The public has spoken…

Thanks to everyone who voted on a Sabine quote for this week’s t-shirt prize. The winning quote is:

“I don’t think you’re truly getting into the spirit of this rivalry.” – MY SOUL TO STEAL

As soon as the graphic is designed, I’ll post it.

And, since this is Sabine’s week to shine (or, ya know, glare), here’s one of very few non-spoilery Sabine mini-excerpts, from Kaylee’s visit to Sabine’s home:

“So you’re all alone?”

Sabine propped her hands on hips half-exposed by the low waist of her jeans and the short hem of a thin black tank top. “I’m a nightmare, Kaylee. Anyone who breaks in here would leave screaming. Or not at all.” She sat on the arm of an old brown and yellow striped couch. “Besides, I didn’t come here for parental supervision—I came for an address in the Eastlake school zone.” The mara had scared and manipulated her way into this foster home just to be near Nash. And evidently to drive me insane. “Now, if you would just step down and relinquish the prize…”

Don’t forget, you can ask Sabine a question (which will serve as your entry into this week’s giveaway) any time until Friday, when the winner will be announced and the questions will be answered. In fact, she’s already answered several of them for me. Turns out Sabine likes to talk.

For details about this week’s giveaway, click here.

On another matter, in the last week I’ve seen two new covers, and they’re both gorgeous! The UK cover for If I Die (I believe it comes out in February, so they’ll probably post it soon) and the US cover for Shadow Bound.

Both my agent and my editor seem to have expected me to have issues with the Shadow Bound cover, but I love it! The colors are gorgeous, the models are perfect, the background is gritty and urban, but still in the actual background. And the effects are relevant to the story. I can’t wait to show it off, but we’re still tweaking the back cover copy (the synopsis) and adding the cover quotes. I have to say, though, that this one rivals Alpha for my favorite of my adult covers.

For those who read Blood Bound, Shadow Bound is narrated by Kori and by a new character named Ian. I think I’m starting to get the hang of the dual POV and the narration switches are much smoother in this one. Also, I’ve labeled the chapters with the name of the character narrating.

Writing Kori was alternately fun (the mouth on that woman!) and psychologically devastating. And Ian… Well, you can probably imagine the kind of man it takes to hold his own with Kori. Shadow Bound was a very difficult book to write, and it’s been an equally difficult book to revise. Hopefully the result will be worth it, though.

I should know about that next week. Now…off to revise…

No rest for the weary. Or the writer.

(Edit: I just saw the cover for the Soul Screamers omnibus!!! It’s a very bold color choice (my editor’s words, but I agree) and I think you’re going to love it! I’m gonna stare at it all day!)

So, remember last week, when I was so excited because I’d finished Before I Wake super-early and would have time to relax and let it sit before starting the rewrites? I had plans to binge-read and promote Blood Bound in a leisurely fashion. (I’m pretty sure doing anything in a leisurely fashion means eating bon-bons and sitting around in a satin negligee. I was looking forward to trying it.) Well, plans change.

Yesterday I got a revision letter and a marked up manuscript for Shadow Bound. Why yes, I did just turn it in five weeks ago. My editor is crazy-fast. The letter looked long, and I was a little overwhelmed, so I have to admit I didn’t read the whole thing right away. I skimmed it, but didn’t find a due date for the revisions, so I emailed my editor to ask when she’d need the revisions. She responded with a huge list of internal (to the publisher) due dates.

My head exploded. There are still bits of gray matter clinging to my monitor.

It turns out that in order to get galleys (ARCs) printed for Shadow Bound and Before I Wake, both have to be revised (and possibly edited) very soon. Mid-September for SB, and Nov 1 for BIW. And the new Soul Screamers novella has to be edited by the end of September.

Yesterday was one of those days when I have to just take a deep breath and think about how grateful I am to be employed in such a rough economy, and how extra-fortunate I am to be doing what I love for a living. Because I’m not going to have much time to breathe this fall. Unfortunately, this is all following a summer during which I wrote two full-length novels and the new Soul Screamers novella (okay, technically I’m not done with that, but it’s almost there).

So…no break for Rachel.

But back to the good news. About an hour ago, I sat down to fully commit to the Shadow Bound revision letter, expecting the worse. And it’s not that bad! I knew the book was flawed when I turned it in, but I didn’t know how to fix it, so having some direction is actually a huge relief. The revision schedule is a tight one, but I think I can do it.  And the reward?

Back-to-back releases next summer. You’ll be getting Shadow Bound in June and Before I Wake in July of 2012. Between now and then, there will be Blood Bound, If I Die, the Soul Screamers omnibus, and the third Soul Screamers novella. Guess I better go finish that last one.

>Did you see?

>In case you missed it, yesterday I posted the (unofficial) plot summary for IF I DIE at the Deadline Dames. The release date is October 1 in the US and Canada, and I’ll be posting the blurb and a placeholder cover on my website soon. Because people are starting to ask.

People are also starting to ask variations of another certain question about IF I DIE, and all I can say is that you people have a one-track mind! Wait for the book!

I got my revision letter for IF I DIE last Friday and I spoke to my editor about the edits yesterday, so to day I officially start the revisions, and I’m SO excited. This was such a fun/traumatizing book for me. I’ve reread it twice since turning it in (something I NEVER do) and I’m still delighted with it. I hope readers will be too.

>Soul Screamers bonus content

>Today, I’m up early to finish revisions on BLOOD BOUND (the new adult book), which are due by EOB today. On Friday, I got revisions for IF I DIE. When it rains, it… you know.

The good news is that the revisions on IF I DIE look pretty simple. A new opener with a better hook, some clarification/explanation on the climactic chapters, and an expanded ending. Evidently I left a little too much of a cliffhanger. But my editor’s reactions to certain events in the book are very…encouraging. This book is a game changer (I know I keep saying that, but it’s still true!) for nearly every character in the series.

Are some people going to be mad? Probably. Are some people going to be happy? Definitely. Am I going to get more of that mail that reads, “I laughed/cried/covered my eyes/threw the book/yelled at people who aren’t real!” Almost certainly.

Comments from my editor, in the margins of IF I DIE:

• “Wow, Sabine’s dialogue must be fun to write!”
• “I’ve wanted to see this for a long time!”
• “Wow! Wasn’t expecting that…”
• “So very cool!”
• “Awww! Heartbreaking!”
• “I’m tearing up!”
• “Definitely creepy…”

In case you can’t tell, I’m having SO much fun with the Soul Screamers books, and IF I DIE may be the funniest, saddest, most shocking one yet. IMO.

And yes, I’ll post the back cover blurb as soon as I’m sure it’s final.

On another topic, #1′s been working on my website a bit this weekend, and on Saturday he posted something pretty awesome on the extras page. It’s a flash-run version of the Netherworld Survival Guide (penned by Alec during his time in the Netherworld) that was printed as bonus content in the back of the UK edition of MSTTake. Click the small image on my home page, and you’ll be directed to the guide. It may take a minute to load.

Once it’s loaded (it’ll look like a file folder), click and drag the center of the folder to open it. The corners of the pages will curl when you hover over them. Again, click and drag to flip the pages. Careful, though. They can be ripped out. If you accidentally “drop” a sheet, reload the page and you should be good to go.

Cool, huh?

>Out of focus

>I’m working on the rough draft of IF I DIE right now, and I think the hardest thing about writing this, the fifth book in the series, is holding the tone of what I’ve written so far in my head, along with what I know comes next. It’s really hard to maintain a consistent “feel” of a series while still pushing the characters to develop and mature.

Why is that hard? Okay, you asked for it…

Writing a rough draft is like standing too close to the mirror. So close that you can only focus on one feature at a time, and everything else is kind of blurry. You can’t truly see your whole face at this point in the process. Much less the rest of your body (the previous books in the series).

Right now, in IF I DIE, I can see the scene I’m working on, and on the periphery, I can see parts of the previous two scenes. That’s like seeing my nose and part of one cheek. But I have yet to see the entire face of this novel, and for all I know, once I do, the parts won’t line up. It’ll look more like one of Picasso’s disjointed women than anything truly recognizable.

If I follow this analogy, that makes rewrites analogous to corrective surgery—rearranging the parts until they all match. At this point, the manuscript feels more like Frankenstein’s monster. The features are all there, and in focus, and lined up. But the seams are still visible. And there might be a slight greenish tint.

After that comes plastic surgery (revisions), where I smooth over the scars and do whatever repair work I missed in the previous round. With any luck (even if it takes multiple operations) by the end of this process my manuscript has a smooth, pretty face (the words on the page, and their rhythm and flow) over a sturdy bone structure (the plot–the story itself).

But I’m not going to illustrate that part because just as no face in a magazine is ever truly flawless, neither is any book. There will always be typos and even some small inconsistencies. Minor flaws that drive the writer nuts (I hate my lazy eye, and the way some of my freckles group together to form Superfreckles) but that readers only really notice if they’re out to analyze or criticize, rather than reading for pleasure.

So, that’s how writing a manuscript is like piecing together Frankenstein’s monster. Now…does anyone know a good plastic surgeon?

>And…it’s done! [Edited]

>Ten minutes ago, I turned in revisions for MY SOUL TO STEAL. While I was working on the manuscript, the changes/tightening didn’t feel like that big a deal. But in retrospect, looking back over everything I did and what those changes meant for the story, I think this may have been the biggest (or at least, the most profound) set of revisions I’ve done for any novel yet, except for Prey. (Those of you who’ve been reading my blog for a while will know that Prey was restructured with a completely new main plot during the revisions process).

The problem as I see it was this: the new character, Sabine, took over the novel. I have to admit, I love her. [Edit: I love Kaylee too, of course. No new character would make me love Kaylee any less, and since we see everything from Kaylee's perspective, the series obviously wouldn't work--or be the series it is now--without her.] She’s Kaylee’s perfect foil. I don’t want to say too much about her until people have had a chance to read My Soul To Keep (which Amazon tells me is already shipping), but I will say that the plot (and just about everything else) took a back seat to Sabine before these revisions.

Sabine’s still a force to be reckoned with. Kaylee doesn’t know what to do with her, and ultimately, no one else’s advice can help her with that. She’s going to have to handle Sabine on her own. And she does it beautifully. But thanks to my editor’s wonderful advice and thought-provoking questions, I was able to bring the plot forward and to really dig deeply into the characters themselves.

Kaylee has changed, in large part due to what happened in MSTKeep. And she’s not the only one. But I think she’s better for it, even if that means that the pieces of her life don’t fit so neatly around her any more. Not as neatly as they used to, anyway.

I think the thing I’m most pleased with about these revisions is one particular moment near the end, during a very important, plot-driving argument (more of a showdown) between Kaylee and Sabine. In the original, Kaylee got mad and did something I needed her to do, to propel the plot. But my editor pointed out in her notes that Kaylee’s action in that spot was out of character for her.

And she was right. So my challenge was to get her back into character without losing that plot propulsion. And that was very difficult. But in the end, I did it, by digging deeper into Kaylee’s character and letting her learn from experience. And by taking some advice Ally Carter gave to a room full of people last July, and probably didn’t even know I was paying attention to.

The result is that Kaylee’s actions are now just as meaningful as they were before, but now they fit her better, and they’re smarter. And possibly even more effective.

So, I’m pleased.

Hopefully tomorrow I’ll have a new My Soul To Keep themed wallpaper to show off and a new contest to announce. That’s my goal, anyway, as I work on line/copy edits for ALPHA.

Also, I’ve heard that MSTKeep is now shipping from several places, but if you happen to find it on an actual shelf, I’d love to have a picture…!

>Bits and pieces

>I’m still working on revisions for My Soul To Steal, and I’m at the point in the process when I really wish I could start dropping some mini-excerpts online. But I can’t, because that would spoil things from My Soul To Keep. So…hurry up, June 1!

Other random things:

• I’m having a rather domestically challenged week. Yesterday I splattered bleach all over a brand new shirt. And my hot water heater is broken, so I’ve had cold showers two days in a row. Raise your hand if you hate cold showers. *waves hand in the air*
• I’m behind on mailing stuff. That’s because I’m perpetually behind on everything. But it shouldn’t be long if I still owe you something. Though…if it’s been more than a month, please send me a reminder of what I owe you, and what contest you won it in.
• I discovered via the internet that My Soul To Keep is getting a simultaneous release in the US and Australia. (With a very slightly different cover. Same art, different crop.)
• And in case you haven’t heard, the Aussies are going to get My Soul To Steal (Soul Screamers 4) a full month earlier than those of us in the US. They’ll get it December 1, 2010, while it won’t be out in the US until Jan 1, 2011. So…does that mean I’ll actually have 5 full length releases in 2010?
• Amazon.com (I know, I know) has updated it’s Author Central program, and now I’m allowed to suggest edits to product information. So I suggested that they label all my books with the series name and book number. And so far, about half of those suggestions have already been implemented! So if you check out my author page on Amazon, you’ll notice that most of the books are now properly labeled as Soul Screamers 1, or Shifters 5, etc…
• And last of all, I kind of love this Pamela Palmer cover, and not just because it has my cover quote on it. Though that helps. How cool is the monochrome and the black cat?!

I haven’t read this one yet, but I love the look of the cover!

>Tonight…

>I’m in the home stretch on revisions for Alpha, and I hope to finish it tomorrow, then give certain sections one more quick read-through before turning it in.

But tonight… I babysit! Though that term hardly seems accurate, considered that the kids my friend is bringing over are school age. Fortunately, I’ve known them most of their lives.

I’m not a noob. I’ve done this before. But I haven’t done an over-night babysitting gig in more than a decade–

Sorry. Had to stop typing to go clean up cat vomit. What a glamorous life I live.

Anyway, today I revise brutal fight scenes and sexual tension. Tonight I entertain elementary age children. Pizza. Movies. Popcorn. Just Dance on my Wii. It’ll be fine. Right?

Right?

>Write what you…can make up entirely?

>First, a couple of tidbits:

• The My Soul to Save cover is now up on Amazon, nine weeks before the release. My editor tells me it went to press about two weeks ago, so I’m expecting author copies soon. No ARCs yet. I may not get any this time. ARCs are never a guarantee, but if I do get some, I will, of course, give some away.
• I turned in the Shift copy edits yesterday, so that one is done, except for the galleys, which represent my last chance to read through the manuscript for mistakes. I caught a bunch in the edits, but I have no doubt that a few were waiting to surprise me in this last round. They seem determined to sneak into the finished product.
• My furniture arrived yesterday! I spent the afternoon unpacking dishes and books, but am no where near finished with either project. Number 1 has promised to help this weekend. I have promised to post pictures of my very first office, once it’s been put in order.

I was up bright and early (pre-dawn) for an errand this morning, and I could have gone back to bed, but when I checked my email, I found the revision notes for My Soul to Keep in my inbox. Which led to an early cup of (strong) coffee and resignation to the fact that there will be no more sleep today.

My Soul to Keep is the third Soul Screamers book, and possibly the most ambitious subject matter I’ve attempted yet. Ambitious in the sense that I’m definitely not writing what I know in this instance. Although it occurs to me now that I don’t actually know much about turning into a giant cat either.

The difference is that the parts of Faythe and her world that I don’t know from experience are the parts I get to make up. I’m familiar with being hard-headed, determined, big-mouthed, and even impulsive, though I like to think I’ve outgrown some of that. And since no one’s ever really Shifted into a giant cat, there’s no one out there qualified to tell me that I’m getting that part all wrong. (And please, no letters from crazy cat people out there. It’s fiction, people. And fantasy, at that.)

However, in MSTKeep, it’s the realistic parts (the stuff that can and does happen in real life) that I have no personal experience with. It’s these realistic angst, reactions, and fallout that I’m having trouble pegging. This would make a lot more sense if you’d read the book. But trust me, I’m in for a lot of research. And a lot of work. Because this could be a powerful book, if I get it right.

And I can’t put it on the shelf until/unless I feel like I got it right.

>First chapter misadventures

>This past weekend, I added a new chapter 1 and a new chapter 2 to ALPHA. You’d think that by my twelfth book I know where to start the story. But you’d be wrong.

Here’s a brief history of my first chapter misadventures:

• Stray originally started with Faythe at school, but there was no attack. There was just Marc, who showed up to bring her home. It works much better starting with action. Trust me.
• Rogue originally started with the sparring scene in the basement, and Faythe had a disturbing flashback to fighting Miguel. The published version begins with Faythe and Marc catching and expelling a trespasser who later turns out to be important.
• Pride is one of the few books I’ve written that retained not only its opening scene, but its opening line. Yea! Oddly enough, it seems to be readers’ least favorite of the series. Think that means something?
• Prey didn’t get a new first chapter, but it did get a significant rewrite. Originally, there was a bunch of backstory from the previous books before they arrived at the convenience store where they met Marc. And originally, Michael was with them, rather than Ethan.
• My Soul to Take originally had three pages of Kaylee getting ready to sneak out with Emma before they actually arrived at the club. My CP put big red (metaphorical) Xs through all three of those pages. She was right.
• The opening paragraph for Shift (which you guys haven’t read yet) was originally at the bottom of the second page. My CP suggested that it would make a great opening, and again, she was right!
• My Soul to Save starts in the original place, but has a new opening paragraph, as per my editor’s suggestion.

So as you can see, I kind of suck at beginnings. But from what I’ve heard from some fellow writers, I’m not the only one. Thank goodness for CPs and editors, and revisions in general.

Today I’m going over the copy edited Shift manuscript. This is my chance to approve or stet (reject) the changes the copy editor made. After this step, there will be one last run-through (galleys), then the book will go to print, and I won’t see it again until I get my finished copies.

And yes, that’s a very scary prospect.