Feature Friday on the podcast: Talking with Katy Upperman about being vulnerable in our writing, her love for the revision process and her dream projects (+ Giveaway)

Today, I am very happy to wlecome my long-time critique partner (who I’m also very lucky to call friend) YA author Katy Upperman. And I’m also very happy to run a giveaway for one of Katy’s books…if you’re in the US you could even win a signed copy!

Katy Upperman is a military spouse and mama to two sweet girls, as well as two spoiled kitties and the cutest German Wirehaired Pointer around. Katy is an author, reader, baker, and wanderer. She writes novels for teens and teens at heart. She’s a Washington State University alum (go Cougs!), a country music fanatic, and a makeup enthusiast. She loves the ocean, pedicures, sunshine, Instagram, Dirty Dancing and The Princess Bride, Jelly Bellies, houseplants, true crime documentaries, and Friday Night Lights.

From Katy’s website: www.katyupperman.com

Before diving into our chat, let me give you a short update on my writing, and self-publishing.

Last week, I started by saying I really needed to leave the reviews for two books I really enjoyed: CINDERELLA IS DEAD (Girls team up to overthrow the kingdom in this unique and powerful retelling of Cinderella from a stunning new voice that’s perfect for fans of Dhonielle Clayton and Melissa Albert) and for PRETTY LITTLE WIFE (Darby Kane thrills with this twisty domestic suspense novel that asks one central question: Shouldn’t a dead husband stay dead?) … And I did. Well, I did because I just re-read my blog post while writing this one and it reminded me I needed to do it.

I had not written it on my to-do list. My to-do list right now is basically: catch up on my freelance work. I may have mentioned it but I work as a freelance researcher and audiobook narrator, in addition to my writing. And I have upcoming deadlines. So, in terms of self-publishing, in the past week I’ve made sure to keep up with my newsletter and to put up the final manuscript of EINE ZWEITE CHANCE (Always Second Best in German) on Amazon.

In my newsletter, I sent behind-the-scenes on #TheLeftoverBride which was really fun to write about and following L. Penelope’s example in her welcome email, I also recorded a video of that newsletter so if people wanted to listen or watch a video instead of reading my newsletter, then they could. 🙂 In the podcast I share a tiny excerpt of the video…

Giveaway time!

Do you want to win one of Katy Upperman’s books? (Signed for the US) Just hop on to my giveaway: http://www.rafflecopter.com/rafl/display/35c42cc23/?

Talking about being vulnerable in our writing, her love for the revision process and her dream projects

Today on the podcast (Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts and more), YA contemporary romance author Katy Upperman (author of KISSING MAX HOLDEN, THE IMPOSSIBILITY OF US & HOW THE LIGHT GETS IN) talks about being vulnerable in our writing, her love for the revision process and her dream projects. We also talk about her life list, how she pushes through difficult times in her writing and/or publishing and whether or not she thought about self-publishing. Oh and we may spend a few minutes on true crime documentaries. 🙂

When it comes to my self-publishing and writing update: Another busy week with my freelance projects. I work as a freelance researcher and an audiobook narrator. And this hasn’t left me a whole lot of time to get actual writing done on the page. However, I use every moment possible to think and organize my thoughts about certain scenes I still need to revise.

For the business side of self-publishing, I have sent several newsletters – including a Behind-The-Scenes for #TheLeftoverBride with a video (following L. Penelope’s example). On the podcast, I also talk a bit about social media and author branding…

Do you have a question for me about self-publishing or writing?

Record a message for me and I’ll answer directly on the podcast and in my weekly “A Self-Published Author’s Diary” email.

Thank you!

Thank you so much to everyone who has listened and subscribed to my podcast. Don’t hesitate to leave a review and subscribe on Apple Podcasts, follow on Spotify or Google Podcasts…

And thank you to everyone who’s already added #THELEFTOVERBRIDE on Goodreads and those of you who already pre-ordered it (on Amazon, iTunes, Kobo).

I’ve also been sharing little snippets with everyone who has left a comment on my Facebook Author Page and/or Facebook readers’ group. I will also do the same with my readers’ mailing list and Instagram.

Bonus scenes, anyone?

If you’ve read any of my books and would like to receive some exclusive bonus scenes, don’t hesitate to sign up for my newsletter. 🙂

I have two newsletters!

(1) My weekly self-publishing emails: A Self-published author’s diary…

(2) A newsletter for my readers: full of bonus scenes, updates on my books, shows I’m watching, books I’m reading, exclusive giveaways and more…

Click on this link and just add your email and you’ll receive access to a page full of exclusive content! Plus my emails include pictures of my cat and my dog…and they’re pretty adorable…:-)

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ROMO Or My Reality (Realities) Of Missing Out In the Self-Publishing World… – A self-published author's diary: The Ups and Downs of Self-Publishing (and everything in-between)

This episode is brought to you by: a shower, a hoarse voice from dictating, having grand and great plans I had to adjust due to fatigue. All of that got me thinking about ROMO. The Reality of Missing Out. Not FOMO. Not JOMO. The third thing.I thought I'd made up the term. Yes, really. I was really proud of myself. I Googled it. I had not.I talk about many things in this episode, including:dealing with declining profits from one year to another in my self-publishing business;the Kickstarter I'd love to do for Cancer Is Not My Brand (my upcoming nonfiction book) and why I'm not doing one right now, knowing my latest one for # The Leftover Bride audiobook Kickstarter didn't get fulfilled, but this isn't the only reason. I; about not going to InkersCon or the Write Better, Faster Academy digital conference this year, even though I really recommend both. about Ines Johnson's Romance Write Club Kickstarter, which I just backed, and how I'm learning that it's possible to look up to other authors and also not chase what they're doing (still learning that one).about how the reality of missing out, for me, is twofold…sometimes it's I cannot physically or emotionally do this right now, and sometimes it's I cannot financially or time-wise do this right now because it's not the best for my author business, and those are different. And then there's a third thing, which I figured out while recording (as one does, right?), which is realizing you're not actually missing out at all, because it may not be what you need at that moment.If you're going through a hard time, I hope you feel a little less alone. That's the whole thing, really.Links and resources mentioned:InkersCon — http://www.inkerscon.com (I think Golden Angel has a $50 discount code)Write Better, Faster Academy — https://betterfasteracademy.com/Becca Syme on author business phases:- Phases for Author Business: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nGX7gDqtvCM – Deep dives on each phase: https://www.patreon.com/beccasyme/shopInes Johnson's Romance Write Club Kickstarter: https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/romancewriteclub/page-turner-craft-a-complete-page-turning-story-blueprint/descriptionCleveland Clinic on FOMO, JOMO, and ROMO : https://health.clevelandclinic.org/understanding-fomoPsychology Today on the reality of missing out: https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/a-deeper-wellness/202506/understanding-and-managing-fomoQamber Designs (cover designer) : https://www.qamberdesignsmedia.com/If you want to tell me what you're missing out on or if you're currently more in a FOMO, JOMO, ROMO phase or all of the above, don't hesitate to send me an email: authorelodienowodazkij@gmail.comHappy writing. Happy reading.My website:www.elodienowodazkij.com

1. ROMO Or My Reality (Realities) Of Missing Out In the Self-Publishing World… 25:59
2. Numbers: The Book That Had 23 Preorders and…became my most read book. 43:42
3. This isn't a grand gesture … 12:46
4. My Self-Pub Weekly Diary: Some Wins, Some Wobbles, and Absolutely Zero Words (on My Manuscripts) 18:36
5. My F***-It Book: She Had Cancer and Still Gets a Holiday Steamy Rom-Com 17:52