Interview with YA author Rachel Vincent

This month, Rosemary's discusses YA debuts, please enjoy her interview with the debut author for Harlquin's Teen imprint, Rachel Vincent.

For a slightly different take on the theme, let's visit with New York Times Bestselling author Rachel Vincent, who now makes her YA debut with “The Soul Screamers” series from the brand new YA line from Harlequin. (That’s a double dose of debut, if you’re keeping score.)

RCM: I'm totally in awe of you--way cool Urban Fantasy series for grown ups, and now you're writing YA. How did you come to add a new demographic to your repertoire?

Rachel Vincent: Thank you! I started reading a lot of YA a couple of years ago and was fascinated with how many directions the genre was going, and flat-out stunned by the quality of some of the writing. Then, when someone suggested I try writing YA it felt right. Really, really right. My original idea was a YA version of my Shifters series, from one of my teen characters' POV, but I couldn't get into the story, so I went back to the proverbial drawing board. What happened next was... Bean sidhes!

RCM: So tell us a little bit about the first book in the series (available now):

Rachel Vincent: My Soul to Take is about a teenage girl who finds out she's a bean sidhe (banshee) and that her newly discovered heritage comes with a pretty scary ability. But other than that, she's just your average high school junior. She's not beautiful, not genius-level smart, and not rich. She doesn't have super strength, or mind-reading abilities, or anything overtly supernatural. What she does have is true courage and determination, good friends, and an honest desire to help people who need help.

You won't find any vampires, witches, or shapeshifters in Kaylee's world. No chosen one, and no prophesies. What you will find is a girl and her friends battling death on a daily basis, and discovering an entire world unknown to humans. A warped version of our world populated by creatures she could never have imagined, whose agendas put everything Kaylee values in jeopardy.

RCM: The prequel My Soul to Lose, available as a free e-book from eharlequin.com) is scary as heck. Not gory, but creepy and terrifying. What inspired you to tell this dark fantasy story? Did you ever feel you needed to tone it down for teens?

Rachel Vincent: My Soul to Lose is probably the scariest bit from any of my YA stuff so far, because it had to be. At that point in the story, Kaylee has no idea what she is, or what's happening to her. Then she's hospitalized, strapped to a bed, and told she's crazy. That concept terrified me, and I actually had a lot of trouble capturing how that felt in words, because I could imagine it so very, very well, and it made me very uncomfortable.

As for toning it back, honestly, no. There's no actual sex in the series so far, and no graphic violence, so the story really rides on the emotional impact, be that fear, determination, or first love. And I pull no punches with any of those. ;-)

RCM: Obviously! It’s one of the things I love about paranormal YA; the emphasis is on psychological terror, which is often far more powerful than slinging blood and guts on the page.

Rachel Vincent: In later bits from the series, Kaylee learns what she is and how to control her abilities, so she's not quite so terrified of herself after that point. But (wouldn't you know) it turns out that there are other, bigger things for her to be afraid of. And fight. So while the prequel is probably the most viscerally frightening of the stories, the others tend to be darker, but for different reasons.

Hint: those things Kaylee thinks she sees in the prequel? Moving shadows, and slithering shapes? They're real, and she'll see more of them in My Soul to Take, then she'll experience them much more personally in My Soul to Save (Soul Screamers book 2).

RCM: Not only are you plunging into the YA pool, you're launching Harlequin's teen line. I mean, no pressure or anything, right?

Rachel Vincent: Yeah. No pressure. ;-) My Soul to Take is the first release, and the ebook teaser/prequel was the very first taste of both the line and my voice (for those who haven't read my adult series). So yes, I feel like there's a whole lot riding on this, for both me personally, and for the line. And that feels both amazing and terrifying.

Rachel’s description really sold me on this book. Pick up My Soul To Take if you’re looking for an emotionally rich story full of suspense, mystery, romance and a different sort of paranormal twist. (Harlequin Teen, 8/1/09)

And don't miss other YA books out in August, visit Rosemary's Fresh Takes from the Teen Shelves

Until next time...Rosemary Clement-Moore

Rosemary Clement-Moore writes Young Adult books because she loves to read them. Visit her webpage or blog to find out more about her award winning Maggie Quinn: Girl vs. Evil series, and upcoming gothic romance, The Splendor Falls.