Interview: Rachel Vincent

NRR: Can you share with us how you got started into writing?

I opened a Word Perfect document and started typing. Seriously. It's that simple. Kind of. Actually, my husband dared me to write the book I'd always been threatening to write. *Then* I opened the document. Sometimes writing is really simple, especially at first, when you're not worrying about market viability, promotion, or sell-through. I started just started typing, and ten months later I had three completed novels. 

NRR: How were you inspired to write Blood Bound?

I did a lot of brainstorming and came up with a world based on a literal interpretation of the phrase "a man's word is his bond." What if promises couldn't be broken? And both the world and the book grew from there. 

NRR: What is in your to be read pile?

It's huge. At the moment, it's mostly full of YA and books I picked up at BEA.  

NRR: What was the most challenging part of writing Blood Bound?

Writing from two points of view. I've never done that before. I naturally write in a very linear, point-A-to-point-B style, as seen through the eyes of one character. Trying to do that from two different points of view nearly killed me and it gave me a LOT of respect for writers who do this all the time. 

With Blood Bound, the characters share a goal, and parts of it are seen through Olivia's eyes, while other parts are seen through Cam's eyes. But in plotting Shadow Bound, I realized that a double POV book would be much smoother if each character had a different goal. You'd think I'd have picked that up from reading books with multiple points of view, but I didn't, because as many of those as I've read, I never thought about writing one. Until now.

So, in Shadow Bound, Kori has one goal and Ian has another. Their goals conflict and their points of view alternate much more smoothly. I consider this a sign that I'm still growing as an author. I hope to never stop growing. 

NRR: What is a day in the life of Rachel Vincent like?

Glamorous. Totally. Jeans. Baggy tees. Scooping cat litter. Folding laundry. And between all of that, I make my 3000 word daily goal in 3 one hour spurts, if I'm writing a rough draft. Or, if I'm rewriting, I work on one chapter at a time, and take breaks for laundry, lunch, and errands.

Like most writers, I actually work really long hours. And there's no office to leave my work at, so even when I'm not writing, I'm plotting in my head. My writer's brain never powers down. Not ever. 

And, what most readers don't understand is that less than half of a writer's work is actually writing. The rest of it is answering interview questions like this (easily an hour, on this one interview), filling out cover art information for the artists, interacting with readers online, answering email, critiquing for other writers, designing widgets, designing and ordering swag, and about a million other things that have to be done, but aren't technically writing.

NRR: Can you share with us the storyline of Blood Bound?

It's Romeo and Juliet meets The Godfather, but paranormal. That's how I pitched it, anyway. Two former lovers have to work together to help a friend whose husband has been murdered by someone the police can't catch. On the way, they uncover secrets (SO MANY SECRETS) about their own pasts and the connections they share with the people around them. Also, they have abilities. But not the typical superhero abilities. No one reads minds or walks through walls. This is different. And very dark and violent. 'Cause, you know. I wrote it. ;)

NRR: What can fans expect to see from you next?

Blood Bound comes out in September. If I Die (Soul Screamers 5) comes out in October. And if all goes well, there will be another Soul Screamers online novella out before the end of the year. 

Both Shadow Bound and Before I Wake (Soul Screamers 6) are scheduled for summer 2012, unless something changes.