5 Minutes With Rachel Vincent

Author Rachel Vincent has been tearing up the urban fantasy scene since her 2007 debut Stray, about co-ed and werecat Faythe Sanders.

Now, Faythe (and Rachel!) are back on April 1, 2008- no fooling- with the sequel, Rogue.

I was lucky enough to catch five minutes with Rachel, to ask a few clawing questions of my own.

1) You sold your first book on Friday the 13th, gave away your last ARC on Valentine's Day, and Rogue comes out on April Fool's Day. Are you doing this on purpose, or are you just lucky?

The timing has been weird, huh? I also found out about Stray's little blip on the USA Today extended list on a close relative's birthday, and Rogue hits the shelves (several days before the official release date) on another close relative's birthday. But I guess I'm just lucky. Even when I plan things, they never turn out the way I'd hoped, so I can't take credit for any of those dates. Still, in hopes that the trend continues, I'm certainly looking forward to my next birthday!

2) Now, Rogue is the second book in your series, but I understand that you've already finished the fourth. What's it like to be immersed in Faythe's story at so many different stages at once?

I'm actually not quite done with the fourth book, but I expect to be in three weeks or so. As for what it's like to be immersed in the story at so many different stages? Confusing. The readers (some of whom have already found and read Rogue early) ask questions and pose theories about stuff in book two, but for me, that was two books (and two years) ago, and I often have to look stuff up in the manuscript in order to speak intelligently about whatever they're discussing. If I'm not careful, I'll accidentally let out a spoiler, or forget they haven't yet read what I'm referring to. And I swear, some of the readers know the books-at least the first two-better than I do! Which is incredibly cool. ;-) I love watching their reactions and guessing how they'll react to future plotlines.

As for the writing part, I'm constantly having to look things up in earlier books, to make sure I don't contradict myself or remember something incorrectly. Especially since some things changed in edits and the story has changed (in minor ways) from the way I originally wrote it. And I tend to remember that first version best.

3) If you could command any artist in the world, who would write Faythe's theme song?

Oooh, that's a tough one. Someone with serious passion, and a sense of humor. Someone who isn't afraid to say it like it is, even if his or her opinion is unpopular. Or leads to trouble. There are several ways to go. I liked Disturbed's willingness to call it like they see it. And I like what Christina Aguilera did with "Fighter." I also like the lyrics in Gavin DeGraw's "I Don't Want To Be." So maybe one of those artists? Or a combination?

My tastes vary widely, and Faythe has many, many moods. So I'm not sure I could pick just one... ;-)

4) You talk a lot about tightening your prose. Has this gotten easier with each book, or is it like starting over every time?

It's definitely gotten easier. I learned so much during the rewrites for Rogue, and I feel like I finally understand what tightening means. Not that Rogue is perfect, but regarding technique, I think I've improved with each book, and I hope to continue getting better with each subsequent installment.

5) I saved the most important question for last. Which is harder, writing a book or making a gingerbread house?

Ah! Great question. It depends on the book. And the gingerbread house. The last house we made (for this past Christmas) was pretty involved. It included window glass made from melted hard candy (you can actually see through it!) and a two-story design.

But there are actually several similarities between writing a book and making a gingerbread house. First of all, you're creating something from nothing but a list of ingredients. For the house, it's flour, sugar, and molasses. For the book, it's an idea, a talent, and a word processor. They both require lots of practice and patience, and with each one, the job gets easier. That said, however, each gingerbread house (and each book) presents a unique challenge. Even though you've made (or written) one before, you've never made (or written) this one before.

The difference, of course, is that when you're done with a gingerbread house, you can eat it. You can't eat a book.

Well, you shouldn't eat a book, anyway. But writing (and selling) one can put food on the table. Including gingerbread. ;-)