Writer of the Week #20: Holly Cupala

Check out Holly's heavy YA novel Don't Breathe a Word!

Name: Holly Cupala

Age: 38

Website: www.hollycupala.com

Location: Seattle, WA

When did you realize you wanted to be a published author?

I’ve always in my heart of hearts wanted to be a writer. I wrote two teen romances when I was in eighth grade, before I actually experienced teen romance. After that, I wrote tragic stories and poetry (first love was brutal), wrote for adults and then finally circled back. TELL ME A SECRET was my first YA, and my second, DON’T BREATHE A WORD, just came out.

Name 5 authors and 5 books

Five favorite YA-ish books:

Speak, by Laurie Halse Anderson
The Bell Jar, by Sylvia Plath
Book of a Thousand Days, by Shannon Hale
Fat Kid Rules the World, by K.L. Going
Dragonswood, by Janet Lee Carey

Where do you get your inspiration from?

The darkest corners of life, and the light that illuminates them.

What do you think is the best quality a writer can have?

Courage—to examine the dark corners, to put words on the page, to make them as beautiful and honest as possible, to face rejection from many corners, and even to find success.

Any last words?

A wise friend says to “write through the bad stuff.” I think those words apply to life, too: live through the bad stuff. The point is, live.

Challenge: Write a one-sentence story!

When I looked back at the frozen moments of memories passing, events captured in minutes and hours, I realized it wasn’t my enemy who poisoned me—it was time itself. (Just for you, Jo!)

Thank you so much for your answers, Holly! (Especially your one-sentence story, hehe!) If anyone is interested in being a writer of the week, please read the instructions here.