Holly Cupala's Blog, page 7

YA event March 31st!

Are you hanging out in Seattle next Thursday eve? Then drop by Mockingbird Books (over by Greenlake) to chat with me and YA authors Lisa Cach, Heather Davis, and Liz Gallagher:
7pm at Mockingbird Books
7220 Woodlawn Ave NE, Seattle 98115 (map & directions)


Hope to see you!

Thank you, Juanita!

Thanks to librarian Nancy and teacher Heather for inviting me to hang out with the students at Juanita High for Read Across America (organized locally by Parkplace Books). I had a blast!

They put us in this huge beautiful library, the students asked great questions and were very fun to talk with, and I even met a writer whose work we'll probably see on the shelf one day.

Awesome students!

Nancy and Heather, Librarian and Teacher Extraordinaires:

Thanks so much for having me, Juanita!

Last DON'T BREATHE A WORD edit...

...has flown the nest!


Wish it luck! And I really, really hope you enjoy it. (October 18th!)


Here's the official description:

Joy Delamere is suffocating.
From asthma, from her parents, and from her darkly sexy boyfriend, Asher, who is smothering her from the inside out. She can take his cruel words, his tender words…until the night they go too far.

To escape, Joy sacrifices her suburban life to find the one who offered his help, a homeless boy called Creed. He introduces her to a world of fierce loyalty, secrets, and love—a world she won't easily let go.

Set against the gritty backdrop of Seattle's streets, Holly Cupala's powerful new novel explores the subtleties of abuse, survival, and redemption. But above all, it is an unflinching story about the extraordinary lengths one girl will go to discover her own strength.

FTLOR pics!!

Thanks to Rachel, amazing senior who put on For the Love of Reading - an author panel with Kimberly Derting, Mandy Hubbard, Lisa Schroeder, and me! Here are a few pics:

Rachel and Judy
Kim, Lisa, Rachel, me, and Mandy
I got to meet Alexa Martin, author of GIRL WONDER (May 2011 - I blurbed her book!)
Me and Rachel
Rachel's mom took this!
Thanks to Rachel Patrick and her mentor, Judy Nelson, for including me - and thank to everyone who came out!

A hot day in the teen litosphere

Two of my good friends and 2011 debut YA authors unveiled their covers today:


AUDITION by Stasia Ward Kehoe (coming October 2011)Seventeen-year-old Sara's dream of becoming a star ballerina is challenged when she falls for Remington, an older choreographer. Instead of success onstage, she becomes Rem's muse, which is a future she never considered--and one that threatens to break her heart.
Check out Stasia's blog



FLYAWAY by Helen Landalf (coming December 2011)Fifteen-year-old Stevie Calhoun is used to taking care of herself. But one night, her mom, who works as an exotic dancer in a downtown Seattle nightclub, never comes home. That's the night Stevie's life turns upside down.

It's the night that kicks off an extraordinary summer: the summer Stevie has to stay with her annoyingly perfect Aunt Mindy; the summer she learns to care for injured and abandoned birds; the summer she gets to know Alan, the meanest guy in high school. But most of all, it's the summer she finds out the truth about Mom.
Check out Helen's blog


Congratulations, ladies! I can't wait to see them on the shelf!

Speaking of books coming to shelves soon, I just spent today reading half of DON'T BREATHE A WORD aloud as I make my last changes to the final manuscript(!) I can't wait to reveal that cover, coming soon...

Remembering L.K. Madigan

The YA world's heart is breaking this week as we learned of the loss of Lisa Madigan, Morris Award-winning author of FLASH BURNOUT and THE MERMAID'S MIRROR. She touched so many lives through her kindness, bravery, and truthful words.

I didn't know her well, but my one meeting with her will always be significant to me. We were both at ALA this last summer and met through our mutual friends (Lisa is on the far left).


Then we went out to lunch with a group, and somehow Lisa and I ended up connecting - not on a superficial level, but on a heart level. Even in a moment, I could tell that's the kind of person Lisa was. We talked about loss and writing and the things that matter. She told me about her early battle with cancer, and her beautiful husband and son. I told her the story behind Tell Me a Secret. We both cried a little.

I won't ever forget that.

I just saw one of Lisa's best friends at an author event yesterday, reminding me of how connected we are and how much one loss affects us all. Lisa's husband has posted on her blog about the outpouring of support and will continue to keep her blog open. Also, we can show our tangible support by contributing to her son's college trust fund (details at the above link).

And we can continue to buy and read her books to remember her. Check out FLASH BURNOUT and THE MERMAID'S MIRROR to celebrate her life.

Lisa, we miss you.

A real book...

DON'T BREATHE A WORD galley pages have arrived!


This is my last chance to make changes/corrections, so wish me keen eyes and pointy ears for the next several days!


Real book coming soon!

Writing...

Hi, everyone! Still a bit scarce these days while working on a third novel, but I'm popping in with a few updates:

DON'T BREATHE A WORD  now has an official street date! It will be on sale October 18, 2011. (And pretty soon, I'll be able to show you the gorgeous cover HarperTeen has been designing - I hope you love it!)

Don't miss the fantastic For the Love of Reading event high school senior Rachel Patrick has put together for her senior project with Dia Calhoun, Kimberly Derting, Mandy Hubbard, Lisa Schroeder, and me! Don't forget to bring a can of food!
Saturday, February 26th 2-4pm at the Sumner library in Sumner, WA.


Also, if you're a fan of the King County Library (and who isn't?), join me, Nancy Pearl, Newbery author Karen Cushman, and lots of other amazing Northwest authors at the Literary Lions Gala on March 5th. All of the info is here.


Back to writing! Readers, are you working on a story right now? How is the process going for you?

For the Love of Reading

How incredible is senior Rachel Patrick, who for her senior project put together a YA panel of authors including Dia Calhoun, Kimberly Derting, Mandy Hubbard, Lisa Schroeder, and me?



We'll chat with students, sign books, and eat tasty refreshments. Plus Rachel has included a food drive for the Sumner Community Food Bank, so bring a can or two or ten!

Event details are here and below:

Saturday, February 26 · 2:00pm - 4:00pm

Sumner Branch of the Pierce County Library
1116 Fryar Ave
Sumner, WA

Thanks to Rachel for inviting me to partipate, and I hope to see you!

Author Q&A: what to write & secret discoveries

Thanks for sticking with me through the writing days, everyone! I've started a third novel...it's so new that I don't even really know the main character yet, but I do know something about the story. Here's what I wrote about it to a friend:

Four voices. Four terrible secrets. One explosive murder that will change their lives forever...

Eek, it feels like such a committment, even writing that. I appreciate the encouragement!

In the meantime, I'll continue with another installment of reader questions...


Angelina C. Hansen would like to know, "How do you decide which story idea to pursue?"


I happen to know this question is coming from a very talented writer who overflows with good ideas!

For me, it's a question of passion. Which story has the most juice? Which character do I want to spend the next year of my life on? Which plot is coming alive in my thoughts? Sometimes this isn't an easy choice, so at that point it's not a bad idea to seek the advice of friends who know you, who know your work, and who want to see you succeed. That doesn't mean time spent on a story is wasted, though, if you ultimately choose a different path. I think we learn as we go, and sometimes the circuitous route is the most fruitful one in the long term. Just getting writing on the page is a step in the right direction.

I wrote an article all about Creative Paralysis (a.k.a. being stuck with too many ideas). I hope it's helpful!


Dani asks, "What did you learn about writing between your first book and your second book?"

I was very hard on myself while writing Tell Me a Secret—perhaps because it was a very intense novel to write. The hounds of doubt were always biting at my heels. For Don't Breathe a Word (intense in different ways), I discovered the timer, set in 15 minute increments, is a wonderful device for outrunning the internal critic. Really, though, I had to stop giving power to those doubts.

If you struggle with the same thing in your writing, don't believe the lies! My friends Randy Powell and Kirby Larson say, "Write through the bad stuff," and that's one of the best pieces of writing advice I know.