“What’s Up Wednesday” is a fun weekly meme started by my friends Jaime Morrow and Erin Funk. From Jaime: It’s similar in some respects to the Currently… post, but it’s been whittled down to only four headings to make it quicker and more manageable on a weekly basis. You’re invited to join us if you’re looking for something to blog about, a way to let your blog friends know what’s been going on with you. If you’re participating, make sure to link your What’s Up Wednesday posts to the list on Jaime’s blog each week. That way, others can visit your post and check out what you’ve been up to.And now, here’s what’s up with me this week…And now, here’s what’s up with me this week…
What I’m Reading: I finished These Broken Stars by Amie Kaufman and Meagan Spooner yesterday, and it was glorious. Not at all what I expected, especially since I’ve read in several different reviews that it’s like Titanic on a spaceship. Not much of the novel takes place on a spaceship, actually. In fact, almost all of it takes place on a strange alien planet, and the story is all about survival and acceptance and love, and there’s this chilling mystery running beneath everything else, and it’s just… awesome. Also, Tarver. ♥
What I’m Writing: I’m back to brainstorming ways to fix my manuscript — yay! No, really… that was a non-sarcastic yay. 🙂 I’m thrilled to be back with this story and these characters, and I’m so excited to mold this mess into something compelling and beautiful and tragic and unputdownable. Wish me luck!
What Else I’ve Been Up To: Our house is finally completely unpacked. There are no boxes left in closets or in the garage, everything that’s supposed to be hung up is, in fact, hung up, and I’ve got some pretty stellar organization going on. These are the things that make me happy.
Our new town is what one might call… small. Our nearest “big city” is Destin. That’s where Target and PetSmart and Michaels and all of the chain restaurants and clothing stores are. Conveniently, that’s also where the beach is, and it is beautiful. We drove down the other day to officially adopt Daphne the kitty (!) and made a stop at the water to snap a few photos. It was freezing, but still lovely. Can’t wait until it’s warm enough to swim in the Gulf of Mexico!
Speaking of Daphne… She’s so weird. She’s the most dog-like cat around, which is probably why I like her so much. She hates to be alone, as evident by the fact that she sat on the edge of the tub and batted at suds for the duration of my bubble bath the other day. She’s definitely not one of those anti-social kitties that hides under the bed all day!
My mother-in-law has a pretty impressive dessert catalog, and this Texas Chocolate Cake is in one of my favorites of all the treats she makes. It’s, like, the best breakfast ever. And, it’s super easy as far as cakes go. I made this one in a 9×13 rather than a jelly roll pan and it turned out wonderfully.
What’s Inspiring Me Now: Uh, THE SEAHAWKS! I grew up in Western Washington and come from a family of passionate Seahawks fans. My dad and my brothers worry over the team as if they own it, and my husband does his fair share of screaming/cheering/carrying-on every time they play. There’s talk of lucky hats and lucky seats and lucky beer on game days. Broadcasts are DVRed and picked apart later. It’s sort of nuts, but hard not to get caught up in. Washington’s not exactly known for exceptional professional sports teams, so excuse us if we get a little excited in the face of victory. Anyway. The Seahawks are NFC Champions and they’re going to the Super Bowl!
In related news, in case you missed all of the media coverage regarding Seahawks cornerback Richard Sherman’s post game interview with Erin Andrews, let me give you the abbreviated version: he shouted about being the best, about going up against a mediocre player, and basically let tons of adrenaline fly into homes across America. To which I say: Who cares? He’s a grown man. He was crazy-pumped about a huge play, and a huge win. He’s clever, he’s a character, and he’s making a splash. But, across social media people have been calling him “ghetto.” People have referred to him as a “thug.” As “classless.” So what if he got caught up in the moment? So what if he grew up in Compton? So what if he’s a little cocky, louder than most, different than most? Against all odds, Richard Sherman graduated at the top of his high school class, then he graduated from Stanford, one of the most competitive universities in the country. He’s smart, he’s a talented athlete, and he’s a philanthropist. He’s a character, but he also has character. Learn more HERE, HERE, and (written by Sherman himself) HERE. Let’s stop generalizing people based on ten-second media soundbites, shall we?
In other inspiring news, the cover reveal of my friends Trisha Leaver and Lindsay Currie‘s co-authored debut Creed went live today. See it HERE (spoiler alert: it’s incredible!). Also, a post from The Seekers entitled 10 Reasons Our Heros Need Flaws. Awesome reminders! And, in keeping with my 2014 attempt at stoicism, less worrying, and more appreciation…
Tell me… What’s up with you today?
katyupperman.com 
Lovely quote at the end, I like that one and it’s so true. I’ve been trying to jot down one thing a day I’m thankful for.
I simply can not wait to read These Broken Stars, it’s out here at the end of January, I’ve been reading Amie’s blog for years so it’ll be so fun to finally get to read her book.
I am not a cat person, but Daphne does sound a cutie and has such a great name too.
Good luck with fixing your manuscript and good luck to your team in Superbowl! Now I want to make guacamole and chilli which was the best bit of the Superbowl for me when I lived in the US 😀
We always put avocados on our chili, Alexis, and most everyone else thinks that’s weird. Glad to have found a kindred chili spirit. 🙂 I suspect you’ll love THESE BROKEN STARS. I had high hopes, and it totally exceeded them. Have a great week, lady!
I think it goes to “let’s stop generalizing people” in general. From 10 seconds, from first impressions, from one mistake…I am a cat & dog person (my hubby says he’s not a cat person but can’t stop petting ours :P) Your Daphne looks adorable and that cake, YUMMY!!!!
I know you can make your manuscript even more AMAZING that it already is ❤
Aww, thank you, Elodie. And you’re right about generalizing people based on a solitary incident of any sort. Hope you have a wonderful week, friend!
Awww…I’ve got two dog-like kitties myself 🙂
Yay for getting everything unpacked and brainstorming new ideas!
Thanks, Jennifer! Have a great week!
I need to read These Broken Stars – it looks fantastic and the cover is gorgeous! Good luck fixing your manuscript! 🙂
Like I told Alexis, I had very high hopes for THESE BROKEN STARS, and the book totally exceeded them. I loved it! Enjoy your week, Emma!
OK… lucky beer? Lucky beer?? I’m not into the whole sports fandom thing (I’m not much into sports), so this is clearly beyond my comprehension. That’s one I’ll have to remember… I’m sure it’ll crop up in a story some day. Hopefully I’ll remember where I got it from so I can credit you, Katy. 😉
Congrats for finishing unpacking (that was relatively quick!), and getting back into your novel. I wish you all the best with fixing what needs to be fixed. Have a wonderful week! 🙂
Yeah, so lucky beer basically just means that if you’re team is doing well, you DO NOT change up your beverage mid-game. If they’re sucking, you might try something new. It’s very scientific. 🙂 Hope you have a great week, Colin!
So much to comment on here, but I’ll try not to blather. 😉 I really enjoyed THESE BROKEN STARS, *especially* because Tarver was in it. Such a great character with endless amounts of swoon. And really, I could just stare at that cover for days. Your What I’m Writing section perfectly applies to what I’m up to writing-wise as well! I hope we can both fix these stories and turn them into something awesome.
Our kitties are very dog-like as well. They love to run around and play (even as older kitties) as much as they love to snuggle. Daphne sounds pretty great, too!
I have to agree with you on the whole judging people based on a tiny clip that really amounts to nothing. So he trash talked. Big whoop. It’s not like he said anything defamatory or used any kind of hate speech. People get so ridiculous over things like this, up on their high horses and whatnot. But all that aside, yay(!) for the Seahawks and their fans. 🙂
Totally agree with you on the trash-talking thing, Jaime. Had he stood there and spewed foul language on live TV, I’d probably say he should tone it down a bit. As it stands, what’s wrong with displaying a little passion?!
As far as THESE BROKEN STARS, I’ve yet to hear from anyone who disliked it. Most of the reviews I’ve read are entirely enthusiastic, and I have to agree with them. I thought it was a really well-told story. And yay for Tarver! I’m super curious about the next book in this trilogy and the characters it will introduce.
Have a great week, lady!
I’m totally down with chocolate for breakfast! My father sometimes has cake or dessert-like foods for breakfast or lunch, and as a boy made himself a bucket of frosting for lunch.
Gulf of Mexico beaches are beautiful. My aunt an maternal grandparents live in Sarasota, with its pick of beaches. One of the beaches has a drum circle at sundown every Sunday night, weather permitting.
Yeah, I generally try to have a healthy breakfast, but sometimes there’s nothing better than cake and coffee. Not so different from a donut and coffee, in my opinion. 🙂 I’ve heard great things about Sarasota… We’re looking forward to checking it out! Have a wonderful week, Carrie-Anne!
I could not agree with you more about the Richard Sherman thing. The way the whole thing was handled was completely ridiculous.
And I’m so glad Florida is treating you well! I know we’re at COMPLETELY opposite ends of a very long state, but we’ll have to try to meet up at some point here!
Definitely, Meredith! I’m sure we’ll do plenty of exploring during our time here. It would be so fun to get together!
I’m glad that you’re glad about being back into your manuscript 🙂
Yay, congrats on adopting Daphne!
Oh, man, that chocolate cake looks so yummy! I’m gonna have to bake it someday.
You should totally make that cake, Juliana. It’s amazing, but so tempting. The leftovers are taunting me from the kitchen right now! Hope you have a good week, lady. 🙂
It’s great to hear how easily you are slipping into your new life. I hope your family remains happy in your new home, with you crazy new cat.
I’m from Portland, which is practically in Washington, and fully understand the Seahawks excitement. This is the land of zero professional sports. The closest thing we have to a winning team is a middle of the pack professional soccer team. So Seahawk fever has definitely slipped south into Oregon. Go Hawks!
It seems like there are lots of Seahawks fans in Oregon, which is awesome. Even though we’re clear on the other side of the country, it has been amazing to hear about how people in the northwest are coming together to root for a sports team. Makes me smile!
glad to hear you’re back to your manuscript, sometimes time away is necessary to get back on track. Yay for being unpacked, I hate having boxes take up room in my house. Congrats on the cat, she’s adorable!
Thanks, Prerna! We’re liking our little kitty quite a bit. And I’m with you on the boxes. That was my motivation for unpacking so quickly!
I am glad you loved THESE BROKEN STARS. I did really enjoy it, even with my unnameable issue with it. Tarver, yeah, he was pretty fantastic.
I love how excited you get about the Seahwks, even if it is not something I can relate to where sports are concerned. It’s inspiring to be inspired by others success!
Wait… I need to know more about your unnameable issue with Tarver! For me, he was all swoon. (Maybe it’s the soldier thing? :))
Oh, my issue wasn’t with Tarver, just the books in general. NOOOO! I thought Tarver was all man goodness and sweetness and sexiness.
Oh, thank goodness! I clearly misread your previous comment. 🙂 Tarver was my very favorite part of that story!
Totally! Loved Tarver, his chapters were stronger overall.
Daphne is so cute!
I’m impressed by your unpacking and organizing! I am hereby retroactively making my New Year’s resolution to finish unpacking and get my apartment organized, finally!
Good luck with revisions!
Yes, best of luck with your unpacking, Rebecca. I’m cheering you on from Florida!
I wish I lived by a beach… Thank you for explaining the Sherman/Erin Andrews interview. I saw all of it trending on twitter but I just don’t have the capacity to know everything all the time (info overload) plus I’ve been sick. Comments about being “ghetto” bother me; I really think it’s thinly veiled racism. It didn’t surprise me to click on the link and see Sherman is black. Every time MLK day comes around I think, maybe we are making progress in our culture, and then you see stuff like this and it feels like we are one huge disappointment to a man who was killed for wanting equality. It’s just sad. I know a lot of people might think that’s over-analyzing, but is it? Why label him ghetto and a thug if it isn’t implying race? Anyway, so thank you for pointing out that he has every right to be enthusiastic without being labeled classless or poor.
Also, why do we take sports SO seriously… haha.
Brainstorming how to fix a manuscript, that’s tough. That’s the real work of writing, IMO. Best wishes.
Yeah, I don’t think you’re over-analyzing. I read an article yesterday about what the whole Richard Sherman debate says about America as a whole, and that’s basically that we’re not quite as accepting as we’d like to think. Makes a lot of sense, especially when you think about it while considering what MLK stood for.
I don’t know why we take sports so seriously! Perhaps because it’s an escape from the every day? 🙂
Hooray for unpacking, yay!
I love living near the beach, even if that beach is in England and therefore chilly. It’s so relaxing to sit and listen to the sea washing in and out.
Enjoy the edits 😀
I loved the (cold) beach in Monterey too, though the prospect of swimming here in FL is certainly appealing. There’s something about being near the water that makes me very happy. I think I’d feel claustrophobic if I lived in a landlocked state!
That Texas Chocolate Cake looks exactly like a recipe my great-Aunt gave me called Texas Sheet Cake. And it is sooooo good. Now I want to go make some!
Yes, that’s exactly what it is, Melanie! Only I didn’t call mine a sheet cake because I baked it in a different sort of pan. So tasty! 🙂
You have ALL your boxes unpacked? I still have boxes from my move in June. Basically a room full of them that I keep ignoring. Yeesh. Glad you’re getting to work on your WIP again 🙂 And jealous of your Florida weather.
Boxes in a room would haunt me until I dealt with them, Liz. I have issues, clearly. 🙂
I am amazed at your organizational skills. I do not have made organizational skills. I have a Closet of Doom which is best left unopened if you know what’s good for you.
Your new kitty is adorable! And I have a “dog cat” too. He sits on the edge of the tub and drinks water. He also camps, hikes and will go swimming if you cross the river without telling him. (total weirdo)
Good luck with your brainstorming! Hope your week is fabulous. 🙂
I don’t know if Daphne’s ever going to make it on a camping trip, but she’s pretty awesome. She definitely makes us laugh a lot!
Congrats on the unpacking! We must practically be neighbors. That pic looks just like the beaches here. I’m maybe an hour and a half from Destin.
Yes, we must be close! We’re about 45 minutes north of Destin. I love it down there already, and I’m already looking forward to warm days at the beach.
I’m happy to hear you loved THESE BROKEN STARS. Your comparison to Titanic on a spaceship is exactly what I thought too. And I agree about Tarver!
Good luck brainstorming ideas to improve your WIP. I’m sure you’ll come up with something brilliant!
Thank you, Erin, and I hope so!
Hiya
Broken Stars looks great. Going to put that on my reading list for this year. Cute Cat. We use to have a cat called Tigar who was very sociable as well. But she wouldn’t come in the bathroom. Hated water.
Have fun brainstorming, I think at times that is the best part – being filled with ideas with no boundaries.
Angel
I agree, Angel! I’m looking forward to putting my ideas into action. I hope you get to read THESE BROKEN STARS soon… I think you’ll love it!
I feel like I need to prepare myself every time I come to read your posts because I inevitably end up drooling over your pics of baked goods! Also, it’s still weird to me you’re no longer updating from CA, but yay that you’re fully unpacked in FL and that it’s sunny!!
Thanks for giving the brief on the Sherman thing. I don’t really follow professional football but did hear some chatter about it. I’m excited for the Seahawks too because Marshawn Lynch played at Cal while I was there, and he was always great to watch. 🙂
Daphne seems like she’s fitting right in with your fam. She is soooo cute! My grandma’s cat is dog-like too (super affectionate, comes when called), so I think that’s why I like her so much!
I know… I can’t believe we’re all the way in FL either. It’s lovely here, but I do miss Monterey. I very much wish I could share cake and cookies with you, Alice. We always have tons of leftovers. And yes, I’m very good we adopted a kitty with such a great personality. She’s fitting in very well!
I’m so glad to hear that you are settling into your new home & town! I’ve spent a brief amount of time in Destin, and I LOVED it.When I was there (almost seven years ago!) there wasn’t a Target yet – so I bet it has grown quite a bit! I’m quite jealous of the locations you have got to explore and live in! ❤
We have totally lucked out location-wise these last few moves, Kristen. In fact, other than Sierra Vista, AZ all of our posts have been really good. Monterey is definitely my favorite though! Thanks for stopping by today, Kristen. I’ve been thinking of you often. ❤
You really sold me on These Broken Stars. It sounds amazing. And I’m glad your moving has gone well. It’s good that you’re able to get back into your WIP. Revision and fixing plot points is always my favorite part of writing 🙂
And the CREED is amazing! I love YA Horror. Can’t wait to read this one.
Good luck with revamping your story. And I really loved These Broken Stars too. Definitely not what I expected but I’m glad I read it. And I’m definitely co-signing what you said about Richard Sherman. It was really disheartening to hear and read such racist comments.
I LOVE the cover design for These Broken Stars. That alone makes me want to read it. Plus I keep hearing great things. Hmmm…
Also, Daphne the kitteh is adorable. How fun that she’s so social! I love cats but the Mister is adamant we will never have one. I’ll wear him down one day. 🙂
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