A Heart Book: A Guest Post by Katy Upperman
Our latest Monthly Pick is a guaranteed tearjerker centered on a girl grappling with heartbreak and new love. Read on for an exclusive essay from author Katy Upperman on writing Everything I Promised You.
Paperback $13.99
Everything I Promised You (B&N Exclusive Edition)
Everything I Promised You (B&N Exclusive Edition)
In Stock Online
Paperback $13.99
An emotionally raw and romantic portrait of grief, growth, and acceptance, perfect for fans of Laura Nowlin’s If He Had Been with Me.
An emotionally raw and romantic portrait of grief, growth, and acceptance, perfect for fans of Laura Nowlin’s If He Had Been with Me.
I wrote the first words of Everything I Promised You while living in Monterey, California, sitting outside my daughter’s gymnastic class during the spring of 2021. I wasn’t permitted to go through the gate of the outdoor gym to watch the class, as social distancing was at its peak. So was my frustration.
Couldn’t life just go back to normal already?
Of course it couldn’t—and didn’t—for quite some time. There were few things I could control in the midst of a global pandemic, and even though it had been months since I’d felt the urge, writing was one of them. So, cozy in my car, I typed out a scene I’d been thinking about for a few weeks. It was a romantic vignette, cute and without any real meat—just vibes. It was only supposed to be a creative muscle stretch. I hadn’t plotted a story arc or outlined characters or researched settings. I was hardly in the headspace to draft a whole book.
Yet, completing that scene left me feeling more optimistic than I had in a year. Energy surged. Endorphins were up. Possibilities seemed endless.
I felt… happy?!
That throwaway scene took on a life of its own. I grew curious about the characters I’d created and began to dream up their backstories. I thought about themes: love, loss, beginning again, finding one’s place in the world—everything I adore about crafting stories in the young adult space. I started to observe my surroundings the way I did pre-pandemic, looking for inspiration in the people I passed, the conversations I had, and the scenery I was lucky to live amidst. I rediscovered the magic of my world and, at the same time, reclaimed my love of storytelling.
I found fellow writers in Monterey. We created a little community, assembling with our laptops at outdoor cafes, downtown parks, and on the Big Sur coastline. We talked about our projects and offered advice and commiseration. We shared in each other’s celebrations. All the while, the scene I’d drafted in my car grew forward and backward, until it landed right in the middle of a completed first draft.
Everything I Promised You is a fusion of so many things I’m passionate about: military families, the child welfare system, fate, creativity, resiliency, friendship, ice cream, teen television, and Pointers, just to name a few. Not only was writing this story the perfect escape, it’s become what’s known in the writing world as a “heart book,” a book that feels extraordinarily personal and extra special. As you read Everything I Promised You, I hope you’ll root for its protagonist, Lia, as she faces challenges both big and small, and celebrate with her as she finds peace, love, and herself.
I hope Everything I Promised You will find a special place in your heart.