Erica O'Rourke

WIP Friday: Willpower Editon

In 120 minutes, I get a biscuit.

(Wallpaper from Wisecraft. Thanks, Blair!)

Destination Destinknitions

I'm over at Allie Pleiter's knitting blog today. Why? Because I knit. And Mrs. Fitzgerald knits, even if you don't see her with needles in hand. And because Allie is one of the nicest people I know and graciously invited me to stop by.

Also, there is a giveaway! How can you resist?

Click here for my knitterly interview.

(As always, I'd be so grateful if you could show some comment love to my hostess, so comments here are closed.)

Happy on a Monday

Much like the Boomtown Rats, I do not like Mondays. I like them better than Tuesdays, but that's not saying much.

BUT! There are are some things making me happy this Monday, and I thought I'd share them with you:

The Map of Ravka, from Leigh Bardugo's incredible upcoming release, Shadow & Bone. I was lucky enough to read an ARC of this book, and loved every single word. It's breathtakingly beautiful, full of plot twistiness, and simultaneously very epic and also very personal. I can't wait for you all to read it so that we can gush and squee and discuss, because I have THOUGHTS. And THEORIES. And Leigh is remaining very tight-lipped.

My new computer. The old one was slow. And loud. And a PC. The new one is fast and quiet and a Macbook Air. I enjoy writing so much more when I type the words and they appear on the screen almost immediately.

Blair's February Wallpaper. I've been a longtime fan of WiseCraft, Blair Stocker's crafting blog, and Blair herself. She is funny and kind and thoughtful, and obviously quite talented. This year, she's posting monthly inspiration boards that you can download for personal use.I love February's because it's bright against the gray, but not conventionally Valentine-ish.

Awake premieres March 1st.

 

I've been talking about wanting to see this show since the fall, when I first saw this preview. I have THEORIES already (I'm a big one for theories, you might have noticed) but mostly I'm just thrilled about the combination of an incredible hook and Jason Issacs, who was wonderful in Case Histories and looks to be continuing the trend here. Now, if NBC would only bring back Community...

I was cleaning out my bag this weekend (because I haven't fully unpacked from New York. Don't judge me.) and realized I have something like a hundred dollars in Barnes and Noble giftcards. Which means I get to buy books! Many books! Guilt-free! I don't know when I will have time to read them (I am still reading my RITA books and judging contest entries) but the mere prospect of book-buying is enough to brighen my week. Recommendations below, please!

 

WIP Friday: Souvenir Edition

Despite my best intentions, I didn't take enough pictures of New York on my recent trip. But here's are some of my favorites:

New York Public Library Side Door. Fancy!

Delicious sushi. Honestly, some of the best I've had. And later, a crab cake sandwich with fennel on top and homemade potato chips.

 

Creepy head statue in the lobby of my hotel.

 

Purl Soho!

I'd been dying to visit Purl, and my dear friend Jen indulged me. This is where I bought many of my souvenirs, including yarn for the two younger girls and high-end felt for the oldest, who does not like to wear knitted things. This, by the way, breaks my heart.

 

Big Marshmallow, however, likes knitted things very much. As evidenced by her demand that I turn her yarn into a hat. A pink hat. A pink pointy hat. Right this very minute.

Done and dusted, kid.

As for myself, I've gotten into the habit of buying teacups on my trips, and I found the perfect one at a Japanese bookstore.

Something about the patterns reminds me of the subway signs.

I am already anxious to go back.

The Upside of Spectacular Failure: Guest-blogging at Honestly YA

 I'm traveling again today, visiting the wonderful women of Honestly YA to talk about my greatest regrets and the fact that my taste in music hasn't changed much since the mid-90s. We're also giving away a copy of TORN and TANGLED, so swing by and check it out! I'll be back here for WIP Friday.

Click here for the interview.

Also, if this looks wonky, let me know -- I am trying out Blogsy + Typepad for the first time, and decided to throw caution to the wind and skip the instructional video. What could possibly go wrong?

Notes from A Book Signing: The Do-Overs

Honestly, things at the signing went so well, I feel uncomfortable calling this list "Don'ts". But there are a few things I would have done differently, or additionally. And you can bet I'll be doing them next time:

Take five minutes to freshen up before the crowd arrives.

 
In my defense, people started arriving at 1:15, and the signing started at 2. There wasn't really time for a touchup. But I was acutely aware that my hair needed a last-minute fix, that my lipgloss had slid off early on, and that a little pressed powder would have gone a long way. The thing is, no one would have been offended if I'd run to the restroom and put myself together before the official start. It was my own nervousness -- I must be here and entertaining the entire time -- that tripped me up. Next time, at the 1:15 mark, I'll excuse myself, fluff up a bit, and return feeling a little less frazzled.

Have a bottled water and mints nearby.
Smiling and chatting for 2+ hours is thirsty work. To avoid cottonmouth, have a bottle of water -- with a lid, just in case -- close at hand. The mints are a nice touch, and I did have some, but I had to dig in my purse for them. Put them close at hand so you don't interrupt the flow of the signing.

 

 

 

Bring extra Sharpies.

I use silver Shar pies, which look great and are less likely to give you a contact high during prolonged use. But they tend to dry out more quickly than the standard black Sharpie, and mine died halfway through. Happily, the staff had some extras, but if I could do it over, I would have tucked a few more into my bag.

Think about displays.
My cover flat for BOUND was exactly that -- laid flat on the table. It would have made a bigger impact if I'd propped it on a stand and wrote "On sale June 26 -- preorder now!" on a little sign underneath. Similarly, I would have had a stand to hold my speaker brochures, just to give them a little added oomph. Anything vertical is easier for passers-by to spot on the table.

Memorize this saying:
"I'm so sorry, we sold out of that book. But if you ask at the service desk, they'll order it, and I'll be sure to personalize it when it comes in."

This is a much more gracious thing to say than, "Oh, you can get it online." People came to your SIGNING. They wanted a book SIGNED by the author. Give them a reason to come back, and let them see you're willing to make an effort for them. Only good can come of this. Of course, you do have to hold up your end of the bargain -- be sure you're able to go back and sign the new copies.

See? Nothing earth-shattering. Nothing make-or-break. Just little things that would have made my event flow even more smoothly. Feel free to take (or leave) any of these suggestions, and let me know how your own signings go.

(Looking for Part One, The Dos? Click here.)

Notes From A Book Signing: The Dos

Saturday was the TANGLED signing at my local B&N; it was the first solo signing I'd ever done, and the first I'd set up on my own. (My only other signing was at RWA's National Convention, with approximately eight squillion other authors. It took some of the pressure off.) I had done some prep work: notifying local papers, sending out emails to friends and family and writerly folk, inviting teachers from area schools...but to be honest, I expected cricketsts. This, I had been told, was the norm.

Guys, we had a line the entire time. In fact, we had a line before the signing started; we had kids showing up after we'd finished. We sold out of TORN, and this giant stack of books

...was almost entirely gone. It was astonishing, and humbling, and incredibly exciting. I had friends who have known me my entire life show up. Writer friends. The woman who owned the cafe where I wrote TORN even came. My friend Liz came, from MINNESOTA, just to hug and squee and be there for me. Of course, the crowd was due in part to homecourt advantage, but I am not picky. People came and bought my books and said nice things. I will take it without complaint.

To be honest, I found the notion of preparing for a book signing intimidating. And while a sensible person would have simply googled "set up book signing" or some such term, I mostly just pestered my beloved publicist and the PR person at the bookstore. You, of course, are much more clever. You know how to use Google. But I do have some tips -- things that made the signing run more smoothly, that drew people in, that made my life easier. I also have a few things I'll do differently next time, and I'll talk about those tomorrow. But here are the things I would recommend for anyone setting up a signing.

Signing Do's

Tell everyone.
I know it seems obvious, but it bears repeating. Fill out the forms on your local papers' websites for "Event Calendar. Tell your parents' friends. Tell local teachers, if appropriate. Tell your friends, even though most of them already ordered your book. Encourage forwarding. Make your partner tell his or her friends and coworkers. Even if only 5 percent of the people contacted show up, 5 percent of 200 is a lot better than 5 percent of 20. Even I know that, and I suck at math.

This is even more important if you're not signing in your area. In that case, not only do you need to work connections (local SCBWI and RWA chapters) but also local schools and libraries. Brandon Mull came to our area when he was promoting his second Fablehaven book; he visited all of the nearby elementary and middle schools, and let everyone know when he'd be signing at the local bookstore. My oldest daughter came home desperate to see him again, so off we went. The line was out the door. OUT THE DOOR. We stood in line for two hours, and when we left, there was still a massive crowd of people. Partly this is because Brandon Mull is a fantastic writer, but partly it is because he took the time to reach out to the kids and the community.

Make A Sign
Had I any design skills at all, I would have used a larger font on the middle sign. But I do like this setup -- I can use it at any event, regardless of which book I'm signing, and it's easy to swap out the covers, since they're separate pieces. If I do a signing somewhere with limited space, I can stick to the most recent cover and simply print out a sheet that says "Signing Today!"

My signing was on the second floor -- we posted these over the escalators so people could see them clearly. I also had another poster of TANGLED's cover near the door. I did these at my local Fed Ex Kinkos, and they were gracious enough to put grommets along the top of each sign for easy hanging. We used cable ties to secure them to the banister. Easy-peasy, and a LOT of bang for the buck. Well worth the (tax-deductible) expense.

Arrive early
My signing was scheduled from 2-4; I arrived at 1. We had people there by 1:15, and some of them weren't even my relatives. Give yourself enough time to set up, fix your hair, and take a deep breath or twelve. You'll handle the ensuing chaos much better.

Bring swag
I had bookmarks, trading cards, and my speaker brochure laid out on the table. By the end of the day, I had...one brochure and three trading cards left. People like swag, and you never know who they'll pass it on to.

Bring a treat
Just make sure it's small and easy to clean up. I had a platter of Dove Chocolates, and they were nearly gone by days' end. Everyone likes chocolate. It makes them happy. Happy people buy books, and even if they don't, they think kindly of you. This is never bad.

Bring balloons

The bookstore kindly provided balloons to go over the sign. They were super-cheery and festive, and attracted more attention. They made it feel like a party, which encouraged people to linger and chat. More than once, a person who'd bought one copy decided to pick up another to give as a gift. It also caught the eye of the people on the escalator.

Bring supplies
Scissors, sharpies, materials to hang the aforementioned signs...they were all in high demand, and it made life easier for the bookstore staff. They were gracious enough to host me -- I didn't want to make them run around and fetch me other things as well. Go full-on Girl Scout, folks. Be prepared.

Bring a photographer/support system
I knew I wouldn't have time to take pictures, so I enlisted a very talented friend to do it for me. I didn't have time to tweet, either, and she made sure to do so. She said encouraging things, made sure to retake pictures when I blinked, and gently reminded me to hold up my book in the pictures. Friends like this are priceless. 

Dress for comfort and nevousness
I knew I'd be hopping up and down hugging people the entire time. I also knew would get flushed and sweaty from nerves. So I wore a t-shirt and a cardigan light enough to prevent me from roasting like a Christmas goose. I highly recommend this.

Know what you're going to sign
In some cases, I personalized the message inside the books: dear friends, critique partners, family members. But in a lot of cases, I didn't know the person, or the book was a gift. In those cases, it was tremendously helpful to have a stock phrase -- one for TORN and one for TANGLED -- that I could use without agonizing over my choice of words.

Promote your next book, if you have one
I displayed the cover of BOUND in the middle of the table, and almost everyone asked about it -- including when it was available, if I'd have another signing, and if they could pre-order it. (Yes, you can. Right here.) Getting the word out early is always good.

Make the first book available
We had copies of TORN available on the table, and sold out quickly. People like to buy a set, especially if they're giving them to someone else. And unless you're a NYT Bestseller, you're probably going to have people coming in who haven't read book one.  Make it as easy as possible for them to buy it!

Give yourself the next day to recover, if at all possible
I was pretty useless on Sunday. I made cookies with my oldest daughter as part of her science fair exhibit. I ordered a pair of knitting needles to make Big Marshmallow's hat. I think I did a load of laundry. My biggest accomplishment was cleaning out the dryer vent, which was surprisingly satisfying. Maybe you are an extrovert, and being "on" energizes you, but for me, even though I love to meet people and talk books for hours and hours, my brain turns to tapioca immediately afterward. If you're like me and you can schedule the next day to be low-key and free of obligations, DOOOO EEEEET. Put on your pajama pants, drink endless cups of tea, and think back over the wonderful day you've just had.

Authors who have had signings, any advice?

Tomorrow, I'll talk about what I would do differently. It's actually a pretty short list.

A huge, huge thank you to everyone who came out and supported me, and to the AMAZING team at the Vernon Hills Barnes & Noble -- Pam, Ruth, Kim, and Stephanie -- for making everything run so smoothly and being so enthusiastic. This store has always been "my" B&N, and holding my first signing there made it very special.

And, before I forget: the winner of the Casting Contest is:

Christina Kit!

(whose casting conversation was HILARIOUS and also too long to paste into this entry.) Thanks for playing along, guys!

 

I Less Than Three This!

As many of you know, I am not a fan of the emoticons, even though everyone I know uses them. They are just not my thing. Also, I can't figure out how to make them. Is it a colon and a dash and a parentheses? Just a colon and a parentheses? Should I just color on the screen with a marker and hope that works?

Many people have patiently explained to me that you can make a heart if you do the "less than" sign and a 3. Except it's actually more fun to say "I less-than-three this."

And what I less than three this morning (other than the life-giving deliciousness that is my coffee) is the fact that TORN is the Nook Deal Of The Day! Which means you can buy it for LESS THAN THREE DOLLARS.

(See what I did there?)

And if you have a Kindle, fear not: Amazon is matching the price!

Of course, there are also two giveaways running currently: The Casting Contest, and my interview over at Publishing Crawl. But the Deal of The Day, I assume, is only good for today, so you might as well get it while it's available. I would less than three it if you did.

 

 

Change of Venue

I'm over at the AMAZING Pub(lishing)Crawl Blog today -- the lovely and talented Susan Dennard, author of the upcoming Something Strange and Deadly, was gracious enough to interview me AND offer a giveway of the series.

PubCrawl is a collection of people in the publishing industry: authors both published and aspiring, booksellers, agents. It's smart and funny and inspiring and one of the blogs I most look forward to reading each day. So, go forth and comment for a chance to win, and then poke around the place. It's a gold mine of awesome.

(And two quick reminders: the Casting Contest is still going on through the end of the weekend, so scroll down to get the details on that one. And I have a signing in the Chicago 'burbs this weekend, so click here for more info.)

The Glamour Of Pub Day (and a casting contest)

There is a perception in the world that pub days for authors are frenetic celebratory events. Paparazzi. Interviews. Champagne corks popping like the kettle corn booth at the county fair. Flower deliveries. Coordinated outfits. A general recognition by the world that Something Momentous Has Occurred.

No doubt, this true for some people. I, on the other hand, was instructed to scrub the toilets.

"MAMA. You scrub those potties today," said Big Marshmallow as I dropped her off at school, still wearing my pajamas.

So I did.

This is what we in the publishing business refer to as "Living The Dream."

But really, yesterday was pretty low-key. I checked in on twitter and facebook more than usual. Confession: I do not understand how Facebook works. I am the world's worst Facebooker. I spent a lot of time swearing at the screen and wondering who I was logged in as. (Answer: me-myself, me the Author, and my husband, who apparently has a high school reunion coming up.) I answered a lot of emails. I chatted with some friends. I drank more coffee than I should have, but I do that every day.

My one celebratory concession was that we went out for sushi, but that was mostly because the Boyo was out of town for the day and I didn't want to cook dinner. But when we came home, I found the most amazing thing: The delightful BookittyBlog, who had already written a hilarious review of TANGLED, had made a Dream Cast Video. And I am BLOWN away. I stared at the screen and got a little choked up, that someone would take the time to do something so thoughtful. I think she did a fantastic job, especially with her choice for Billy, who gave me the heebie-jeebies in the best possible way. You definitely should check it out and tell her what you think.

TANGLED Dream Cast Video Of Squee

I don't often think about who would play my characters in a movie. My mind doesn't work that way -- Mo is just Mo, when I picture her in my head, and basing her on someone else would get in the way of her development. But seeing this video after the fact is a treat. It lets me see how other people view the characters. It brings them to life in a completely different way. It was the best possible way to cap off my pub day, so thanks, Bookitty, for making it so special.

And before I forget, the winner of the yesterday's giveway is:

Lynda!

Who cracks me up. Behold:

Guess I'll have to go sappy and say it was setting my cap for my future DH. And make no mistake, I pursued him--big time. After nearly thirty years together (yikes, I'm old) we still joke that I did the chasing. All he had to do was stand still and get caught.

 

Today's another giveaway day: Who would you cast for any of the roles in TORN or TANGLED? Winner gets a copy of BOTH books! If you want to make a video/tumblr post/blog post of your choices, so that we can see who you have in mind, paste the link in the comments, and I'll give you credit for a second entry. If you'd rather just list the people below, that's fine too! The contest ends on Sunday at 5pm CST and I'll announce that night, before I sob my way through Downton Abbey. (As always, the contest is international.)