YA stuff

I approved the bio for my second young adult novel, My Soul To Save, this morning, and that's put me in the mood to talk YA, even though I'm writing chapter 10 of ALPHA (Shifters series, adult) today. So...

I just posted a mini-excerpt from the first chapter of My Soul To Save in my discussion group, in the thread of the same name. If you're interested, go take a look, but absolutely no pasting of that excerpt anywhere else. I'm serious. Membership, privileges, and all that jazz. ;-)

Also, since I last mentioned next year's YA paranormal tour, several cities/bookstores have been confirmed, so I'm pasting the info below. If you want to friend the tour group on Facebook, suggest your city, or follow the progress as things are confirmed, click here.

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Sept 2010 Tour * 8 Cities * 6 Authors/City * All YA Paranormal

Our Tour, Our Way Author tours are usually organized by the publisher. All we have to do is show up, which is great, but we started thinking maybe we'd like to try something different. Organize our own tour, just the way we want it. Pick the cities. Pick the authors. Organize the events. So, in Sept 2010, we'll do just that.

It's Your Tour, Too Setting up our own tour is great. But it's not really about us. It's about the readers--getting out and meeting them. We'll be looking for input from readers to help us make this the kind of tour they want, too. And because we can't get to every city, we'll also be setting up a virtual tour component. We're still in the planning stages, but watch this page for more details.

Who:
Appearing at Every Stop
Melissa Marr http://www.melissa-marr.com/
Alyson Noel http://www.alysonnoel.com/
Kelley Armstrong http://www.kelleyarmstrong.com/

Appearing at 2-3 Stops
Holly Black http://www.blackholly.com/
Cassandra Clare http://www.cassandraclare.com/

Appearing at 1-2 Stops
Jennifer Lynn Barnes http://www.jenniferlynnbarnes.com/
Sarah Rees Brennan http://www.sarahreesbrennan.com/
Rachel Caine http://www.rachelcaine.com/
Kimberly Dertlng http://www.kimberlyderting.com/
Becca Fitzpatrick http://www.beccafitzpatrick.com/
Kami Garcia & Margaret Stohl http://www.beautifulcreaturesthebook.com/
Lisa McMann http://www.lisamcmann.com/
Jackson Pearce http://www.jacksonpearce.com/
Mary Pearson http://www.marypearson.com/
Carrie Ryan http://www.carrieryan.com/
Jeri Smith-Ready http://www.jerismithready.com/
Jessica Verday http://www.jessicaverday.com/
Rachel Vincent http://www.rachelvincent.com/

When:
Sept 2010

Where:
We're still working on the list. Check out the discussion page to suggest a city. Stops below have been confirmed. Dates will take longer!

Toronto, ON - McNally Robinson bookstore
Austin, TX - BookPeople bookstore
San Diego, CA - Mysterious Galaxy bookstore
Scottsdale (Phoenix), AZ - Poisoned Pen bookstore

Progress, at last!

Well, suffering for my art must have worked, because yesterday's chapter of ALPHA flew by, at more than 3,800 words. And that's almost exclusively dialogue. I'll go back and add the scenery bits in the rewrites. Layering, you see. ;-)

With chapter eight written, here's where I stand:






Also, I flew by the 100 page milestone, which is a big one.

I'm not sure exactly how long this one will be. I believe I can go up to 120,000 words, which is a bit longer than Prey, if memory serves, and I think I might need it to get everything wrapped up in this one. Everything in the entire series. Fortunately, there's a lot of action and tension in this one, which keeps the pace... um... pretty stinkin' fast.

Chapter eight turned out to be a lot of fun. For me, not for Faythe. She was in serious trouble (and still will be, in chapter nine), and those seem to be the scenes I enjoy most, and the scenes that are the fastest to write. So, yea for grave peril!

Also, I wrote my favorite line in the book (so far) yesterday. I wish I could share, but it might spoil something. ;-(

Happy Friday!

Brilliance! (in the form of sleep deprivation )

Every now and then, I stop to actually think about what I do for a living, and it never fails to astonish me. And throw me completely off my game.

Why?

Because thinking of the book as a whole while it's still just a small bit of that whole is a very bad idea. It makes the job seem that much more overwhelming.

Usually (and fortunately) my during-the-process doubts are few and far between. While I'm the only one whose seen the book, it seems perfectly logical to think it will be awesome (naturally), which tends to keep me going. My real doubts typically hit after I've finished and polished and sent the ms off to be judged by the real world, starting with my agent and editor. That's when I panic. Which is convenient, because by that point, a good deal of the real work has already been accomplished.

But so far, with ALPHA, it's different. I'm doubting nearly every word.

This may be some weird author-version of (approaching) Empty Nest Syndrome. If my little chick never grows up and learns to fly, it can never leave me, right? But then really, who wants to change dirty chick diapers forever? So I don't think that's entirely the root of my problem.

I think it may also have to do with the pressure--mostly from myself--to make this the best Shifters book yet. You know, out with a bang. The good kind of bang. More like fireworks, than hand grenades. ;-)

To combat that, I've been reminding myself that, as usual, it's okay to write a lousy rough draft. That is, after all, why they call it "rough." The real magic happens in subsequent drafts, after I've gotten the story down on the screen for safekeeping.

But the truth is that in this case, I don't have time to fix too much "rough" writing. I need to get it mostly right the first time around, which, honestly, never happens for me. I'm not a pristine first draft kind of writer. I'm a sloppy, notes filling the margins, "insert scenery details here later" kind of writer.

Time is a luxury I've always taken for granted before. Back when I had it, even though I thought at the time that I didn't have enough. I was wrong. I had plenty, and I'm ashamed to say I squandered it! I spent countless perfectly good working hours eating, sleeping, and showering, just to maintain acceptable levels of health and cleanliness so I could interact with people who don't exist only in my head.

Well, not this time! I have seen the error of my ways, and I vow not to repeat past mistakes. I'm going to spend so much time writing this book that the characters and plot will be sick of me. They'll leap onto the screen of their own free will, just to be rid of me sooner.

It'll work. You wait and see. The key to writing quickly is to drive the book mad with your very presence. So here I go; don't worry if you don't hear from me for a while. Or if I look skinny and grungy. What good writer doesn't suffer for her art?

[In case you didn't pick up on it, I'm joking. I would not sacrifice my health for my job. Much. ;-)]

New anthology cover!

I've been waiting for this for a while, and now that I have permission to share, I'm so excited to show off the cover art for Immortal, an anthology coming out in a couple of months.

This one was originally released last summer with a different cover (below), and it's being re-released in October with a new a short story from me. For details and an excerpt, including several pages from my story, click here.

My story is called "Binge," and here's the official blurb:

Rachel Vincent explores a new corner of her Soul Screamers universe with the story of a leanan sidhe capable of inspiring the musician she loves to new creative heights—or draining him, and his power, dry.

"Binge" takes place in Kaylee's world, but features characters/creatures she will (probably) never meet in the series. Although one of them is mentioned, in My Soul to Lose, I think. Originally Nash had a cameo (he knows one of the characters in this story) but his small part got cut to make room for more actual story.

This is a YA vampire romance anthology, but my "vampires" are very, very non-traditional. And non-literal. There's no blood sucking at all, and no fangs, and they aren't dead. Their vampirism is more... symbolic. But the girls in this story have some pretty scary abilities, and a fascinating (at least to me), twisted kind of relationship.

I can't even begin to explain how much fun I had writing this story, and working with this editor. (Leah Wilson) She let me go way over the initial wordcount so that I could expand and explain the world and the characters, and I can't wait for everyone to meet them!

The anthology is up for pre-order on Amazon, but the cover and blurb there haven't been updated to include my participation yet, which is why I've posted the updated cover here.

Incidentally, here's the original one (on the left). What do you think? Which do you like better?

Author FAQ

I’ve done a post like this once or twice before, but when the same questions start coming in again, I know it’s time to do another one. So here goes...

Things you may not know about being an author:

• Authors don’t simply “pick” or “hire” an editor/publisher. It’s hard to get into publishing, and the decisions about what gets published lay entirely with the publishing houses, not with authors. Literary agents submit their clients’ books to editors, who will then acquire (buy the rights to) the books they want and reject the books they don’t want.

• Most authors have little to no say about their cover art. There are exceptions, but not many. The vast majority of us don’t see the covers until they’re already final.

• Most authors don’t get to choose the models used in cover art. Again, there are exceptions, but not many. With my YA series, I got to see the two models they were considering, but the decision was ultimately made by my publisher.

• Authors have absolutely no control over the size/style of the print in their books. We don’t pick the font, the design, or the margin size.

• Most authors do not get to write their own cover blurbs (the plot description on the back of the book). Sometimes it’s a collaboration, as some of mine have been, but often the cover blurb is written by an in-house copywriter or the book’s editor.

• Authors usually have little input regarding what format their books will be released in (hardback, trade paperback, mass market paperback, audio, digital, etc...).

• Sometimes authors do not get to pick their own titles. I’ve been fortunate enough to get to keep all of my original titles so far, but that is never a guarantee. The publisher is going to give the book whatever title they think will be best for sales.

• Authors do not set their own release dates. We do get a say in when are books are due to be turned in, and this may affect the release dates (getting pushed up or back), but those decisions are made by the publisher, based on what’s best for the book/line/series. They also take into consideration what else is coming out that month from other publishers, because those books will be the competition.

• Authors have no say in where their books are shelved. Whether a book is shelved in fantasy, romance, sci-fi, mystery, etc... depends on which corporate buyer bought the book for the chain, or on where the individual store manager wants it shelved. This is not an author-decision.

• Authors do not choose which countries their books will be released in. Foreign rights must first be sold (either by the agent or the publisher, depending on who holds them), and not all books will come out in all countries.

• Very few authors get publisher-sponsored tours. Most of us pay for all our own transportation, lodging, and meals when we travel to promote our books.

• Authors cannot make their books into movies/TV shows. That’s just not how it works. We’re writers, not producers or directors. In order for a book to be made into a movie, TV series, or TV mini-series, the rights to those mediums have to be sold first, and regardless of how many such sales you might have heard about, this is also very rare. But it’s a big deal, so the announcements tend to get a lot of attention.

Drive by blogging

I'm drive-by blogging today. Life has gotten crazy-beyond-belief and progress on ALPHA has stalled as a result. So I have to bury myself in work today. But I will point you to my new guest blog post at the Harlequin Paranormal Romance blog, where I discussed the difference between YA and adult novels, referencing my own two series.

More tomorrow, I promise! Based on the questions I'm getting, I think we're due for another "Things you may not know about publishing" post. Don't cha think? ;-)

Signing tomorrow!

I meant to post this earlier, but I'm hoping "better late than never" still applies. :-)

I'll be signing tomorrow (Saturday, August 22) at 11 am at the Books-A-Million in Bossier City, LA. If you're going to be in the area, come see me!

Newsletter & Discussion group info

Real life is getting in the way of work today, so I only have time for a quick post to answer yesterday's most-asked question: How can I sign up for your newsletter?

Often rephrased as: The newsletter sign-up form isn't working. How can I subscribe to your newsletter.

Answer:

Yes, the newsletter form on my blog isn't working. Sorry about that. I'm going to try to fix the code tonight, but until then, the one on my website is still functioning, and you can find it here.

My newsletter is a very low volume (I aim for quarterly) update on my latest releases, sales, covers, and extras. And sometimes exclusive newsletter-only giveaways. Newsletter subscribers and discussion group members get the first glimpse of all new cover art and plot descriptions, and I try to read and answer questions on the discussion group almost-daily. Though I'm behind right now. So if you're interested in that, click here to join.

Shift, in all its glory!

Okay, in case you haven't already seen it in my discussion group or in my newsletters (subscribers to both get the first glimpse of everything new!) here is the cover for Shift!

(Click the image for a closer look.)

You may have noticed that I've blurred out the plot description. If you got my newsletter yesterday, then you know what this book is about, but I'm not going to post the description everywhere else just yet, because it contains a major spoiler from Prey. So if you guys who got the newsletter could humor me by not posting the blurb anywhere just yet, I'd really appreciate it. However, I will post it in the Shift thread of my discussion group, with a spoiler warning, so if you want to discuss theories, that's the place to go. ;-)

This cover is a little different from the previous books, but I love it! I love that we're getting an actual background (though Rogue had vague tree-shapes too), and I really think this cover illustrates the feel of the books better than any of the previous ones. It's dark, and moody, and... intense, thanks to the aftermath of some stuff that happened in Prey. You know what I mean, right? ;-)

This is a new model, as I mentioned earlier, but I think she looks enough like the previous one that people who don't know she's new would never notice.

This time there's no necklace, since we don't see her from the front, and instead, Faythe's wearing leopard print bracelets. No, she doesn't actually wear bracelets or a dress in the book, but I'm not going to be that picky. The tone is dead-on, and the model is perfect, so I'm one happy author this morning. ;-)

So... what do you think?

P.S. I think it's worth noting that according to Spell Check, I haven't made any spelling errors this morning!

Paranormal YA group tour!

Writing chapter 4 of Alpha didn't go very smoothly last night, so I didn't have time to send out my newsletter. But it went out this morning, so if you were waiting for an early peek at the Shift cover (and the plot description!), check your inbox. Or your spam filter, if newsletters usually get filed there. ;-)

Now for the big news: Next September, I'm going to take part in a cross-publisher, author organized and funded tour of YA paranormal writers. I'm very, very excited about this, and if you read YA paranormal, you should be too.

This series of events was (and is still being) put together by Melissa Marr, Kelley Armstrong, and Alyson Noel, who will appear at every stop. Along with them, on 1-3 stops each, will be an entire series of other authors, including me!

For (evolving) details, such as included authors and cities, and special other things we're hoping to add, check out our new Facebook page, and/or Melissa's initial post about the venture.

And... now for some more pictures of My Soul to Take in the wild:

Borders, Hagerstown, MD

Borders, Ocoee, FL

Borders, Gurnee, IL

Borders, Brea, CA

Borders, Brandon, FL

Cover stuff

This weekend, I got an email from the agency that represents the Soul Screamers cover model, wanting to know if I'd sign a book for the model and the agent. How cool is that?! They included a link to the agency's website, and I got to see pictures of the model when she's not being Kaylee. I saw a picture of her (and another model being considered) during the casting process, of course, but this was different, and fascinating!

And I'm so glad they shot images for the first 3 covers all at once, so we won't lose the model mid-series, like we did with the Shifters books. Have I mentioned that here before?

The model who posed for Stray was unavailable after that one book, so they got a new one, who provided Faythe's face for Rogue, Pride, and Prey. But then she moved to CA (from Canada, where the pictures are actually shot) so they had to get a new model to be Faythe for Shift. I'm hoping she sticks around for Alpha too, so we can finish the series without having to hire a fourth model. ;-)

This new model is gorgeous (of course). She doesn't look exactly like the previous one, though, so they've artfully covered the top half of her face with those white scratches that are at the top and bottom off all the Shifters covers. And it's an awesome cover.

Want an early peek at the Shift cover? It's up at The Pride right now, and it'll be going out in my newsletter tonight. If you need to subscribe, click here and fill out the (very simple) form.

In other news, My Soul to Save is now up for preorder on Amazon! The shelf date is Dec 29, 2009 (the official release date is Jan 1, 2010). And since the cover isn't up there yet, here it is, featuring the previously mentioned cover model. ;-)

Guess what I saw!

Guess what was waiting in my inbox this morning?! The cover for Shift! I'm trying to get permission to post it online, but that may take a while, because my editor's out of town. But as soon as I can, I'll show it off. It's a teeny bit of a departure in tone from the previous covers (and a new cover model), but I love it! Very dark and dramatic. And perfectly suited to the book.

There are several My Soul to Take giveaways going on today, so if you've had trouble finding a copy, you might want to check these out:

• I did a guest post and a giveaway at The Book Smugglers for YA appreciation month
• The SciFiGuy hosts the latest stop on the Harlequin Teen blog tour here.
• And Carlie, from Librarilly Blonde, has a giveaway here.
  

Also... I will be signing books (both series) and chatting with customers at the Borders in the Bossier City, LA mall this Saturday (August 15th) from 2 to 6 pm.If you're going to be in the area (or know someone who is), I'd love to see you.

And here are more pictures of My Soul to Take out in the wild!

Books-A-Million, Panama City, FL (With a very cooperative bookseller!)

Borders, Bakersfield, CA

B&N Tuscaloosa, AL

B&N Tribeca

B&N Springfield, NJ

B&N Springfield, IL

Just confirmed...

I will be signing books (both series) and chatting with customers at the Borders in the Bossier City, LA mall this Saturday (August 15th) from 2 to 6 pm.

If you're going to be in the area (or know someone who is), I'd love to see you. This is a small store with an awesome staff and a fantastic, outgoing manager, so I'm really looking forward to it! Hope to see you there!

[Scroll down for today's other blog post...]

And so it begins again...

Yesterday I recorded a video blog Q&A session...then couldn't get it to load to Blogger. The file was too big. Evidently I talk to much. ;-) I'm going to try it again later, but honestly, I can't be bothered to wear makeup every day, so today I'm going with a traditional post, with more pictures of My Soul to Take in the wild at the bottom. ;-)

Alpha Update: I'm now two chapters and 6,500+ words into the novel. This is the point at which, if I think of the book as a whole, I start to get overwhelmed. Somehow, even though I've done this eleven times before, completing an entire book seems like an insurmountable task. It's too many pages. Too many words. Too many plotlines, characters, and conflicts. I can't do it.

Except that I can. And I will.

How? By taking it in baby steps. When I'm this early in the process, I try not to let myself think of the entire book at once. There's no long-term goal. Instead, I use a series of short-term goals, which will eventually add up to a whole book.

One chapter a day. It's like building a wall one brick at a time. Only without the heavy lifting. If I just think about writing a single chapter a day, five days a week, I can do this. I've done it before, and I'll do it again. And once I'm over the hump (that all-important half-way mark), the going is all downhill. In fact, sometimes I have to put on the brakes to keep from slipping and sliding all the way down.

Yes, I'm mixing metaphors, and my CP is probably laughing at me now (Inside joke. Not too hard to figure out, though.), but I'm serious. I try never to look at the landscape until I'm viewing it from the top of that half-way-done hill.

And the best part is that once I'm past the first few chapters, it will never again occur to me that I might not be able to do this. At least, not with this particular book. Though I'll be right back here again with the next one. ;-)

Now for some pics!

B&N San Antonio, TX

A different B&N San Antonio, TX

B&N Springfield, IL

B&N Oviedo, FL

B&N Overland Park, KS

B&N Newnan, GA

B&N Mall of America, MN

Got Pictures winners!

The Got Pictures contest is now officially closed, and I'm thrilled with the turnout! I'd hoped to get 10 or 12 entries (15 at the most) considering there was actual work involved. Instead, there were 39 entries, and most people sent multiple pictures!

The random number generator selected entry number 11, and Judy, the winner, has been notified. She entered with this shot of My Soul to Take on an endcap in B&N in Columbia, MO.

Unfortunately, I received too many pictures to post in one blog entry, so I'll be posting a few a day for the next week or so (one from each entry). Here's the first batch. I can't believe how great it looks in the stores!

B&N Glendale, AZ

B&N Greendale, WI

B&N Frederick, MD

B&N Bronx, NY

B&N (unknown city, but great display!)

B&N Chesapeake, VA

Thanks for all the entries, and check back over the next week or so for yours, if you sent one in. They'll be at the bottom of my regular posts. ;-)

Coming soon...

This week, fellow Harlequin Teen author Maria V. Snyder has posted an interview with me and is giving away a signed copy of My Soul to Take here, so head on over to check that out.

In other news, I spent the weekend brainstorming a new idea, and am now struck by an almost paralyzing need to write two different books simultaneously. So exciting! Yet frustrating, because the second is nothing like the first (ALPHA) and I'm worried that not writing it immediately will cool some of my enthusiasm and passion for the story.

Has this every happened to anyone? I'm not sure that it will, but I have to write ALPHA first, so I guess we'll see!

I also have some very time-consuming real life stuff going on right now, so the next few months will be crazy for me, and I may have to spend a little less time online.

But, I'm happy to report that since I extended the Got Pictures contest, I've received more than six times the number of entries I had by the original deadline! It's still a relatively small volume contest, but not bad for a contest that requires a little work! And it's not over yet! You have until 11:59 pm (central) tonight to send me a picture of My Soul to Take on your local bookstore (or Target) shelf to be entered to win. Click here for details and a prize list.

Also, keep an eye on my website, because we're working on displaying an RSS feed from this blog on the front page, and there will soon be a clickable map of the US werecat Prides, divided by territory!

Another exciting Friday

Spending my Friday researching. Researching... researching...

What do I do if research fails me?

I may just have to make something up. Weird.

P.S. Don't forget that the Got Pictures contest goes through Monday night, so if you're going to be near any bookstores this weekend, snap a picture of My Soul to Take and you could win this:

Dancing Zombies!

Today I'm polishing the synopsis for Alpha and will be sending it to my editor. So, for your viewing pleasure, I present...

Dancing zombies! From So You Think You Can Dance.



This is one of my guilty pleasures. Because I know I can't dance. I've been watching since the very first season, and my favorite dances are almost invariably the zombie numbers. And yes, there have been more than one.

Tonight's the season finale! Guess where I'll be? ;-)

Critiquing

[The Got Pictures contest is supposed to end tonight, but I only have a handful of entries so far, so I'm going to extend it through 11:59 pm (central) on Monday, August 10. I've already bought the prize books (on the left, 3 are hardbacks), and I might soon have something extra to throw in, so if you're gonna be in a bookstore anytime soon (or Target), take your camera! Or your camera-phone. ;-)]

I'm soooo pleased to be able to say that I finished the synopsis for ALPHA last night! It still needs to be polished, but I hope to be able to send it to my editor tomorrow. Then I get to dive into the actual book!

But today, I'm critiquing for my CP. I still owe her the last seven chapters of her current WIP, and getting to work on that today (even though I'm not an incredibly fast reader) is a sort-of break from writing for me. Or at least, it's a different part of my job.

Sometimes it's difficult for me to see problems in my own writing, because I'm too close to it. I assume it's the same for most writers. By the time I hand over a manuscript, I've been through it several times, and often I see what should be there (what I meant to write) instead of what's actually there. And since I know the whole story before I start writing, it can be very difficult for me to tell whether I've made the mystery too obvious, or too hard to puzzle out.

Rinda is that much-needed critical eye. She shows me my work from another perspective. She helps show me the forest, through the trees. ;-)

My critique partner and I are very different writers, regarding both style and theory. This is a mixed blessing. On the positive side, this means that we aren't likely to "absorb" each other's voices, and we tend to balance each other out. But on the less-than-positive side, I'm pretty sure I drive her nuts sometimes with my tendency to take things much more literally than she intended. ;-)

But so far, she's hanging in there with me. Thank goodness!

Also, check The Deadline Dames today, for Rinda's awesome announcement!

Alpha

This weekend, I mentioned on Twitter and Facebook that I was plotting ALPHA, the last of the Shifters books, and people kind of went... um... does anybody still say "haywire?" ;-)

Please let me clarify: I am not "quitting" on the Shifters series, and my decision to make ALPHA the final installment has nothing to do with my new young adult books. I hope to keep writing both adult and young adult fiction, even if that means not putting out 3 and 4 books a year (as is the case this year and next).

Quality over quantity isn't just a cliche. It should be a rule.

The Shifters series was always supposed to be six books. That's where Faythe's story draws to it's logical conclusion, and I would much rather end the series on a high note than drag it out and let quality suffer just for more sales. Shifters readers deserve strong, exciting stories, and thanks to a plotting breakthrough I had last night (I swear, bouncing ideas off #1 is almost as good as a fajita dinner!), that's exactly what I plan to deliver in Alpha.

In spite of the six-book plan, I've really been dreading writing ALPHA for a while now, for several reasons. First of all, it's really hard to say goodbye to the characters and the world, even though I know this is where it should end. And beyond that, this is the climactic book in the series, thus has a lot to live up to. Regarding drama, it's hard to beat the events in Prey, and regarding action, it'll be hard to top what goes down in Shift. And until last night, I wasn't really, truly sure I could do either of those.

But now I know I can do both.

If this works out like I think (hope) it will, we're gonna see something we've never seen before in ALPHA. I'm planning to drag Faythe and crew down a road they've never even considered. They'll be challenged like never before, and rising to the occasion will mean thinking along new paths. Playing the game, as well as fighting the fights.

I'm soooo excited to get started on this book now. I never thought I'd say that about the final book in the series, but considering the story I have in mind now... I can't wait to show off this book!

Now that my heartbeat is slowing to a non-life-threatening speed, let me make a couple of announcements:

• First of all, the winners from last week's Deadline Dames contests have been posted, so if you entered any of those, head on over to see if you won.
• Second, there's a new review of My Soul to Take here, and a coordinating interview/giveaway of Prey here. But let me just clarify here for any teens who go take that link: Prey is NOT YA.
• There is a new guest blog (a bean sidhe primer!) and a My Soul to Take giveaway here.

It's official!

It's August first, the official release day for My Soul To Take! As opposed to the on-sale date, which was July 28th. And no, I'm not sure what the difference is, but if you weren't able to find a copy before, you definitely should be now, at least if you live in the US and Canada.

Readers outside of North America may have trouble finding it in stores right now,(though I've heard there's a store in Australia which has ordered copies--if anyone knows where that is, could you leave me a comment?), but it is available and shipping from Amazon and other online retailers.

Unfortunately, (as has been pointed out to me) this means that most overseas readers can't enter the Got Pictures contest. ;-( I didn't mean to exclude anyone, so I'll probably hold another picture contest for those (anywhere) who had to order the book. In a couple of weeks, once it's had time to ship all over. How does that sound?


My Soul to Lose, the free ebook prequel/teaser is available here in PDF format (or you can click on the image). And there's a rather glowing review of My Soul to Take up here.

And in case you haven't already seen the trailer, I'm posting it below!