What’s Up Wednesday

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“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…

What I’m Reading: I finished Rainbow Rowell’s Landline, which was predictably glorious. Now I’m reading The Secret Sky: A Novel of Forbidden Love in Afghanistan by Atia Abawi. It’s a modern-day story about two teenagers of different Afghan ethnicities who fall in love, and it is brutal. So far, I’m captivated. Here’s hoping it finishes as strongly as it’s opened.

What I’m Writing: I finished another round of revisions for my story Where Poppies Bloom. It’s in the hands of a few betas now, and I’m hoping to have it off to my agent in the next few weeks — yay! Now, I’m mentally gearing up to revise the shitty first draft of my summertime WiP, The Road So Far.

What Else I’ve Been Up To: Mama stuff: shuttling my daughter from school to guitar to cheerleading. I also started practicing yoga again after a long hiatus. I found a great class in my town and I’ve been pleasantly surprised by the way my body’s fallen right back into the poses.


I finally got to see If I Stay! My expectations were admittedly low. The novel is one of my very favorites and I did not want to be disappointed. Luckily, I ended up blown away. I LOVED IT. Even my husband, who hasn’t read the book and had no idea what the story was about, admitted it was better than the “chick flick” he’d been expecting. I thought Mia and Adam were just perfect. I adored the music and Mia’s parents and the way the romance came alive onscreen. I’ve been reading lukewarm reviews, but I say… Go see it if you haven’t already!

  
I crossed a Thirty Before 35 goal off my list when I baked a Rainbow Cake for my daughter’s sleepover. Because I only have two 8 inch cake pans, I had to bake the layers in shifts; combined with frosting and decorating, this was a time-consuming project. Totally worth it, though! It was tons of fun to prepare from scratch, and it tasted very yummy!

What’s Inspiring Me Now: Music. I bought the If I Stay soundtrack, plus I’ve been listening to a lot of Sugarland and Tom Petty and Tim McGraw (obviously). I’m letting my mind mull over a bunch of tiny new WiP nuggets and there’s no greater way for me to do that than to zone out to some well-loved songs. 

Tell me… What’s up with you today? 

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38 thoughts on “What’s Up Wednesday”

  2. Jennifer Pickrell says:

    That cake is spectacular!

    I need to make time to watch IF I STAY. It was playing at the drive-in the past week, but I had other plans and couldn’t make it. I told my husband it would be better to watch in the car so I didn’t make a big, sobbing scene 🙂

  4. Rebekah says:

    I haven’t seen IF I STAY yet, but I finished the book and plan to see it soon. I think I’ll do a matinee next week after I finish this revision. Your cake looks amazing, Katy, I love it. And good luck as you go back into the first draft!

  5. Rebecca B says:

    I am so impressed by the rainbow cake! It’s one of my goals to try it sometime. Yours looks amazing!

    Good luck with starting revisions! I’m in the middle of a sh!tty first draft–well, actually, the beginning of one. I’m thinking my reward for 10K is going to be watching IF I STAY.

    • katyupperman says:

      Thanks, lady! Please share photos of your Rainbow Cake once you get around to making it. The recipe I used (I linked to it in my post) was fairly simple and turned out very tasty. Recommend! Also, let me know how you like If I Stay!

  6. Kate Scott says:

    I have always been impressed with the amount you get done in a week, but now that I have kids of my own, I’m even more blown away. An 8 layer rainbow cake baked in 4 batches. Plus you have time to write every day. Katy, are you secretly a superhero?

    • katyupperman says:

      Ha! Remember, I don’t have a day job, other than cooking and taking care of my house. If I prioritize carefully (no naps!), I manage to fit writing in most days. Rainbow Cakes don’t happen every day. 🙂 Hope motherhood is treating you well, Kate. So, so happy for you! ❤

  7. Jaime Morrow says:

    That rainbow cake is a sight to behold. It’s beautiful! 🙂 I’m so happy you took a photo of the inside so we could all see it. I really liked the IF I STAY movie as well. Mia’s parents were probably my favourite part of the whole movie. They were seriously cool and very well cast. Fingers crossed you get great feedback from your betas, Katy!

    • katyupperman says:

      The cake was actually pretty simple, technically. Mostly, it was just time-consuming. Totally worth it for a special occasion, though. Have a fantastic week, Carrie-Anne!

  9. Stephanie Scott says:

    My hubz grew up with rainbow cake for the birthdays; if it becomes a trend, perhaps add more cake pans to the Christmas list 🙂 (I’d personally rather do a rainbow cake than those cake pops–so much work!)

    • katyupperman says:

      I’ve actually never made cake pops. They sound like a pain though. Who’d choose a little pop over a giant slice of rainbow-colored cake anyway? 😉 Have a great week, Stephanie!

  13. Alexa says:

    That cake looks fantastic, I love it, bet the kids did too. If Great British Bakeoff ever makes a US series you could definitely enter!
    It sounds like the writing is going well and you are being hugely productive – yay!
    Have a lovely week.

  14. Rachelwrites007 says:

    Wow, Katy! That cake is BEAUTIFUL. (Please come and bake this for me. 😉 ) Hope your girlie and her friends enjoyed it. How did you end up making it in layers/colours? I LOOOOVED the If I Stay movie so much I saw it 3 times. Yup, three times! I also figure the more times I see it, the more likely Where She Went will be made 😉 Hehe. I too downloaded the soundtrack and can’t get enough of “Adam’s band”. Did you know they really sang? Jamie Blackley (who plays Adam) can actually sing! Love that. Have a great week and good luck with revisions and your upcoming project!!! xo

  15. Erin Funk says:

    My son is reading IF I STAY right now, and I’m hoping he hurries up so we can go see the movie soon. WHERE SHE WENT just arrived in the mail today, and I’m really looking forward to seeing what happens to Mia next.

    That rainbow cake looks amazing! Almost too pretty to eat actually. The girls must have loved it!

    Hope you get lots of awesome beta feedback! 🙂

  17. Krispy says:

    I need to get the IF I STAY soundtrack. I loved the music in the movie, and I agree on all your points. I saw the lukewarm reviews too, but I came out of it thinking book fans would be pleased. Adam and Mia’s parents were my favorite casting choices – so perfect – and Chloe Moretz was a good Mia.

    I ran out and bought WHERE SHE WENT right after because I hadn’t read it yet (kept putting it off). My sister stole it from me but finished it in a day, and then I read it in 2 days. SO GOOD!

    Your rainbow cake looks totally amazing. It belongs on pinterest! I told my friend (who made a rainbow cake earlier this year for another friend’s bday) you were making one, and she was like, “tell her good luck! I will never do it again. So time consuming!”, lol. The results are so glorious though. 🙂

    Yay for getting beta feedback soon and fixing up your RSW draft! I hope to one day read this duology!

    • katyupperman says:

      The rainbow cake was definitely time consuming, but the recipe I used was fairly simple. It was just all of the coloring and baking and frosting and decorating that ate up my day. 🙂

      I’m so glad you enjoyed WHERE SHE WENT. I did too! I’m hoping it’ll become a movie as well.

      Have a wonderful week, Alice!

  18. prerna pickett says:

    mmmmm….I want that cake! The Secret Sky sounds fantastic, and I’m kind of in the mood to have my heart torn out so maybe I’ll give it a try. Congrats on getting Poppies that much closer to agent ready! I hate first drafts, my current one is probably the messiest I’ve ever written, but that’s what revisions are for! Love that your daughter is cheerleading, I cheered my sophmore and junior years in HS and had a blast. I was a flyer and getting thrown in the air was a lot more fun than it seems.

    • katyupperman says:

      I was NOT a cheerleader in HS because I have terrible balance and rhythm. I adore my child, but she *might* have inherited my moves. Super cute to watch, though. 🙂

      Have a wonderful week, Prerna, and best of luck with that messy draft of yours!

  19. Rebecca Barrow (@RebeccaKBarrow) says:

    I wish I could bake a cake like that but I do NOT have the patience! It looks so fun, though–I bet it was a hit at the sleepover 🙂

    Loved the IF I STAY soundtrack, too, but I have restrained myself from buying it because I have, like, an all-consuming crush on Jamie Blackley and I don’t think listening to him sing 24/7 would make it any better, haha!

    Having a draft off with readers is such a relief and terrifying at the same time, right? Here’s hoping you get nothing but glowing praise back 🙂

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