Would you rather… Be an anxious genius or a carefree simpleton?
{Me? I’m an inherent worrier (as my mostly lackadaisical husband will attest to), so I’ll go with ANXIOUS GENIUS. I’m already halfway there, after all. ;)}
Image courtesy of Sas Christian
♥ Thanks so much for all the love regarding my YA Confidential announcement yesterday, guys! Your excitement and support mean the world to me! ♥
Welcome, May, and the first day of Blog Me MAYbe! Since it’s been awhile since I last posted about this awesome idea, here’s a refresher:
The brainchild of writer/blogger/all-around-awesome-person Sara McClung, Blog Me MAYbe is a weekly blog format for the month of May, an easy schedule to follow with topics built right in. Of course, if posting every day sounds like too much, or if you miss a few days, or only do a couple posts a week, no biggie. Blog Me MAYbe is all about ease and fun! You don’t have to worry about following every blogger who participates or commenting on everyone’s daily posts (though if you want to do that, feel free!). The intent of Blog Me MAYbe isn’t to gain followers — although that could very well happen – but to branch out, make a few new friends, share information, and get into the head space where ideas for blog posts flow freely.
And here’s the schedule:
Fun, right?! There’s still time to sign up, so head over to Sara’s blog if you’re interested, and feel free to grab our banner or the button below (both made by crazy-talented Tracey Neithercott) to use on your own blog.
And, since today is Tuesday and Tuesdays are for Tunes :), I’m going to share a little something about myself in the form of this fantastic music survey I snagged from Love is your Shield (slightly modified):
1. What are your three favorite songs right now? This Years Love by David Gray, Alone With You by Jake Owen, and Dancin’ Away With My Heart by Lady Antebellum.
2. What is the most played song on your iTunes? If I Die Young by The Band Perry (pretty much the theme song for my manuscript Where Poppies Bloom, so no surprise there!)
3. What song are you listening to right now? Farmer’s Daughter by Rodney Atkins
4. What was the last album you bought? I never buy full albums on iTunes and it’s been forever since I bought an actual CD, so… Maybe the soundtrack to Annie to listen to in the car with my daughter? (Incidentally, you should hear my girlie sing Tomorrow… Adorable!)
5. What was the last concert you went to? Taylor Swift’s Speak Now Tour last fall. It was freaking amazing. I took my daughter, and we had a blast!
6. What was the first album you ever bought? Bon Jovi’s Slippery When Wet (the cassette tape!). My parents bought it for me in the eighties because they’re cool like that.
7. What was the last single you downloaded? Everybody by Ingrid Michaelson… Such a fun song!
8. Favorite artist or band? Tim McGraw. I ask you: Is there a sexier man? (I also love Johnny Cash and Sugarland and T-Swift and Kenny Chesney.)
9. What’s your favorite musical genre? Country. Obviously.
10. Quote one of your favorite lyrics: I love this verse from Anna Nalick’s Breathe (2 am) because it speaks of writing:
2 AM and I’m still awake, writing a song
If I get it all down on paper, it’s no longer inside of me,
Threatening the life it belongs to
And I feel like I’m naked in front of the crowd
Cause these words are my diary, screaming out loud
And I know that you’ll use them, however you want to
I encourage you to grab this survey, fill in responses of your own, then comment here or tweet me to let me know where I can find your answers!
Until then… What’s your all-time favorite song?
Today is the final day of the A-Z Challenge!
I honestly can’t believe it’s over and that I completed it successfully. And guys, I have such fun news to wrap the challenge up with…
I’ve been invited to become an Operative over at YA Confidential!
If you’re unfamiliar with YA Confidential, the short story is this: It’s a fantastic teen-centered blog featuring everything from YA book recommendations, roundtables, teen interviews, critiques, advice, shared wisdom, giveaways… Really, there’s something for everyone! And the Operatives — they’re all kinds of awesome: Cristin Terrill, Copil Yanez, Alexandra Shostak, Cambria Dillon, Sara McClung, Karen Amanda Hooper, Alison Miller, as well as my fellow new Operatives: Jessica Love and Matthew MacNish.
So… Are you curious about my Operative Profile?
Operative: Katy Upperman
Codename: K-Sizzle
Legend: Once danced onstage at a Korn concert… in a lavender GAP button-down. Now a soldier’s wife, a princess’s mama, and a writer of young adult fiction chock full of cute boys, intense romance, and steamy kisses.
Known Whereabouts: katyupperman.com and @katyupperman, as well as bookstores, country-western bars, and shopping malls spanning the globe.
Known Accomplices: Vickie Motter of Andrea Hurst Literary Management
🙂
You should most definitely check YA Confidential out if you haven’t already. I’m honored and thrilled to be a part of it!
Thursday night I was lucky enough to attend YA or Bust, featuring Gayle Forman (IF I STAY and WHERE SHE WENT), Nina LaCour (HOLD STILL and THE DISENCHANTMENTS), and Stephanie Perkins (ANNA & THE FRENCH KISS and LOLA & THE BOY NEXT DOOR) at Roosevelt High School in Seattle.
If you’re a regular reader of my blog, then I don’t have to tell you how much I absolutely adore these authors. If you are new to my blog: I ABSOLUTELY ADORE THESE AUTHORS. Gayle Forman’s If I Stay was the first YA novel that made me think: I want to write a book like THAT. Stephanie Perkins’ Anna and Lola are two of the most perfectly executed YA romances I’ve encountered. And Nina LaCour’s The Disenchantments… Hands down the best book I’ve read this year.
On Thursday night I learned that not only are the three authors of the YA or Bust tour brilliant and talented, but they’re also funny and gracious and delightful, all of which probably goes without saying.
Nina LaCour talking about the research she did while writing THE DISENCHANTMENTS... literal road trips and lots of eighties girl band footage -- Awesome!
Gayle Forman sharing an excerpt from WHERE SHE WENT... I'm about as unemotional a person as they come, but damn it if I didn't have a near-moment while she read aloud from her novel.
A few pieces of takeaway advice shared by the ladies during the panel portion of the evening: Read like a writer; pay attention to your strong reactions (both good and bad), then break down what it was the author did to make you feel the way you felt. Take your time learning craft; knowing how to ice skate isn’t the same as knowing how to throw a Triple Axel — writing a novel is no different. Bird by Bird is the way to go. Understand your characters; get to know them by describing their living space, the things they carry, the way they look, the way they interact. And finally, pay attention to detail, especially during the researching/revising/editing/querying processes.
My good friends (and enthusiastic YA readers!) Kari, Theresa, and me, with Gayle Forman, Nina LaCour, and Stephanie Perkins.
I was thrilled to meet Gayle, Stephanie, and Nina, and I’m grateful to them for sharing their wisdom and experience with readers and writers and fans (and for signing my big ol’ stack of books!). If you’ve slacked on reading any of their novels, please RUN to your nearest bookstore or library and hunt them down. They will change the way you read, and they will change the way you write.
Tell me: What YA novel has changed the way YOU write?
Ha! Who am I kidding?
Sadly, this post isn’t as x-tra special as I’d hoped. I’ve had movers packing my house into cardboard boxes for the last two days.
We have a lot of books...
Today, they’ll load all of our crap onto a moving van and drive it away. My husband, daughter, dogs, and I will be staying with my hubby’s parents for the next two weeks (that might sound crappy, but my in-laws are pretty awesome), and then we’ll be jumping into our trucks and driving to California.
You’d think I’d be well versed in the fine art of moving by now. This is certainly not my first rodeo, after all. Let me tell you: It does NOT get easier.
When the moving van is gone, when our house is exceptionally clean, when our new tenants have signed for their keys, and when we figure out our living situation in California, the cloud of stress that’s been hovering over my head for the last few months will finally dissipate.
Until then…
Thoughts on moving? Advice to offer? Anecdotes? Stiff drinks?
Today’s Bookanista recommendation: Wanderlove by Kirsten Hubbard…
From Goodreads: It all begins with a stupid question: Are you a Global Vagabond? No, but 18-year-old Bria Sandoval wants to be. In a quest for independence, her neglected art, and no-strings-attached hookups, she signs up for a guided tour of Central America—the wrong one. Middle-aged tourists with fanny packs are hardly the key to self-rediscovery. When Bria meets Rowan, devoted backpacker and dive instructor, and his outspokenly humanitarian sister Starling, she seizes the chance to ditch her group and join them off the beaten path. Bria’s a good girl trying to go bad. Rowan’s a bad boy trying to stay good. As they travel across a panorama of Mayan villages, remote Belizean islands, and hostels plagued with jungle beasties, they discover what they’ve got in common: both seek to leave behind the old versions of themselves. And the secret to escaping the past, Rowan’s found, is to keep moving forward. But Bria comes to realize she can’t run forever, no matter what Rowan says. If she ever wants the courage to fall for someone worthwhile, she has to start looking back.
I’m a sucker for beautifully written contemporary YA, especially when the story is set somewhere warm and beachy, and ESPECIALLY when there’s a slow-burn (read: realistic) romance involved. In these ways, Wanderlove is a triple threat. Kirsten Hubbard’s sophomore novel is simply lovely. Fully realized, perfectly imperfect characters. A setting that will give you a severe case of wanderlust. A hot, angsty, incredibly literate boy with a dragon tattoo(!). Wanderlove immersed me in its story, in its world. It made me feel like I was on vacation, and because of that, it was utterly unputdownable.
Bria is an every-girl protagonist in the very best way. She reminds me of ME when I graduated from high school, and that put me immediately on her side. Bria spends much of Wanderlove second-guessing decisions, suffering from crippling self-awareness, and yearning to be something more, something different. With help from Rowan, Bria gradually becomes more comfortable in her skin (and in her past mistakes), and she grows into a remarkable person, one I want to know. Kirsten Hubbard illustrates (literally) Bria’s transformation by sprinkling gorgeous drawings throughout the text. They’re an added bonus to an already beautiful book that I highly anticipated as I read.
In case you missed it, I discussed Wanderlove‘s glorious setting for March’s YA Book Club post… You should totally check it out! And, when you’re done with that, please please PLEASE pick up a copy of Wanderlove. I suspect you’ll adore it as much as I do!
Check out what my fellow Bookanistas are up to today:
Elana Johnson more than “likes” BEING FRIENDS WITH BOYS
Nikki Katz is crazy about CREWEL
Stasia Ward Kehoe adores BREAKING BEAUTIFUL
Tracy Banghart takes a shine to A MILLION SUNS
Jessica Love is wowed by WELCOME CALLER, THIS IS CHLOE
Debra Driza marvels at MASQUE OF THE RED DEATH – with giveaway
Tell me: What’s your favorite travel-inspired novel?
Don’t freak out but… I haven’t seen Star Wars.
Before you judge me too harshly, I should tell you that I know the plot of the saga in its entirety. I know the characters and twists and turns and arcs. I’ve even caught bits and pieces of the action while my husband (a Star Wars enthusiast) watched over the years.
Oh, and speaking of my husband? In the three short months since he returned home from his last deployment, he’s somehow managed to turn our daughter into a massive Star Wars fan . Don’t get me wrong… She still loves Rapunzel and Barbie and Tinkerbell, but now she owns an Ewok shirt and a Yoda shirt, and a Darth Vader action figure. She wants to be Princess Leia for Halloween. She also wants my husband to be Anakin and me to be Padme, because (spoiler alert!) they’re Leia’s parents. Makes, perfect sense, right?
To me? Not really.
Star Wars fans, don’t hate me, but I just don’t get it. Sure, I haven’t sat down and become absorbed in the franchise, but the thing is: I don’t really want to. I see value in the story and the entertainment it lends — I really do — but it just doesn’t appeal to me.
At all.
Tell me: Is there a super popular movie (or series of movies) that holds no interest for you? Does your disinterest make you feel like a crazy person?
Of course U is for Upperman!
Is there a better opportunity to share a little about myself? And why not use the cool Alphabet Survey I happened across on Just Everyday Me while searching for healthy banana bread recipes? Without further ado…
A is for age: *sigh* Thirty-one… I honestly never thought I’d be THIS OLD.
B is for breakfast today: Cinnamon toast and an apple.
C is for currently craving: Well, there’s banana bread in the oven and it smells amazing, so a slice of that would be pretty perfect.
D is for dinner tonight: Date night with my hubby! Dinner at a cute little bistro called The Windmill Cafe. I’m looking forward to it!
E is for favorite type of exercise: Running because it burns tons of calories, but I most enjoy doing yoga.
F is for an irrational fear: Being pinned down or enclosed in a small space. Claustrophobia… yikes.
G is for gross food: I hate celery. Also mushrooms.
H is for hometown: Western Washington is where I’ll always call home, but I’m just about ready to head to California for a military move… not too shabby.
I is for something important: My family, for sure. I love my husband and daughter more than anything.
J is for current favorite jam: Sugar-free strawberry. Wait…what? Jam, like jelly, or jam like music? In the musical sense, I’ll jam to anything twangy.
K is for kids: I have one. She’ll be five in August. She’s adorable.
L is for current location: My kitchen (waiting for the banana bread).
M is for the most recent way you spent money: Um, we ate dinner at Wendy’s last night, so that? I had a Grilled Chicken Cobb. It was delish.
N is for something you need: Internet access. A massage. Hummus. A daily shower. A daily workout. A daily dose of dark chocolate.
O is for occupation: Wife, mama, aspiring author.
P is for pet peeve: Generally, lack of manners. Specifically, cheeky misspellings of words for business names, like: Kidz Kutz.
Q is for a quote: When I saw you I fell in love, and you smiled because you knew. ~ William Shakespeare
R is for random fact about you: I’m obsessive about dental hygiene. I’m an enthusiastic brusher, and I floss at least once a day.
S is for favorite healthy snack: I made mention of hummus above… Love it with carrots and cucumbers.
T is for favorite treat: Chocolate, chocolate, chocolate, in all its forms (bars, cake, pie, ice cream, cookies), but the darker the better.
U is for something that makes you unique: Thanks to my husband’s job, I move a lot. We’ve been married nine year and during that time we’ve lived in seven homes. Next month, it’ll be eight.
V is for favorite vegetable: Carrots.
W is for today’s workout: Half hour circuit training, half hour yoga. Possibly a walk with the dogs later.
X is for X-rays you’ve had: Lots on my teeth, one on my arm when I fractured it as a child. A few ultrasounds when I was pregnant. Do those count?
Y is for yesterday’s highlight: Progress on my rewrite, dinner and laughter with my family.
Z is for your time zone: Pacific.
There you have it: All about Katy!
I totally think you should copy the Alphabet Survey, fill in your own answers, and add it to your blog. When you’re done, comment here or tweet me so I can drop by and get to know you better.
🙂
There’s a very cool bookstore in Seattle called Third Place Books. They’re a general interest bookstore with over 200,000 new, used, and bargain books. Third Place Books has a commons area with several restaurants and live music Friday & Saturday nights. Plus, they hold tons of awesome author events (last summer I attended a signing with, among others, Lisa Schroeder, Mandy Hubbard, and Kimberly Derting, and this January I saw John and Hank Green’s Nerdfighters show there!). All in all, Third Place Books is fantastic, but that’s precisely why the store’s name used to perplex me. Why would any bookstore — any company — want to be third place?
I did a little research…
From Third Place Books’ website:
Sociologist Ray Oldenberg suggests that each of us needs three places: first is the home; second is the workplace or school; and beyond lies the place where people from all walks of life interact, experiencing and celebrating their commonality as well as their diversity. It is a third place. In his celebrated book, The Great Good Place, Oldenberg discusses how the cafes, pubs, town squares and other gathering places make a community stronger and bring people together. Third Place Books has something for everyone. Whether you need to study, host a community meeting, or get out of the house for the evening, we hope you will make this your third place.
Awesome, right?
So, tell me: What’s your THIRD PLACE?
Remember how my family and I are moving out of state in a few weeks? Well, tonight my husband and I are having one last hurrah with our fantastic neighbors. It’s a bittersweet event, for sure. Dinner and dancing and drinks will be a blast (thank you so, SO much, Theresa, for organizing! ♥), but I’m so sad to be moving away from these awesome people who’ve been all kinds of supportive and kind and fun. They’ll be sorely missed.
Fortunately, we’ve got lots of Sparkling Almond to ease the pain.
Switching gears completely: I’m an introvert at heart. I value quiet time, and in most cases, I’d rather be at home watching movies with my husband and daughter than out on the town. That’s not to say I don’t go out. I do, occasionally (see above!). And once I’m out, I throw down with the best of them, but still… I like my yoga pants. A lot. I like my books. I like my laptop and my DVR and my comfy couch. I like to make my own rules and spend time in own head, where it’s peaceful and quiet and serene.
And I think that’s just fine.
In other news, last weekend my husband, daughter, and I tried out a new restaurant, The Buttered Biscuit, which prides itself on “authentic gramma food.” (Hungry yet?) We didn’t think twice about our girlie ordering a cinnamon roll with a side of bacon because we were halfway through a twenty-five mile bike ride and were ready to treat ourselves. Imagine our shock when the waitress presented our four-year-old with a cinnamon roll the size of (quite literally) a dinner plate:
She did a number on it, I have to say. But in the end (after inhaling my veggie omelette with ravenous enthusiasm), I was forced to help my girlie put a dent in her breakfast confection. Let me tell you: It was AMAZING.
Two questions: Are you an introvert or an extrovert? And, what’s your favorite breakfast food?
Katy Upperman ~ Author 