Author Interview and Giveaway with Rachel Vincent - PREY

Today, A Journey of Books has the good fortune of welcoming Rachel Vincent to the stage. Vincent's latest book, PREY ( Shifters series, book 4) is due out July 1, 2009! For those of us who are already Shifters fans, this means that our wait is finally over! I don't know about you, but I find myself constantly staring at the calendar, watching with glee as the days between now and July fly by.

Now, if you're not already a fan of Vincent's Shifters series, there's no time like the present to become one. I first picked up the books when Borders suggested the series to me based on my previous browsing history. On a whim, I bought them and am so glad that I did. This is really one of the best shapeshifter series out there. Vincent does a wonderful job of creating depth in her characters and giving us an adrenaline pumping plot that is sure to please. Normally I would post a blurb of PREY, but since it contains spoilers, I'll refrain. You can, however, read my reviews of Stray, Rogue and Pride. While I try to remain spoiler free, the natural of progression of the story is still apparent, so read at your own risk.

Alright, I've told you why I'm excited about the upcoming release of PREY and I've told you why you want to be excited about it. Now let's switch gears and hear a little bit about what Vincent has to say regarding her life, her writing and her upcoming release. I've also heard rumors that the fabulous Faythe might just make an appearance today as well.

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Rachel, glad you could make it!

Thank you! I’m so glad to be here.

How are things treating you nowadays?

I’m fine. Delightfully busy. ;-)

Ten years ago, is there where you pictured yourself? As a wee tyke, what did you imagine you'd grow up to be?

Ten years ago? No. After college, I didn’t do much writing for a while, so this career would have been a total surprise to me-from-ten-years ago!

It seems like your Shifters books hit the Urban Fantasy world by storm. What are your feelings on the whirlwind success?

Oh, well thank you! I don’t know if I’d call it a whirlwind, but I’m definitely feeling a breeze. ;-) I’m very excited, and grateful for the opportunities that have been tossed my way. And I’m trying desperately to deserve them. To make each book better than the last, so that I feel like I’m moving forward. And that readers are getting their money’s worth.

PREY, the fourth installment, is coming up on us fast with a release date of July 1, 2009. I know your fans out there are antsy. How are you dealing with the anticipation of the big day?

Well, it leaked out early in most places, so I’m already getting feedback. Prey is a very important book in the series. It’s the one that changes everything, and so far, feedback has been overwhelmingly positive. Even those readers who don’t like what happened have admitted to loving the book, and I couldn’t be more thrilled about that.

As for anticipation, I’m honestly trying not to think about it. And failing. ;-) This job comes with a lot of pressure, and I have to put that aside in order to stay focused on my current WIP.

The books leading up to PREY are so unique in their story-lines. What inspired the story overall and more specifically, PREY?

After the first book in my series (both Shifters and Soul Screamers), the storylines are inspired by the world I’ve created, and the conflict inherent in it, as well as any personal relationships the characters developed in that first book. Once I have the rules of my world and know how everything works, I just ask myself, “What’s the worst possible way this could go wrong?” Then I answer the question.

It certainly does seem like things are always going wrong! Your lead character, Faythe, is a wonderfully strong female lead. Was she modeled after anyone? How'd you come up with her?

No, she wasn’t modeled after anyone in particular, though her mouth is quite a bit like mine, when I was in my early twenties. If I had an opinion, everyone around me was going to hear about it, whether they wanted to or not. I’ve grown out of most of that, and so has Faythe. But that’s really the only bit of her taken from anyone real.

Faythe is a product of her environment. When she was coddled, she got spoiled. When people started expecting more of her, she delivered. She’s risen to every occasion I’ve thrown at her, and I think her development as a character is going very, very well. I’m proud of her. ;-)

I've heard some authors mention that their characters ran away with the book. Are you happy with the direction the story is going?

Oh yes! If I wasn’t happy with it, it would never see print. ;-)

Reviews have already started rolling in for PREY. What are your thoughts so far?

So far, I’m thrilled. But half expecting the other shoe to drop. The reviews so far have been amazing, but I took some serious risks in this one, and am expecting someone to be mad about that, eventually. ;-)

Inquiring minds always want to know - how do you write? Do you have a special routine (special snacks, mood lighting, rock out music)?

No, none of that. I do listen to music sometimes, but my choice of song really depends on the tone of the scene I’m writing. I do always sit in the same place, though. In my recliner, in my den, with my laptop on my lap. It’s been like that from the beginning. The same chair, though I’ve gone through 3 laptops and two lap desks. ;-)

Any other projects you're working on or anything else you'd like to share with us?

Yes! My YA debut comes out August 1 of this year. My Soul to Take is the first in my upcoming Soul Screamers series, about a teenage bean sidhe (banshee). If you want an early peek at Kaylee Cavanaugh and her world, you can check out the free ebook prequel coming out on July 1, the same day Prey officially hits the shelves!

Thanks so much for stopping by! Don't forget to grab a cookie (or fuzzy rabbit depending on your appetite) on your way home!

Thank you so much for having me!

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Isn't she just a fabulous author? It takes a sharp mind and an even sharper wit to come up with a character as vivacious as Faythe. Speaking of, look who just came walking in!

So Faythe, thanks for joining us!

No problem. It’s good to get off the ranch without scoring new scars, for once!

You seem to have an on again, off again relationship with major hunk Marc. I don't know how anybody could resist that spectacular body and animal magnetism. What about Marc, or his physique, first drew you in?

I’ve known him most of my life, so we kind of grew up together. He is undeniably hot, but we didn’t really connect on a personal level until I was in high school. And I’d have to say that the feature that really drew me in was his eyes. He has these amazing brown eyes with little flecks of gold in them. They stay the same color, even in his cat form. Beautiful!

It's got to be touchy having multiple guys vying for your attention. Any suggestions for the rest of us should we ever found ourselves in your shoes?

Yeah. Try not to be in my shoes. Seriously. There are only two guys, but it gets pretty tense around here sometimes.

Speaking of shoes, we just love your wardrobe! If you had to sum it up in a sentence or less, how would you describe your style?

Very casual. Utilitarian. I work in black tees, jeans, and boots. And I work most of the time. Makes laundry pretty easy. ;-)

I hear cats are all the rage right now. I actually have a small black cat - sometimes I think she's plotting my demise. What's your take on domestic cats?

Ha! Cats are all the rage! I love it. ;-) As for domestic cats, well… they don’t like us very well. We’ve never been able to have pets, because our scent terrifies them. But I have to say I like that humans have domestic cats as pets. That’s much smarter than trying to tame a werecat. ;)

No doubt! Thanks for stopping by Faythe. I'm sure you've got a lot going on. Can't wait to hear all about it.

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Wow! Those two make a fantastic duo, don't they? Vincent as she plots ways to torment poor Faythe's life and Faythe as she plots ways to overcome anything that Vincent can throw at her.

You can find Rachel Vincent online at:
The Pride
Her Website
Her Blog
Myspace
Twitter @rachelkvincent
Her Newsletter

You can order PREY online. I hear that they are already shipping out!

Now that you are super psyched to read PREY, how about we throw in a contest for a free SIGNED copy? Interested? Read the directions below carefully as there is an extra surprise tossed in.

You can do any or all of these to enter the giveaway but the one thing you have to do is leave me a comment including some sort of contact information (email works).

+1 - Comment on some aspect of the interview or ask a question for Vincent.
+5 - Follow Rachel at her blog, Myspace, Twitter @rachelkvincent or subscribe to her newsletter. Five points for each one. Make sure to forward any confirmations you receive to ajourneyofbooks(at)gmail(dot)com with PREY CONTEST in the subject line.
+2 - For following on Blogger (+1 additional if you already follow and for Twitter follows)
+3 - If you post a link to this on your blog (+1 additional for every other place you post about this).
+2 - If you refer someone
+1 - If you tell me who referred you.

Are you ready for the big surprise? If we get 50 or more people to come and enter this contest, I will personally award a copy of the entire Shifters series so far to one lucky person who does not already own them. Pretty amazing, right? For every 25 people above that 50 who enter, I'll include another set of the books for another person. If you want to be included in this section of the contest, make sure to tell me in your original post whether or not you already own the books. The easiest way to trigger this special surprise is to get everyone you know to come enter along with you. Remember, you get extra points for referring or being referred.

Aside from leaving me links and such to go along with your entries, the only other thing I ask is that you keep all of your entries to one comment. Additional comments for reposting this later are fine.

This contest will end July 2th, 2009 at midnight Eastern. That's ONE week. Make sure you come back and check to see who won. I won't guarantee to hunt winners down.

Sorry, but this contest is only open to residents of the U.S. and Canada.
We can't ship to PO Boxes so make sure you have an alternate mailing address.