Erica O'Rourke

Let the YASH begin! (UPDATED)

 

The Fall 2014 YA Scavenger Hunt is now OVER. Thank you all so much for participating! I hope you've enjoyed the exclusive bonus content -- and grown your TBR pile!

 

While the YASH is over, my personal giveaway hit a technical glitch -- and to make amends, I'm keeping it open through Monday! So if you haven't entered yet, there's still time. See below for details, and thanks again for making this year's YASH such a success!

 

BONUS CONTEST:

Want to be entered in to win a DISSONANCE swag pack? I'm giving away a signed copy of DISSONANCE, plus stickers, bookmarks, origami and more!

You have several ways to enter, via this handy Rafflecopter: 

a Rafflecopter giveaway

A few things to note:

• During previous hunts, I've requested you leave a comment on the blog. But I'm going to be switching over to Tumblr full-time soon, so I'd recommend following me there instead. My Tumblr Ask box is also a good place to go if you have questions. (You can still comment, of course! I love comments! It just doesn't count as a contest entry.)
• Obviously, if you have questions about the contest or the hunt, the comment section is an ideal place to ask. (Though Tumblr would work too. Or twitter. Or email. ASK, is what I'm saying, and I'll do my best to answer.)
• Several of the entry options require you to give your username for verification. If I can't verify you, it doesn't count, so check for typos!
• As always, my giveaways are international.
• This giveaway runs until midnight on Monday, October 6.

 

 

Dissonance Blog Tour: Day 8, plus more events!

The next excerpt is live! Check it out at Paranormal Book Club! And if you want to start at the beginning of the excerpt tour, head over to Oh, The Books!

I'm also gearing up for a bunch of events! First, of course, is the launch party at The Book Stall in Winnetka, this coming Tuesday, July 22. I can't wait to see you guys there!

 

 

New and upcoming events:

Friday, July 25, 6:30pm

I'll be participating in a group signing at the Crystal Lake Barnes and Noble with some amazing authors: Joelle Charbonneau, Liz Czukas, and Stacey Kade.We'll be talking about all things pop-culture related, which can only end hilariously.

Sunday, September 7

I'm thrilled to be signing with my dear friends Sarah J. Maas and Susan Dennard at Anderson's Bookshop in Naperville, IL. More details, including a time and a link to the event are coming soon.

October 25-26

I'll be on a panel at the Chicago Writer's Conference with the hilarious middle-grade author Allan Woodrow, giving practical advice for breaking into the childrens'/ young adult market. I'll also be around for the rest of the conference, just chatting, so come say hello!

 

Shiny Things On The YA Scavenger Hunt!

Three reasons I am over the moon right now:

1. Last week's phone call!
   
2. Today is the last day of Spring Break. Tomorrow, all three of my darling children will be back in school and I can GET. STUFF. DONE.
3. On April 4th, the Spring 2013 YA Scavenger Hunt begins! I've participated in the hunt several times, and this time out, I have something shiny to show you.

Literally shiny.

It's the cover reveal of DISSONANCE! And it is gorgeous! The incredibly talented Lizzy Bromley, who designed the covers for WITHER, LEVEL 2, and LINKED, worked her magic on my book. I gasped when I saw it, in the best possible way, and I can't wait to share it with you.

 

This year's hunt will begin at NOON PACIFIC TIME on APRIL 4th, 2013 and end at NOON PACIFIC TIME on APRIL 7th, 2013. We'll announce the winner on April 10th.

If you haven't participated in the hunt before, it's simple: start here, or at any of the participating authors' sites, or at the YASH Homepage. At each stop on the hunt, you'll find exclusive bonus content from participating authors and a clue, plus the chance to win a signed book from every author on that team! (I'm Blue Team, but you can also participate in the Red Team's hunt, too. Many authors will be hosting individual giveaways, too.)

I'll be giving away a copy of TORN and a custom necklace, so stock up on snacks and meet me back here on Thursday at noon PST!

 

 

 

Currently on a Tuesday

I am...

:: getting ready for a long-overdue dentist appointment. "You're going to love it here!" chirped the receptionist. Somehow I doubt it, but this IS the dentist that sent my husband a bottle of champagne because he's so conscientious about flossing, so I am witholding judgement for now.

Seriously. For FLOSSING. I don't even know, people.

:: listening to this singer nonstop. When I make up the Dissonance Soundtrack, expect to see a lot of her songs.

 

:: loving this blog, because it reminds me how much better life is when I'm not drowning in stuff.

:: wondering how the hell I'm going to get rid of the old couch when I can't even fit it through the doorway.

:: sniffling a teensy bit at this keynote by Myra McEntire. Hint: someone you know is in the video.

:: ignoring the backyard. Don't look at me like that. Nobody gardens in this heat.

:: restocking my own Summer Survival Kit, thanks to your excellent suggestions. If you haven't entered the giveaway yet, there's still time!

Happy Tuesday, all!

Spring Scavenger Hunt is Here!

I am so thrilled to be participating in the Spring Scavenger Hunt! It was so much fun to hear from everyone last time around, and this Hunt promises to be even more exciting. We have sixty YA authors participating, and the amazing Colleen Houck and Beth Revis have been hard at work streamlining the Hunt to make it easier for you. (Click here to see a list of all sixty authors -- so many pretty shiny covers!)

To make the Hunt a little more manageable, we've split it into three teams of twenty authors each. That means THREE grand prizes (of at least twenty books) and you can enter all three, if you want to. I am on the Blue Team; so if you get lost along the way, you can go back to the original site and pick up where you left off.

 

 

You can get more details about the Spring Scavenger Hunt by clicking here or on the banner  below, but the most important thing to remember is this:

The YA Scavenger Hunt begins Thursday March 29th at noon PACIFIC TIME and ends Sunday April 1st at noon PACIFIC TIME. That gives you only 72 hours to complete the hunt!

 

 

Like before, I'll be offering a special prize here on the day of the hunt, and I'll have more about that later. But for now, I have a question:my bonus content for the previous hunt was an extra scene. This time, I'm taking a scene from one of the books and rewriting it from another character's point of view. And I'm curious: what scene from TORN or TANGLED would you like to see through someone else's eyes? Hit the comments and let me know!

 

Good luck, and happy Hunting!

In Which I Master The Ukelele

And by "master," of course, I mean "learn three notes on a cheap kid's ukelele that untunes itself every time I play a note."

But! It's all in good fun! The awesomesauce Saundra Mitchell, author of THE VESPERTINE and THE (soon-to-be-released) SPRINGSWEET asked if I sould like to be part of the YA Winter Wonderland Mashup of DOOM.

Naturally, I said yes. And offered to play the ukelele we were giving Big Marshmallow for Christmas. Which meant I had to learn how to play the ukelele. In secret. Three notes, and it took me days. DAYS.

Then I sent it off to Saundra and she worked her magic. Then her computer ate the video and she worked her magic AGAIN. And...here you go! Watch all the way to the end, okay?

 

 

 Link not working? Try here:

Long Link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=blxabUY29Q0
HD Long URL: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=blxabUY29Q0&hd=1

Happy Holidays from YA to you!