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Irene Te | Author

Author of cozy contemporary fiction

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I’m Irene, author of This Place is Magic, a cozy contemporary novel about K-pop, found family, and waffles. Learn more about me over here!

Grab a copy of This Place is Magic, available in eBook and paperback from Amazon, Barnes & Noble, and more!

Signed copies of my books are available through my local indie, Blue Willow Bookshop. Learn more on this page!

Sign up for my monthly newsletter to get all the latest updates and exclusive bonus content, including two extra chapters for This Place is Magic

irenewritesthings

Cozy contemporary author + honorary K-pop scholar

Pack bookstore goodies with me! 💝🎶 I stoppe

Pack bookstore goodies with me! 💝🎶

I stopped at Blue Willow Bookshop yesterday! If you'd like a signed copy of 🧇✨ THIS PLACE IS MAGIC 🧇✨ and some waffle swag too, you can order from my local indie and write a note at checkout if you'd also like it personalized. I throw in random merch but it's always some combination of what you see in this video. They ship anywhere in the US and also internationally! Houston friends can order online for pickup in store. 🔗🔗 In bio!

Everyone who chooses to order from Blue Willow is letting them know this book is worth keeping on the shelf and I'm endlessly grateful. Thank you 😩💖

Much love to the artists who bring TPIM to life, btw!! My cover illustrator is @erion.makuo and character art is by @joe___lx 💐✨ Be sure to follow them bc they are much cooler than I am!!!

#thisplaceismagic #irenete #kpopbooks #cozyreading #cozycontemporary #indiebookstore #bluewillowbookshop #houstonauthor

✨🧇 My monthly update goes out to newsletter f

✨🧇 My monthly update goes out to newsletter friends tomorrow, August 30th!

📬 Subscribers get an early look at an art print that will be a future pre-order gift 🥸

📬 To go with this art reveal, I've got an interview with the illustrator, @starry_nad 🎨 She shares a bit about working on this commission, from initial references to final sketches and rendering... I love to hear how artists do the amazing things they do!

📬 I also have some news to share about my next book! Subscribers always get first dibs on the gossip 👀

I skipped sending out a July newsletter due to (you'll never guess) grad school BUT the subscriber bonus from June is still up for download until tomorrow. So if you missed the total nonsense disaster that was Apollo playing the compliment game, you can subscribe and access my archives for the BookFunnel link! 🤡🌞🤡🌞

⛓️⛓️ in bio or just head to irenewritesthings.substack.com! And if you're one of my email buddies, thank you for letting me show up in your inbox once a month!!

#thisplaceismagic #irenete #authornewsletter #monthlynewsletter

I asked ChatGPT for some commentary on my Instagra

I asked ChatGPT for some commentary on my Instagram account and here's what happened 🤖✨

There are plenty of trends I've ignored, but I decided not to sit this one out because I've had to use ChatGPT throughout my master's program and we're like warring co-workers now 🗡️🔥 As in, I was REQUIRED to complete certain design projects with AI integration. As someone who brawls with ChatGPT regularly, I've had to make my peace with it on a lot of levels.

Use of generative AI is a huge deal in ed tech/instructional design. I mean, it's a big deal in just about every field at this time 🙈 AI isn't going anywhere, and I've had to demonstrate the ability to use tools like ChatGPT ethically, responsibly, and appropriately - instructional designers can use it to help write quiz questions, outline topics, etc.

That being said, I'm a real human author writing real books (while crying and screaming lol) without the help of AI. I work with real human artists when I commission illustrations and artwork. I firmly believe that AI is no substitute for real humans in creative spaces!

But the most important thing I want to show you through this reel is that 🤡 ClownGPT is often wrong!!! 🤡 Always question what it's saying, never turn what it says into the end product without revising, and remember that your words/images will be used for robot training purposes!

Okay, I'm done giving you my Responsible Educator Speech™ about AI now 🙈🙈 ("Way to be a fun sucker, Irene!!!") Do you ever use ChatGPT at work or school? How do you use it, and what kind of clownery have you witnessed?? Lmao

#irenete #thisplaceismagic #IreneVSChatGPT#ClownGPT

📸 Sunday Photos 8/25/24 ➡️➡️ 1️⃣ -

📸 Sunday Photos 8/25/24 ➡️➡️

1️⃣ - I feel like I just set up my desk for August and now I'll be changing it out for September soon 🙈🌸✨

2️⃣ - Adorable little ring dish shaped like a waffle (it came with a surprise ceramic 🍓)

3️⃣ - Adorable COOKIE shaped like a waffle + some maple syrup! They had these on the menu at Crumbl this past week so obviously I needed to try one 🧇

4️⃣ - We went to Galveston for our kiddo's 5th birthday! PSA that pelicans are gigantic, terrifying, and an instant hard pass for me, thank you!!!!

5️⃣ - Have you read (or watched!) The Ice Guy and the Cool Girl by Miyuki Tonogaya??? Because it's adorable??? I'm obsessed??? ❄️☃️💖

6️⃣ - I was so excited to find, randomly, an edition of The Borrowers with illustrations by Michael Hague. It matches with my illustrated version of The Hobbit, which btw is the same edition I must've checked out from the public library a dozen times when I was a kid.

7️⃣ - When I tell you that I've built just about every type of Super Mario Lego set over the past week 👀 and we still have more because of recent birthday presents 👀 I'll be doing this until next August 👀

#irenete #sundayphotosbyirene

It's 1932 and in Los Angeles, Lulu Wong has become

It's 1932 and in Los Angeles, Lulu Wong has become the most prominent Chinese actress in Hollywood. Although she seems destined to play the villain in every film, she's a beloved heroine to sisters May and Gemma. Along with the rest of Chinatown, they're devastated by Lulu's sudden and suspicious death. And they're determined to do not just solve the mystery, but find justice for Lulu no matter what.

I love Stacey Lee's YA historicals for more than just the depth and detail she puts into the time period. Her books bring attention to the roles played by Asian Americans in history; please check out her other books too, such as THE DOWNSTAIRS GIRL and LUCK OF THE TITANIC! Personally, I think she writes nuanced and relatable dynamics within Asian families, and 🗡️🌹 KILL HER TWICE 🌹🗡️ is no exception.

This is a book about sisters, and it's a book that truly shines in its portrayal of an Asian family which is deeply supportive. There are so many stories where Asian families are unfailingly strict and severe. Here, we see many qualities shared not just by Asian families but immigrant families in general (study hard, work hard, find a foothold in this country) and yet so much warmth and care as well. I think that's so valuable for representation. We are not a monolith. Our families can be close, distant, loving, destructive, and/or complex. I love to see this full scale being portrayed in literature.

I also want to add that the character of Lulu is inspired by none other than Anna May Wong, one of the most iconic stars of Old Hollywood and a trailblazer for Asian actresses on the silver screen. I read a biography of Anna May back in January and highly recommend you learn more about her! The story of her life and career is fascinating, triumphant, and heartbreaking in equal measure. Fun fact: she was born in the Year of the Dragon, so don't miss reading about her during this dragon year 🐉 and ➡️➡️ to see two Anna May Wong biographies to try!

🌹🗡️ Do you read historical fiction? If so, do you have a favorite time period or topic to read about?

#yahistoricalfiction #historicalfiction #killhertwice #killhertwicebook #annamaywong #staceylee #irenereadsthings

It occurred to me during my time in the Grad Schoo

It occurred to me during my time in the Grad School Abyss that I haven't re-introduced myself in forever! But I just submitted my last round of assignments this morning, so I can go back to being an actual human again and would like to say hi to friends old and new 👋🏼👋🏼

I'm Irene, author of a cozy K-pop waffle novel called 🧇✨ THIS PLACE IS MAGIC ✨🧇 I'm also a curriculum + instructional designer, former elementary school teacher, and mom of one. I was born in the Philippines, mostly grew up in California, and currently live in Houston.

Now that I'm finally done with this master's degree, it's back to much-delayed revisions on the sequel to TPIM! And I'm also preparing to release a collection of short stories that will act as a bridge between Book 1 and Book 2. I should have more to share about that around the end of August 👀

Some random facts about me:

🌠 I chose Irene as my pen name in honor of my favorite character in Megan Whalen Turner's "The Queen's Thief" series

🌠 Long ago, I was a book blogger in ye olden days before Instagram 🙈 but it got really difficult to still read 100+ books a year and also teach full time, so I had to retire!

🌠 I'm always asked this question, so I'll share that some of my favorite K-pop groups are Seventeen, Day6, Got7, Enhypen, NewJeans, TWICE, and Red Velvet... Though there are many, many more

🌠 I've played 300+ hours of Animal Crossing, Stardew Valley, and Fire Emblem: Three Houses (no, like 300+ each 😂😂 clearly there was an era when I didn't have a small child to keep alive 😂😂)

✨ Do we love any of the same things?? Say hi if you have time!

#irenete #thisplaceismagic #abouttheauthor #indieauthor #indiebooks #cozyreads #kpopbooks

📸 Sunday Photos 7/28/24 ➡️➡️ I'm reall

📸 Sunday Photos 7/28/24 ➡️➡️

I'm really here with my Sunday post after a hiatus of 11.6 years and with only 1.4 remaining brain cells thanks to my capstone project 🙈 How are you?? Tell me, I'm nosy 👀💐

1️⃣ - Blue Willow has signed copies + goodies on the shelf! This was my third time restocking there and I'm always so grateful to be asked for more books. Whether you decided to order online or happened to find TPIM on the shelf, thank you for being part of the waffle magic 🧇✨

2️⃣ - It's me and my handsome K-pop son in the car 😎 wondering what kind of horrendous Houston traffic we might encounter on the way to Blue Willow 🙃

3️⃣ - Speaking of bookstores! It's an honor to have TPIM at @buzybeezbooks in Summit, MS! Huge thanks to professional Sunshine @sweet.tea.and.fiction for everything she did to get this book stocked at her local indie. My readers are amazing 😭 anyone who disagrees can come fight me 😭

4️⃣ - Recently managed to get a UK edition of Welcome to Hyunam-dong Bookshop by Hwang Bo-reum, one of my favorite cozy reads this year and such a love letter to books + bookshops in every way. I love these editions side by side!

5️⃣ - I'm 80% through Not Here to Be Liked by Michelle Quach, a book that boldly, hilariously, and thoughtfully asks: can we still be feminists if we fall for some guy?? Is it possible to take down the patriarchy and have romance at the same time?? What does feminism mean, anyway??

6️⃣ - Somehow, @indigoblu3 and @ayaragus managed to send me belated birthday cards on the same day 😂💌 and they were both amazing and I cried. 50% of the tears were due to grad school exhaustion. 16 MORE DAYS IN THE ABYSSAL VOID

7️⃣ - My BFF during the three days we lost power because of Hurricane Beryl 🌀🙃 But I got a lot of reading done?? Because I couldn't do anything else??

Hello to new friends, hello to friends who are patiently waiting to see if I survive acquiring a master's degree, and thank you to those who grabbed This Place is Magic on sale for Kindle this month! Ends Wednesday! TAKE CARE ILY 💖

#irenete #sundayphotosbyirene

I'm once again clawing my way out of the abyss tha

I'm once again clawing my way out of the abyss that is my last 20 days of grad school (20 DAYS!!!) to announce that the ebook version of 🧇✨ THIS PLACE IS MAGIC ✨🧇 is only on sale for another week! It's $2.99 on Kindle and Smashwords until July 31st!

TPIM is a cozy contemporary about a runaway K-pop idol, DOUBLE the found family, and finding your way back to yourself. Readers report that this book makes you want to eat waffles in the middle of the night; please prepare accordingly 🙈

You can find all the 🔗🔗 in my bio! Shares are so appreciated!

#thisplaceismagic #irenete #kpopreads #cozyreading #cleanandwholesome #foundfamily #wafflemagic #swsale2024

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