How the Light Gets In by Katy Upperman
Published by: Swoon Reads
Publication date: August 6th, 2019
Genres: Contemporary, Romance, Young Adult
Katy Upperman’s How the Light Gets In is a haunting YA novel about a teen coping with the loss of her sibling.
Since her sister’s tragic death, seventeen-year-old Callie Ryan has basically given up. Her grades have plummeted, she’s quit her swim team, and she barely recognizes the people her parents once were.
When she returns to her aunt’s run-down coastal Victorian one year after Chloe’s death, Callie resigns herself to a summer of guilt and home renovations. She doesn’t expect to be charmed by the tiny coastal town or by Tucker Morgan, a local boy brimming with sunshine.
But even as her days begin to brighten, Callie’s nights are crowded with chilling dreams, unanswered questions, and eerie phenomenon that have her convinced she’s being haunted. Will Callie be able to figure out what her sister is trying to communicate before it’s too late?
~AUTHOR INTERVIEW with Katy Upperman~
1) What inspired you to becom a writer?
An intense love of reading, and boredom. I started writing in
2008, about a year after my now-twelve-year-old was born. At that time, I was a
stay-at-home mom and my husband was deployed. I was reading tons and while I
loved being home with my kiddo, I needed a creative outlet. After burning
through the Twilight series in about a week I thought, I should write a book.
If only it had actually been that easy!
2) What was the hardest part of writing this book?
Getting it right. I flew through the earliest draft of How
the Light Gets In in 2011; it took me about three months to write. And then
I spent nearly eight years rewriting that original story, until I felt 100%
proud of it, and confident about putting it in readers’ hands. It feels really
good to finally let it loose in the world.
3) Did you learn anything from writing the book that you weren’t expecting?
I learned that branching out is good. Aside from How the
Light Gets In, I’ve only ever written contemporary stories. While HTLGI is largely
realistic, there’s a paranormal bent that stretched me creatively. I learned
that I can world-build beyond the world I live in. I learned that establishing
rules for a story’s magic (in this case: a haunting) is interesting and,
ultimately, very satisfying. And I learned that mixing romance with a little
bit of creepiness is super fun.
4) Who is your favorite author and what it is that you enjoy about their work?
I adore Judy Blume, and have since I was eight. I’ve read her middle grade novels (Just as Long as We’re Together is my very favorite), her young adult novels, and her adult novels. I love that she writes with nuance about normal people in normal situations, yet makes their stories feel enormous and resonant. Her characters are so incredibly relatable, I experience all sorts of intense feelings while reading about them. I love that!
5) If you could have any three literary characters over to your place for movie night, who would you invite, what would you watch, what would you serve, and why?
Hermione Granger, Lara Jean Covey,
and Lady Katsa of the Middluns. We’d watch some of my girl-power favorites,
like Troop Beverly Hills and Wild Hearts Can’t Be Broken, we’d
talk about how there are a million different ways to be a “strong female
character”, and we’d eat chocolate chip cookies. Because yum!
6) How many books would you say that you own?
Oh, gosh. A lot. My husband and I are both big readers, and so are my girls. I probably have 500 books myself. Adding in my husband’s and daughters’… we probably have around 1,500 books in our house. (As I’m typing this, I’m feeling terrible for the movers who have to pack our belongings every time the military stations us somewhere new!)
Author Bio:Katy Upperman is a wife, mama, 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 stockpiler. She loves the ocean, pedicures, sunshine, Instagram, Dirty Dancing and The Princess Bride, Jelly Bellies, true crime documentaries, and Friday Night Lights.
Thanks for hosting today, Jen! :)
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