Erica O'Rourke

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!

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.

 

 

Dear Enrichment Voyagers,

Note: This letter is, as you might have guessed, intended for the people who attended my workshops on the Winter 2012 Enrichment Voyage. But you're welcome to read on even if you weren't there and want to know about some of my favorite books/websites/resources for writing.)

Welcome home! By now you’ve probably unpacked and done a few million loads of laundry, and made some resolutions for 2013. (Remember: it is good to do something that scares you.)

Just in case your goals for the new year are writing related, here are links to some of the books and authors I mentioned during my workshops. Many of them were mentioned more than once, so the links are arranged by topic:

Craft and Structure:

• Debra Dixon’s Goal Motivation Conflict (www.debradixon.com)
  Remember, don’t buy this on Amazon – the price is hyperinflated. Go here instead.

• Many writing books will talk to you about three-act structure, but I tend to rely more on the articles at Michael Hague’s Story Mastery, especially this one.

• Blake Snyder’s Save the Cat: This is the book my husband constantly steals from me; I’ve also loaned it out to fellow writers countless times. It’s great for plotters.There's also a ton of information at www.blakesnyder.com.
• Here’s a popular blog post from Rachel Aaron on how to use plotting techniques to up your daily wordcount.
• Jennifer Crusie is a brilliant author with all sorts of advice and techniques on her blog. It’s a great resource for pantsers. www.arghink.com
  
  
• Donald Maass’s Writing the Breakout Novel comes in two formats: regular book and fill-in-the-blank workbook. I have both, because it’s just that good.
• Cheryl Klein’s Second Sight: An Editor's Talks on Writing, Revising, and Publishing for Children and Young Adults is a great read when you’re made it through your first draft and you’re getting ready to revise. Tons of examples! You should also check out her blog, which is useful for writers of all genres and age levels.
• Susan Dennard’s website has a ridiculous number of helpful articles about the craft and business of writing. She’s also an incredible author and delightful person.

Tools of the Trade:

• Microsoft Word is the industry standard, but I’m guessing you can find it on your own.
• Scrivener (for Mac and PC) is what I compose all of my projects in. It's flexible and allows me to keep all of my notes/outlines/research/deleted scenes/etc in one place. I cannot recommend it highly enough. It's a very powerful program, so you should also check out Gwen Hernandez's Scrivener for Dummies.
• MacFreedom (for Mac and PC) As we discussed, I would get nothing done without this program, which turns off the internet for pre-specified periods of time.
• Write or Die (Mac, PC, iPad, Web-based) I am too terrified to use this software, but many writers I know and respect absolutely swear by it. (It's the one that erases your words if you don't keep typing.)

Querying/Looking for Agents

• Publishers Marketplace
• Querytracker.net
• Absolutewrite.com
• Preditors and Editors
• Queryshark and Janet Reid's blog are both excellent sources of advice for querying and the agent search

—  Remember: Always double-check an agency’s website for their specific submission guidelines – and FOLLOW THEM.

 

There you go, guys – all the resources I mentioned in class, plus a few more I remembered while I was sitting in the Guayaquil airport. If you’ve got more questions, the best place to get them answered is over at my tumblr. (You don't even have to join -- just ask anonymously!)

Thanks for making my big adventure so much fun – I couldn’t have asked for better people to cross the equator with. Now: Butt in chair, hands on keyboard, and keep me posted.

xoxoxo

Erica

Off The Grid

Popping in for only a moment to say farewell! I'm heading out this afternoon to teach. On a cruise. Through the Panama Canal. With Sandra Day O'Connor and Julian Bond.

If I tell you I am already missing my family like crazy, you're not going to feel even the teensiest bit sorry for me, are you?

It turns out that boats don't have free wifi, so I'll be going radio silent soon. I'll be back the week before Christmas, full of pictures and stories and holiday cheer. And maybe even a little bit of a tan, for the first time in...ever.

In the meatime, have fun. I'll miss YOU like crazy, too. And if you see my husband, please remind him to water the Christmas tree.

Weekend Adventure: Madison, WI

First off, if you haven't entered the Map-Making Contest, what are you waiting for? You can win an ARC of BOUND!!! Go!

All entered?

We're trying to have more family adventures this summer, aso over the weekend, we visited my younger sister up in Madison. It might possibly be the best way to spend a summer weekend in the entire world: relatively short, scenic drive (if you like looking at old barns and gently rolling farmland, which I do), warm-but-not sweltering weather, activities that appeal to a variety of ages. (Our group ranged from "post-my-age-on-the-internet-and-you're-out-of-the-will" to three.)

For reference, here's a picture of my gorgeous, stylish, adventure-loving, hard-working, gourmet-cooking sister. (Though not from this weekend.)

If you can make it to Madison, you should. Here's a list of ten things to get you started once you're there.

1. Dane County Farmer's Market, Capitol Square (Saturdays)
Admittedly, the crowds here are daunting, but load yourself up with some reusable grocery bags and try it anyway: squeaky cheese curds, ginger-rhubarb jam, tiny ruby-colored strawberries, hot & spicy cheese bread, the sweetest sugar snap peas you've ever had, and whatever else is growing. You can also get free-range meat and a zillion types of cheese, but make sure you have access to a fridge. Small fries who don't appreciate the hunt for the perfect tomato can play on the capitol lawn.

We recently joined a CSA, and were able to meet two of the farmers on this visit. Kurt "probably guaranteed" strawberries in this week's box (which is as good of a guarantee as one gets in farming). My kids loved meeting the people who work so hard to bring us amazing produce each week.

2. Madison Children's Museum:

Small, but packed with activities, including the coolest art studio imaginable: we painted on a glass wall, made a pirate ship out of nature materials, played with something that looked like a TARDIS, ran in a giant gerbil wheel, and petted chickens and mice. There's even a five-and-under area for Big Marshmallow and her compatriots.

I kind of want a chicken now.

3. Sardine

We didn't visit Sardine this time around, but it's a family favorite: delicious food that's interesting without being confusing and a gorgeous lake food. Yes, that's my sister in their website's banner. I told you it was one of our favorites.

4. El Dorado Grill

This is my absolute favorite restaurant, perhaps in the entire world. Delicious, interesting southwestern food and the most incredible margaritas I've ever had. Get there early or prepare to wait. And make sure to order the Texas Tornadoes.

5. Graze

Fancy locavore food at reasonable prices in a beautiful location. Also, they have crawfish beignets. Again, arrive early. It's one of the trendiest places in town, but don't let that deter you.

 

6. Victory Coffee

My sister's favorite coffeeshop, and I am inclined to agree. It's a tiny, friendly neighborhood place, and the coffee is strong and delicious.

7. Williamson Street

Madison has something of a reputation for...granola-ness, and a walk down Willy Street will show you why. It's a funky, eclectic mix of houses, shops, and restaurants. Give yourself time to wander and browse.

8. Hardware Store Coffee

Every time we go to Madison, I force my husband to stop at this old-fashioned Ace Hardware. It has the dusty, oily, wood-shaving smell of a real hardware store, aisles crammed together with the usual supplies (and some surprises). Most of all, it has its own blend of coffee: Just Coffee's Tradesmen Blend.

9. Henry Vilas Zoo

Oh, my children love the Madison Zoo. We love it as well, because 1.) cute animals and 2.) like Goldilocks and the Three Bears, it's not too big and not too small. You can manage it in an afternoon and still have time for other adventures.

10. Boring, but necessary: Courtyard by Mariott

Yes, it's a chain hotel in a town whose spirit is decidely indie. Yes, it's on the far east side of the city. Yes, my child did say to me upon waking, "If you're looking for a breathtaking view, look somewhere else." But here's the deal: the cool hotels in downtown, near the Capitol? Expensive. The B&Bs are quaint but tiny. The Courtyard has spacious suites, a pool for the kids, a great lobby/work area with a bar, decent food, and a Starbucks. It's clean and affordable and the staff is insanely nice. It's a bit of a drive into downtown, so I recommend leaving the car in a parking garage and walking as much as possible. We've tried other hotels in the area, but this is the best we've found for families.

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.

Where You'll Find Me

In two days, I will be in New York.

I can't tell you how happy this makes me. A chance to see my agent and my editor, to hang out with author friends, and make new author friends, and attend workshops...it's a short visit, but one I'm really looking forward to. (All except the part where the dress code for one event is "smart casual." Really? Smart casual? Do I wear my glasses? A shirt with the periodic table on it? I am assuming they mean, "Do not wear your pajama pants," but I find this sort of thing maddening.)

Fashion quandries aside, this trip comes at the perfect time. I've been suffering from wanderlust. An urge to go to another city and get to know its day-to-day life, the underlying nature of the place. The subway and the grocery stores and the neighborhoods, the parks and the weird museums and the little restaurants. Not the touristy stuff, if it can be avoided. I'd rather just walk around a city and discover it for myself.

Maybe it's the sliding-into-February blahs. Maybe it's the weird weather -- too warm for winter, too early to believe it's spring -- but I keep envisioning myself in all sorts of places that are not here: Seattle, Glasgow, San Diego, New Orleans. And New York, of course, because that's where Expedia has informed me I'll be by Friday morning.

Most of my time is going to be filled with industry stuff, but I do have a lovely chunk of free time on Friday afternoon that I'll be spending with a dear friend. Our plans right now are pretty basic:

• Yarn shopping here, where I shall inflict massive damage on my credit card.
• Pizza eating (apparently I must be schooled in how to eat a New York-style pizza)
• Shenanigans and hijinks.

I might also try and stop by the Cathedral Church of St. John The Divine, where Madeleine L'Engle was Writer-in-Residence; she has always been one of my favorite authors and several of her books are set there.

But...what else should I absolutely under no circumstances miss? I'm definitely open to suggestions, although the less touristy they are, the better. Hit the comments below to give me your advice.

If you're looking to enter the TORN + TANGLED giveaway, click here. And if you're wondering where else I'll be in upcoming months, you can always check out the Events page of my website.)

Critters of New Orleans

We saw all manner of creatures in New Orleans. Bourbon Street aside, I thought I'd show you some of my favorites. (Blue Dog! Love Blue Dog!)

The animal I REALLY wanted to feature, I couldn't get a picture of: the rooster who sat outside our hotel room and crowed non-stop. Those children's books that depict roosters as harbingers of the dawn? Lies. All lies. Roosters, as it turns out, crow whenever the spirit moves them. And the spirit moved this rooster quite a bit, even during naps, three feet from our door. Nothing a bowl of chicken soup wouldn't fix.

More appealing? The dogs. There were a lot of dogs in New Orleans. I'm not allowed to have one, so I took pictures and pretended they were mine. These little guys were my favorites. They were so tiny, I couldn't get a properly focused picture of them. I had to restrain myself from darting over and stuffing them in my bag.

I was also fond of this guy: so mellow despite the noise and beads and general wedding hoopla surrounding him. I covet that woman's hat, and her ability to wear it so stylishly.

This was the cat -- surly yet needy -- that prowled around our hotel. I asked the women if he was the hotel's cat, and they were emphatic: NO. "We just feed him," they said. (Hint: if you feed the stray, he's no longer a stray.) But they didn't feed him enough, I think. Perhaps he should have been dining on rooster.

This mural makes me smile.

New Orleans also has lizards. This falls squarely into the category of "something you would not see in Chicago" but they crack me up every time. I can't figure out how they can run UP perfectly straight walls. If I lived somewhere warm, this would be A Problem for me.

 

And then we came home to some decidedly less exotic animals, who welcomed us with the ceremonial Presentation of Disgusting Hairballs.

Clearly, we were missed.

Ostensibly for research purposes.

I knew I would love New Orleans. I just didn't realize how much.

Right before Thanksgiving, the boyo and I went on a weekend research trip to New Orleans. No kids, lots of activities and walking, and a plan to eat my way through the city. November seemed like a good time to visit; I have absolutely zero interest in seeing the city during Mardi Gras and I hate hot weather. In November, the city is still warm, but not disgustingly so. The quality of the light is different, too. Rounder, like a little kid colored it in with one of those chunky beginner crayons.

There is a lot of green in New Orleans, even in November.

For a Chicagoan, this is kind of miraculous -- even more than palm trees.

We did some touristy things, of course -- a walking tour to get the lay of the land, and the Voodoo Museum. Clearly, some of the stuff people leave on the altars is random crap from the bottom of their bag (a binder clip? really?) but I still found it fascinating. There are several drivers' licenses up there; lots of pictures of kids and many, many lip balms and feminine hygiene products. There are some clearly NSFW stuff on the other altars, but you'll just have to use your imagination for those. 

We took a tour of Lafayette Cemetery No. 1 with Save Our Cemeteries, a cemetery restoration group. Our tour guide was very nice...until he mentioned he goes to church with this family, who let their crypt (below) fall into disrepair after they moved the remains to another cemetery. I think coffee hour at their church is probably pretty awkward.

SOMEONE says he crawled inside and checked it out. I am choosing to believe this is A Story, like the one he tells about being attacked by swans as we were researching wedding venues.

What's that? A crypt is too depressing for you? Okay...have a wedding instead:

We were walking back to our hotel when this wedding procession passed by -- music and cheering, people quaffing champagne in the middle of the afternoon, and the bride and groom were absolutely giddy. I think they ended up here:

 There was so much to love about the city -- the architecture and the people, the food and the history. Everyone had a story to tell, every building and park has had multiple lives. It's a beautiful, complex, inspiring place. I only wish I'd had more time to explore and dig down through all those stories and layers. 

 

Obviously, I need to plan a return trip.