Erica O'Rourke

Places I Will Be This Week:

1. My desk, revising DISSONANCE, drinking lots of coffee.
2. Parent-Child Night at Big Marshmallow's school. I have been informed that I will "cry tears of joy" during the big finale. This is probably true.
3. This Wednesday, I'll be at Anderson's Bookshop for the THREERIFFIC AUTHOR NIGHT!  Jenn Rush is coming into town to celebrate the release of the amazing ALTERED, Julie Cross will be celebrating the release of VORTEX, the second book in her time-travel TEMPEST series, and I will be signing the TORN trilogy and (maybe) answering some questions about DISSONANCE. Jenn and Julie are both fabulous, funny women and I think it's really going to be a great time, so feel free to come by. If you can't make it, you can still get a signed copy by ordering from Andersons using the link above. I am fairly certain there will be lots of swag, too.
   
   
4. Saturday, I'll be at Anderson's Children's Literature Breakfast. This is kind of mind-blowing, guys. The lineup of speakers includes Amy Krause Rosenthal, who wrote our beloved LITTLE PEA, and BLUE FREAKING BALLIETT, who wrote CHASING VERMEER and its companions, THE WRIGHT THREE and THE CALDER GAME, and who has a new release (HOLD FAST) coming out. Every time I feel a little grumpy about writing in my laundry room, I remind myself that if it is good enough for BLUE BALLIETT, it is good enough for me. Anyway, I will be there, signing books and chatting and drinking coffee, but mostly I will be stalking BLUE BALLIETT. You do need a ticket to get in, and please note that the breakfast is being held off-site, not at Anderson's Naperville location.
   
   (Let us take a moment to talk about the delight that is Anderson's Bookshop. It's a beautiful store, the people who work there genuniely love books and readers and authors, and every signing, whether as an author or a squeeing fangirl has been thougtfully and efficiently handled. The quality and variety of authors who hold events there is staggering. There are no indie bookstores near my house, which breaks my heart, but Anderson's is well worth the drive. It's one of those places where you walk in and immediately think, "These are my people." If you can get there, you should, even if it's just on a random Sunday to browse. You won't regret it.)
5. In the kitchen, brewing another pot of coffee to drink while I do more revisions on DISSONANCE. (This is my way of saying that things here on Ye Olde Blogge will be pretty quiet for the rest of the month, though I will probably pop in and ask you to help me choose a new author photo soon. I promise to be much more entertaining in March.) If you're curious about where I've been, the best thing to do is head over to my friend Doug Mack's blog, Five Bad Ideas, where he will tell you all about the cruise we taught on last December. He's funnier and posting more regularly than I am, too.   While you're at it, read his book -- EUROPE ON FIVE WRONG TURNS A DAY, which made me laugh so hard I kept waking up my husband. 

I'll be back eventually with author pics and other shenanigans.

 

 

 

Jiggety-Jog + The Winner

I am back, bay-bee!

My intention was to blog while I was in NYC. I even downloaded a special app designed to make iPad/Typepad blogging work more easily. But it was not to be. Between the meetings and the classes and the procurement of souvenirs and the amazing food, I tumbled into my (ginormous) hotel bed each night, too tired to even attempt it.

But now I am home, wearing my pajamas and staring at an inbox where every other message is flagged with a bright red "FOLLOW UP" label, and a calendar that is giving me what is often referred to as the gimlet eye. And not the good kind of gimlet, either.

SO. TANGLED comes out tomorrow, and of course there will be stuff happening here to celebrate. Later this week I will show you some pictures of New York, including delicious food and even more delicious yarn. And there will, of course, be giveaways and fun things like that.

In the meantime...we have a winner in the Office Space Giveaway:

Stefi!

She has the coolest office imaginable. The blue paint and white quotes, the history captured in the room...I'm jealous, even if she IS freezing. And Stefi, if you wanted to show us pictures of the awesomeness...feel free!

We live in the country, in the middle of nowhere and there's an old garden shed that I kind of took over and turned into my hangout. I painted over the walls in dark blue and every time I read something that I really like, I've got a bucket of white paint and I use it to paint the passage or phrase or whatever on the blue of the wall. That way I have lots of great things to give me a kick when I'm staring at the wall (literally:)) instead of concentrating:)

My brother's a really great artist and sometimes he comes in and paints these little cartoons of something funny that happened or as an illustration for what I've written on the walls. It's actually kinda cool, because over the years he and I have put together this mural that reflects the history of our high school years. You can even tell the difference between our freshmen or junior years by my handwriting (my cursive got worse because I needed to write faster to take notes in class) and his drawing (he's gotten incredibly good!) I often come here to do college applications and my AP prep. I absolutely love this place we've made together, even though in the winter I freeze!

 Congratulations, and thanks again, guys, for sharing your creative spaces with me. It's so inspiring to see the places you'd carved out for yourselves!

Because Friday is always better than Tuesday. Especially this week.

In true Tuesday style (did you know Tuesday is my least favorite day of the week? Tuesday is the new Monday, in my opinion.) today's post in not a catch-up of all the fun things I've been doing.

What's that, you say? You don't believe I've been off having fun? You're mostly right -- I've been chained to my desk finishing up the revisions of BOUND -- but I did manage to escape and go see a taping of NPR's Wait Wait Don't Tell Me, where I met Carl Kasell, and Paula Poundstone dressed like a pilgrim.

(That's not me with Paula, alas. I was too busy fawning over Peter Sagal, so I made the boyo get a picture.)

The purpose of this post is to invite you, if you are an English teacher or librarian, to come and see me at the NCTE (National Council of Teachers of English) Convention this Friday. I'll be hosting a party with free food! And free beverages! And swag, including copies of TORN and a chance to win ARCs of TANGLED. (Swag, by definition, is free. Free is good.)

Here's the details:

TORN/TANGLED Party

7-9 pm

Shileghlegh Room  Kitty O'Shea's, Hilton Chicago (720 S Michigan Ave.)

If you're an English teacher or librarian that isn't attending NCTE? Shoot me an email (erica at ericaorourke dot com) and I will send you the swag bag AND enter you in the drawing to win an ARC of TANGLED.

Now, I am off to slay Tuesday. That fifth cup of coffee isn't going to drink itself, you know.

 

 

 

 

WIP Friday: TARDIS required

This month is moving WAY too fast.

 

We have four more boxes of ornaments to hang.

 

And if Matt Smith was included, so much the better.