

Click here and take the link to read an excerpt.

AND

Shifters Book Four

PREY

SOMETIMES PLAYING CAT AND MOUSE IS NO GAME...

Play? Right. My Pride is under fire from all sides, my father's authority is in question, and my lover is in exile. Which means I haven't laid eyes on Marc's gorgeous face in months. And with a new mother and an I-know-everything teenager under my protection, I don't exactly have time to fantasize about ever seeing him again.

Then our long-awaited reunion is ruined by a vicious ambush by strays. Now our group is under attack, Marc is missing, and I will need every bit of skill and smarts to keep my family from being torn apart. Forever.

Click here to read an excerpt (from the second chapter) in PDF format.

If you're interested, leave a comment here telling me either your zodiac sign or which of my werecats you'd most like to meet. This is a short-n-dirty giveaway, so you only have until 11:59 pm (central) on Thursday to enter.

I will ship anywhere. Okay, start commenting!

And scroll down for a list of other places you can win Prey. ;-)

P.S. HAPPY RELEASE DAY, VICKI!

Delusions (and a mini-excerpt)

Prey will officially be out in two short days, but it's already available just about everywhere, and to my delight and complete astonishment the reviews so far have been overwhelmingly positive.

[Note: I know, I'm not supposed to be reading reviews, for my own sanity, but they keep finding me!] But this latest one made my day for a very interesting reason.

As an author, I don't expect everyone to like all of my books. That would be unreasonable. (Okay, maybe in the beginning, I harbored such delusions, but I outgrew them quickly.) Liviana did not like the first two books in my Shifters series, and if memory serves, Pride left her on the fence. So imagine how surprised and thrilled I was to see this.

Excerpts from the review:

I love it when I stick to a series and it pays off. With Rachel Vincent's Werecat books, the first two just didn't work for me, but were so close to working that I couldn't resist continuing. I mentioned in my review of Pride that I felt it was a running leap in the right direction, which makes Prey the right direction.

[...]

Like Faythe, the Werecats series has grown up. I loved seeing the potential reached, with brutal fight scenes interspersed with drama. (I think even if I weren't a total softie Vincent would have made me cry with this one.) I cannot wait for the fifth book to come out. On that hand, I am happy with the quick release between Pride and this one. I like that publishers are experimenting with schedules if the author already has the next book completed. To me, it helps the story keep momentum. Of course, Prey is fast-paced enough not to need much help with that.

I love this review, because it tells me that I am growing as writer, and that is one of my biggest life-goals. I don't ask for perfection from myself. (Okay, sometimes I'm delusional about that possibility too.) But I do ask for improvement. Progression. And it feels so good to think I'm actually achieving it. ;-)

Now for the giveaway round up, new stuff first...

There are two new interview/giveaways today:

• Amberkatze's is here.
• And Fangtastic Books is having one here.

Also, here's where else you can win a signed copy of Prey:

• Cinnamon Brown is doing an interview with both me and Faythe, and has thrown in a truly spectacular giveaway here. And I'm answering questions there as well.
• There's a giveaway and an interview with Jackie here.
• Jessica is hosting a giveaway here.
• And my Kindle giveaway at Bitten By Books is still going on, of course. I've been answering questions there all week.

And... The awesome Melissa Marr is giving away 6 autographed ARCs of MY SOUL TO TAKE and 3 un-signed copies of the LJ Smith 2 books in one omnibus (containing The Awakening & the Struggle). Click here to enter. I think you have to register and number your entry, but it's open to everyone.

Now for today's mini-excerpt:

Warning! Spoiler ahead! Read at your own risk!!

“Faythe, I need a… um…” Manx paused and closed her eyes, probably searching for the right word in English. “A favor.” She met my eyes again, and depth of her gaze alone emphasized the importance of whatever she was about to say.

“Yes?” I held my breath and could hear both our hearts beating. No, all three of our hearts.

“If I die, will you take Desiderio home? To your mother? I have not asked her, but I think she will take him.”

For a moment I was so horrified by the necessity of such a question that I couldn’t answer. I’d known arrangements would have to be made for Des, just in case. But Manx making those arrangements herself, less than twelve hours before the start of her trial?

I could barely even conceive of that kind of courage.

Roundup

Okay, I have a bit of a link roundup to show off today.

First the new stuff:

The awesome Melissa Marr is giving away 6 autographed ARCs of MY SOUL TO TAKE and 3 un-signed copies of the LJ Smith 2 books in one omnibus (containing The Awakening & the Struggle). Click here to enter. I think you have to register and number your entry, but it's open to everyone.

And...The SciFiGuy has posted an awesome review of Prey. Here's a little bit of it:

Faythe has many sides – the lover, the enforcer/warrior, the mentor, the sister and the planner and strategist. She is becoming increasing complex, maturing and growing in scope with each book and is evolving into one of strongest and most engaging urban fantasy characters in the genre today. The werecat society is fully realized and fascinating as always. Its harsh rules and codes of behaviour are cleverly reflected in character motivations and actions.

No one emerges unscathed or unchanged from the events that unfold in Prey. Political sides are drawn and the Pride is left poised on the brink of war. Faythe more than ever is stepping into her role as her father’s future successor to lead the Pride. Shift coming in March 2010 promises to be once heck of a story. If you haven’t read the series, I highly recommend you grab the first three books as well and dig in. You won’t be disappointed.

The rest of the review is here, but it does contain a minor spoiler, so read at your own risk. ;-)

Also, here's where you can win a copy of Prey:

• Cinnamon Brown is doing an interview with both me and Faythe, and has thrown in a truly spectacular giveaway here.
• There's a giveaway and an interview with Jackie here.
• Jessica is hosting a giveaway here.
• And my Kindle giveaway at Bitten By Books is still going on, of course. I've been answering questions there all week.

And the winner is...

[Scroll down for a comparison of U.S. and UK covers...]

Oops! I forgot to announce the winner of Faythe's neckace and a signed copy of Prey. But the random number generator has spoken, and the winner is:

Kara Hillman, who wrote:
"stray was actually my first dive into paranormal reading. i picked it up and fell in love. i haven't been able to put them down since. "

Kara, please email me (rachelATrachelvincentDOTcom) with your mailing address, and I'll put your prizes in the mail!

And thanks to Liz for the reminder. ;-)

Can you spot the difference?

Last week I mentioned that Rogue and Pride will be out in the UK in August, but I didn't have images to show off. I do now! So I'm taking a short break in the Prey promo parade to do a cover comparison. (Though there are links at the end of this post, which will take you to several places on the Prey virtual tour.)

(The US images are slightly bigger here, but not on the actual covers.)

Okay, on the left is the U.S. version, and on the right is the UK one. The art is the same, but they've used a different font for the text, and they've used the Kelley Armstrong quote instead of the Gena Showalter one. Very subtle differences, and I haven't seen the back cover yet, so I don't know if the blurb changed or not, but I suspect it did. They wrote a new one for Stray, when it came out in the UK.

And here's Pride. On the left is the U.S. version, and on the right is the UK version. Again, the cover art itself is the same, but they've changed the fonts and exchanged the Gena Showalter quote for the one from Kim Harrison. And this time they've added a tagline, which I love! Though it makes the scratch marks a little harder to see on her stomach.

Thoughts?

Before you ask, I honestly don't know the reasoning behind the changes. They're very minor, but I do like them. They give the UK version a slightly different feel. Let's hope it sells books! ;-)

Where you can find Prey today:

• There's a giveaway and an interview with Jackie here.
• I wrote a guest blog for Jessica here, where I discussed my decision to make Marc a stray, rather than a natural-born Pride cat. And I believe she's doing a review and a giveaway later today.
• And my Kindle giveaway at Bitten By Books is still going on, of course. I'll be in there later today to answer more questions.
• And Cinnamon Brown is doing an interview with both me and Faythe, and has thrown in a truly spectacular giveaway here.

Mini-excerpt 3 (and more giveaways)

Less than a week to go, and here's where you can find Prey being given away today:

• There's a giveaway and an interview with Jackie here.
• I have a guest blog going up very soon here, where Jessica will also be giving away a copy of Prey, I believe.
• And my Kindle giveaway at Bitten By Books is still going on, of course.

I've closed last week's blog contest (Faythe's necklace and a signed copy of Prey) and will be posting the winner's name tomorrow, so check back to see if you won!

Also, if you like the cover for My Soul to Take, go vote for it here! It's a Clash of the Covers!

And finally, today's mini-excerpt from Prey:

SPOILER WARNING!!! READ AT YOUR OWN RISK!


-
-
-


We burst through the backdoor almost as one. At my first glimpse of Jace—a deep shadow in the pre-dawn darkness—my feet froze on the porch, and my breathing quickened with shock. Owen ran right into me. He would have knocked me down all four steps if my dad hadn’t caught me.

My father paused only long enough to right me, then raced across the backyard with the speed of a much younger man.

Jace was halfway between the tree line and the back door, jogging unsteadily, his arms held awkwardly in front of his chest. When he stepped into the light from the guesthouse porch, I saw that he carried Kaci in both arms. Her head bobbed limply near his right shoulder, her hair brushing his hip with each step. Her legs dangled from his other arm, one foot bare. Blood dripped steadily from either his right arm or her head, staining the dead grass with a trail of fat, red drops.

Want more? Prey is shipping from most places and will be available in book stores all over the U.S. and Canada on July 1. It's available right now in most Borders stores. ;-)

Mini excerpt 2

Today's your last day to enter to win Faythe's necklace and a signed copy of Prey. For details, click here.

Also, my Q&A/Kindle giveaway is still going on here at Bitten By Books.

And... here's today's mini-excerpt from near the middle of Prey:

Minor SPOILER WARNING!!




“You ready to place nice?” I stood my ground well within Yarnell’s personal space, and for a moment, I thought he’d clam up again—thought he’d actually rather die than tell me what I wanted to know. But then he spoke, eyes flashing in fury, face tensed against pain. His every movement spoke of injury, and I’d never in my life faced anyone who truly hated me until that moment.

Don’t get me wrong. I piss a lot of people off. But beneath the anger, everyone else I’d ever met had wanted me for something. Even Andrew. Beneath the murderous fury I’d witnessed in the last moments of his life, there was a heart-breaking familiarity in his eyes, a sense of my betrayal which had fractured some crucial part of his humanity. Part of him—most of him probably—had wanted me dead. But there was still that small kernel of hope deep inside him, hopelessly smothered by devastating rage, that wanted me to save him. To take it all back and give him peace.

I saw none of that in Peter Yarnell.

Curious? Find out who Pete Yarnell is and what Faythe wants from him in Prey, available July 1, 2009.

The Big One

Okay, there are nine days until the official release date for Prey (though you can probably find it in your local bookstore some time later this week), and while I panic and fumble my way through fears, doubts, and a promotional blitz, I have something better for you to do. Today is the start of my virtual release party at Bitten By Books, where I'm giving away one grand prize, and ten consolation prizes.

The grand prize: a Kindle 2

The consolation prize: a signed copy of Prey

So if you're interested in either of those (or if you have questions for me), pop on over to BBB and read the instructions. There are about a million ways to enter, some requiring more work than others (and the more labor-intensive ways=more entries), but it can be as easy as leaving a question for me at BBB, if you're short on time or just like to do things the easy way.

And... several more spoiler-free reviews for Prey went up this weekend. If you want to hear what people are saying about it so far, here are reviews by:

Literary Escapism

Virginia, at Bitten By Books

Amberkatze

And finally, you have two days left to enter to win Faythe's necklace and a signed copy of Prey here.

Check back often. Over the next week there will be several interviews and contests going up, and at least two more mini-excerpts!

Don't forget to RSVP! (and a mini-excerpt)

Click here to RSVP (and receive 50 extra entries) for my virtual release party at Bitten By Books. Party starts tomorrow...!



And to whet your appetites (or just to tease you mercilessly), here's the first mini-excerpt, from a fight scene in the first third of Prey:

Minor SPOILER! Proceed at your own risk...






On my left, Ethan dropped to one knee, swinging his hatchet up. The blade caught a stray beneath his jaw, and almost cleaved the cat’s head from his neck. The body hit the ground with a nauseating two-part thud—first the torso, then the nearly-detached skull—and Ethan was in motion again. I would have been impressed, if I’d had time to think about it.

But I didn’t, because Vic screamed on my brother’s other side, near the end of the car. Then he stumbled into view and fell to the gravel on his rump. The cat he’d been fighting pounced, driving his shoulders to the ground.

“Ethan!” I shouted in mid-swing, because my brother was closest. He glanced at me, then followed my gaze to Vic.

“I’m on it.” He lunged to the left, swinging the ax up even as he dove for Vic’s shovel. His blow glanced off the nearest cat, but he came up with a weapon in each hand. Swinging wildly now, Ethan knocked the cat off Vic with the shovel, then threw the ax end over end so fast I could hardly trace it. The blade thunked into the side of another cat, who dropped to the ground, chest heaving and pouring blood.

Want more? Head to your local book store on July 1, and if you can't find Prey on your own, ask a clerk. Sometimes my books are shelved in romance, sometimes in fantasy, sometimes in general fiction.

And... check back here soon for more mini-excerpts!

Rogue and Pride in the UK!

For those of you who have askd about a UK release of Rogue and Pride (Stray is already available across the pond), I have good news! It looks like they'll both be out in the UK on August 21. ;-)

For a look at the UK covers, click here. As with Stray, the artwork is the same, but the fonts and cover quote have changed. I haven't seen the back of these covers yet, but I wouldn't be surprised if they have different cover copy (summaries) too.

Also, if you haven't entered the current contest (for Faythe's necklace and a signed copy of Prey), scroll down for details...

And, don't forget about this one, coming up next week!

New review and a giveaway!

Wasn't I just saying yesterday that I hadn't seen many reviews for Prey?

Romantic Times Magazine gave Prey 4 stars, and I'm thrilled by their review!

Vincent continues to impress with the freshness of her approach and voice. Action and intrigue abound, and Faythe is still a delight. The use of her first-person viewpoint limits the plot's scope a little, but it adds more than it takes away.

Summary: While accompanying werecat tabby Manx to her hearing in Atlanta, enforcer Faythe Sanders and her fellow Pride members meet up with Faythe's exiled lover, Marc Ramos. They barely survive an attack by a group of strays, then Faythe is called home to deal with another problem: Teenage tabby Kaci Dillon still refuses to shift, and it could kill her.

No sooner has Faythe begun to make progress with Kaci than another crisis arises: Marc is abducted, and the quantity of blood found at the scene suggests he may not have survived the attack. Faythe refuses to believe Marc is dead and sets off with her new partner, Parker, to find him. In the process, they uncover a conspiracy -- and come to a sobering conclusion. Werecat war is brewing, and there's nothing they can do to stop it. (MIRA, Jul., 400 pp., $7.99)

And, with 14 days until the official release date, as promised, here’s this week’s giveaway….

Up for grabs:

A signed copy of Prey and the necklace Faythe wears on the covers of Rogue, Pride, and Prey, described by the manufacturer (Guess) as a, “silver-tone chain link choker.”

If you’re interested (and yes, guys can enter too), leave a comment in this post telling me where you first discovered the Shifters series, even if you haven’t read the books yet. In the store? Online? Recommended by a friend?

Rules:

• You must sign your comment; I can't send a prize to "anonymous."
• One entry per person
• You qualify to enter if you haven't already read or been promised a copy of Prey, even if you live outside the continental US.

I will close the comments at 11:59 pm on Tuesday, June 23, and will announce the winner the next day.

Dizzy

I was a bit stunned when I looked at the calendar today. Prey comes out in two weeks. It'll probably be on the shelves in some places in one week or less. I haven't seen many reviews for it yet, but the ones I have seen have all been favorable so far. But I have to admit, this kind of feels like the calm before the storm.

I just turned in Shift and am now working on edits for My Soul to Take. After that, I have to write another short story in Kaylee's world (though Kaylee isn't in it) that's due very soon. Then the releases begin.

On July 1, you should be able to get Prey in any bookstore in the US and Canada, if you haven't already found it.

Also on July 1, you'll be able to get My Soul to Lose, the free e-book prequel to my Soul Screamers series.

On August 1, my Soul Screamers series officially debuts with My Soul to Take.

And if everything goes well, there will be another short story set in that world making the rounds in October (details on that one coming soon...)

So, honestly, I don't expect to be incredibly coherent for most of the rest of the summer. Between nerves, deadlines, and the Louisiana heat, I'm expecting to melt into a puddle of Rachel-goo any day now.

But I'm still working on promo. I sent out three online interviews in the past few days, wrote a Dear Reader letter for Borders (such a cool opportunity!), and will be sending out more review copies and bookmarks to those who asked for them very soon. And... today I ordered three of the necklaces Faythe wears on the covers of my Shifters books. I'm keeping one, and will be giving the other two away, along with signed copies of Prey. So check in tomorrow for that one.

And don't forget this:

Marc who?

First, the business: Wow, the thus-far-complete signed set of Shifters books got the biggest turnout I've ever had in a contest, by a good 50 entries. We wound up with 333 qualifying comments, and I truly can't believe the response. You guys give me hope, and you make me smile. ;-)

And, the random number generator has spoken! The winner is: tetewa, whose comment began,
"I'm always looking for new authors and series to read..."

Tetewa, please email me (rachelATrachelvincentDOTcom) with your name and address, and I'll put your books in the mail.

Everyone else, thanks so much for entering, and please check back soon for the next contest!

Now, the craft:

Writing the Shifters books is getting harder, and I think that’s a good thing, because it means I’m pushing myself and my characters to the limits of what we can do/take. And that’s exciting. And hopefully it has a big emotional payoff in the end.

But if you saw my Tweets last night, you saw how frustrating that process can be, when you’re just not getting it right.

That’s right. I wasn’t getting it right. Shift is the eleventh full length novel I’ve written, so you might think I’d have this down cold by now. But you’d be wrong. You see, every book is its own beast. Some more beastly than others.

So what was the problem?

On Tuesday, my CP made one of those suggestions that can change a book. (Fortunately, in this case it only changed the last quarter of the book, because that trickle-down process can be a real pain.) This particular idea was one we’d discussed months ago, when I was plotting the book. I even wrote it into the synopsis. But in the end, it didn’t happen, because I couldn’t figure out exactly how and when to do it.

Rinda figured out the when for me, and I knew instantly that she was right. She’d found the perfect place in the story for this particular emotional bombshell. But even with her awesome suggestions and prompts, I had to figure out the how on my own, and that involved quite a lot of in-depth work with Marc.

Back when I was writing Stray, there was a point at which the novel completely stalled out: that scene when he and Faythe are fighting in her room. I couldn’t write that scene, because I didn’t really know Marc—didn’t know where he was coming from—so I couldn’t peg his reactions. His motivations.

So Marc and I had a chat. No, not literally. I’m not one of those writers who wanders around in a daze talking to her characters in public. Or in private. Instead, I opened a new document and wrote Marc’s back story. The only think I knew at that point was that he had nowhere else to go. Faythe and the south-central Pride were his entire world, and he’d do anything to keep and protect them both. So I wrote the history he’d need to have to get to that point in his life.

Last night I felt like I was getting to know Marc all over again. It took me all day long, and two complete re-drafts of a couple of pivotal chapters, to get it right. To make sure that his part of this book is authentic (true to character) and emotionally wrenching—for both him and Faythe—without stalling out the story.

I think I did it. If not, I got awfully close, and hopefully a little distance between now and the time my edit letter arrives with give me that last, crucial bit of perspective.

So, all that’s left for Shift (for this go-‘round) is fixing a few typos Rinda caught. Then I will turn the manuscript in. Today. And none too soon, because stuff has piled up behind this book in the queue. I have a short story with a very tight deadline, half-a dozen interviews to complete, and Rinda’s entire book to critique.

Better get hoppin’…

Link stew!

I posted at the Deadline Dames this morning about my critiquing relationship with Dame Rinda. Head on over to read some comments she left in the margins of SHIFT. Am I a glutton for punishment?

Maybe... ;-)

Also, today's your last day to enter to win the thus-far-complete, signed set of Shifters books. Click here for details.

It's also your last day to enter my discussion-group-only contest (I'm giving away 2 early copies of Prey), so if you're a member, head on over here to enter. So far, that one only has about a quarter of the entries the blog contest has, so your chances of winning are greatly improved!

Who's your heroine?

[Scroll down to read today's other post...]

Oops! I forgot.

In this week's BBB poll, Faythe is up for favorite heroine, and she's kind of getting stomped (which would never happen in real life!). By some really awesome characters, but still... ;-)

If you'd like to show your love, click here to vote!

Oh, and last week, Jace was voted best sidekick!

Done! Kind of...

I was up until nearly 2 a.m., but I did finish revising Shift last night. Er, early this morning. That's the good news. The bad news is that I'm far from happy with the last chapter/scene, but I'm not sure how to fix it. It may have to be scrapped completely and redone from scratch. I'm hoping my editor and/or CP will have some suggestions.

Of course, those suggestions will probably sound something like, "Yeah, Rachel, you're gonna have to scrap that last chapter and start again from scratch." ;-)

But other than that, I'm pretty happy with this one. It has the most sexual tension of any book in the series so far, and though it isn't quite as angsty as Prey, Faythe is in a very tough place in this one, both personally and politically. Oh, and physically. And psychologically.

Don't worry; that'll make sense in March, 2010. ;-)

Oh, and there's a new Shifter species in this one! Have I already mentioned that? ;-)

Today I'm going through my CP's notes for Shift and hopefully critiquing a couple of her chapters. And I'll be online a lot, trying to ramp things up for the Prey release. Twenty-one days and counting. Which means it'll probably realistically be on the shelves in just over two weeks.

Why? I'm not sure. I think some bookstores just put them out as soon as they receive the box, so you might get lucky and catch an early copy, if you keep your eyes open. And if you can't find Prey on release day (July 1), just ask a book store employee, who can either find it for you, or order it.

I've heard that a lot of places don't have Stray in stock, so if you're looking to start the series from the beginning and can't find it in stores, you can either order it online, or have the book store order it.

Or, you can click here to enter to win a thus-far-complete, signed set. Two days left to enter!

Wow. Three weeks till release day. I'm officially terrified. You'd think this would get easier with three releases under my belt, but I swear it's only getting harder. Especially for this particular book. I took some serious risks in Prey--stepped outside my (and Faythe's) comfort zone. But they say that if you don't take risks, you can't make gains. And I'm hoping this book will really affect readers, one way or another.

This is me, crossing my fingers...!

Clarification

I had a very long weekend involving very little work, so today I'm about to hit the rewrites of Shift and work non-stop until I get it done. No sleep until it's over. Fortunately, I got 9.5 hours of sleep last night--the most I've had in... well, I can't remember getting more sleep than that since my early 20s. Seriously. ;-)

Unfortunately, we're out of coffee.

But before I dive into my work, I have a couple of points of clarification on the contest currently underway. In case you haven't seen, I'm giving away a complete, signed set of Shifters books, leading up to the release of Prey on July 1

Clarification the first: This is not technically a complete set, because the last two books (SHIFT and ALPHA) won't be out until 2010. So this is a thus-far-complete set. ;-)

Clarification the second: My Shifters books are NOT YA. They are not for young adults.

I'm very sorry for the confusion over this. I knew (or at least hoped) I'd reach lots of new, younger readers with my upcoming YA debut (Soul Screamers), but it honestly never occurred to me that those new (potential) readers would assume all of my work is YA.

The Shifters series (Stray, Rogue, Pride, and Prey so far) contain language, graphic violence, and one open-door sex scene per book, which would give them the movie equivalent of an R rating. They are NOT erotica or horror, but neither are they YA. They're not found in the YA section in book stores, and are labeled appropriately on online sales sites.

Whew. Hopefully that's clear now, and I'll be labeling them "adult" and "YA" (as appropriate) on my website and blog. And again, I'm so sorry for the confusion. ;-)

Now, off to work!

Complete set!

Since I now have my personal copies of Prey, I'm officially ready to kick off the new release excitement by giving away a complete, signed set of all four (available) Shifters books. That's Stray, Rogue, Pride, and Prey.

If you already have the first three and you win these, let me suggest that you pass your previous copies on to another fan of the genre. If you haven't read the Shifters books, here's your chance to win the whole series at once! And, of course, Prey won't be available in stores for another three weeks or so. (Until July 1)

This giveaway is open to anyone who (isn't related to me and) hasn't already read Prey or been promised a copy, even if you live outside the continental US. I will ship anywhere the US Post Office will deliver.

To enter, answer one of the following questions in the comments section of this post before 11:59 pm on Wednesday, June 10. Also, please sign your entry. I can't give out a prize to "Anonymous."

Question A: If you've already read the series, which is your favorite Shifters book so far?

or

Question B: If you haven't read the Shifters books, why have you decided to give them a try now?

Note: If you haven't read the series, you may want to skip reading the other comments when you leave yours, to avoid spoilers.

Also, if you're interested in winning an ARC of My Soul to Take, click here, where Katiebabs is giving it away, along with an ARC of Gena Showalter's Intertwined.

Author copies!

The FedEx guy just delivered my author copies of Prey! See?!

So, naturally, I'm itching to give some away! Check back tomorrow for details (or check the discussion group tonight, if you're a member).

And until then, if you're a Jace fan, head over to the Bitten by Books and check out the Savvy Sidekicks poll. I've never really thought of Jace as sidekick, but if you like him, this is a great way to show it, and this particular poll is pretty timely, because Prey is fairly Jace-heavy. Also Ethan-heavy, for the record. ;-)

Anyway, be sure to comment in the BBB post, if you vote. I believe (the other) Rachel is giving away another prize to one lucky commenter.

Winners! (And the big one)

I have a list of winners from the most recent of my giveaways, so if you entered, read on...!

- The winner of the ARC of My Soul to Take is:

Nicole H, who said...

I read YA because I preread for my newly turned teen.

- The winner of an early copy of Prey from the favorite paranormal couple contest was:

Amberkatze, who has not yet claimed her prize

- The winner of the Deadline Dames contest for an early copy of Prey was:

Cyndi Fuller who said:

KINDLE!! I read so fast, its the only way to go.

Okay, I think that's everyone. Winners, please contact me (rachelATrachelvincentDOTcom) with your name and mailing address, and I'll put your winnings in the mail.

Now for the other contest news...

With all the excitement for my debut YA and the HQTeen launch (which I love), I feel like Prey is kind of getting forgotten, and that's really sad, because I think it's the best of the Shifters books yet. As I've said several times before, Prey is the book that changes everything for Faythe and her family/Pride, and if you're enjoying the Shifters series, you do not want to miss this book. So, in order to drum up a little excitement, I'm trying something different.

I'm teaming up with Bitten By Books (who will host the contest) and Mira Books (who will donate 10 consolation prize copies of Prey) to do this:

And here's a smaller version, which I'll probably be putting in my own sidebar.

I've never tried anything quite like this, so I guess we'll see how it goes. Check back toward the middle of the month for details on how to enter. And, of course, check back more often than that, just because. ;-)

BEA: the long version

BEA was the best convention I’ve ever attended. I signed Pride once, My Soul To Take twice, got lots of quality time with both Agent and Editor, met tons of booksellers and librarians, (briefly) saw lots of friends, met several authors I’d never met, and even saw a little bit of NYC. Though someday I hope to be able to stay in the city for more than 50 hours.

I arrived around noon on Thursday, and went with Gena Showalter to our publisher’s office, where I saw several editors and assistants I hadn’t seen in a year and a half, then went to lunch with my editor (Mary Theresa Hussey), Gena’s editor (Margo Lipschultz), Natashya Wilson (head of the HQTeen line), Gena, and PC Cast. Later that afternoon, Gena and I tried to get a cab in the rain (turns out we’re very, very bad at this—also turns out you should get in the cab first, then tell the driver where you want to go!). Neither of us had brought an umbrella, so my hair… well, it had definitely seen better days. So naturally, Gena thought we should take a picture.

Here we are trying to dry out in the cab.

On Friday, I arrived at BEA an hour and a half too early, and passed the time with the worst iced mocha ever made. Seriously. I didn’t notice that the barista had neglected to mix it until I’d taken the first drink—which was a mouthful of chocolate syrup. By then I was nowhere near the “Starbucks” stand, and confrontation over a bad cup of coffee seemed like a bad way to start the day. So I stirred it myself. Because when you get right down to it, caffeine is caffeine, even if it tastes awful. Right?

When the convention opened, I wandered around taking everything in, then did a podcast interview for What's Hot in Romance BlogTalkRadio, during which I read an excerpt from My Soul to Take. I’ll post a link when that one goes up.

After the interview (which I’m hoping I didn’t mess up too badly), I headed over to the Harlequin booth to sign copies of Pride, along with several other HQ authors.

This is the Harlequin signing table, in the center of the booth.

This is the big, backlit poster of My Soul To Take, right next to the front entrance of the booth. Below mine is Gena's cover.

This is the huge picture of my cover art (yes, that's Kaylee!) on one of the pillars of the entrance. You can't tell from this shot, but the other side has the other half of my cover art.

I was afraid no one would want Pride, since it’s not a new release or an ARC, but I had a line the whole time. In fact, when our signing was technically over and the Kimani authors arrived to start setting up, Gena and I both still had lines, so they moved us to the side of the booth so we could finish. I know I sign slowly and tend to chat a lot with the readers, but when I ran out of books, there were still several people in line, and we had to turn them away. I was thrilled with the turnout, even though I hate to leave people empty handed.

After the signing, my editor took me to lunch at Mustang Sally’s with Maria V. Snyder and her husband. This was a great chance to pick our editor’s brain about behind-the-scenes stuff, and Maria and I both took full advantage. Also, my reuben was very good. ;-)

That night, my editor took me and my agent to the Shake Shack in Madison Square Park for burgers and hot dogs. I had a hotdog on a potato bun with sour kraut. It was awesome! Then Miriam showed us the agency’s new office space, which was only a few blocks away, before my editor and I headed to the HQ invitation-only cocktail party.

This is the squirrel who ate the last of my potato bun. ;-)

The cocktail party was amazing. They’d set up an exhibition at a gallery, featuring tons of original (commissioned) paintings used for cover art on a bunch of the older (and some not-so-older) Harlequin historical and westerns. Beneath each of the paintings were plaques telling what they were from, and who painted them, and where the titles fit into the HQ lines, and a bunch of stuff like that. Fascinating! And they’d invited several of the actual artists, and at least one of the cover models. She still looked stunning, even fifteen years later.

On Saturday, I went to breakfast with Jennifer Lynn Barnes and Sarah Cross, both of whom are very bad for my self-esteem. They’re both so smart, and cute, and young, it would be easy to hate them, if they weren’t also so incredibly friendly.

Then we headed back to BEA in time for the official launch of the HQ Teen line. The Harlequin booth was already packed when I got there, 30 minutes early. A line had already formed, trailing out of the (huge) HQ booth and into the next one. It was… surreal. Exciting.

This is the line, before the signing started.

And there were tee-shirts! Gena had black boy-style tees for Intertwined, and I had white baby-doll style tees for My Soul to Take. I snagged one for my awesome CP and one for myself, before they were all gone. ;-)

Again, there was never a break in my line, and this time we had to turn down many more people than the day before. And… I gave away all of my gorgeous bookmarks! Yes, all of them. I knew I should have ordered more. So, if I’ve promised you bookmarks, they’re coming. I’m reordering, I swear.

Fortunately, most of the people who didn’t get a copy of My Soul to Take at the HQ booth showed up at the RWA booth the next hour, where I signed with Melissa Marr, who had copies of Fragile Eternity. We both ran out of books in 20 minutes. Seriously. Our line wrapped around the booth and down the aisle. It was amazing, and now I’m crossing my fingers that most people who snagged one of my ARCs will like the story.

After the signing, my agent took me to Max Brenner, where we had brunch (and I had a white hot chocolate with a shot of espresso), followed by the most awesome chocolate pizza I’ve ever had. Seriously. I’m ashamed by how much of it I ate, but I think the memory will see me through all the miles it’ll take to walk it off. ;-)

Then Agent showed me the oldest Barnes and Noble and a really cool neo-gothic church on the way back to my hotel, before putting me in a cab heading toward the airport.
I was only in NYC for 50 hours, but it was seriously an amazing trip. I’m sorry there are so few pictures. It’s kind of hard to take them while I’m signing, but I’m hoping that some people who did take some will share them. ;-)

Oh, and tomorrow I’ll be posting the winner of the My Soul To Take ARC, and reposting the names of all my other recent winners, to give people a second chance to claim their prizes. So, check back then!