Author: Katy Upperman

RTW: Scarred for Life

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Road Trip Wednesday is a “Blog Carnival,” where YA Highway’s contributors post a weekly writing- or reading-related question and answer it on their blogs. You can hop from destination to destination and get everybody’s unique take on the topic.

This Week’s Topic: What is the story of your best scar?

Gosh, I wish I had a sensational or courageous or funny story for this one, but truth be told, my scars are pretty boring. He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named has never turned his wand of evil on me. While I’m fairly clumsy, my escapades more often result in bruises and broken toes (I’ve fractured two) than flesh wounds. (“‘Tis but a flesh wound!” Geez. Thank you, Monty Python.)

I do have one gnarly scar on my wrist, a result of cutting TOWARD myself with a box cutter during my oh-so-glamorous stint as part-time manager of a Bath and Body Works. My boss had to drive me to the hospital where I then had to convince multiple doctors and nurses that no, I definitely was not trying to hurt myself. My stupidity resulted in a few stitches and a big I TOLD YOU SO from my husband, who had often lectured me about cutting away from myself. Truth be told, I still cut toward myself from time to time; apparently some life lessons take longer than others to sink in.  

What’s the story behind your best scar?

DIVERGENT Giveaway!

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Sunday night I stayed up until 1am finishing an ARC of Veronica Roth’s debut novel, Divergent, out May 3rd.

From Goodreads: In Beatrice Prior’s dystopian Chicago, society is divided into five factions, each dedicated to the cultivation of a particular virtue—Candor (the honest), Abnegation (the selfless), Dauntless (the brave), Amity (the peaceful), and Erudite (the intelligent). On an appointed day of every year, all sixteen-year-olds must select the faction to which they will devote the rest of their lives. For Beatrice, the decision is between staying with her family and being who she really is—she can’t have both. So she makes a choice that surprises everyone, including herself. During the highly competitive initiation that follows, Beatrice renames herself Tris and struggles to determine who her friends really are—and where, exactly, a romance with a sometimes fascinating, sometimes infuriating boy fits into the life she’s chosen. But Tris also has a secret, one she’s kept hidden from everyone because she’s been warned it can mean death. And as she discovers a growing conflict that threatens to unravel her seemingly perfect society, she also learns that her secret might help her save those she loves . . . or it might destroy her.

TIME FOR SOME TRUE CONFESSIONS:

1. Initially, Divergent‘s cover didn’t do much for me.
2. I’m very close to being over-saturated by all of the dystopian literature coming out these days.
3. I don’t usually seek out novels that are described as “action-packed!” or “edge-of-your-seat thrilling!” I prefer quieter books, ones that are character and emotionally driven.
4. I didn’t know a lot about Divergent going in, other than the fact that it was majorly hyped–not always a testament to a novel’s quality.
5. It took me three days to get through Divergent‘s first two chapters.

NOW, THROW AWAY THE FIVE TRUE CONFESSIONS ABOVE!

Divergent was, simply put, AMAZING. It lived up to and then far surpassed the hype surrounding it. Easily my favorite debut of 2011 so far. After those first two chapters, holy crap, I flew through this book! I hesitate to give anything away so I’ll be very general …

Divergent truly is action-packed, but not at the expense of deep character development, realistic relationships and stellar world building. If you want an example of a strong female protagonist, look no further. If you’re interested in reading about a dystopian future that is extremely well thought out (not to mention, a startlingly real possibility!), dive into this novel. If you like a slow-burn romance with a fantastic payoff, you’ll love Tris and her *ahem* love interest (nope, no spoilers here!). I usually hate comparisons like the following, but if you’re a fan of The Hunger Games Trilogy, I suspect you’ll love Divergent. I’m already itching for the next installment!

AND GOOD NEWS… You can win an ARC of Divergent here!!! (If you don’t win, please go buy your own copy on May 3… I am!)

Contest Rules:

1. Leave a comment telling me which faction you’d choose if you were a part of Beatrice’s futuristic Chicago: Candor (the honest), Abnegation (the selfless), Dauntless (the brave), Amity (the peaceful), and Erudite (the intelligent).

2. For a second entry, tweet about this contest, including a link to this post. Leave an additional comment letting me know about your tweet.

3. For a third entry, become a friend of this blog by signing up for an email subscription (in the column to the left). Leave an additional comment letting me know. I will verify this through the blog.

4. This contest is open internationally, now through Friday, April 15 at 12:00pm (noon), PST. I will tally all of the entries and draw one winner randomly, then post the winner’s name Friday afternoon.

You, if you win. Good luck!

*Also, big thanks to Erin Bowman, who held a Divergent ARC giveaway on her blog a few weeks ago. I was lucky enough to win, and now I’m passing along this amazing book here. 🙂

First vs. Third

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Exciting news: I’ve written the first scene of what will hopefully be my next manuscript, a little project I’m affectionately referring to as BUS WIP!!! (yep, with three exclamation points–not sure why, but every time I type BUS WIP!!! they’re there).

I’ve actually written this first scene twice. I’m experimenting, you see, with the POV I want to use for the story. I’m pretty sure I want to “hop heads” and my original instinct was to do dual first person POVs. Now, I’m not so sure. I’m starting to think that close third person might be more effective and, and I don’t know… professional sounding? The problem is this: I’ve always sort of thought I was incapable of writing in third person and honestly, I have a bit of an attitude about third person in general, especially in YA books. Often, it feels too distant.

Recently thought, I read Lisa McMann’s CRYER’S CROSS. In it, she used third-person, present tense and I thought it worked brilliantly. The right amount of distance for a creepy, horror kind of story, and an urgent, quick pace that worked really well for the subject matter.

While BUS WIP!!! is no horror story, I do intend for it to have short, suspenseful, action-packed scenes and a fast pace (whether I will actually pull this off is to be determined :)). So, present tense feels right. And shockingly, so does the close third person POV, but only after I wrote this first scene in first person, then converted it to third.

Confused yet? Here are the first few (tentative) sentences of BUS WIP!!! –

In first person, present tense: 
        When I first notice Jace Bryant peeking at my Chem test, I can’t quite believe it. He’s supposed to be this all-around brilliant guy—Mr. Upstanding. He always seems to know everything, excels at anything he attempts. He wouldn’t possibly copy off me. Would he?       
        But then he does it again, this subtle stretch of his neck that allows him the perfect view of my test packet. He makes a mark on his paper, taps his pencil eraser on the desk a few times, then goes about the whole show again. Jesus! He is copying.

And in third person, present tense:
        When Lia Bonelli first notices Jace Bryant peeking at her Chem test, she can’t quite believe it. He’s supposed to be this all-around brilliant guy—Mr. Upstanding. She’s sure this is some kind of fluke; Jace always seems to know everything. He excels at anything he attempts. He wouldn’t possibly copy off Lia. Would he?      
        But then he does it again, this subtle stretch of his neck that allows him the perfect view of her test packet. He makes a mark on his paper, taps his pencil eraser on the desk a few times, then goes about the whole show again. Jesus! Lia thinks, enraged. He is copying.

So? Opinions? Which POV works better based on these little samples? Which POV do you prefer when you’re writing?

In case you’re interested in reading more about the positives and negatives of different POVs, here are a few links that discuss the subject in greater detail:

Tara K. Harper’s First Person or Third
Novel-Writing-Help.com’s First vs. Third Person Point of View
Janice Hardy’s First Vs. Third: Point of View and Character Development
Ingrid Sundberg’s Five Advantages of Third Person Omniscient POV
James Scott Bell’s Understanding the Effects of Your POV
Write It Sideways Which is Best: First or Third Person Point of View?
Tami Moore’s Close Third Person Point of View (I found this one particularly helpful.)

Tales from the Trenches: KEEP CALM and WRITE ON

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So, today my über talented and supremely generous cousin, Carla Essen*, sent me an enigmatic DM: What’s your favorite color? I’m making you something. My curiosity was immediately piqued, so I replied with: Pink or red, then I waited. A short while later I found this gem** in my inbox:

First, I’m so glad she chose pink for me. Second, how cute is that crown on top?! And third, I’ve taken the above statement on as my new mantra.

This industry has too many stresses that are too easy to get caught up in, especially if you’re stuck in the query trenches (like me!) or trudging down the long submission road (so I’ve heard!). I often find myself so keyed up about query etiquette, social networking, the perfect pitch, blogging and blog reading, the unforeseeable future of publishing, who’s gotten how big an advance, and (insert any number of trivial things here), that I forget my main goal: Write and write well.

So, from now on I’m going to KEEP CALM and WRITE ON. You should too!

*Carla has an amazing talent for photography, among many other things.
**You have Carla’s permission (and mine!) to lift this graphic to use on your own blog if you’d like. 🙂

Thankful Thursday – I Heart Goodreads

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Oasis for YA knows that the surest way to get good things in life is to be thankful for what you have.  So why not encourage a group thankful-fest once a week in which we all send out good energy and hope to get some back in return? Plus, participating in Thankful Thursday is a great way to connect with other writers.

Here are the rules:
1.  Do your own blog post on what you’re thankful for today.  It doesn’t have to be book or publishing related (but it can be!).
2.  Be sure to grab our badge and include it in your post.
3.  Post a link to your blog in the comments here so that others can find you.
4.  Go forth and share your gratitude!  (And when friending new blogs, be sure to let them know you found them because of their participation in the meme.)

This week I’m taking a moment to sing the praises of one of my very favorite social networking sites…

My sister-in-law introduced me to Goodreads about a year ago. I started an account, listed some books, and promptly forgot about the whole thing. Then, a few months ago, I discovered that there was a Goodreads app. I downloaded it and have checked in literally every day since then. I’ve organized my shelves and listed as many books as I can recall reading. While I don’t post reviews (I do write book recommendations here though!), I star books and my Read list has become a journal of sorts. My To-Read list has grown by leaps and bounds and is now a book shopping list that I carry with me and consult every time I set foot in a Borders. I check out my friends’ updates daily and often add their new additions to my To-Read list.

When I hit a bout of insomnia (which lately has happened more often than I care to admit) I often turn to Goodreads reviews. When I dislike a book, I quietly commiserate with the people who wrote unfavorable reviews, and when I really love a book, I have an inward celebration with those who left glowing reviews. I also sort of love reading (thoughtful) negative reviews of books I’ve enjoyed. I’ve found that I learn a lot from fresh, differing perspectives.

Yep, Goodreads makes me very happy. You can find my profile HERE. I’m always happy to make new book-loving friends. 🙂


So, what are you thankful for today?

RTW: My crystal ball might be broken…

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Road Trip Wednesday is a “Blog Carnival,” where YA Highway’s contributors post a weekly writing- or reading-related question and answer it on their blogs. You can hop from destination to destination and get everybody’s unique take on the topic.

This Week’s Topic: What do you think publishing will look like in 2111?


I wish I had an intelligent, enlightened answer to this question, but yeah… I have NO idea what publishing will look like in one-hundred years. I mean, look how much things have changed in the last hundred years. A century ago there weren’t even computers, yet now I carry around a device no bigger than a deck of cards that I can use to surf the internet, social network, take pictures, keep dates, call people, etc. So, who knows where technology and the book world will go? But, if I had to guess about the future of publishing, here are predictions I’d make:

1) Smaller, faster, better versions of eReaders will be the norm.
2)Paper books will be a luxury, something people collect and hold dear.
3) Self-publishing won’t have the stigma it does today.
4) Smaller, independent publishers will become more and more popular.
5) Bookstores will be fewer and farther between. 
6) Libraries will evolve into something like internet market places with downloadable books you can “borrow” to your eReader for a few weeks before they disappear.
7) I’ll have dozens of books published and will still be winning prestigious awards posthumously.

To be completely honest, most of the things on the above list depress me (except for number 7, obviously :)). I hate that bookstores are going bankrupt. I can’t ever see myself buying an eReader (though I certainly get their convenience) because there’s something so comforting and lovely about reading a bound book. And I worry that the ease of self-publishing will lower the quality of literature (this isn’t to say that everyone who self-publishes is incapable of writing a good story. I think we’ve seen–especially in the last few weeks–that self-publishing can be an amazing thing, but speaking in general terms, most people aren’t going to secure multi-million dollar contracts after publishing their own books.). 

So, that’s what I’ve got. Now, look into your crystal ball… What do you think publishing will look like in one-hundred years?

March’s Book ‘O the Month

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Much like January, March seemed to drag on FOREVER. I feel like I  read a whole library of books, and there were several standouts, including one that’s a new favorite.

1. The Secret Year by Jennifer Hubbard – I wish more of this story had been set during the time of Cole and Julia’s secret relationship. That said, I did enjoy Cole. He’s the supposed to be a bad boy from the flats, but really he’s sensitive and relatable. Not the cliché he could have been.

***2. Invincible Summer by Hannah Moskowitz (courtesy of Simon and Schuster eGalley) – Thought about this one long after I finished reading. The beach setting was fantastic and the dysfunctional family dynamics were so well written.  Chase “Everyboy” McGill ended up becoming someone I wish I really knew.

3. A sort of teens-in-peril novel I had high hopes for and ended up really disliking. The characters were flat, the voice was flat, and the ending was shockingly abrupt. While “clean teen” has its place, it did not work for this book. Fifteen-year-old guys in life-or-death situations do NOT say, “Oh, darn it!”

***4. Fixing Delilah by Sarah Ockler – While Twenty Boy Summer is still my favorite Sarah Ockler novel, I thought Delilah was excellent. Loved the summery setting, loved the kooky cast and family secrets, loved the steamy romance. I’m such a Sarah Ockler fan; I’ll read anything she writes.

***5. Confessions of the Sullivan Sisters by Natalie Standiford – While I think “quirky” is over used in YA literature, it’s the perfect word to describe this family, and this book. The writing is fantastic. Funny at times, heartwarming, and completely honest. Confessions is different from what I normally read… in a good way.

***6. Where She Went by Gayle Forman (courtesy of an ARC) – I went into this book with one part excitement and two parts trepidation–I didn’t want anything about it to ruin my love for If I Stay. Luckily, Where She Went did the near-impossible: improved Adam and Mia’s story exponentially. I loved Adam as a narrator, and I loved how Gayle Forman was brave enough to take the story to difficult places. If you’re an If I Stay fan, I don’t think you’ll be disappointed in this follow-up.

***7. We’ll Always Have Summer by Jenny Han (courtesy of Simon and Schuster eGalley) – Sigh… I absolutely adore Jenny Han’s Summer trilogy and this final book did not disappoint. Something about the dynamic between Belly, Jeremiah and Conrad really gets me. The longing, the romance, the perfectly teen perspective of Belly… LOVE! Oh, and I totally think Belly made the right choice in the end. 🙂

8. Sea by Heidi R. Kling – For some reason this one was hard for me to get into, but when I finally did I was sucked in. The Indonesian setting was very cool, and the love interest, Deni, was so different from the usual YA boy. I’m normally not a fan of bittersweet endings, but somehow Sea‘s was fitting.

***9. Cryer’s Cross by Lisa McMann – I’ve never read anything by Lisa McMann so I had no idea what to expect. I was very impressed. This story is as creepy and weird as the book’s cover, and the protagonist, Kendall, is very cool. Also, cheers to the super hot and sometimes humorously cold romance between her and Jacian.

***I’ll say that any one of the books I starred above could have been Book of the Month had I not been so swept away by one in particular. They were that good. But there was one book that I fell head over heels in love with, one that made me all but forget about the others. That book was…

Jellicoe Road by Melina Marchetta.

From the book jacket: In this lyrical, absorbing, award-winning novel, nothing is as it seems, and every clue leads to more questions. At age eleven, Taylor Markham was abandoned by her mother. At fourteen, she ran away from boarding school, only to be tracked down and brought back by a mysterious stranger. Now seventeen, Taylor’s the reluctant leader of her school’s underground community, whose annual territory war with the Townies and visiting Cadets has just begun. This year, though, the Cadets are led by Jonah Griggs, and Taylor can’t avoid his intense gaze for long. To make matters worse, Hannah, the one adult Taylor trusts, has disappeared. But if Taylor can piece together the clues Hannah left behind, the truth she uncovers might not just settle her past, but also change her future.

Jellicoe Road joins If I Stay, The Sky is Everywhere and Stolen as one of my all-time favorite YA novels. I heard more than once, “The first hundred pages are strange and confusing… STICK WITH IT!” I’m so glad I did. Two stories woven together, mystery, romance, perfect teen dialogue… I loved this book more than I can adequately describe… but I’ll try.

First, lets talk about Jonah Griggs. It’s almost as if he was written just to make me swoon. There are a lot of YA guys I dig, but Jonah… He’s exactly my type. Rugged, brave, stubborn, loyal, sort of crass and super sweet with Taylor. Plus, he’s a cadet, he enjoys tramping around in the woods and he wears fatigues. What can I say? I’ve been married to a soldier for almost eight years. It’s my thing.

And Taylor. She’s severely lacking in people skills, but at the same time she’s awesome. No nonsense, vulnerable and erratic. I loved her interactions with her friends Raffy and Santangelo, but I especially adored any scene she shared with Griggs. She forced him to confront his fears, just as he did to her. She challenged him, just as he challenged her. Neither of them ever once backed down from the layers of conflict that stood in their way. They’re a perfect match.

Jellicoe Road‘s mystery and the way it unfolds over two separate storylines, decades apart, is genius. While I knew early on that somehow all the characters and plotlines would eventually come together, the conclusion was a true surprise. Melina Marchetta has a knack for connecting even seemingly insignificant threads in the most satisfying ways.

Fair warning: Jellicoe Road‘s plot, pacing and writing might make you want to quit reading forever. When I finished, I was sure I’d never find another book that moved me the way this one did. The mystery is perfectly layered, the setting (Australia!) is all-consuming, and the characters got right inside my head and have been camping out there ever since. And if you’re a writer, well, be prepared to feel completely incompetent. Still, I highly, HIGHLY recommend this book.

What’s the best book you read in March?

Thankful Thursday

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Oasis for YA knows that the surest way to get good things in life is to be thankful for what you have.  So why not encourage a group thankful-fest once a week in which we all send out good energy and hope to get some back in return? Plus, participating in Thankful Thursday is a great way to connect with other writers.

Here are the rules:
1.  Do your own blog post on what you’re thankful for today.  It doesn’t have to be book or publishing related (but it can be!).
2.  Be sure to grab our badge and include it in your post.
3.  Post a link to your blog in the comments here so that others can find you.
4.  Go forth and share your gratitude!  (And when friending new blogs, be sure to let them know you found them because of their participation in the meme.)This week I’ve lots to be thankful for. In the words of the fabulous Andy Cohen, Here’s What:

1) Last week I entered Brenda Drake’s Show Me the Voice! blogfest/contest. There were well over 100 entrants, yet somehow the first 250 words of my YA ghost story Where Poppies Bloom was awarded third place! I’m very thankful to the judges, especially lovely literary agent Natalie Fischer who’s going to critique my query letter. (Pardon me for tooting my own horn on this one, but yeah… I’m excited!)

2) My husband is at Ranger School. If you’re unfamiliar, Ranger school is an intense 2 month Army training school that is often referred to as a cross between boot camp and a concentration camp. I don’t use that comparison lightly. Ranger School is all about pushing participants to their physical and mental limits. Very little sleep (outdoors, in the rain), very little food (MREs), mind games, and miles and miles of walking with a hundred pound ruck sack. No fun! What, you might ask, does Ranger School have to do with being thankful? Well, I’ve been getting letters from my husband! Like, the old-fashioned paper and pen kind of letters. Plus, every night I get to write to him. It’s a little retro and a lot inconvenient, but there’s something so romantic about opening the mailbox and finding mail from someone you love.   

3. This POST from Hannah Moskowitz about making a playlist for your WIP. Rules to write by. 🙂 

4. Fellow writer/blogger Caroline Tung Richmond, and her recent mention of  the online indie clothing site ModCloth. Cute clothes alert! I placed an order yesterday, which included this adorable dress (I plan to wear it to my husband’s graduation from Ranger School):

5. If you follow me on Twitter you might know that my daughter (three-and-a-half) had one of her teeth knocked out the other day. She was climbing up the ladder of one of those inflatable bouncy slides, slipped, and somehow nailed her tooth at the perfect angle to take it out. Needless to say, I was SO sad! Her new tooth won’t grow in for about two years, plus she was bleeding and worried that our dogs wouldn’t love her anymore because her tooth was missing. Ugh… heartbreak! Still, I’m thankful. It could have been worse. There could have been broken bones or a neck injury or any other number of tragedies. Plus, she’s still cute as can be, even with a missing tooth.

What do you have to be thankful for today?

RTW: Book Memories

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Road Trip Wednesday is a “Blog Carnival,” where YA Highway’s contributors post a weekly writing- or reading-related question and answer it on their blogs. You can hop from destination to destination and get everybody’s unique take on the topic.

This Week’s Topic: What books were you obsessed with as a kid? 🙂

I was a voracious reader during my childhood. Sadly, my tastes weren’t exactly literary. I am proud to say I read (and reread) the Baby-Sitters Club, Sweet Valley Twins and Sweet Valley High series pretty much in their entirety. I was also a big fan of Beverly Cleary’s Ramona books and R.L. Stine’s Fear Street series. I had shelves and shelves of paperbacks that I deeply regret garage-saling when I grew too old (too cool?) for such tomes.

My very favorite author growing up was Judy Blume. (Who am I kidding? I still love her.) I adored Tales of a Fourth Grade Nothing, Blubber, and Are You There, God? It’s Me, Margaret.  I read them repeatedly. But, my favorite of Judy’s, my favorite book of childhood really, was Just as Long as We’re Together.  

This was the cover I had!

I read it so many times the binding actually split, leaving me with two separate bits of book that I held onto and continued to read. Now that I think about it, Just as Long as We’re Together might’ve been the launching point for everything I love about YA literature today: Coming of age, dynamic families, complicated friendships, longing for unattainable boys, and evolving self-images. There are all kinds of quirky things I remember about this book, even though I haven’t read it for close to two decades: Alison’s talking dog, Steph’s love of donuts, and Rachel’s undying perfectionism. Just as Long as We’re Together even taught me about the color CHARTREUSE. 🙂

So, what about you? What books were you obsessed with as a kid?

And the winner is…

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Thanks so much to those who entered my Where She Went ARC giveaway. It was such fun to hear about your favorite contemporary YA picks. Without further ado, I’ve used Random.Org to determine that Katie Vincent is the winner! Congratulations, Katie! Please email me your mailing address at Katy.Upperman@live.com. I’ll have your Where She Went ARC in the mail as soon as I hear from you. I hope you love it as much as I do. 🙂