Erica O'Rourke's Blog, page 3

DISSONANCE: The Blog Tour

Happy Post-Fourth of July, American readers! Hope your celebration was full of sparklers and s'mores and marching bands! If you live outside the US, I hope it was the perfect summer weekend just because.

 

I'm thrilled that the DISSONANCE Blog Tour is kicking off today! Over the next two weeks, you'll be able to read excerpts from the book, guest posts, and all sorts of fun things. I *believe* there will be giveaways as well.

Today's excerpt is at Oh! The Books!, and I can't wait for you to read it! If I named my chapters, this one would be titled, "In Which The Wheels Fall Off The Wagon."

I'm posting the entire blog tour schedule here, but I'll also post the new stops each day. I'm so grateful to these bloggers for taking the time and effort to feature DISSONANCE, and it would be great if you could show them some love by leaving a comment!

July 7: Oh, The Books!

July 8: Imagine A World

July 9: Reading Lark

July 10: The Ravenous Reader

July 11: Me, My Shelf, and I

July 14: Pure Imagination

July 15: The Eater of Books

July 16: Paranormal Bookclub

July 17: YA Bibliophile

July 18: The Cover Contessa

 

In other exciting news, I'll also be participating in my first-ever twitter chat! We'll have more details about that soon, but the first step is to follow me on Twitter, my second home.

Two weeks until DISSONANCE arrives! Insert flaily emoticon here: ----->

DISSONANCE: The UK Cover

Oh, I am glad it is Friday! This was a long week for lots of reasons, but what I get to show you today more than makes up for it. Look what popped up in my inbox recently: The UK cover of DISSONANCE!

Look at the shiny!!!!

 

I love it! It does a fantastic job of capturing the sci-fi/speculative elements of the story, and the soundwave image fits perfectly. It looks like Del is Walking through a pivot straight toward the reader -- or pulling you in. Either way, I couldn't be more thrilled. Huge, huge thanks to the entire S&S UK team for creating such a gorgeous cover!

If you're a UK reader, DISSONANCE is scheduled to come out this August. I'll have more details soon! In the meantime, have a great weekend!

 

Summer of All The Words: 2014 Edition

Welcome back, Team #SoATW!

Last year’s Summer of All The Words was a resounding success: deadlines were met, projects were finished, progress was made, and a community was born. End-of-school chaos resulted in a bit of a delay getting this year’s SoATW up and running, but YA author Clara Kensie and I are ready to reboot and make Summer 2014 even more successful! If you’ve got writing goals, we want to help you meet them.

We're making a few changes, all with one purpose in mind: We want to make this even more flexible for people to meet up and check in, and we want to make it as low-key as possible without losing our beloved SoATW community. Read on for more details!

For the next twelve weeks – until Labor Day weekend – we’ll be meeting up on Twitter Sunday through Friday for an hour of work. As before, we’ll be using the #SoATW hashtag.

The key difference is that this year, we’re offering TWO times, to accommodate different time zones and schedules.

Erica will be handling the regular nightly Twitter meetup. From 10-11pm CST, Sunday through Thursday, she’ll be cheering you on and handling the celebratory post-writing check-in.


Clara will be handling a “flex-time” meetup during the day, Monday through Friday. The time will vary from day to day, because summer is unpredictable. You can keep an eye out for it, or start your own session by using the #SoATW hashtag at any time.

Whichever session you choose (or both!) you can work on whatever you want: drafting, revising, proofreading, synopsis-writing, query letters, blog content…it’s totally up to you. You don’t have to work on the same project every time. You can write in any genre. The point is to give you a small, dedicated block of time each day to focus on whatever aspect of your writing is most pressing.

Participation is completely voluntary – you can show up only on Tuesdays, every day, or every third Wednesday. You can do your during the nighttime meetup, the daytime meetup, or a combination of both. If neither time works for you, feel free to use the hashtag at any time of day. We’ve got a great community, and you’re bound to find another #SoATWer online. We want this to be helpful, not stressful, so use it in whatever way works best for you.

The other difference is that we will not be doing the blog post check-ins on Friday. We loved talking about writing tips, but it’s not an effective use of our limited summer time, especially since Clara and Erica both have releases coming out in July. (EEEEP!!!)

FAQ:

How exactly does this work?

For the nightly meetup:

A few minutes before 10pm CENTRAL TIME, if you’re following Clara or me, you’ll see something like this on Twitter: Starting #SoATW in five minutes! Who’s in? I’m revising Chapter 8.

At 10pm CST: Time for #SoATW – see you in an hour!

At 11pm CST: Halfway through Chapter 8.  How’d everyone do? #SoATW

For the daytime meetup:

It’s essentially the same thing – but the time will vary, so you’ll need to keep an eye out for the #SoATW hashtag. You don’t have to wait for Clara’s tweet—your summer schedule is probably as crazy and unpredictable as hers is. If you have time to write during the day, go for it! Tweet #SoATW and then get writing. Clara will be checking for the hashtag throughout the day to send you encouragement and congratulations.

Remember: use the hashtag, or we won’t know you’re participating!

Why 10pm?

Our days and evenings are filled with work and kids and various obligations. By 10, life has settled enough that we can head into our writing cave and close the door for an hour. Staying up until 11 won’t turn us into total zombies the next day, though it might require an extra cup of coffee.

That being said, Erica cheerfully admits she’s a night owl: if 10pm is too late, feel free to stick with the daytime meetup. Last year, we also had East Coast participants who started an hour earlier and checked in just as the 10pm  crew was starting. That’s a great way to make the hashtag work for you!

Why Sunday through Thursday nights?

If your summers are anything like ours, Friday and Saturday nights book up pretty fast. We’re not looking to put a crimp in your social life.

Why flex-time on the weekdays?

This summer, we wanted to expand #SoATW by giving daytime writers a chance to participate. Also, Clara’s family is so busy that the only time she has to spend with her husband is at night, so she had to bow out of the late-night sessions this summer. Her summer weekday schedule is erratic, but she can always find an hour to write. Therefore, for the daytime writers, Clara will be running #SoATW sessions Monday through Friday, at various times (Mondays and Thursdays will most likely be very late in the afternoon or early evening). You can watch for her tweet and join in, or write when you can and check in on Twitter when you’re done. Flexibility is key to get any writing done in the summer – you need to grab the time when you have it. Clara may also host the occasional Saturday or Sunday daytime #SoATW, so keep your eye out for the hashtag and join in, or start your own session any time you want!

Why only an hour?

An hour is enough time to make progress, if you do it consistently, but it doesn’t feel like an overwhelming commitment.

Look at it this way: if you can write 1000 words in an hour, five times a week, you’d end up with 5000 words each week. 5000 words a week, over twelve weeks, means you’d have 60,000 words by Labor Day. For some people, that’s a whole book! (For other’s, it’s a sizeable amount of progress.)

If you’re revising, you can still use this formula: ____ pages per hour x 5 hours x 12 weeks = ______. (Feel free to write your own formula. Erica was an English major and cannot be trusted with numbers.)

Why twelve weeks?

Because that’s how many weeks we have until Labor Day.

I can’t possibly get all my work done in an hour! Can I do more?

Of course! The Twitter meetups function like a virtual writing date, but if you need more time to make your goals, take it! We’re here when you need us, and we’ll cheer you on.   

I can’t make it Mondays!

Totally fine, my friend. Pop around when you can, and we’ll be thrilled to see you.

When do we start?

We’ll begin the meetups on Sunday, June 8.  Clara will lead a daytime session and Erica will be gathering the troops at 10pm CST time.

While you’re preparing, please make sure you’re following Clara and Erica on Twitter. If you have one of those fancy twitter apps that let you track a hashtag, you might want to set up one for #SoATW.

More questions? Hit us in the comments!

 

Another Signing, WIP Friday, and Liars.

Happy-Almost-Easter, if Easter is your thing! I mentioned this over on Tumblr, but I will be signing on Thursday, April 24th, 7pm, at Read Between The Lynes (Woodstock, IL) with some amazing authors: Mindee Arnett and Stacey Kade!

 

As I mentioned in this post, we'll also be signing in Hoffman Estates on Saturday, April 26 , but the event in Woodstock will be a ton of fun! We'll be chatting about books and writing and pretty much anything else that comes to mind, as well as answering questions and passing out swag, and wielding my usual silver sharpie.

On the WIP Friday front, this image says it all:

 

I'm revising Dissonance 2, and while I try not to be too precious about my writing and revision process, these pens are non-negotiable. Alas, they are also Big Marshmallow's favorite pens in the world, and they are not cheap, so I bought a box and now have to hide them in my TARDIS cookie jar. Which means there is no space for cookies. But one must suffer for one's art, I suppose.

When I'm not revising, I'll be reading THIS amazing book. I'm even going to force myself NOT to peek at the ending, which is a herculean effort. Wishing you all a wonderful weekend filled with good books, no matter what or how you celebrate!

 

Dates and Places and ARCs and Update-y Things

HELLO LOVELIES!

I don't know what happened. One minute I was packing for a trip through the Panama Canal, and then my kids kept singing about building snowmen while I huddled on the couch and wrote a book, and then I binge-watched Agatha Christie movies, and then...I don't know. It's April. APRIL! I don't even.

I've got lots of things to talk about, and I'll try to be back later this week, but for now, let's hit the highlights:

WHERE I'LL BE:

Thursday, April 10th: Texas Library Association Annual Conference, San Antonio

I'll be part of the Young Adult Round Table Panel "Other Worlds" from 10-11:20am, as well as the Texas Tea Librarian Speed Dating event (I suspect you must be a librarian to participate). I'll also be signing copies of DISSONANCE at the Simon and Schuster Booth from 3-4pm, so please stop by! Odds are good I'll hug you.

Saturday, April 26: Chicago-North Spring Fling Conference Book Signing, Hoffman Estates, IL, 9:30-10:30 am

In truth, I'll be at the conference all weekend, participating on a panel with Mindee Arnett, Lori Lee, and agent extraordinaire Suzie Townsend --  as well as engaging in general shenanigans. BUT! The signing is open to the public, so stop by!

May 14-18: RT Booklovers Convention, New Orleans
I'll be around for most of the conference, but your best chance of finding me will be at the Teen Day Events on Saturday -- I'll be participating in Author Speed Dating, as well as the Giant Book Singing in YA Alley, and the Teen Day Party on Saturday night. Rumor has it that there will be a good-sized batch of DISSONANCE ARCs at the party, so make sure to sign up!

Speaking of ARCs...

'Tis true! There are ARCs of DISSONANCE.

I have very few copies, and many of them have already been earmarked for things I'll be telling you about soon. For now, your best bet is to contact Siena Koncsol at siena [dot] koncsol [at] simonandschuster [dot] com. You can also request an e-galley on Edelweiss; if you aren't already a member, you can join with this link.

Speaking of DISSONANCE...

It will be published a little sooner than previously announced: July 22nd, 2014! I'm excited about the change -- moving up the pub date means you get to read the book sooner, and it ALSO means my book shares a birthday with one of my favorite YA authors, the amazing Susan Dennard! STRANGE AND EVER AFTER will conclude her Something Strange And Deadly trilogy, and I'm over-the-moon excited to finish reading Eleanor's story.

That's it for today -- I'll be back later in the week with more updates and some exciting news!

Du ministère de bonnes nouvelles: l'edition francaise

(Let's not talk about how much time has passed since my last French class, shall we?)

Bonjour, mes amis!

Here's a lovely bit of news that popped up in my inbox this morning!

I am so thrilled that Dissonance will be available in France! I've always been fascinated by the country and the culture. Some of my favorite movies -- ones that have stayed with me for decades -- are French. They do amazing things with scarves. They feel as warmly about cheese as I do. And while I don't like bread enough to walk around eating an entire baguette, I like the fact that they encourage such behavior.

I'm so excited to be working with Albin Michel, a fantastic house, and I'm very grateful to Donatella and Kathleen and the entire team at New Leaf Literary for making this happen. I don't have a lot of details yet about when the book will be available, or if the title will change (Google Translate says Dissonance translates to...Dissonance, but that's not a guarantee. Rumor has it the UK edition of the book will have a new title, too.) Rest assured, I'll keep you all in the loop.

Now...it is time to eat a celebratory macaron!

A bientot!

From the Department of Exciting News: Ahoy!

Hello, lovelies!

My tiny brown notebook has been filled with to-dos lately -- even more so than usual. Last night I dreamed I lost my passport while in line at Panda Express, a place I have never eaten. And along with working feverishly on Dissonance 2, I have been scribbling plans on legal pads, which is a surefire sign something is up.

What is up, you ask?

Hint:

 

(The MV Explorer: Don't call it a boat. It's a ship. They are VERY PARTICULAR about this.)

You might remember that last year, I joined up with The Institute for Shipboard Education to teach on their Winter Enrichment Voyage. It was an incredible opportunity -- beautiful sights, amazing new friends, tamarind ice cream, a chance to fangirl Sandra Day O'Connor, Cookie O'Clock* and the Panama Canal! (I also carded the former Director of The CIA when he boarded the ship, but I choose to believe he was impressed with my committment to national security.)

Apparently, I did not suck, because I've been asked to teach on this year's voyage, Passages and Exchanges!

(Me in a ridiculous hat, in Cartagena, Colombia. Picture: Doug Mack)

During last year's voyage, I gave three lectures on writing and publishing. Lectures are great, of course, but what I really love is sitting down and talking with people about their writing, having a two-way conversation, digging into craft and structure. And this time around, that's exactly what we're going to do. I'll be teaching eight classes (one for each day we're at sea) each focusing on a different aspect of storytelling.

(Arepas = Spanish for NOM NOM NOM.)

This isn't a cruise specifically for aspiring authors, but for people who love to learn, so we'll be starting with the basics. But because it's a workshop environment, I'll be able to personalize the instruction -- and I'll be around to talk shop outside of class, too. Probably at Cookie O'Clock.**

(En route to the Bahamas. Probably they call this one a boat.)

Last year's trip was phenomenal. It's not your typical cruise ship -- it's a giant, floating university. ISE's Semester at Sea is for college students, but Enrichment Voyages are shorter trips, designed for anyone who wants to learn. There's even a kids' program, which my girls will be attending. There are meditation workshops, expert speakers, dance lessons and service excursions and dolphins. (Well, I can't guarantee the dolphins. But there will definitely be Cookie O'Clock.***)

(The Panama Canal: Creepy but cool.)

If you're even the slightest bit interested in going on this year's  Enrichment Voyage, which goes through Central and South America, you can get more information here. If you want my friend Doug Mack's take on last year's trip, he's got a hilarious recap series over at his blog.

And if you have any questions for me, hit the comments, and I'll answer as best I can.

(Doug is always up for shenanigans.

Photo: Jim and Adrienne, who made me laugh nonstop.)

 

* Cookie O'Clock is the magical hour on the ship where they put out trays of fresh-baked delicious cookies, right as you're getting snackish. We usually comandeered a corner table, and talked writing (sometimes we even wrote).

** Corner table. Garden Lounge. Oatmeal rasin are my favorite, and bring a notebook.

*** Seriously. Everyone needs Cookie O'Clock in their life.

 

 

SoATW Friday: Celebration!

We did it! Thirteen weeks of Summer of All The Words! Congratulations, Team SoATW -- you survived, you thrived, you wrote ALL THE WORDS. I'm so proud of you for sticking with us and making progress on your goals. As we say almost nightly over on The Tweety:

Any progress is good progress.

Even if you only joined us for one meetup, you are still farther than you were before. And that requires a celebration.

You've got Labor Day Weekend -- three long days -- to dance the Giraffe and prepare for autumn's writing goals. If you've got kids, you've probably purchased all of their school supplies by now. Now's the time to pick up some for yourself. I've got two suggestions for fun grownup supplies for you to splurge on.

Papersource: Artsy hipster supplies. They have the most beautiful calendars anywhere, and you know how I feel about calendars. The rest of their stuff is gorgeous, too.

Poppin: Modern, fun, stylish...I think their products would brighten up any office.

Moleskine: Remember my tiny brown notebook? You can find them at Target or Barnes and Noble, but if you want to see the full selection, browse their gorgeous site.

See? Celebration and preparation in one fell swoop. You guys deserve it!

Now, on to our discussion about Fall SoATW: Clara and I are still looking for a way to continue our community going forward, and we should have more information for you soon. You can follow either of us on Twitter or check our blogs periodically, or shoot us an email. And you can continue to use the #SoATW tag on Twitter if you're looking for partners. In the meantime, if you're so inclined, hit the comments to tell us what accomplishment you're most proud of this summer, then head over to Clara's blog for her final SoATW post -- and scroll down, because she's hosting an amazing giveaway to celebrate her book deal.

You guys are the best. Thanks for making this summer a raging success! *squeezes Team SoATW*

SoATW Friday: Winding Down, Ramping Up

Wow! Can you believe we only have a week left in our Summer of All The Words? Our last Twitter meetup will be this Thursday, August 29th; our last posting will be Friday the 30th. As Clara mentioned last week, we've gotten some requests to continue #SoATW, and we're looking for ways to do that while adjusting to the demands of the school year. If you've got ideas, let us know -- this has become such a great community, and we'd love to keep it going.

Today, I want to talk about the week we have left, and how to make the most of it, so you can start the year feeling good about the progress you've made and ready to tackle a new goal.

Think about the plans you had for this summer: in writing and in the rest of your life. Did you meet them?

My goals shifted considerably: a change in deadline for Dissonance 2 meant that I could focus solely on the revisions for Dissonance, and as we've discussed (and with a ton of support from my friends and family) I made my deadline. What I didn't do enough of was have fun with my family. We did better than last year, but I would have liked to make more good memories, especially considering that our summer ended with my aunt's funeral -- a woman my kids loved dearly.

Now, think about the week (and two weekends) you have left. If you've made your goal, how can you set yourself up for success in the coming months? If you didn't make your goal, what can you realistically accomplish?

In my writing, I have a few lingering projects -- a few guest blogs, a synopsis I've been avoiding for months...and a whole lot of office-cleaning. I'm planning to knock those out next week, and make a massive trip to Goodwill. On the family front, we're going to pack as much fun into the next two weekends as possible -- including trips to see family, eating a lot of frozen yogurt, and watching the original Star Wars trilogy. No Jar Jar Binks for my children! I'm also going to spend some time compiling the checklists and tools that keep our house running semi-smoothly during the year.

I think the key here, whether you've met your goals or not, is that you should wrap up the summer with a sense of accomplishment. You want to finish something tangible, whether it's a draft, a chapter, a synopsis, a query, a proposal, your research...whatever it is, the boost you'll get from meeting even a small goal will give you the momentum you need to continue . So choose something that's attainable -- and will prepare you for the next stage of your journey.

Lastly, think about what's next, and set some goals (and rewards).

My next big writing goal is to finish this draft of Dissonance 2. I DO have a reward in mind, but I have to keep it under my hat for now. I'll let you know when I can tell you about it. My family goals are to help my kids get off to the strongest possible start to the year, and make sure we're scheduling time for fun -- something we often forget to do. I've got plenty of techniques for the former, and I'm happy to share them in another post, if you're interested. Our reward is a less-stressed out family and more fun times (which is pretty self-evident).

I've already told you my goals for our final week above -- so instead, I'll close with a thank you. Your kind words and sympathy last week meant more than I can say. Our little community has become very dear to me, and I am grateful for each and every one of you. I can't wait to see what amazing things you do next.

As always, you can head over to Clara's blog for her Friday post. And I'll see you Sunday night for our final, awesome week!

 

SoATW Fridays: Controlled Re-entry

Welcome back, Team SoATW! We're in the homestretch of Summer of All The Words, and I hope you're pleased with all the progress you've made!

You'll be happy to hear that, not only did I make my deadline, I survived! This week has been about restoring order to my house and getting the kids ready for back-to-school. As much as I try to balance life and writing, during the last three weeks of a deadline, I'm pretty much a crazy person, bemoaning the state of my manuscript and my house, holed up in my cave or at Starbucks while entropy has its way with the rest of my life.

It used to be that, when I was so close to a due date, I panicked not only about my book, but all the things I was neglecting at home. Eventually I developed a system that -- while it might not hold the forces of chaos completely at bay -- lets me feel like it's manageable chaos.

During my deadline, I keep a running list of things I need to do, but aren't super-time sensitive. The urgent things, I take care of right away, despite my due date. Things like, for exampe, a Big Marshmallow's birthday presents, or picking up our weekly CSA share. The non-urgent things go in a little brown notebook, and then I put it out of my mind and get back to work.

Once I turn in the book and I'm ready to re-enter civilized society, I do a few things: Scrub the kitchen, deal with laundry, and prioritize the notebook list. Items that are becoming time-sensitive get a 1; less vital but still important stuff gets a 2; things that aren't urgent get a 3, and aspirational stuff -- the things I'd LIKE to accomplish but probably won't -- get a 4. 

Here's a sample of my list, bearing in mind we're preparing for a big, transition-filled school year:

Clean middle girl's room (1)
Clean Marshmallow's room (1)
Redo oldest girl's closet (2)
School supplies (1)
School physicals and dentist appointments (1)
Pick up framing order from crafting store (2)
Clean out garage (2)
Hang pictures (3)
Clean office (2)
Craigslist old table (3)
Put together photobooks: NOLA, San Diego, Disney 2011 (4) (don't judge me)
New desk for living room (4)
Drill hole in back of bookshelf (4)
Back to school clothes and shoes (2)
Doctor appointment for me (3)
Percy Jackson: Sea of Monsters (1)
Wash couch slipcovers (2)
Domain renewal (2)
Central Registration (1)
Return dresses (1)

It's...a really long list. And there's more where that came from -- you're only seeing snippets. But daunting as it is, the list allows me to empty my brain of nagging worries, so I can focus on work. And once I've prioritized it, I have a clear map of what needs to be taken care of first, which makes me more efficient. This means I'm not freaking out at my family about the state of the house or back-to-school preparations.

As for how writing fits in here, never fear: I have projects to keep me busy, and I make time for them each day. But this allows me to regain the balance I've likely lost in the past three weeks.

GOALS!

I've got a few minor projects to finish up, so I'm working on those while I battle the list. That way, by next Friday, I'll be able to resume work on DISSONANCE 2. What are you up to this week?

Head on over to Clara's blog for more suggestions about balancing writing and life, and have a great week!