Guess Who?

I'm home from Portland, and after catching up on sleep, I'm about to dig into some revisions and edits. But while I'm working, I have something fun for those of you who read YA!

Trini, from A Book-lover's Review is hosting a "Guess Who?" YA/Tween Author Challenge Contest/Giveaway. She's posted a list of participating authors, each of whom has/will answer three questions. Once a week, Trini will post one author's answers (and a hint) and you can guess which author belongs to the entry. There are prizes, and a grand prize, and details and a list of participating authors can be found here.

The first week's entry is here. So stop by and take a guess!

On the way home...

I'm at the airport again, waiting to catch my return flight home from Portland, and even though this was just a quick trip (out early on Wednesday, back late on Thursday), I have had SUCH a great time. I went to the convention center yesterday to watch Dame Devon sign books, then we sat and talked and drank coffee for more than an hour, and it was so great to see another friend and author in person.

For me (and I suspect for many other authors), my dail life is spent in imaginary words, with people I made up. I work in jeans and tees, in my recliner (and recently, at my actual desk, to help ease wrist/arm pain). I have several opportunities every year to see my writer friends, mostly at the Romantic Times Booklovers convention, or the RWA national conference, but most cons take place in the spring/summer, which leaves long fall and winter months without much face-to-face time with my fellow writers. So this was the first time I've gotten to talk craft and industry with a friend (and fellow Dame!) in about nine months. And it was awesome!

Then last night I had a wonderful dinner with Robyn Carr, Elizabeth Somers, and Susan Wiggs, as well as the awesome staff from Harlequin.

Portland is beautiful, and green, and temperate (at least today), and I met so many great, enthusiastic librarians, not to mention the wonderful sales, marketing, and PR people from Harlequin, who are some of the friendliest people in the world, I swear.

My only regret is that I didn't get more pictures, though I did get several shots of Dame Devon signing, then one at lunch with her this afternoon.

Tomorrow, I'll be back hard at work (MSTSteal is due next week, and I owe edits on my Kiss Me Deadly short story), but today, I'm drinking coffee (There's a Starbucks about every hundred yards or so out here) and reading my ARC of Jennifer Lynn Barnes's Raised by Wolves (Love!). And, of course, enjoying the scenery. ;-)

Traveling today...

Today I’m on my way to Portland (OR) to sign copies of SHIFT and MY SOUL TO SAVE for librarians! This is just a quick trip—I’ll be back late, late tomorrow night—but a very exciting one for me, because in addition to getting to meet a bunch of librarians, I get to see Dame Devon in person! I haven’t seen her in a couple of years (since Conestoga, ’08?) and we’re going to have lunch tomorrow, before I fly home.


In other good news, I finished the rough draft of MY SOUL TO STEAL last night! I still have to rewrite it twice (once on my own, once with my CP’s notes) before I turn it in on April 1st, and I may wind up writing a brief epilogue, but for now, I’m glad to have the story down on paper. Or on the screen.

Speaking of my CP, today is her birthday, and it’s a pretty big one! So if you get a chance, pop over and wish her a happy one!

Hopefully I’ll be back online Friday with pictures. Until then, I’ll be answering email only sporadically, on my phone.

The end is near!

Alpha is now up for preorder at Barnes & Noble and Amazon! (Thanks for the heads-up, netertari20!) There's no cover image up yet; fortunately, you can see that right here!

It's not up at BAM or Borders yet, but I don't think it'll be long.

I worked on MY SOUL TO STEAL all day yesterday and had planned to put in a late night in an attempt to power through the last few chapters yesterday and today. Unfortunately, I succumbed to wrist/arm pain around 10:30, so today I'm playing catch-up. I'm very near my goal wordcount, but it's now obvious that this book is going to go over by a bit. I think I can tighten it during the rewrites, but none of that can be done until I finish the rough draft, of course.

77191 / 80000 words. 96% done!

And as you  may have heard, time for this one is rapidly running out. So now I'm off to guzzle coffee and type my poor, aching/tingling/sore arm off. ;-)

Want bookmarks? [Edited]

[I'm sorry, but my entire print run of bookmarks has now been spoken for. I'm ordering more, but for now I have to stop taking requests. If you emailed me about them and didn't get a response, please let me know.]

For those who've asked, if you'd like some of my new bookmarks for yourself or to hand out to others, please email #1 (alphaATrachelvincentDOTcom) with "Bookmarks" in the subject line, and I'll reply with instructions. Due to my very pressing deadline and the number of requests I've already received, the reply to bookmark queries will be a form response with standard instructions. I'm sorry for how impersonal that sounds, but that's the only way I'll have time to reply to everyone. Thanks for understanding.

Of course, I'm still available online (Blogger, LJ, Facebook, Twitter, and The Pride) and will answer questions/chat as often as I'm able.

But today... Well, I'm within a couple of chapters of finishing the rough draft of My Soul To Steal, and I really need to get that done in time to send the second draft to my CP before I leave for Portland (OR) on Wednesday. So that's what I'll be doing for most of today.

My Soul To Steal (Soul Screamers Book 4)
73848 / 80000 words. 92% done!

Kim's coming to Houston!

As you probably know, I've been out of town for several days, and I spent most of that time with my best friend and her family, which is always fun. But here's the thing: my best friend is no ordinary best friend. She's Kim Haynes, photographer extraordinare. For real. So a visit with Kim isn't just a visit. It's a four-day photo op. ;-)

Kim's still proofing my new author photos (Like I was gonna go see her and NOT schedule a session!), but here's a rare shot of Kim and Mr. Kim with me and #1. This may be the only photo in existance of just the four of us (taken by her 9 yr old!), and it is posted with permission from all parties. ;-)

But here's where this gets exciting. Kim has some regular clients in Houston, so she comes down periodically to schedule mini-sessions. She's coming to Houston again this April, and she still has a few sessions available, for both author photos and regular portraits! Here are the details:

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Date: Sunday, April 11th
What: Headshots/Author Photos

Where: Discovery Green, downtown Houston (click here for sample photos)

Cost: $225

Includes: 30 minute session, a disc containing 5 images in both color and black and white along with a full copyright release.

The last day to sign up for a sessions will be Wednesday, March 24th and will be filled on a first-come first-served basis. Session requires payment in full via PayPal to reserve the date and is due at time of booking.

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Date: Friday, April 9th and Saturday, April 10th
What: At home/park sessions, (The Woodlands, Spring area)
Cost: $435 (includes session fee)

Includes: 1-2 hour session. a disc containing all high-resolution images from the session, full set of 5x7 proofs, one 11x14 print and a private online gallery for friends and family.

The last day to sign up for a sessions will be Wednesday, March 24th and will be filled on a first-come first-served basis. Session requires a $200 non-refundable deposit paid via PayPal to reserve the date and is due at time of booking. Remainder due at session.

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Kim has taken author photos of me, Gena Showalter, Jordan Dane, and Brooke Taylor. If you're interested, contact info and many, many more pictures are available on her website.

I'll post my new author photos soon (I'm not sure which ones I'm using yet, but there may be bloopers!) but for now, check these out! Kim also designs my bookmarks, and they're awesome! I'll be bringing these to Portland with me next week, and I'll have them everywhere I sign this year. And, if you want some, I promise to actually mail them out this time. I swear.

And just because we thought they were cool, here are the backs of all three of the Shifters bookmarks (my releases are fairly rapid, so we only did them for Rogue, Prey, and Alpha). See! They match!

Okay, I have a lot to accomplish before I leave for Portland next week, but I'll post my new author photos when they come in!

I am out of town for a few days, answering email from my phone sporadically. I'll be back (and back at work) soon!

Smart Chicks tour dates!

Hopefully most of my regular readers already know that I'll be doing a couple of stops with the Smart Chicks YA tour this fall. This is an independant tour of young adult paranormal authors from several publishers, put together by the authors themselves. The organizers (the awesome Kelley Armstrong and Melissa Marr) have been getting everything put together and the schedule is now ready to announce. And thanks to a wrist x-ray this morning, I'm probaby the last to post this. ;-) But in case you haven't seen it yet, here are the dates and locations for the Smart Chicks tour:

(I'm highlighting my stops in red, but really, if you have a chance to come to any of these, jump on it. I wish I could meet all the authors on this tour myself!)

September 13th—Tour launches at Book People in Austin, Texas w Kelley Armstrong, Melissa Marr, Alyson Noel, Holly Black, Rachel Caine , & Cassandra Clare 7:00 pm BOOKPEOPLE BOOKSTORE

September 14th—B&N The Woodlands in Houston, TX w Kelley Armstrong, Melissa Marr, Alyson Noel, Holly Black, Cassandra Clare, & Rachel Vincent. 7:00 pm B&N, THE WOODLANDS 1201 Lake Woodlands Drive The Woodlands, TX 77380

September 15th—Blue Willow in Houston, TX w Kelley Armstrong, Melissa Marr, Alyson Noel, Holly Black, Sarah Rees Brennan, & Cassandra Clare 7:00 pm Remote location details to come Off site event hosted by: BLUE WILLOW

September 16th—Lemuria Jackson, MS w Kelley Armstrong, Melissa Marr, Alyson Noel, Holly Black, Cassandra Clare, & Sarah Rees Brennan 6:00 pm LEMURIA BOOKS 202 Banner Hall 4465 I-55 North Jackson, MS 39206

September 17th—Poisoned Pen Phoenix, AZ w Melissa Marr, Alyson Noel, Kelley Armstrong, Holly Black, Sarah Rees Brennan, Kimberly Derting, and Becca Fitzpatrick 7:00 pm Hosted by POISONED PEN at the Scottsdale Civic Library Auditorium (holds 300 people)

September 18th—Keplers SF, CA w Melissa Marr, Alyson Noel, Kelley Armstrong, Melissa de la Cruz,, Becca Fitzpatrick, & Rachel Vincent KEPLERS

September 20th—Vroman’s w Melissa Marr, Alyson Noel, Kelley Armstrong, Rachel Caine, Melissa de la Cruz, & Mary Pearson 6:00 pm VROMANS BOOKSTORE

September 21st —Mysterious Galaxy San Diego, CA w Melissa Marr, Alyson Noel, Kelley Armstrong, Mary Pearson, Rachel Caine, & Carrie Ryan Time & Remote location details to come

September 22nd —Anderson’s Chicago w w Alyson Noel, Kelley Armstrong, Melissa Marr, Jackson Pearce, Jennifer Barnes, & Carrie Ryan 7:00 pm ANDERSON'S BOOKSHOPS 123 West Jefferson Avenue Naperville, IL 60567-3832

September 23rd —Dayton w Alyson Noel, Kelley Armstrong, Melissa Marr, Jackson Pearce, Jennifer Lynn Barnes, & Kami Garcia 7:00 pm “BOOKS & CO: AT THE GREENE”

September 24th —Cincinnati w Alyson Noel, Kelley Armstrong, Melissa Marr, Jessica Verday, Jeri Smith-Ready, & Margaret Stohl 7:00 pm Joseph Beth

September 25th —Toronto w Alyson Noel, Kelley Armstrong, Melissa Marr, Jeri Smith-Ready, Kami Garcia & Margaret Stohl 2:00 pm CHAPTERS BRAMPTON 52 Quarry Edge Drive, Brampton, ON

Kiss Me Deadly (not the song)

I have a ton of work on my plate today, and I already have a headache, so I'm gonna have to disappear from the internet for most of today (note to publisher, agent, personal friends, and family: I'll be checking email via iPhone), but I will try to answer a few emails and some questions at The Pride this evening.

Just a note, though: last night I posted the full cover (including the plot description) of My Soul To Keep at The Pride. I also posted a short teaser/hint about my upcoming short story in the KISS ME DEADLY anthology, due out this July. This is one of the stories I wrote in January, and I'm thrilled with how it fits into the Soul Screamers world.

Here's a look at the cover:

KISS ME DEADLY is a young adult paranormal romance anthology, and I swear, as soon as my story has a title, I'll release that and a plot description. I could really use some help coming up with a title. Unfortunately, no one out there's read it yet, so I'm afraid the general public won't be much help with this one. ;-)

Here's a partial list of authors in the anthology (via Diana Peterfreund, who remains convinced that the ethereal layer over the cover model's face is a veil, when it is quite obviously part of a faerie wing. ;-) ):

Caitlin Kittredge
Karen Mahoney (My fellow Deadline Dame!)
Diana Peterfreund (Rampant)
Carrie Ryan (The Forest of Hands and Teeth)
Maggie Stiefvater (Shiver)
Becca Fitzpatrick (Hush, Hush)
Michelle Rowen
Rachel Vincent (ME!)
Daniel Waters
Justine Musk
Sarah Rees Brennan (The Demon's Lexicon)
Daniel Marks
Michelle Zink

[Edited to add the final 2 authors on this list--Thanks, Diana!]

Writing update:

I finished chapter 14 and wrote chapter 15 of MY SOUL TO STEAL yesterday. Chapter 16 is up for today!

50141 / 80000 words. 63% done!

Final MSTKeep cover!

First, an announcement: The winner of the signed Shifters book of her choice from the HQ Paranormal blog's Shifters quiz is: Andrea Becraft.

Andrea, please email me (rachelkvincentATgmailDOTcom) with your full name, mailing address, and your prize selection.

And thanks so much to everyone who took the quiz! Many of you scored better than I did! I must confess, I had to look up several of the answers myself. ;-)

Now... Remember last week when I posted the cover of My Soul To Keep, but it wasn't final? Well, now it's final. So here's the final cover:


In writing news, I'd gotten a bit behind on the rough draft of MY SOUL TO STEAL with all the Shift release madness, but I worked hard to get caught up this weekend, and made some serious progress. Here's where it stands now:

46700 / 80000 words. 58% done!

I started chapter 14 last night and will finish it (and maybe start 15) today. It's been slow going, because I've mostly switched to writing on my desktop with my new ergonomic keyboard instead of writing on my laptop, and it's been quite an adjustment. But I love the huge monitor on the desk top. Seriously. I can zoom in to 230% and see the text from outer space!

The only problem is that I don't go online on the desktop so I might not be as quick to answer email/comments/Tweets as I've been in the past. And yes, I know, those of you still waiting for an answer to an email are laughing at me now. I know I'm behind. That's a constant state, because of my deadlines. Sorry!

But the good news is that more writing/less email means that new books are on the way!

Two new SHIFT virtual events!

Number 1has the day off, so I'm taking the day off too, to spend with him! Well, mostly taking the day off. And in my absence, I'm leaving you with these two fun giveaway opportunities!

Today I have a guest post up at the Harlequin Paranormal blog, including a 15 question Shifters quiz. If you go and take the quiz, then post your score in the comments, you'll be entered to win your choice of one signed Shifters book (including ALPHA, if the winner is willing to wait for the release)!

And... Today is my Bitten By Books event! Starting at noon (central), you can go here to leave me a comment or a question and enter to win an entire prize package. I'll be popping in both places later today, to say hi and answer questions.

Winners and BBB chat [edited]

On Thursday, March 4, Bitten By Books will be running an interview/chat/giveaway with me, starting at noon (central) and running for 24 hours. I'll be popping in to answer questions all day. To see what I'm giving away (including the first books in my two personal favorite shapeshifter series), click here to RSVP for the event. RSVPing gives you an additional 25 entries in the giveaway, and there are bunches of other ways to get bonus entries. If you've never been to a BBB promo, let me tell you, it's quite an event. ;-)

Oh, I almost forgot! I've drawn winners (at random) for my most recent contest. And they are...

Winners of a signed set of the UK versions of Rogue and Pride:

Cory whose comment began...
I would love to get a copy of either.

YzhaBella (aka Kate) whose comment began...
I've not yet had chance to get any from this series! I'd LOVE to get a signed copy! Purty Pwease count me in!!!

heatwave16 whose comment began...
I'd love a copy of one of your books or a cover flat. It would be awesome.

CrystalGB whose comment began...
I would love to have a copy of either book. Thank you for the giveaway.

And Paige whose comment began...
I would love to win the copies of the books!! I have only read the first book but I am in love with the series!

Winners of a signed cover flat of Shift are:

yourprettybones whose comment began...
I'd love a cover flat, so count me in! :)

Book Chick City whose comment began...
Wow, what a fab prize - please enter me! Thanks so much :)

Viansa Blake whose comment began...
I'm in! I would love a signed copy of one of your books! I'm currently reading SHIFT and am lovin' in! Thanks much!!!

Winners, please email me at rachelATrachelvincentDOTcom with your full name and mailing address, as well as the name you won under, if you used a screen name.

Writing update:

I finished chapter eleven of My Soul To Steal yesterday, and chapter twelve is up for today. I hope to pass the halfway point in the manuscript today, and I really need to meet that goal, because the book is due in less than a month and still has to be critiqued and rewritten before I hand it in.

Here's how it currently stands:

38125 / 80000 words. 48% done!

It's kind of weird, writing a Soul Screamers novel while I'm promoting a Shifters novel. I almost wish I could be working on another Shifters novel right now, so I'd be in that "place" to answer interview and reader questions. But the last Shifters novel has already been turned in, and I don't have edits on it yet. So I will continue straddling both worlds. ;-)

It's official! (And a Dames treat!)

[Edit: I've fixed the Deadline Dames link. Sorry!]

It may seem a little bit behind the curve, considering that the book has been out as much as two weeks in some places, but today is the no kidding, official release date for Shift. To mark that occasion (I've been marking it a lot lately), I've done a couple of new interviews.

The first one was for The Kindle Vixen, where I gave some non-spoilery hints at what we'll see in Alpha, the sixth and final Shifters book. A word of warning, though. My hints are non-spoilery for Alpha, but do contain spoilers for the previous books. Particularly Prey. To read the interview, click here!

Also, I was interviewed by Carrie at Moonlight, Lace, and Mayhem, here!

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And, you don't want to miss this. You know the Deadline Dames, right? Ever wonder how the nine of us met? Readers asked, and Dame Devon has answered with the most awesome noir short story in the history of noir short stories. In my humble opinion. And it's not just because she called me gorgeous. Seriously ;-)

Click here to read the absolutely true, too-real-not-to-believe origins of the Deadline Dames!