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Rachel Vincent is a recent transplant into the Deep South, though she still dislikes root beer and most vegetables. She has a BA in English and an overactive imagination, the latter of which she finds to be more practical. And if you’ve wondered where her werecat inspiration comes from? I’d say the fact that she shares her workspace with two black cats (Kaci and Nyx)…not to mention her # 1 fan. Since Rachel is older than she looks and younger than she feels, she’s convinced that for every day she spends writing, another day will be added to her lifespan.

Like most writers she enjoys flavored coffee, chocolate, laptops, high speed internet, em-dashes and 80’s music. Also as a writer, her pet peeves include velvet, approximate rhymes and typos (which she has given her fans carte blanche to point out on her website).

I can’t say that I’ve met Rachel in person. With that being said, I’ve totally gotten a gist of her humor from her novels as well as her blog. I jumped on the band wagon when Rachel’s first book, STRAY, appeared thanks to a shout out from Jenna Black. At that time, Rachel was one of the first writers I’d seen who used the internet as a smart marketing tool. After all what writer doesn’t love knowing her fans are buying her books? Well Rachel took that connection further. She asked her fans to send pictures of themselves finding and buying STRAY when it hit shelves everywhere. I’d call that fun and inventive, which are also hallmark traits of her writing.

If you want to be-fan a writer who’s a hoot (as we say in the South), I think Rachel merits that title! Luckily she’s got six books under her belt, so I’d say she’s firmly on her way to a long and merry career. And that kind longevity will mean wonders for her lifeline :0)

How did the spark of an idea in your eye turn into a popular werecat series starring Faythe Sanders? Did you research the customs and mythos of the Pride, or did you develop your own social code by watching lots of cats and groups of guys?

The social structure is loosely modeled on the reverse of a pride of lions, in which there are few males and many females. The males do little, other than procreate, and the females do most of the hunting. I thought it would be fun to reverse that, and see what kind of havoc results. And it has been fun! But the politics are all made up. That was fun too. Though I doubt Faythe would agree. ;-)

If you had to choose one of the Pride to be your brother and/or significant other, what hunky tom would it be?

Oh, man. Okay, Ethan would make an awesome brother. He really cares about Faythe, but there’s also a real, but friendly competition. And he doesn’t let her walk over him.

As for a significant other, it would have to be either Marc or Jace. They both have qualities I like. Unfortunately, I can’t narrow it any further than that. Yet… ;-)

What secret(s) do you wish you’d known as an unpublished author that you now know as a multi-published author? Who, besides yourself, do you think had the biggest role in helping you “break in”?

Secrets? There are no secrets. I know no one wants to hear that, but it’s true. All the important information is out there if you want it. Google is your friend. ;-)

Who helped me “break in” to publishing? Well, my awesome mentor played a huge role in teaching me about craft and about the industry, and I can’t thank her enough for that. But in the end, I still had to cold-query agents, and I broke in the old-fashioned way. Through the slush pile.

With three books, including PRIDE out, and tons of promo on your plate, what do you do for down time from being a do-it-yourself author?

I read, watch DVDs, and play rock band. I know, exciting, huh? ;-)

When and where did the coolest/weirdest/most shocking thing a fan did or say happen?

Um… my readers are actually pretty awesome. They’ve been very gracious and enthusiastic, and I could not be more grateful for that.

What part of the writing and publishing process gives you the most pleasure and/or satisfaction?

Writing a rough draft gives me a huge sense of accomplishment, because it’s the stage where the most visible work is done. You can see your word count rise every day. But rewrites and revisions are where the real magic happens.

With PREY, and your first YA, MY SOUL TO TAKE, looming on the horizon, can you give us a sneak peek at the books as well as the rest of your 2009 schedule?

PREY comes out on July 1, 2009, and is already available for pre-order. Here’s the blurb:

WARNING! BLURB CONTAINS SPOILERS FOR PRIDE!

SOMETIMES PLAYING CAT AND MOUSE IS NO GAME...Play? Right. My Pride is under fire from all sides, my father's authority is in question and my lover is in exile. Which means I haven't laid eyes on Marc's gorgeous face in months. And with a new mother and an I-know-everything teenager under my protection, I don't exactly have time to fantasize about ever seeing him again.

Then our long-awaited reunion is ruined by a vicious ambush by strays. Now our group is under attack, Marc is missing, and I will need every bit of skill and smarts to keep my family from being torn apart. Forever.


MY SOUL TO TAKE is my young adult debut, the first in my Soul Screamers series about a teenage bean sidhe (banshee). It comes out on August 1. I don’t have the official blurb yet, but it’ll be up on my website as soon as I do.

Didn’t get enough of Rachel here? Check out her Q&A at eharlequin. And if you have a question you didn’t get the chance to ask here, join the merriment at The Pride! Or you can read the backlog of info and occurrences on her blog.

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