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.

Heading to LA!

Yes, I forgot to post this week's giveaway. I'm sorry. I'm made of fail this week. I'm still sick, plotting multiple books, and getting read for RT next week. Speaking of which...

For most of next week, I'll be at the Romantic Times Booklovers Convention in Los Angeles. If you're in the area and would like to meet hundreds of authors in one place, the mass book signing on Saturday is open to the public for just $5.00.

And, for the first time ever, after the signing is Teen Day! I'm so incredibly excited about this, and all the awesome authors who will be there. There will be workshops, and readings, and a couple of rounds of author "speed-dating," which is always fun.

Attendance is $25 dollars, and you can buy your ticket at the event. And the first 250 teens who enter will get a bag full of books!

So, since I'll be gone next week, we'll resume the international copy giveaways when I get back, I promise. And hopefully I'll be done with this awful cough/cold/plague by then.