Interview & Giveaway: Rachel Vincent, author of My Soul to Keep

Today I get to share with you a Q&A that the lovely Rachel Vincent, author of the Soul Screamers and Shifters series, was kind enough to do with me! Her latest book, My Soul to Keep, is officially released tomorrow. Let's see what Rachel has to say...

My Soul to Keep is the 3rd Soul Screamers novel that you've written. What have you learned about writing for a younger audience?

I've learned that the YA audience is smart. They want complex characters, and detailed plots, and characters they can feel something for, whether that something is love, hate, or sympathy. Teen readers tend to have good vocabularies, and if they don't know a word, they can infer the meaning. And they know when you're talking down to them, so don't even try it.

Sounds familiar, huh? That's cause they have a lot in common with adults. And you can't generalize about teens any more than you can about adults. They're individuals, and they each bring a different life experience to a novel.


So far we've only seen bean sidhe fae in the series. Does the world that Kaylee and crew live in consist of any other types of fae?

Well, I wouldn't call them fae, but we also see reapers, hellions, Nightmares, and several other species I made up entirely. And in my short story "Binge," we see leanan sidhe (a sort of vampiric muse) and sirens.

List five characters from MSTK and do word associations for them.

Kaylee - honorable, loyal
Nash - conflicted
Emma - loyal, easy-going
Tod - intense, determined
Alec - desperate

What can readers expect from this installment in the series?

This is the darkest, most complex novel in the series so far, and it deals with substance abuse, loyalty, and the loss of free will. It also poses questions about forgiveness and consequences. ( But hopefully in a very entertaining story.) The events in this novel change everything for Kaylee, and ultimately make her stronger. Still, there were a couple of scenes in this one that made me uncomfortable to write, but I wanted to do the subject justice.

I've heard one complaint that the book ends on a cliffhanger, but I have to respectfully disagree with that. I believe it ends the only way it could--with choices yet to be made. Some things can't be tied up in neat little bows at the end of the day. This isn't a sit-com. It's Kaylee's life, and she deserves the chance to take her time with the important decisions.

What do you love most about book three compared to the previous stories?

MY SOUL TO KEEP digs deeper into the characters and the world. I loved having that chance. We see different sides to most of the characters we've already met, and I love that.

How many more Soul Screamers novels do you have planned at this point?

I'm contracted through book five, but the world Kaylee lives in is so ripe with opportunity that I could see the series going on for awhile if there's demand.

On last question - Is Nash it for Kaylee? Or are there other possible love interests to come?

I honestly don't know. Read MY SOUL TO KEEP and let me know what you think. Can you really find true love at 16? If you do, can it really be forever?

I guess we'll all find out... :)

Thanks so much for the great interview, Rachel!


Here's the synopsis of My Soul to Keep:

Kaylee has one addiction: her very hot, very popular boyfriend, Nash. A banshee like Kaylee, Nash understands her like no one else. Nothing can come between them.
Until something does.

Demon breath. No, not the toothpaste-challenged kind. The Netherworld kind. The kind that really can kill you. Somehow the super-addictive substance has made its way to the human world. But how? Kaylee and Nash have to cut off the source and protect their friends—one of whom is already hooked.

And so is someone else…

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Everyone, be sure to check out My Soul to Keep and the rest of Rachel's Soul Screamers series. If you can't wait, hit the bookstore ASAP :) For you patient folks, Rachel has been kind enough to offer up a signed copy of her latest release. The giveaway's only going on until Friday, June 11th though so, after that, you'll have to buy! Believe me, it's more than worth the cash.

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