If I Die discussion

Now that we all got out of our chests what we felt in regards to the major game changer in If I Die, what do you think it will happen in the next book, Before I Wake?
I think that it is established that Tod and Kaylee are a solid couple. I don't expect any more surprises in that department, but since there are still two more books to come, the new couple are sure to face a bumpy road in their way to eternal bliss.
There is the obvious Nash situation they still have to deal with but I think one of Kaylee's assignment will be to rescue Addy. I wonder what that will do to their relationship. Do you think she will be able to handle it? Or will she go back to her insecurities?

This is what Rachel Vincent said recently about the book

On Wednesday afternoon, I finally let go of the Before I Wake manuscript. Which means I turned it in to my editor. Well, I turned it in to two editors, actually. My editor has already finished it. She says she's still processing the ending. I think I may have scared her. Or scarred her. This is the fourteenth novel we've worked together on since 2006, when she began editing my first novel, Stray, which came out in 2007. You'd think I'd know exactly what she's going to think about every element of everything I write by now, right?

Yeah. Not so much. I have no idea if she'll actually like the ending or not, once she's done processing. Honestly, I have no idea whether or not I'll like the ending, after she's done processing. I fiddled with it over and over, delaying turning the book in because I was scared. Yes, fourteen novels in, I was scared.

You see...If I Die was a game-changer in the Soul Screamers series, in several different ways. It's also gotten the best critical response (at least from readers and blog reviewers) of anything I've ever written. (Which probably means it'll be a commercial failure. I'm pretty sure commercial and critical success are mutually exclusive.) What that means is that If I Die was INCREDIBLY hard to follow. Why? Because each book in a series needs to be better than the previous book and the plot must flow naturally from the conclusion of the previous story. But everything has to be taken up a level. Everything. Bad guys. Drama. Plot. Emotion. Angst. And the characters have to develop or evolve. For the main character (at least), that evolution must be in the form of maturity.

BUT... (You knew there was a but, right?) But, the next-levelness of the whole thing canNOT be over-the-top. It must all be believable and feel natural.

Let me just say, that's HARD. And I have no idea whether or not I succeeded.

I had several goals in mind for Before I Wake. They are these:

(Do not read what's below if you haven't read If I Die. It's not overtly spoilery, but it hints at stuff. If you have read If I Die, you can highlight the text below to read.)

Put Nash and Tod back on speaking terms, and begin the healing.
Show what a powerful force the Hudsons can be, working together.
Put Kaylee and Nash back on speaking terms, and begin the healing.
Show the consequences of Tod's heroics in If I Die
Show the results/consequences of Kaylee's new...everything.

I took a shot at all of that. NONE of it was easy. I have no idea how successful I was.

I'm very interested to see Nash and Tod work together. Also to see Kaylee's new job. I think rescuing Addy's soul will definitely be a part of what she will do but I don't think she will be jealous. She will want to save the soul and no matter what happens Addy is still dead so if she gets the soul it just goes to the proper recycling place instead of being tortured. I'm wondering if Kaylee will get a male bean sidthe partner though to work with her? Another dead one like her assigned to the job. Cause they need her to sing for the soul but then don't they need a male to guide the soul somewhere? To be recycled or returned or whatever.

Jennifer wrote: "I'm very interested to see Nash and Tod work together. Also to see Kaylee's new job. I think rescuing Addy's soul will definitely be a part of what she will do but I don't think she will be jealous..."

I totally agree. As soon as it said what Kaylee's job would be I immediately thought of Addy. I never thought of the male bean sidthe thing but that actually makes sense. I think Tod and Nash and Kaylee will work out their issues because, well, they just have to.

I have my doubts that Rachel will be able to pull off the whole Nash Tod Kaylee healing process thing well enough to my liking. I know that everyone loved what happened in If I Die but I still cannot wrap my mind around the whole betrayal situation. Nash is far from perfect, but if I was in his shoes I would never be able to be on speaking terms with Tod or Kaylee again.

Don't know if you follow Rachel Vincent's twitter http://twitter.com/#!/rachelkvincent and blog http://rkvincent.wordpress.com/ but she has been posting little teaser quotes too which are very interesting and are making me die for the next book!
Also her blog has some awesome extras like where she answers fan questions to the characters and there was a hilarious day in the life of Tod actually I might find it and paste it in here later...She also mentions this book has a lot of kissing so I'm happy!


Nash: “You want me to be your understudy? I’m not sure I have the dark wit to pull that off.”
Tod: “Nor the tragic backstory."

“Because he knew it would traumatize you, and your trauma is like his chocolate fudge brownie. It’s yummy.”
-Alec

"Shouting in the Netherworld was like ringing a dinner bell in the Old West."

"Of every moment I’ve ever not-lived through, this one is the best."
-Tod

Kaylee: “You didn’t back off, you tried to kill me!”
Sabine: “Well, I had to TRY, didn’t I?"

"There was nothing funny about being locked up with only your personal demons for company. In Scott’s case, the demon was real."

"Which supports my theory that apologies are basically pointless. They don’t fix anything, right?"
-Sabine

Kaylee: "I'm trying to do the right thing here."
Tod: "I'm not."

“Forever used to feel like a curse. Now it feels like a promise,” -TOD

I agree that Tod and Kaylee will be a solid couple however I think there will be some changes with the Nash and Sabine parts. I just don't think they'll end up together.

This was a little extra Rachel put out right before If I Die came out I loved it!

A Day in the AfterLife of Tod

8:00 AM – Another cup of coffee. Pecan caramel, this time. I’ve tried every flavor of creamer the cafeteria has. The coffee still sucks.

8:54 AM – These ER chairs were manufactured in the 70’s. I swear, cave men were more comfortable sitting on logs and rocks. That’s it. I’m filing that requisition form today. Eight months of practicing the attending physician’s signature is about to pay off…

9:47 AM – Rush hour traffic collision. Crushed sternum. Splinters of bone sticking through his skin. Two punctured lungs. Death is a mercy. Hey, is that coffee on his shirt? Smells good. Wonder what kind of creamer he uses?

10:38 AM – Third period. Kaylee has no class this period. I have no one to kill. Coincidence, or fate?

11:54 AM – Six minutes left on my shift. I will not go to the school after work. I will not go to the school after work. I will not go to the school after—

12:22 PM – Lunch in the quad. Nash is having pizza. I don’t care if I never see another slice of pizza. Kaylee’s wearing that blue shirt again. That one that matches her eyes. She looks tired. I will not show myself to her at lunch. I will not show myself to her at lunch. I will not show—

12:24 PM – Nash’s pizza tastes as bland as it looks. But since I already took a bite, he said I should just take the rest of it. Wonder what would happen if I took a nibble on Kaylee…?

1:48 PM – Wonder what would happen if I switch the labels on some of the bottles in the chemistry lab’s storage closet? Ooh! Or I could test the acidity of the toilet bowl water with these litmus strips. I’m betting it’s acidic…

2:36 PM – Seriously, why do they still teach history in school? If it’s going to repeat itself anyway, can’t we just catch it the next time around?

3:02 PM – School’s out. Only nine more hours to kill until there will be actual people to kill. Er…reap.

4:22 PM – Large pepperoni and sausage. There in 30 minutes, or your money back. Minus the 50 second commute, and the actual delivery leaves me 25 minutes to pop over to Mom’s house for a brownie.

4:26 PM – Kaylee and Nash are trying to swallow each other whole. I suggested they eat the brownies instead. Nash threw one at me. My appetite is gone.

4:40 PM – There’s never anything good on TV. At the hospital, they only play news and cartoons. And not the good cartoons. The ones where animals dance around and some little girl with a big head counts in Spanish. Ayúdame!

4:41 PM –If Nash and Kaylee are going to make out instead of watching the movie, they should just hand over the remote.

4:42 PM – The remote slid down between them on the couch, and I am not going after it.

4:43 PM – I wonder if there’s any reasonable way to reinterpret the phrase “Get the hell out of here, Tod” to mean “Please stay and help us maintain the PG rating on this hormonal train wreck.” Maybe if I rearrange the letters…

5:58 PM – Dude. Do NOT answer the door in your underwear. No two dollar tip is worth that. Now I’m going to have to find something prettier to purge that mental image. Mangled bunny road kill should do the trick.

7:00 PM – Is it time to reap souls yet?

7:01 PM – Seriously, has time stopped moving? Is this what eternity feels like?

9:10 PM – Kaylee’s practicing conjugating irregular verbs for a French test tomorrow. I said I’d check the verb chart for her, but this stupid language has more sounds than letters, and I’m not sure I even remember how to conjugate English verbs.

9:24 PM – I have no idea what she’s saying, but it’s hot.

11:05 PM – Sabine suggests we play Guess Whose Life Sucks Worse. I can’t lose this one. I’m not even alive.

11:14 PM – New game. Guess Whose Love Life Sucks Worse. It’s a tie. A big, pathetic tie.

1:00 AM – An hour into my shift, and no one’s died yet. Is it possible to be bored to death if you’re already dead?

3:42 AM – Massive cranial and spinal trauma from head-on collision. A cause-of-death near and dear to my heart. Now we’re talkin’…

5:19 AM – The guy in room 434 looks tired. He looks done. We both know this is the last room he’ll ever see, and he’s ready to end it. He deserves a merciful, peaceful death in his sleep. But he’s not scheduled to go for another four days. Poor guy. Sometimes I wish I was the boss.

7:43 AM – Hit-and-run at an elementary school crosswalk. She can’t be more than eight years old. I hate my job.

8:00 AM – Parents crying in the waiting room. They don’t know yet. I wish I didn’t know. I wish I didn’t have to see her last moments. I wish I didn’t have to be her last moments. I’m sick of white walls and endings. The only thing that doesn’t end in this place is me. I don’t end. I just go on, and on, swinging that scythe glued to my hand. There’s no rhythm to the strokes. Few see death coming, and even those who do see death don’t see me. Because there is no me. Not anymore. Always the reaper, never the reaped. Soon that won’t bother me. Soon I won’t care. Emotional death follows physical death at a different pace for each reaper. I’ve put it off for more than two years, but it’s inevitable.

It would take a miracle to keep me alive on the inside.

When I was a kid, my mom said that everyone gets one miracle. She said the trick is recognizing your miracle from a distance, so you’re ready when it arrives. I’m watching. I’m waiting.

I’m ready for my miracle.

Rachel said that this book is about consequences. I wasn't apprehensive then because Rachel always delivers the unexpected but totally well executed plot (well, for me she always does). But when she tweeted that we're going to hate her after we read this book my doubts came rushing back. My biggest worry is Tod's welfare (and of course his relationship with Kaylee). Especially after she said this in her blog (I think she deleted this one already, correct me if I'm wrong, I don't see it anymore):

Show the consequences of Tod's heroics in If I Die

Do you think it's about what he did to Thane? because not reaping Kaylee's soul is a lesser offense than what he did to Thane (no matter how jerk he was.)

@Jennifer: male bean sidhe partner? Interesting....

Show the consequences of Tod's heroics in If I Die

I was also wondering about this...I think it is about Thane. Because I am assuming Levi already forgave him for Kaylee since he brought Tod back and knew he loved Kaylee and was the one to warn him about her death. Either he still has to be on some kind of reaper restriction or it is about Thane or maybe both! Oh my poor TOD! lol

Rachel's latest tweet!

"This is the kissiest book ever. This book is way to kissy. *deletes kissing* *deletes more kissing* *notices there's still lots of kissing*"

I don't want her to delete any of it! LOL I want lots and lots of kissing!

☆ јⓐⓓε ☆ wrote: "I want more than kissing..."

haha Me too! Actually someone commented on Rachel Vincent's facebook page that they hope Kaylee finally loses her v-card. I died laughing but it's true. I mean she died I think she should have been able to lose it before that. But oh well hopefully soon! LOL Especially with Tod as her boyfriend who could wait?

Yeah I was with Sabine on the "No one should die a virgin" I totally thought she would lose it.

Seriously no one should die a virgin and I feel so bad for anyone who does

KAYLEE + TOD FOREVER!!!!! Best prediction ever :P

Kaylee might have to rescue her aunts soul, and the other four that were taken in the first book....

Wanna-fly98 wrote: "Kaylee might have to rescue her aunts soul, and the other four that were taken in the first book...."

Hey I totally forgot about her Aunt! LOL Probably cause she was nuts but yes her and the other girls souls should be saved. I think the whole series will end with Kaylee somehow taking out Avari and saving all the souls he has ever stolen.

That's gotta be alot of souls... ;)

Jennifer wrote: "Wanna-fly98 wrote: "Kaylee might have to rescue her aunts soul, and the other four that were taken in the first book...."

Hey I totally forgot about her Aunt! LOL Probably cause she was nuts but y..."
She might have to rescue the other four girls soul's but I'm not sure if she'd have to rescue her aunt's. Her aunt was the cause for the others' deaths.

There was a new 'Before I Wake' teaser quote posted today on Rachel Vincent's Twitter account and her Facebook page, for Kaylee's 400th vote in the YA Sisterhood's Heroine Tourney. It's another Tod quote, which I SO love. And it's making waiting for the book even harder. D=

"Fine. But if I have to stay invisible the whole time, I can’t promise to be on my best behavior. There's no telling what I might do."

Pooja wrote: "There was a new 'Before I Wake' teaser quote posted today on Rachel Vincent's Twitter account and her Facebook page, for Kaylee's 400th vote in the YA Sisterhood's Heroine Tourney. It's another Tod..."
Gotta love Tod <3

Mitchii wrote: "Rachel said that this book is about consequences. I wasn't apprehensive then because Rachel always delivers the unexpected but totally well executed plot (well, for me she always does). But when sh..."

I totally think Rachel Vincent is BRILLANT!!!!!!!! And I so agree with Mitchii she always delivers. I have read most of her books and LOVE everyone of them. I do think that Addy and maybe Eden could be saved also the girls from My Soul to Take. And no more deleting the kissing plz. I am a little worried about Tod and his consequences, hopefully they won't be too bad. I love love love Tod and sooooo glad he confessed his feeling for Kaylee, and maybe she can be his miracle :)

omg i totally agree that kaylee might have to rescue adiison or her aunt or even the other 4 girls thats souls got stolen because of her aunt but what about thane? did u all foget about him, because what if its hime kaylee has to save!?!? And omg i totally agree i LOVELOVELOVE kaylee and tod together!!!!

Now I'm really curious about the ending!

OMG!! CAN'T WAIT FOR THIS!!! IT HURTS!!!

Seen somewhere that Vincent said that we weren't gonna like the ending...? I'm praying now. NO BAD ENDINGS NO BAD ENDINGS NO BAD ENDINGS NO BAD ENDINGS...

Why can not not be release today?!?!?!

YES! I'm really worried about the ending :-( She said we will hate her. I'm sure I will LOL Like I hate Lauren Oliver for her cruel endings. She also said Tod will have consequences for what he did for Kaylee so I'm so worried about him!

In the Plot description, it says someone is going to die. Wonder who that is? Could a lovable character die at the end, making us really hate the ending? Many things to contemplate...

I swear, if they kill Tod AGAIN...

BirdsAlwaysFlyAway wrote: "I swear, if they kill Tod AGAIN..."

I know I will be so mad! But for some reason I have a bad feeling it might be him since the last book is rage and what would throw Kaylee into a bigger rage than Tod dying. My second thought is maybe her dad will die. But yes she said someone IS DYING!

Arrggh, I don't want Tod to get punished for what he did to Thane! HE DESERVED IT. So unfair... :'(

I cannot wait for the next book!!!

What if it was Nash dying?

Elena wrote: "What if it was Nash dying?"

That would be horrible!! But I'm still sorta mad at him for what he said to Kaylee in "If I Die"...

Have you read the Before I Wake excerpt on Amazon
http://www.amazon.com/Before-I-Wake-H...

Major TOD SWOONING!

I just finished this book series today and I'm in complete shock at how good this series got. The first two books were okay, but I love how each book got more twisted and bigger. I love that Vincent didn't shy away from the issues she presented and I love the characters. I am enthralled. I can't wait to read the next book. Why is it that I keep finding books where the series hasn't finished yet? Can anyone recommend other books of hers that are good? I think I'm a fan now and I want something more like this.

I haven't read any of her other stuff yet but I plan too. She has an adult series that is finished with six books.
And her other adult series

I DIED a little inside when their world start spinning the other way.. My heart aches for Nash, coz losing Kaylee is what he fears most right? I think it's hard living in their world coz they can't just wipe away all the helions they'll encounter, there are, like, lots of them.. I hope the ending on the next book will satisfy us at the same time anticipate the last book.. (Plus, I hope there's a series for Sophie.. Kaylee's cousin, coz, she just unveiled her powers! I wanna see her evolve from a A-class biatchery to a, well, lesser one and work together with Kaylee and understand her at last..)

Thanks, Jennifer. I will definitely have to check out Blood Bound.

I felt bad for Nash too, but I think after everything he did to hurt Kaylee that it's probably best that he split with her. I also think he and Sabine share more of a connection because they're both messed up and Kaylee is more independent. Also, I don't know how Nash can still feel for Kaylee since he gave away all his memories of her. I don't understand why he's still holding onto her. Thoughts?

Maybe because he can't afford to loose anyone else? Also I just read a rachael Vincent blog post and she says how each book represents a sin aka the seven deadly sins and she says that a main character will die in book six and that book seven will be rage. What people dying would make kaylee mad as hell? Something to think about lol :

I bet it's going to be Tod because she said he would face consequences from If I Die.