New and shiny!

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You may have noticed that I’ve been mostly offline for a couple of weeks. My internet break was very peaceful and now that I’m back online, I’m restructuring my internet presence, focusing on my personal online spaces. That means I will still be responding to most comments and questions from readers on FB, Twitter, Formspring, and blog posts, but I will be spending much less time on other corners of the internet. The internet crazies have been driving me crazy over the past few months, and it’s finally really sunk in that just because the crazy is out there doesn’t mean I have to see/read/hear it.

This internet break has shown me just how peaceful life can be when you don’t reward drama with attention.

But I’ve been busy during my internet break! I’ve spent time with family and lots of time on my new YA. And…I’ve moved my blog.

I now blog here.

That’s right. This blog will soon be going away completely. I’m now hosting my WordPress blog on my own website, and all of the content has been transferred, including posts, pages, and most comments.

Since I will be deleting this blog, if you’re a subscriber and you want to keep subscribing, you’ll need to click over to the new blog and enter your email address in the form on the right.

Likewise, if you have this blog bookmarked, you’ll need to update your bookmark. I’m sorry for the trouble, but I’m very comfortable with the new site, though it will probably be going through some minor cosmetic changes as I learn about all the bells and whistles.

Thank you all so much for following me here, and I hope to see many of you at my new online home.

Live Video Chat Tomorrow!

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I’m not planning a full return to the internet until next week. I know many of you have sent me Tweets and messages, and I really appreciate your patience with my internet break. But I did want to pop in and post a reminder about tomorrow’s video chat!

Below is what went out in the reminder, which you should have gotten if you signed up in advance. (You do not have to sign up in advance to attend.) Of course, because I’m a complete idiot, I did the math wrong, and the first version you received had the wrong time listed. Please ignore that one. My apologies. But you should know that because I’m a complete idiot, and because this is my first video chat, there will probably be at least one snafu during the actual chat. I’d love it if you decide to find the inevitable glitch funny, rather than exasperating. ;)

Anyway, here are the details. And because what follows is a screen shot, which means the links won’t work, here’s the link to my Livestream page, where you can RSVP if you want to receive an auto-reminder tomorrow.

Rachel’s Livestream

 

*Graphic by Fiktshun, used with permission

Note: I do plan to record the event, but because this is my first shot at a video chat, I can’t promise I won’t somehow mess up the recording and be unable to post it.

Got Tod? (update 1.1)

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Some of you may remember last summer’s online YA Crush Tournament, in which Tod made it to the semi-final round–quite an accomplishment considering all the massive bestsellers he was up against. Well, it’s that time again, and this time Tod has the misfortune of going up against Magnus, from Cassandra Clare’s The Mortal Instruments series.

This is a tough tournament. Clare is a massive bestseller and filming on The Mortal Instruments movie is scheduled to start in a couple of months. So…Tod’s the underdog. Still, he seems to be rallying quite a bit of support from his awesome fans. And you guys are awesome!

If you’d like to vote for him, click here. I believe you can vote once per device. (And if you figure out a way to cheat that system, please DON’T. We play fair.)

Not sure who Tod is or why you might like him? You can read some of his best lines here and here. (Warning: may contain spoilers for the Soul Screamers series.)

If you’d like to show your support for Tod, you can get blog buttons or an avatar here. (Designed by the awesome Fiktshun, provided by the awesome Smiling Ina, Tod’s advocate in the tournament.)

Fiktshun is also holding a giveaway for voters here.

And, because I also greatly appreciate support from readers…if/when Tod makes it to 1000 votes (he’s at 700+ right now), I will post a juicy snippet from the WITH ALL MY SOUL manuscript.

EDIT: You guys did it! Tod hit the 1000 vote milestone! Head over to my FB page to vote on what kind of snippet you’d like from WAMS!

If/when he gets to 1,500, I’ll give away a Tod quote shirt. You have your new challenge… Go!

If you voted for him, leave me a comment here (on the honor system). If things keep going well, I will draw winners from the comments on this post for some book/swag giveaways as the voting continues.

So…that’s it! Check back for updates!

So many winners!

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I have to say, I am stunned by the entries in the Soul Screamers relationship flowchart contest. You guys went above and beyond! I love them all! Which is why I’m giving multiple prizes.

(Note: I had technical difficulties with 3 of the entries, and if I’m able to add them to this post later, I will, so you might want to check back for the full list.)

I think you can click on these images to see larger versions, but please be aware that if you haven’t read the whole series yet, you may find spoilers from If I Die and/or Before I Wake. If you have read the whole series, I highly recommend looking at the larger versions, because they have some awesome details!

Katy (above) wins for the Clearest Digital Flowchart, for her ease of readability!

Kat (above) wins for Largest Flowchart! Wow!

Lisa R. (above) wins for Best Original Art! (These drawings are dead-on, even the clothes! Also, I love her Hellion Removal Device!)

Lisa H. (above) wins for Most Detailed Hand-drawn Flowchart!

Joanne Stapley (above) wins for Most Detailed Digital Flowchart! (Holy cow, look at all those relationship details!)

Debbie (above) wins for Simplest Flowchart! (I love her symbols!)

And the grand prize winner, because I simply can’t stop looking at these gorgeous, detailed, visually stunning charts, is Veronica! Veronica did two charts, one for the relationships as they stand at the end of If I Die, and one as they stand at the end of Before I Wake. I love the traditional bean sidhe in the middle, as well as the integration of the cover art itself. And her key is simple and clear, yet allows for details (the two-tone hearts and circles). And she included the dogs!!! ;)

Veronica, you’ve won a complete set of signed, personalized Soul Screamers books, Vol 1- Before I Wake.

Debbie, Joanne, Lisa, Lisa, Kat, and Katy, you’ve won one Rachel Vincent book of your choice (any US edition other than My Soul To Take (which I’m out of) or anything from the prize book list.

Winners, please email me at Admin1ATrachelvincentDOTcom with your shipping information and your choice of prize, where applicable.

Thanks so much to everyone who entered! And if you like the charts above, feel free to tell their creators in the comments!

So, what exactly is e-piracy and how do I know if I’ve done it?

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I know most of you will skip this post, and that makes me really sad. To those who will read ahead, THANK YOU SO MUCH for taking the time.

Okay, I’m going to try to keep this short and simple because I’m on deadline and because it’s a holiday here in the US, and I have SO MANY work and real life things to do today. But here goes. PLEASE READ THIS.

Yesterday, I found a “review” on Goodreads that included a link to where people could read Before I Wake for free on a pirate site. I was very upset by this, so I left a polite comment letting the poster know that whether or not she was aware of it, that link she left was to a site offering illegal downloads of books. It was an e-piracy site.

Within an hour, the poster wrote to me and apologized (which was sweet, but unnecessary), explaining that she hadn’t known it was illegal. She immediately removed the link, and later the entire post, I believe. That interaction and the subsequent discussion on my FB page led me to the realization that there actually are people out there downloading illegal electronic copies of books with no idea that what they’re doing is illegal.

For the record, I think that today, in the year 2012, those people are in the VAST minority. I think most people know exactly what they’re doing and why it’s wrong. I think most of them just don’t care. This is for those few who truly don’t understand.

Because I’m short on time, I’m not going to define e-piracy today, nor am I going to explain why it’s bad. Ally Carter has already done a much better job of that than I ever could, so please, if you’re not sure you fully understand what e-piracy is and how it hurts EVERYONE, read this post. It’s very easy to understand.

What I am going to do here is answer a couple of questions that I commonly get about e-piracy. Here they are:

Q: Sometimes ebooks are legitimately free. How can I tell whether the free ebook I just downloaded was legal or not?

A: That depends entirely on how you got it. Ask yourself these questions:

  • Did I get the book through a legitimate distributor like Amazon, Barnes & Noble, or The Book Depository? Those are professional distributors which are PAID by publishers to sell their books. Did your free ebook come from one of those?
    • Yes? Then your book was legal. You probably found a promotional bargain, which is awesome. Go enjoy your book. (But DO NOT upload a copy of it for someone else to read. Only those distributors have permission to give that book away.)
    • No? Please proceed to the next question.
  • Did I get the book directly from the author who wrote it (sometimes authors give away their own books or stories online for promotional purposes) or from the publisher who published it? (This would be like reading “My Soul To Lose” or “Reaper” back when Harlequin Teen and I were giving them away for free. You could have read the stories on my site or downloaded them from HQTeen for free.)
    • Yes? Then your book was legal. You probably found a promotional bargain, which is awesome. Go enjoy your book. (But DO NOT upload a copy of it for someone else to read. You DO NOT have permission to give that book away.)
    • No? Please proceed to the next question.
  • Did I get the book from a torrent site? (These are file sharing sites where people upload and download copies of a book without the author’s or publisher’s permission. They’re easy to spot because they let you “click to download” rather than letting you “check out” from your virtual cart. The files on torrent sites are uploaded by INDIVIDUAL PEOPLE who do not have permission to make electronic copies of these books, not by the publisher or author.) These downloads are illegal because neither the author nor the publisher will be paid for their work (Months and sometimes YEARS’ worth of work, from many, many people involved in the publication of any book).
    • Yes? Then your book is an illegal copy and you have stolen from one of the very authors whose work you presumably love.
    • No? Please proceed to the next question
  • Did you get the book from an individual’s blog or from e-bay? (Neither of whom have permission to make and distribute electronic copies of the book.)
    • Yes? Then your book is an illegal copy and you have stolen from one of the very authors whose work you presumably love.
    • No? You’ve discovered one of the more difficult to describe instances of electronic download. Feel free to leave me the details in the comments, and I will tell you whether or not your book is a legal copy.

Q: I lend books to my friends all the time. How is downloading a copy someone else uploaded any different from borrowing a physical book?

A: When you lend books to your friends, you’re lending them the ONE copy of the book you presumably paid for (or were given). You’re not making a COPY of that book, then enabling THOUSANDS of other people to make THOUSANDS more copies of that book. There is a HUGE difference between making and uploading a copy that will be further replicated and lending a single physical book.

Q: Authors don’t get paid for books bought and sold at used book stores, but that’s legal. What’s the difference between that and e-piracy?

A: Here’s the difference: Used book stores sell (or trade) ONE COPY OF THE BOOK to one person. They’re not making and distributing copies of it. They’re selling one copy that has ALREADY been paid for by the original owner. Who is then free to keep, lend, sell it as he wishes. That’s different from MAKING A COPY of an electronic book, which others are then free to copy as well.

Let me just emphasize that. Piracy is MAKING COPIES OF A BOOK, not lending it. You do not have permission to make and distribute or to download unauthorized COPIES of a book you do not hold the copyright to. Period.

Any questions? Leave them in the comments. I will answer them as soon as I get the chance.