>"Reaper" PSA

>I’m popping in on the weekend with a quick alert/reminder for Soul Screamers readers…

It’s come to my attention that “Reaper” is up for pre-order for the Nook at Barnes & Noble. Which would be cool, except that it’s listed with a price of $2.99. That will eventually be the right price at e-book stores, but for the first few months, “Reaper” will be free in most formats, in most places. And it will stay free in PDF format on my website. That was the whole point of the story.

Back in May, at BEA, I pitched the “Reaper” novella to my editor with two goals in mind. First, I wanted to tell the story of how Tod died and was recruited as a reaper. Second, I wanted to offer it to the readers for free, just like we did with “My Soul To Lose” in ’09. I wanted it to be a sort of gift to my current readers and a free sample to those who may not have tried the series yet. Though I will admit, it’s mostly the former. There are characters and events referenced that will make a lot more sense if you’ve read the previous books.

My editor (and publisher) was kind enough to indulge me. Though they can’t offer the story for free forever (overhead costs include professional editing, proofreading, typesetting and formatting, electronic distribution, and cover design), it will be free initially (and permanently, on my website).

One more note:
People are probably going to slam me for saying this, but I want to be clear…

“Reaper” is a novella. NOT a novel. When “My Soul To Lose” came out in ’09, I got tons and tons of very angry reviews slamming it not because of the content or writing, but because readers were “fooled” into thinking it was a full-length novel and were angered by the length. Even though the story was FREE.

I can’t control how novellas are listed on Amazon or other e-book stores. All I can do is try to make it clear here that “Reaper” is not a novel. It’s a novella, about 17,000 words in length. (The “average” novel is closer to 100,000 words.) So please don’t download it expecting a full-length Soul Screamers novel.

Okay, PSA over.

Here’s a quick rundown of things you might want to know about “Reaper.”

• It is narrated by Tod
• It takes place (mostly) after “Fearless” (the Sabine novella in Kiss Me Deadly) and (mostly) before “My Soul To Lose.”
• I will be posting mini-quotes from the novella on Twitter and Facebook.

—–

Writing progress:

Here’s where I stand on the new adult novel.

44,098 / 100,000
(44.1%)

And here’s my progress toward my November goal of 65,000 words.

27,698 / 65,000
(42.61%)

As you can see, I still have a way to go, so now I’m off to work!

Click below to check out my CP Rinda Elliott’s progress toward her goal:

>Wanna see?

>I blogged at The Deadline Dames today with a photo-excerpt of My Soul To Steal, so click here if you’re interested!

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Also, today’s the last day to enter to win my last ARC of My Soul To Steal. There’s just over 700 entries so far (wow, you guys blow me away!) and I really wish I had another one to offer up, but I don’t. However, I should have author copies in a month or so, and I’ll be giving away several more then.

—–

Writing Progress:

I didn’t get a chance to blog yesterday, so this is actually my progress for the past two days combined. The novel currently stands at:

39,924 / 100,000
(39.92%)

And my progress toward my 65,000 word November goal is:

23,524 / 65,000
(36.19%)

So, I’m chugging along, but still have a long way to go.

Click below to check my CP Rinda Elliott’s progress toward her goal.

>Oooh, shiny!

>[If you haven't already, click here to enter to win an ARC of My Soul To Steal!]

So, I wasn’t going to work this weekend. My daily goal is designed to let me take weekends off and preserve my sanity. But then #1 said, “But wouldn’t it be nice to get ahead?” And he had a point. Especially considering the upcoming holidays. So I did put in a little bit of work this weekend.

But I also watched several movies and played a couple of video games with #1.

Also, the Williams Sonoma catalogue arrived on Saturday, and just FYI, the Williams Sonoma catalogue=total time suck. We spent at least a couple of hours (total) staring at the shiny pictures and composing wish lists. (Why don’t *I* have soup bowls shaped like pumpkins?) But, you (and my editor) will be happy to hear that this morning, I left the catalogue downstairs, so I can’t be tempted by it.

What? They have a website? Uh oh.

—–

ARCs of My Soul To Steal are making their way into the world, and the first reviews are good! Also, they’re spoiler-free. And zero calories.

• Mary at Bookhounds
• Lani at LaLa Land

—–

Writing update: After a Friday + weekend total of almost 5000 words, here’s where the new book stands.

34,388 / 100,000
(34.39%)

And here’s my November total so far:

17,988 / 65,000
(27.67%)

Not bad for the first week, I think. But unless disaster strikes, things should be ramping up this week!

Click below to find out how my CP Rinda Elliott did this weekend!

>Why I may be the crazy cat lady.

>Unfortunately, I still don’t have the official all-clear to shout my new series titles (one for the series as a whole, the other for the 1st novel) from the rooftop yet. My emails obviously don’t sound quite desperate enough. Maybe it’s all those exclamation points (in honor of my new French cover!!!).

But here’s what I can tell you so far: this book is driving me nuts. I mean, crazy, in the sense that people now pause on my sidewalk to point and whisper, “That’s where the crazy cat lady lives.” And they’re not far off. I have cats. See?

Why is this novel driving me crazy? Because I’m writing it from two different points of view. (FYI, I’m pretty sure that’s abbreviated as PsOV, not POVs. Right? Or is that further proof of my craziness?) I’ve never tried a multiple POV book before, and my conclusion after having written almost 1/3 of one now? Multiple points of view (PsOV) just means there’s more than one voice in your head. Thus, the crazy.

I’m far from sure this multiple point of view thing will actually work out. My editor asked me to try it, and I said I would. So I did, and it turns out I suck at it. So I called her and said, “Hey, it turns out I suck at multiple point of view, so I’m taking the second point of view out, ‘kay? Oh, also, this book isn’t turning out much like the book I proposed. How much trouble am I in?”

I was seriously stressed about both of those issues, but she took it all in stride.

Then I decided that I needed that second point of view, to be able to properly tell both sides of the story. So I gave it another shot. And it turns out that I’m not as bad at multiple points of view (PsOV) as I thought I was. But who knows. I might spend the entire revision process changing it all back to a single POV (PsOV).

So, there you go: everything you ever wanted to not-quite-know about my new series.

—

Here’s where the novel stands, after writing 3,205 words yesterday:

29,558 / 100,000
(29.56%)

And here’s where my November writing goal stands:

13,158 / 65,000
(20.24%)

My critique partner (and partner in wordcount crime) Rinda Elliott had an interesting day yesterday. Click the button below to read about her progress (and how she nearly burned down her house.)

>Chuggin’ along…

>

[If you haven't already, click here to find out how to enter to win my only ARC of My Soul To Steal!]

I barely made my writing goal last night. Lucky for me, barely counts.

Here’s where the new book stands, after an addition of 3,053 words yesterday:

26,353 / 100,000
(26.35%)

And here’s how I stand on my November writing goal, after three days:

9,953 / 65,000
(15.31%)

Looks pretty good so far, I think. Except that I don’t get to work much on the weekends. Real life, you know. And this weekend, that includes Christmas shopping, because my extended family is having its holiday get-together/gift exchange over Thanksgiving weekend. A full month before Christmas. Which is awesome (I’m so glad I have the kind of family that gets together once or twice a year, without fail), but that also means that–with the seven hour drive each way–there will be 3-4 days at the end of the month in which I won’t get a word written.

(I can’t work or read in the car–motion sickness.)

So I’m trying to plan ahead. But the stupid book keeps getting in the way of…its own creation.

Why? Because it’s the first book in a brand new series, with brand new characters and brand new world-building. And I don’t really know the characters or their world like I should yet. I’m getting to know them. But that means I’ll have to go back during the revisions and rewrite the entire beginning of the book to adjust for the stuff I didn’t know back when I wrote it.

And unlike most of the NaNoers, I don’t have the luxury of aiming for quantity over quality, with the understanding that the book will need a massive rewrite later. By the time the book is finished, my “later” will consist of two weeks (if I’m lucky) in which to rewrite, have the book critiqued, and rewrite it again before it’s due. So I’m trying to strike a balance between quality and quantity. And sanity.

This book is due Jan 1, 2011. Boy, am I looking forward to the new year.

Click below to see my critique partner Rinda Elliott’s progress in our partnered not-NaNo. She made her goal too!

>A new French cover!

>[If you haven't already seen it, scroll down the previous post to enter the My Soul To Steal ARC giveaway!]

I’ve been searching the internet daily for the last week or so, and look what I finally found! The French cover for My Soul To Keep! They’re calling it Sauve mon ame, which translates roughly to “Save my soul!” With an exclamation point! My first cover with an exclamation point! I feel like I should use a bunch of them now!!!

The book comes out in France on December 1!!!!

Anyway, exclamation points aside, I think the cover’s beautiful! I love the continuity with the wavy, sparkly things trailing from her eye on all three covers, and I’m fascinated by how the French covers transpose the colors from the American covers for books 2 & 3. (The US MSTSave is green and the US MSTKeep is purple, but it’s the opposite in France.)

In case you don’t remember, here are the first two, available now!:

—–

November writing update:

Here’s my progress on the novel overall, after writing 3,784 words yesterday:

23,300 / 100,000

And here’s my progress toward my November writing goal of 65,000 words:

6,900 / 65,000
(10.62%)

I have no idea why the progress bars don’t show up right in my Blogger posts. Sorry.

Click below to see my critique partner Rinda Elliott’s progress in our partnered not-NaNo. She made her goal too!

>Why I’m not doing NaNo…

>

[I know I promised to give away an ARC of My Soul To Steal today, but I have to push that back by one more day, in order to post what's below. But look for the contest tomorrow. I swear, this book wants a home. ]

Why I’m not doing NaNoWriMo:

NaNoWriMo is National Novel Writing Month–a November-long challenge to writers to try and write 50,000 words in one month. It’s a sort of group-incentive program.

It’s been going on longer than I’ve been writing, and I’ve always wanted to participate, but I’ve never been able to, and it doesn’t look like I ever will. And here’s why.

• The timing’s never been right for me. Unless you’ve “won” a previous NaNo event, you have to start a novel from scratch on Nov. 1, and as a contracted writer, that’s impossible for me. I’m always already in mid-novel on Nov. 1, and my deadlines are too tight for me to set that novel aside and work on a side project for an entire month.
• I can’t commit an entire month to just one novel. I inevitably get edits or revisions during November and am forced to divert my attention from the novel I’m actually writing.
• In order to prove that you’ve actually written 50,000 words in the month of November, you have to upload your novel to be verified by the staff. They’ll let you scramble the words first (they even provide directions for this) but for a writer who’s paranoid about spoilers from her brand new series leaking out, this doesn’t work for me.
• 50,000 words in a month is actually under my natural pacing. I aim for a chapter a day, which is 3,000+ words per day, five days a week. Which is 60,000 words per month, bare minimum.

But, I love the idea of NaNo, and I love the camaraderie. So my critique partner Rinda Elliott and I are going to do our own private version. We don’t have a name for it yet (suggestions?) but we’re going to hold one another accountable and post our daily progress, with links to one another.

Starting today.

Yesterday, I started with 16,400 words on my novel (the first in my new series, which I hope to be able to announce soon). I wrote just over 3,100 words.

Here’s my progress on the novel, overall:

19516 / 100000
(19.52%)

Here’s my progress toward my November goal of 65,000 words:

3116 / 65000
(4.79%)

Rinda made her goal too! So far, so good!

>Who’s coming?

>After nearly two weeks away from it (that short story took waaaay too much time), I’m back to working on IF I DIE today, and it feels like going home after too many days on the road. I’m really excited about this story, which is a good thing, because it’s due very soon. So hopefully I’ll have regular updates on my progress again.

39306 / 90000 words. 44% done!

—–

A question for bloggers: are you coming to any of the Smart Chicks tour stops? If so, it looks like there will be a “pre-event media hour” at each of the stops, during which you can interview the participating authors before the signing. For details, email infoATsmartchickskickitDOTcom. For a full schedule of the stops and participating authors, click here. (My stops are Houston, Pasadena, and San Diego.)

—–

Also, Jennifer, the winner from last week’s giveaway, still hasn’t claimed her prize. If she hasn’t turned up by the end of the week, I’ll draw a new winner, so if you know Jennifer, please let her know that she’s won!

>Rachel is a loser.

>I’m sorry. I know I’m a big loser. This week’s Countdown to Alpha extra has been derailed by technical difficulties. Maybe we’ll double up next week. Sorry!

In blogging news, I’m at The Deadline Dames today talking about how I got published. While you’re there, scroll down and read how Dames Devon and Jackie got published too. Then come back later for similar entries from all of the Dames.

—–

In writing news, I’m STILL working on that short story. How can 6000 words be so difficult to write? I could have written half a novel by now!

To my credit, I haven’t been working on the same 6000 words this whole time. I’ve started the story over (almost from scratch) three times, and one of those times was a complete change of POV. That’s right, the story now has a new narrator.

This story is for a roadtrip-themed anthology coming out next year, and right now, it’s set in the Soul Screamers universe. Though, considering the trouble I’m having that could change. Who knows…?

I’m hoping to finish it tonight. Of course, I was hoping that four nights ago.

—–

And…Today, I go to the post office! For real, this time. I owe bookmarks, and prizes, and other stuff to a bunch of people. So, people, I’m very sorry for the delay.

—–

Also, I have about 1000 Alpha bookmarks. If you’re willing or able to take some to your local book store, library, reading club, or…anywhere else avid readers frequent, send an email to AlphaATrachelvincentDOTcom for directions on how to get these bookmarks. They’re free, for the cost of postage!

>Rogue, down under!; assorted news

>Because I’m swamped with both housework and deadlines, this week’s Countdown to Alpha extra will have to wait until tomorrow. Sorry.

Writing Progress:

I’m up to chapter eleven in IF I DIE (Soul Screamers book 5).

It’s going pretty well, but so far this rough draft isn’t working like most of my novels have. It seems to want to be written in the middle of the night (which is more of a short story pattern for me) and it evidently wants to be written out of order. Which just NEVER happens for me. I have partial scenes and bits of dialogue written from several scenes that haven’t happened yet and I have no idea if they’re still going to fit the book when I get to those parts. But I HAVE to write them down as they come or I’ll forget them.

But today I have to take a break from IF I DIE to revise the Tod novella. Wish me luck!

—–

Tour News:

The Smart Chicks Kick It author tour has a cafe press store! I’ll probably be giving one of the shirts away, along with a couple of Soul Screamers books and a copy of Kiss Me Deadly, if I ever find it. It’s not being carried at my local Walmart or Target, so I guess I’ll have to hit B&N next time I’m out.

Also, there have been a couple of changes in the tour lineup (not involving me or my stops), so if you’re planning to come to one of the stops, check out our website for the most current information!

—–

International Releases:

It looks like Rogue comes out in Australia on September 1, the same day My Soul To Save comes out in France! Below are the AU covers for the first two Shifters books, Stray (which is already out in Australia) and Rogue. I think I prefer the US versions of these, but I do like the closeup of Faythe’s cat eyes on this version of Rogue.

I had to snag these images off the internet, so unfortunately they’re not very good quality.

—–

Unfortunately, I’m really behind on mailing out prizes and scheduling the Alpha blog tour. IF I DIE has kind of taken over my life. I’m planning to schedule all the rest of the blog tour stops tonight and mail out packages tomorrow. If I still owe you a prize, feel free to email me to make sure it hasn’t gotten lost in the mail or overlooked in my pile.

Okay, I’m off to try to rein Tod in. Wish me luck!