Erica O'Rourke

Answers!

Happy Tax Day, everyone! I have spent much of the last week in a reciept-sorting, record-checking fog, only to discover that my phone line has been out for...I don't know how long. Which means my accountant has probably been trying to call me all weekend, unsuccessfully. I'm sure his schedule is WIDE-OPEN today. I'm sure I'm his favorite client EVER.

Anyway, the winner of the Second-Chance Contest Giveaway is...

Darith L!

Darith, I'll be contacting you to get your snail mail address, so you should be receiving your prize this week or early next week!

And here are the answers to the questions you asked in the comments. If you asked on Tumblr, I answered over there.

Colin, my favorite expat and fellow Doctor Who fan asked: How do you pick your character's names? Delancey Sullivan is an interesting name--I'm not sure I would have ever thought of that one.

I have a different process for each book I write. In the Torn Trilogy, Mo needed an Irish-sounding name that was pretty but could be nicknamed to something a little more plain, and Maureen/Mo was an obvious choice. Maura was a little more unexpected, so Maura/Mo it was. The women in Verity's family all had virtue names: Constance, Patience, Verity...Evangeline isn't quite a virtue name, but it seemed to fit. And Grey seemed a good last name, since Verity viewed the truth as much more nuanced than her first name suggested.

As for Delancey, she's named after a neighborhood in New York, where she was born. The  rest of her family has names relating to Chicago. There's more to it than that, but...spoilers!

 

Which brings us to Colin's second question: Have you been watching Doctor Who the past few weeks? Thoughts?

Of COURSE I've been watching! I...am suspending judgement for now. Matt Smith, as always, is fantastic. His monologue at the end of Rings of Akhenaten ("I have lost things you will never understand...") was so moving and perfect. And the Clara mystery is quite intriguing -- I think it all ties in to her mom, somehow. The most important leaf in the world, Mama Oswin's promise to always find Clara, even if she's on the moon...I don't know yet, but I think it all ties in together in some sinister way. I can't wait to find out.

That being said, I'm not 100% smitten with Clara yet. Partly because I loved Amy and Rory, and partly because she still seems very much a creation of the writers. They seem to be working very hard to prove that she is the most perfect possible companion: sassy and plucky and brave and smart and flirty and beautiful and...she's perfect. They really want us to notice how perfect she is. Because, you see, she is perfect. And while that might tie into The Mystery of Clara, it's also them working really hard to make us love her because she is... say it with me...perfect. The writers are also working hard, it feels like, to set up situations that could easily turn romantic. I'm not crazy about that notion (HI RIVER SONG, WIFE OF THE DOCTOR) but if they're going to go down that path, I'd prefer the chemistry between the characters shine through on its own, rather than be foisted on them by the script and the director, which is how it currently feels. I know it's a short season, people, but a slow burn always has a better payoff, and an obvious authorial hand is never good storytelling.

But even with all of these caveats, I love it best in all the world. Saturday nights are what get me through the rest of the week.

Bethzaida asked, "Is there is going to be a love triangle in DISSONANCE?"

This is a tricky question to answer without spoiling things. There won't be a love triangle like there was in TORN. But the story does take place in multiple universes, and in those universes are multiple versions of Simon, the boy Del likes. So...is it a love triangle if the two guys are the same guy? I will let you decide.

Anastasia asked, "Is Dissonance going to be the first book in a series? Because according to Goodreads it's a stand alone."

The plan right now is that Dissonance is a two-book series. That may change -- I certainly have ideas for more books --  but for now, DISSONANCE 2: Electric Boogaloo will conclude Del's story. (As an aside...I don't go on Goodreads. Ever. So I have no idea what information is there or if it's accurate.)

Darith L. asked, "What inspired you to write this novel?"

A couple of things: One was the steady diet of sci-fi and fantasy I consumed as a child -- in particular, Roger Zelazney's Nine Princes In Amber, which my dad read so many times the covers fell off our copies (always the mark of a good book).

Two, I always start a book with what-if questions, and the ones that triggered DISSONANCE went a little something like this: What if had the ability to move through infinite universes. If you could have anything, how would you choose between them? What if there was something you couldn't have? What's the cost of having infinite choices? And if you were constant, but everything around you changed...what kind of person would you be?

It turns out you'd be a lot like Delancey Sullivan.

 

Thanks for playing along, all! I am off to pay my taxes, but I'll be back later this week with more exciting news and pretty things to share.

DISSONANCE: My Next Big Thing

Chicago-area people: Tomorrow is the Books + Beer Signing – I’ll be there with Jamie Freveletti, Linda Joffe Hull, and Keir Graff, buying beers for readers and giving a 10% discount on every title. There’s more info here, but as an added bonus, if you buy the entire Torn Trilogy, you get a custom necklace or
t. It would make an excellent Christmas gift. (It would make an excellent self-gift, too. I won’t tell.)

(I’m quite smitten with them.)

And now, onto the Q&A! Elizabeth Amisu tagged me to participate in the the “Next Big Thing” meme. Next Wednesday, I’ll link to the authors I’ve tagged. For now, I hope you enjoy reading a bit more about Del and DISSONANCE.

What is the working title of your next book?

My next book is titled DISSONANCE. It’s coming out in Fall of 2013, which feels both far away and very soon at the same time.

Where did the idea come from for the book? 

DISSONANCE falls more into the speculative/sci-fi realm, which is what I grew up reading, so in an indirect way, it came from all the authors I loved as a kid, like Robert Heinlein and Roger Zelazney.  This particular book came from my fascination with two things: the theory of alternate universes, and the idea that we’re defined by our choices.  If you have limitless choices, how do you decide between them? What does that say about you?

What genre does your book fall under?

Sci-fi. Del’s ability to navigate alternate worlds is grounded in science, not magic.

What actors would you choose to play the part of your characters in a movie rendition? 

Ooooh. I am terrible at this. I tend not to think of specific real-life people during the writing process, because I worry the characters would become less themselves, and take on more characteristics of the actor. Let’s say this: I would love for Joss Whedon to cast it, because the Whedonverse is full of incredibly talented, versatile actors.

What is the one-sentence synopsis of your book?

A sixteen-year-old girl navigates between alternate universes and falls for different versions of the same boy in each one – but in her home world, he barely knows she exists.

Will your book be self-published or represented by an agency? 
I’m represented by the brilliant Joanna Volpe of New Leaf Literary; DISSONANCE will be published by Simon and Schuster Books For Young Readers.

How long did it take you to write the first draft of the manuscript?

Hmn…five months, maybe? I tend to write a really messy, awful first draft. Revising it into something coherent is my reward for reaching the end.

What else about the book might pique the reader's interest?
The working title of the book was "The Roadside Marker Book," because I am really, really bad at coming up with titles. Also, there are eleventy billion Doctor Who references, because I’m a little obsessed with the show. You'll also find plenty of kissy bits, which are always fun to write, and sisterly squabbling, the accidental end of the world, a slightly deranged grandfather, minor larceny, and Del’s collection of boots, which I am QUITE envious of.

Thanks for the invite, Elizabeth! I'll be back next week with links to the next round of authors!

 

FAQ Contest: Covers, Names, and How I Got Here.

More questions! More answers!

What's your favorite book cover of your own book?

Of my American covers, I like BOUND's the best -- the model looks more like Mo than the other two covers,  (although the same girl is also on TANGLED). She looks a little more natural and less magical. And the green foil on the finished cover looks fantastic.

Of my German covers, I don't think I can choose. They're both so gorgeous, and complement each other so well...it would be like picking a favorite child.

What's your favorite book?

I must sound terribly indecisive, but again, choosing only one is impossible! Some of my favorites are:

• Neil Gaiman's NEVERWHERE
• Libba Bray's A GREAT AND TERRIBLE BEAUTY
• Philip Pullman's THE GOLDEN COMPASS,
• Madeleine L'Engle's A WRINKLE IN TIME
• Margaret Mahy's THE CHANGEOVER.

These are the books I read over and over, finding something new each time.

How do you like to celebrate each new book?

Hmnn...when TORN came out, I went to a movie with my agent. When TANGLED came out, I cleaned the bathrooms. I haven't given much thought to how I'll celebrate BOUND -- maybe I'll sleep late and demand sushi for dinner. That seems like a good plan. In truth, it's the finishing of a draft that I'm more inclined to celebrate, since that's the hardest part of the process, and the one that requires the most patience and sacrifice from my family.

What was your publishing journey like?

Unexpected! The short version is that I wrote TORN, queried some agents, and entered RWA's Golden Heart contest. One of the final round judges liked the manuscript and offered to buy it. One of the agents I'd queried had requested the partial, so I contacted her, and she immediately read the full, then offered representation. I ended up interviewing three agents, and the one I'd originally queried was definitely the best fit. She took over negotiations, and almost a year to the day that I recieved the offer, TORN was on shelves! Here's a couple of the posts that explain more about it:

When I won the Golden Heart
When I announced the sale

How did TORN come about?

TORN came about because I was reading a lot of books where the heroine discovered she was a prophesied "chosen one" who was destined to save the world. I LOVED those books, but I was also curious -- what if the Chosen One died, and her sidekick had to take her place? What if Harry Potter died, and Ron Weasley had to stop Voldemort, or Buffy died and Xander had to defeat the season's Big Bad? And what kind of person would be willing to take on that role, knowing that, since they weren't chosen and didn't have magical powers, they were likely to die? The answer was someone like Mo -- who was accustomed to people keeping secrets, who didn't resent the Chosen One for her specialness, who loved her friend so much she was willing to risk her own life for the sake of vengeance. The idea actually came to me in the shower, and by the time I got out and started drying off, I had Mo's story almost completely plotted out.

How did you make time to write when you were still teaching full-time?

I...didn't. Even though I wrote a lot in college, I didn't really make time for writing while I was teaching. It sucked up the bulk of my attention, and when I wasn't teaching or coaching, I was reading. It wasn't until well after my second child was born that I really started to write again -- to take the stories drifting around my head and commit them to paper. And it wasn't until I took my writing seriously that I made progress toward getting published.

How did you pick your character's names?

For this series, the names of the major characters came pretty easily.  In Mo's case, I wanted something that sounded Irish, and could be both really pretty (Maura) and really humble (Mo). And somewhere along the line, Luc started calling her Mouse, at which point it was impossible to think of her with any other name.

Colin was easy, happily, because I knew I wanted another Irish-sounding name, and something that felt very solid, just like him. Luc's first name was easy, too, but his last name gave me fits, because I wanted something that tied into his element. Fire -- feu -- seemed a little too obvious, but foudre means lightning in French, so I figured that might work. Of course, translated, his name comes out to be Light of Lightning, which seems a little excessive, and exactly the sort of obnoxiously showy thing Dominic would insist on. But Luc hates being called Lucien, so it's a non-issue for him.

Verity's name came to me immediately -- it means "truth," and her last name -- Grey -- was meant to contradict it. Mo starts out the series believing that everything is black and white, true or false, right or wrong. And by the end of the series, she understands that there are shades and nuances and degrees to everything. I also liked the idea that every woman in her family had a "virtue" name: Constance, Patience, Evangeline (which is not strictly a virtue, but it fit, and she definitely wanted to convert people to her beliefs).

Billy, of course, got his name because I liked the idea of a mobster named "Charming" Billy Grady, after the nursery rhyme.

You were a teacher and a cheerleading coach: what made you decide to become a writer?

For starters, I was the world's WORST cheerleading coach. I knew nothing about cheerleading. I knew nothing about basketball, the sport we were cheering for. I was perfectly happy in my ignorance, so I told the girls they could do whatever they wanted as long as they didn't bleed and didn't go onto the court when they weren't supposed to. It was not an ideal match, is what I am saying.

I didn't decide to pursue writing until I'd been out of teaching for nearly five years. I was staying home with my kids, and frankly, one can only play "Fisher Price Little People Go On A Field Trip to the Farm" so many times before one's mind wanders and you start imagining a torrid backstory for Farmer Jed. I'd always written, and constructing stories in my head kept me sane. Eventually, it got to a point where I wanted to see them on paper, too.

 

FAQ Contest: Answers, part deux.

The kitties are home! I was planning on posting pictures of Maya in her lion cut, but it turns out that Maya with a lion cut is actually really upsetting to, because she's such a skinny, stressed out little thing. She's a big ruff of furface and then a scrawny little rat body. It's awful, and while I generally have no problem mocking my cats on the internet, it's just not sporting this time around.

Anyway, let's hit the next round of answers, shall we?

Jaime asked, "Do you use any certain music to set the tone while you are writing, as kind of a soundtrack to the books?"

I do! Each book has a soundtrack, though because TORN is a trilogy, some of the songs carry over from book to book. You can see the soundtrack for TORN here, and TANGLED here, and I'll be posting BOUND's soundtrack sometime next week. Here's one song I was particularly fond of, though.

 

Music is crucial to my writing process because it allows me to immediately slip into the story or a character, especially if I'm not writing at home. When I'm revising, it's a little different -- I tend to listen to scores from TV shows or movies. It's likely because I'm looking at the words on the page so closely that lyrics would interfere with my concentration, and I'd read more into the story than actually exists. My favorite score for revising, of course, is from Doctor Who.

Kim, who knows me very well, asked, "Besides being able to work in pajama pants, what is the best thing about being a writer of YA?"

The readers. Hands-down, the readers. I love talking with teens -- not just about my book, but books in general, and all of the other facets of their lives. Teenagers are smart, observant, funny as hell, and incredibly authentic, and getting to interact with them, whether through email or social media or classroom visits is the best part of my job.

Jess asked, "What's next for you? Any more books on the horizon? WIP's? I hope we see more!"

Thanks, Jess! I've got some projects percolating, but the bulk of my attention at the moment is focused on BOUND's release. And getting the backyard under control. It's still pretty bad. As soon as the current heatwave breaks, I'm going to learn how to use the weedwhacker.

Mont_4A asked, "What was the hardest part about writing your query letter? Is there a certain way it should be done?"

To which I say, "GAAAAAAAHHHHH QUERY LETTERS." I hate 'em. But they're a necessary part of the business, and so when it came time to query TORN, I posted a note above my computer that said, "Suck it up, Buttercup," and did precisely that. Here's what I think every query letter should have:

• genre
• word count
• brief, hooky description of your story
• RELEVANT professional credentials (ie, previously published work, membership in professional writing organizations, a career in publishing or the field your book is set in.)
• impeccable spelling/grammar/professional attitude

That being said, every agent has different requirements about what they like/don't like to see in a query. So you have to research EVERY. SINGLE. ONE. Yes, it's a pain. But remember: when you send an agent a query, they have to take time away from their current clients to read it -- following their directions shows you value their time, and increases your chances of getting a request.

The most valuable website I've seen about general query-writing is Kristin Nelson's Pub Rants. Read her entries on queries, google the bejeezus out of the agents you're most interested in, and be brave! It's hard to send your work out into the world, but if you want to be published, you might as well get accustomed to the feeling.

BN100 asked, "Who would you cast in a movie of your books?"

Oooh. This is really hard! Bookittyblog made a trailer for the series, and I thought she did a great job. I tend not to think of specific actors as I'm writing, because I'm afraid of letting their other roles influence my character too much. I think if I was going to cast a movie version, I'd want to find actors who were relatively unknown, at least for Mo, Colin, and Luc. And in Mo's case, I'd want someone who looked more "interesting" than "pretty," since she's convinced of her own unremarkableness. There's a ton of actresses I've seen that are conventionally pretty, but very few that don't seem like they'd already know it.

I'll answer more questions tomorrow, but I promised I'd announce the winner today, and it is...

BN100, who asked which cover was my favorite -- and I'll tell you that tomorrow! If you're BN, email me your snail mail address at erica at ericaorourke dot com, and I'll pop your book in the mail ASAP!

 

 

WIP Friday: Luncheon Edition (And BOUND FAQ's)

WELL.

That was a bit of an unintended blog break, and to be honest, it's likely to continue for a bit longer. We have been smacked upside the head with all sorts of scheduling craziness on the home front, and last night I looked at my schedule for April, wept at how many days will require me to dress like a grownup, mistook April for May, and then had a panic attack at the number of days I'd double-booked stuff.

Rest assured, I didn't double-book. I just can't read a calendar.

Sometime next week, I'll post an update to the Event page, because I am going to be all over the place in April and it would be wonderful to see a friendly face. But in the meantime, here's the one that's most time-sensitive:

Barbara Vey's Reader Appreciation Luncheon
Tuesday, April 10th, 10:30 AM
Oak Creek, WI

Barbara Vey, among other things, is a Contributing Editor to Publishers' Weekly, author of the "Beyond Her Book" blog, and a huge, huge supporter of the romance community. She's hosting an AMAZING luncheon (details above) where you get to meet and mingle with thirty-eight authors from all sorts of genres and then have a sit-down lunch with one of the authors, so you can grill them all about what's happening in their next book. You'll get a ton of free books and swag, and most importantly, a good chunk of time to talk with your author.

(Is it likely I'll tell you some spoilers for BOUND? Anything's possible, guys.)

The reason it's time-sensitive is that you need to buy tickets, and they stop selling tickets on March 31st. It's a great event -- you get a bag full of books and swag, and all the proceeds go to support local libraries. So, come and have lunch with me! You can click the link above to find out more.

In the meantime, I have gotten a lot of questions about BOUND, and I figured now was as good a time as any to answer them. Ready, steady, GO!

Are you done writing BOUND?

Yep. Done writing, copy editing, proofing...it's finished!

When does it come out?

June 26th, 2012. (This summer!) Someone told me that on Goodreads, the release date is listed as sometime in October. This is incorrect, but I don't use Goodreads, so I don't know how to fix it. If you DO know how to, feel free to go ahead and change it.

You'll have ARCs, right?

Um...I don't know, actually. I hope so, but like 98% of things in publishing, this is not up to me. Rest assured, if I have ARCs, we'll definitely be holding giveaways.

How does it feel to have finished a trilogy?

Weird.  A little sad. A little exciting. I'll talk more about this in another post, I think.

Will you write more in this series?

I'm not currently planning on writing any more novels set in this universe, but I'll definitely be writing write some short pieces/extra content. Mo's story is done -- her journey is complete at the end of BOUND, so I don't envision writing another book about her. I do think it would be fun to write about some of the secondary characters, like Lena, or even Constance. I feel like Jenny Kowalski isn't done yet, either. But for now, I'm taking a break from the Arcs and Flats to play with some other stuff.

Do people die in this one?

Yep. Much higher body count in this book than the others.

Does Mo choose Colin or Luc?

Spoilers, sweetie.

Can't you tell us anything?

Three things:

• Mo's dad comes back from prison.
• Three months have passed since the end of TANGLED.
• As I mentioned on twitter last night, somebody's hipbones get ogled.

Questions? Hit the comments! Have a great weekend -- and I hope to see you at the luncheon!

 

FAQ: Do you ever get writer's block?

Yes. Mostly, it manifests itself as procrastination. HOW do I procrastinate, you ask?

I clean Per the Bad Cat's ears.

She's thrilled, as you can see. But if she doesn't like it, perhaps she should do a better job of cleaning her own damn ears.

(Apparently, writer's block also manifests itself as crankiness.)

Sometimes I Am Slow On The Uptake, or, FAQs

Get a group of writers together, and soon enough you are going to hear the same questions over and over:

"What's your process?"

"Plotter or pantser?"

"When do you find the time to write?"

"Do you draft longhand or on the computer?"

"How did you get your agent/book deal/critique partner?"

this happens even more often once you've sold a book. Now, I am a bit of a slow learner, but it finally struck me that rather than ponder these questions each time, I should probably compile a list of all the questions that I get quite often. You know. The questions. People ask. Frequently.

A trendsetter. That's me.

ANYWAY. If you've got questions, Tumblr is probably the fastest way to ask me. You can email too, but those tend to get buried pretty quickly. Periodically, I'll round up those answers and post them here as well.

To start us off, here's quick-and dirty answers to the questions above:

1. What's your process? Outline, draft in chronological order, piteous weeping, revision, piteous weeping and sailor-like language, revision, uncontrolled gibbering, revision, line edits, copy edits/proofing.
2. Plotter or Pantser? Plotter all the way. I use a giant sketchbook to plot out each individual storyline and brainstorm all in one place. I'll show you a picture soonish.
3. When do you write? I try to do the bulk of my writing during the day, while the baby is at school. But after everyone goes to bed, I usually try to squeeze in another couple of hours.
4. Longhand or typing for the first draft? Typing. If I'm stuck, I'll write longhand, but my handwriting is pretty absymal, so there's always a risk I won't be able to decipher what is undoubtably heartbreakingly luminous prose.
5. How did you get your agent/book deal/critique partner? Hard work and luck. For all three.