Utah Book Month- Author Natalie Whipple

Hello all!  Hope you are having fun checking out the Utah Book Month!  If you are wondering what it's all about you can read about it at the Utah Book Month website where you can see all the posts and the scheduled.  Today I am doing an author spotlight on a Utah author, Natalie Whipple.  She can be found on Twitter, Pinterest, Tumblr, and Facebook.

 Many of you probably know her books.. I have seen a lot of you reviewing them on your blog.




I sent her a few questions... of course some of them mentioning Utah since of course this is Utah Book Month!


ME: I see that you are a lover of young adult books.  Have you read any that are so amazing that you can recommend them to us?
NATALIE:  The upcoming ILLUSIONS OF FATE by Kiersten White is probably my most favorite book by her, and of course the much-anticipated ISLA AND THE HAPPILY EVER AFTER by Stephanie Perkins is amazing. I really loved my friend Sara Raasch's debut SNOW LIKE ASHES, which is out in October.

ME:What do you love about Utah?? Any places there that you have visited that is a must? (Antelope Island, The Salt Flats for example).
NATALIE: I like my mountain view, but I admit I'm still a California girl at heart (though I've been here for 15 years). For me it's all about the food, though, and if you have a chance to hunt down the infamous food truck Waffle Love you will have the best waffle you've ever tasted. And if you like cupcakes, Craving Cupcakes in Pleasant Grove, Utah, is hands down the best in the state (they won Cupcakes Wars and yes I think they're better than the other place here that won).

ME: What’s next for you? Are you currently writing any new books that you could tell us about?
NATALIE: I've got a lot on the horizon, as always, but right now I'm focusing on finishing off the I'm A Ninja series. Just one more book to go! After I do edits on my YA contemporary FISH OUT OF WATER (out in the UK in Feb 2015), I will likely start drafting that final ninja book. I'm really excited to see the project to the end.

ME: I see you are going to be at the Salt Lake Comic Con. Do you like Cons?? If so.. what is your favorite part about them?
NATALIE: I have a love/hate relationship with cons. I really enjoy being on panels and meeting readers and being with my nerd clan, but it does take a big toll on my mental state. I have social anxiety, so being in such a social environment with so many people (especially somewhere crazy crowded like the vendor floor) can really set off my panic attacks if I'm not careful. I usually have to recover in isolation for at least a week after big events like that.

ME: Do you like writing young adult books??
NATALIE: Of course I like writing YA! I wouldn't do it if I didn't love it—heaven knows we get little respect, much like the teens we write for.

ME: I noticed the covers for Transparent and Blindsided are different. Did you make that choice? If so why do series change covers (meaning change artists/style)
NATALIE: As for the covers for TRANSPARENT and BLINDSIDED, the reason they are different has to do with my publishers. TRANSPARENT was bought by both a US imprint (HarperTeen) and a UK publisher (Hot Key Books). BLINDSIDED was sold to my UK publisher, Hot Key Books, only. That means the cover you are seeing for BLINDSIDED is the UK cover, and the UK Cover for TRANSPARENT actually matches it perfectly, but the US cover is very different.

I would like to thank Natalie for taking the time out to answer my questions and giving us a little more insight into her world.  We are lucky to have her as a Utah author!