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Bayerl, Katie

September 11, 2017 by admin

WORK TITLE: A Psalm for Lost Girls
WORK NOTES:
PSEUDONYM(S):
BIRTHDATE:
WEBSITE: http://katiebayerl.com/
CITY: Boston
STATE: MA
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Katie Bayerl on Debut YA “A Psalm for Lost Girls”

Posted in 408 | Comments Off on Bayerl, Katie

PERSONAL

Female.

EDUCATION:

Degrees from Brown University and Tufts University; Vermont College of Fine Arts, M.F.A.

ADDRESS

Home - Boston, MA.

CAREER

Writer, consultant, and educator. VCFA Young Writers Network, Vermont College of Fine Arts, Montpelier, VT, leader; also teaches classes for teens at GrubStreet, Boston, MA. Previously worked as editor of a teen-generated magazine, led the communications efforts of a Boston nonprofit, and helped dozens of schools and nonprofits tell their stories.

AWARDS:

PEN New England Children’s Book Discovery Award.

WRITINGS

A Psalm for Lost Girls (young adult novel), G.P. Putnam's Sons (New York, NY), 2017

SIDELIGHTS

Katie Bayerl is a young adult novelist who has also taught creative writing both at schools and in various community settings. Her debut young adult (YA) novel, A Psalm for Lost Girls, is the story of a young girl whose hometown wants her to be canonized as a saint. However, the girl’s sister finds the movement to canonize her sister distressing. As a result, she sets out to show that her sister was not a saint at all.

In an interview with School Library Journal Online contributor Shelley Diaz, Bayerl commented on the inspiration for the story. During a trip to Portugal, Bayerl took a tourist outing to Fatima, a town in central Portugal where Catholics make pilgrimages to the Sanctuary of Fatima, where the Virgin Mary supposedly appeared in 1917 to three girls. “This choice made zero sense,” Bayerl noted in the School Library Journal Online interview, adding: “Here I was, a young woman who’d spent her life fighting against her Catholic upbringing, making a pilgrimage—voluntarily—to one of the church’s most holy sites.” Bayerl went on to note that the primary impetus for the trip to Fatima was due to her reading about one of the girls who was up for canonization and “wondering if she’d ever resented the confines of sainthood,” as Bayerl told Diaz.

In the novel, as the fervor for the canonization of Tess da Costa builds, her sister Callie becomes increasingly agitated. Prior to her death, Tess heard voices that supposedly led to saving some lives. Tess also was obsessed with the kidnapping of a local girl whose disappearance marked the end of Tess’s voices providing helpful information. Then the kidnapped young girl, Ana Langone, who had been missing for six months, turns up alive at one of the shrines that had been put together in honor of Tess. For the local townspeople, the girl’s return is the final piece of evidence that Tess should be a saint.

Callie sets out to prove that there is no relation between Ana’s return and Tess’s supposed sainthood. She eventually joins up with Danny, who was Tess’s secret boyfriend, to stop the sainthood crusade and show that her dead sister’s real value was as Callie’s best friend. However, as Callie and Danny proceed in their investigation to prove that Tess was no saint, they end up discovering Tess’s hidden diary and some old family secrets. Furthermore, they come across unsettling facts about Ana’s kidnapping.

The story is told in alternating perspectives, including Tess’s viewpoint via her diary. “Plot and pacing could be tighter, but packed with vivid cultural scenery, this ambitious debut offers readers a journey worth taking,” wrote a Kirkus Reviews contributor. A Publishers Weekly contributor called A Psalm for Lost Girls “richly and evocatively written.”

BIOCRIT

PERIODICALS

Booklist, February 15, 2017, Sarah Hunter, review of A Psalm for Lost Girls, p. 76.
Kirkus Reviews, January 15, 2017, review of A Psalm for Lost Girls.
Publishers Weekly, January 9, 2017, review of A Psalm for Lost Girls, p. 70.

ONLINE

GRLZRadio, https://www.grlzradio.org/ (April 27, 2017), Taja Boone, review of A Psalm for Lost Girls.
Here’s to Happy Endings, http://www.herestohappyendings.com/ (March 13, 2017), “Blog Tour: A Psalm for Lost Girls by Katie Bayerl—Author Q&A and Giveaway!”
Katie Bayerl Home Page, http://katiebayerl.com (November 1, 2017).
Kit Frick, https://kitfrick.com/ (April 18, 2017), “Katie Bayerl: A Psalm for Lost Girls,” author interview.
MuggleNet.com Book Trolley, http://blog.mugglenet.com/ (March 17, 2017), review of A Psalm for Lost Girls.
Pop Goes the Reader, http://www.popgoesthereader.com/ (June 19, 2017), “Her Story: Ladies in Literature with Katie Bayerl.”
School Library Journal Online, http://www.slj.com/ (March 14, 2017), Shelley Diaz, “Katie Bayerl on Debut YA A Psalm for Lost Girls.“
Thousand Island Book Festival Web site, http://tibookfest.wixsite.com/home (May 15, 2017), “Author Spotlight and Q&A with Katie Bayerl.”
VCFA Launch Pad; Vermont College of Fine Arts Web site, http://info.vcfa.edu/vcfa-launch-pad/ (March 14, 2017), Sarah Johnson, “Katie Bayerl and A Psalm for Lost Girls,” author interview.
Warren Adler Web site, http://www.warrenadler.com/ (November 1, 2017), Katie Bayerl, “Why I Write.”
Writing Barn, http://www.thewritingbarn.com/ (November 1, 2017), “The Porchlight: Episode Eleven with Katie Bayerl.”*

A Psalm for Lost Girls ( young adult novel) G.P. Putnam's Sons (New York, NY), 2017

1. A psalm for lost girls LCCN 2016027798 Type of material Book Personal name Bayerl, Katie, author. Main title A psalm for lost girls / Katie Bayerl. Published/Produced New York, NY : G.P. Putnam's Sons, [2017]. Projected pub date 1111 Description pages cm ISBN 9780399545252 (hardback) Links Cover image 9780399545252.jpg CALL NUMBER PZ7.1.B38 Ps 2017 Request in Jefferson or Adams Building Reading Rooms

Katie Bayerl - http://katiebayerl.com/about/
Katie Bayerl
home books classes & events consulting about contact
About Me

I do a lot of things: writing, teaching, consulting. You may be wondering: Does this Katie person have a life?

Well, first of all, I love the work I do—and it’s a very big part of my life—but, yes, I have other interests too. Thanks for asking!

Photo: Carter Hasegawa

Here are some things I love:
My cats. They come first, always. Take a look at them, and you’ll know why:

AboutEllaDinah
Ella (Fitzgerald) and Dinah (Washington) are sisters and basically exactly like my characters Callie and Tess, except Callie hides her jealousy much better than Dinah.

My neighborhood. I have lived in Boston’s Jamaica Plain for my entire adult life. I never get tired of the lovely old homes, the trees, the festivals, the parks. I’ve solved many story problems on runs around Jamaica Pond.

AboutJP
FOOD. Cooking it, eating it, talking about it, coming up with elaborate menus. Food is my secret muse.

AboutFood
Music. I love to be swept away by soaring notes and inventive lyrics. I’m especially fond of bittersweet ballads, soul with a beat, and anything involving choreography. When I’m in the mood to have my heart cracked wide, my go-to is fado. For a night on the dance floor, it’s salsa or funk.

Here’s a song to make you cry.

And one to make you dance.

And another just because.

OK, one more.

I’m going to stop after this one, I swear.

Travel, history, languages, humans, politics, the world. That’s a lot of things! But all related, don’t you think? I love exploring where we come from, how we all connect, why injustice happens (over and over), and how we can do better going forward. You can probably tell from my taste in music that I’m especially drawn to the Spanish- and Portuguese-speaking diaspora. I’ve officially spent time on every continent, except Antarctica. I have so much more to see and learn.

2016-02-20 18.20.53
Books Books Books. I don’t know where I’d be without great stories. Here are a handful that have played an outsized role in my writing life:

The House on Mango Street (Sandra Cisneros)
In the Time of the Butterflies (Julia Alvarez)
Speak (Laurie Halse Anderson)
How to Say Goodbye in Robot (Natalie Standiford)
The Farming of Bones (Edwidge Danticat)
Rebecca (Daphne DuMaurier)
And here are a few authors I’d chase to the ends of the earth for a glimpse of their grocery lists:

Sara Zarr * Benjamin Alire Saenz * Jandy Nelson * Francisco X Stork * Edwidge Danticat
Jaclyn Moriarty * E Lockhart * Tana French * Louise Erdrich * Celeste Ng * Sherman Alexie
Junot Diaz * Rita Williams-Garcia * Martine Leavitt * AS King * Meg Medina * Laura Ruby

Murder. My other favorite kinds of stories are the twisty murderous ones on TV. Among those, I’m especially fond of the lady detective variety (cozy, nosey, or hard-boiled—I love ‘em all). My favorite lady detectives: Veronica Mars, Sarah Linden (The Killing), Mma Ramotswe (#1 Ladies Detective Agency), Dana Scully (The X Files), Jessica Jones, Annika Bengtzon, Annalise Keating (How to Get Away with Murder), Phryne Fisher (Miss Fisher’s Murder Mysteries).

The Official Bio
(in case cat pics and lady detectives aren’t your thing)

(seriously, though, did you see my cats?)

Short version

When Katie Bayerl isn’t penning stories, she coaches teens and nonprofits to tell theirs. She holds an MFA in Writing for Children and Young Adults from Vermont College of Fine Arts and has taught creative writing in schools and a variety of community settings. She currently leads the VCFA Young Writers Network and teaches classes for teens at GrubStreet. Katie has an incurable obsession with saints, bittersweet ballads, and murder. A Psalm for Lost Girls (spring 2017, Putnam) is her first novel.

Long version

Katie fell in love with books before she can remember and with teaching when she was just a teen. The writing books for teens part came a bit later. She jumped right in and hasn’t looked back.

Katie has degrees in education from Brown, teaching from Tufts, and writing from Vermont College of Fine Arts. She has taught teens in a range of settings, worked as editor of a teen-generated magazine, led the communications efforts of a Boston nonprofit, and helped dozens of schools and nonprofits tell their stories. She currently leads the VCFA Young Writers Network and teaches classes for teens at GrubStreet. Her young adult fiction won early honors, including the PEN New England Children’s Book Discovery Award and the Flying Pig Bookstore/Vermont College Humor Award. A Psalm for Lost Girls (spring 2017, Putnam) is her first novel.

Media: Download bio, high-resolution images, and author Q&A here.

g
All materials © 2017 Katie Bayerl. Website by Websy Daisy.
School Library Journal - http://www.slj.com/2017/03/interviews/katie-bayerl-on-debut-ya-a-psalm-for-lost-girls/
SEPTEMBER 15, 2017
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You are here: Home / Katie Bayerl on Debut YA “A Psalm for Lost Girls”
Katie Bayerl on Debut YA “A Psalm for Lost Girls”
By Shelley Diaz on March 14, 2017 1 Comment
2145702_bayerl_katie
Katie Bayerl. Photo by Carter Hasegawa
Callie da Costa is still grieving the death of her older sister Tess, who two years ago began hearing God’s voice and is being lauded as a saint. The teen blames her town and her mother’s religious fervor for the anxiety-induced heart attack that took her sister’s life. While Callie endeavors to prove that Tess isn’t worthy of canonization and was just a regular teenager, she and her sister’s bereft boyfriend stumble upon the mystery behind who kidnapped a neighborhood girl. Katie Bayerl’s debut YA novel, A Psalm for Lost Girls (Putnam; Mar. 14, 2017), touches upon the complex themes of religion, mental health, and grief and explores the bonds of sisterhood that even death cannot break.
What inspired you to write A Psalm for Lost Girls?
The first seed was planted during a trip to Portugal, where I dragged myself from beautiful Lisbon on a bus bound for Fátima one afternoon. This choice made zero sense. Here I was, a young woman who’d spent her life fighting against her Catholic upbringing, making a pilgrimage—voluntarily—to one of the church’s most holy sites. But I’d been reading about the “child saint” Lúcia dos Santos, who’d recently passed away and was on a fast track to canonization thanks to a mysterious experience she’d had at age 10. I couldn’t help wondering if she’d ever resented the confines of sainthood. What if, at age 16, all she wanted was to have an ordinary life—make mistakes, fall in love, be a regular girl?
My trip to Fátima didn’t provide answers to my questions about Sister Lúcia, but it did generate the spark that became A Psalm for Lost Girls.
What is the best thing about being a debut author? What is the worst?
The best—by far—is the enthusiasm of family members and friends, especially the ones who don’t know 200 other authors and find this accomplishment astonishing. I’ve received messages of support from so many surprising corners—a totally unexpected gift.
The worst? The idea that other people can read my story (and, thus, see into my heart) whenever they choose to is absolutely terrifying. (You’d think I would’ve thought this part through before seeking publication, right?) I was bullied as a kid, and I understand this type of anxiety to be a fairly common reaction to such trauma. The good news is that I’m learning to adjust my thinking and can already feel my skin thickening [now that] the book has cleared the hurdle of initial reviewers and readers. I can’t wait until my new skin grows in completely.
Which character do you identify with the most? Which one was the hardest to write?
Callie. To both questions: Callie. I identify with the warm, silly, “gifted” Tess as well, but Callie is my shadow self—the girl who never feels good enough, who has more questions than answers, who will do anything to prevent others from seeing her messy, wounded heart. Callie resisted letting me in initially, but I got there with music, visualization exercises, and a lot of help from Tess, who knows her sister better than anyone. Once I got under Callie’s skin, I fell for her. Hard. She has such a big heart and so much spirit, and her flaws are totally endearing.
This novel sits across multiple genres: mystery, magical realism, contemporary. How were you able to make all of these threads come together so well?
I think of Psalm as a contemporary novel dressed up in mystery clothes. Contemporary YA is my home—it’s what I read, what I love, and most of what I’ve written up until now. And the mystery genre is my not-so-secret addiction. (I’m pretty sure that executives at Netflix and the BBC use me as a data point: “Will this show have murder? Well, then it’ll be a hit with the Katie Bayerl demographic!”)
I knew from the outset that I wanted the story to be structured as an investigation, with Callie and Danny as the sainthood “detectives.” Because I watch and read so many procedural mysteries, this part came intuitively. Other parts were more deliberate. For instance, I rewatched favorite series to steep myself in the atmosphere and to see how they created tension and gasp-worthy twists.
As for magical realism, I want to debate that label. Maybe my Catholic upbringing is showing, but I think there’s an awful lot of wonder in the everyday, and so much documented human experience—including the experiences of voice hearers and visionaries throughout the ages—that teeters on that thin line between the ordinary and the transcendent. Some might call it magical; I call it life.
YA-Bayerl-APsalmforLostGirlsIn writing the mystery aspects, did you know all along where the story was going? Or did you have to go back to seed the clues throughout after you finished the narrative?
Both. I knew the overall arc—I knew who did it and, more important, why. But I didn’t have all of the little clues that would allow Callie (and readers) to piece it together. That took work and a fair bit of nudging from my brilliant agent and editor.
We don’t often see teens facing questions of faith in YA, and I found the details from the characters’ Portuguese background fascinating as well. Why did you think it was important to explore the da Costas’ religious and cultural background?
I could talk about this for hours.
I’m not the first writer to mine her religious upbringing for stories, but young adult fiction has a certain queasiness around faith, doesn’t it? Even more so regarding religious skepticism. There are brave exceptions to be sure, but I think we need more books—many, many more diverse books for young people—that wrestle honestly with the enormous questions we all have about our existence, about all that is wondrous and terrible and inexplicable in our world. These were urgent questions for me when I was a teen and remain central questions in my life now. How could I not explore that juicy stuff?
As for culture—I’ll be a little feisty here, too—how could I imagine a character or family or community without culture? While no one’s culture is their sole defining feature, it’s such a deep part of identity and of place. I’m a major culture nerd—a lifelong student of history, language, and all of the intricate patterns and intersections that make up New England’s urban communities in particular. I feel lucky to live in such a vibrant, multicultural region. Many of my loved ones, neighbors, and students are immigrants or children of immigrants; others, like me and my protagonists, are a just a few generations removed. Culture is always right there, present in so many daily interactions.
I am not Portuguese, but my relationship to my Irish and German/Bohemian roots has parallels to the da Costa sisters’ relationship to their Portuguese heritage, and I’ve been around Portuguese culture for a long time. We might need a separate interview to discuss the reasons why I made this leap and how personal experience, research, and beta readers helped me capture these specific characters. I do hope I’ve done them justice.
The family relationships really stand out in this novel. How did you go about crafting the relationship between Tess and Callie? And their relationships with their mom?
I had heaps of personal experience to draw on here. I come from an enormous, complex family. I also have a baby sister, a sisterlike cousin, and a loving mother with very different beliefs from my own. While Callie and Tess’s family isn’t autobiographical, there are many dynamics that feel familiar to me. I had to push to get those relationships on the page in the right balance (Tess’s scenes offered a much-needed window), but the family itself felt whole and alive almost from the outset.
We see the alternating perspectives of Callie in the present and Tess in the past via her journal entries. Did you write these at the same time? Or was there one point of view that you wrote first?
I wrote Callie’s story first. I’d attempted to integrate Tess in early drafts in more of a Lovely Bones way, but it wasn’t working. The journal concept came later. By that time, I already knew Tess well, so her chapters just poured out.
What are you working on now?
I’m working on a YA about a girl who’s disappointed to discover a life after death. It’s a little bit campy and a little bit dark and pulls on another of my genre addictions: the political spy thriller. If it sounds slightly bananas, that’s probably because it is.
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Shelley DiazAbout Shelley Diaz
Shelley M. Diaz (sdiaz@mediasourceinc.com) is School Library Journal's Reviews Team Manager and SLJTeen newsletter editor. She has her MLIS in Public Librarianship with a Certificate in Children’s & YA Services from Queens College, and can be found on Twitter @sdiaz101.
Filed Under: Interviews, Teens & YA Tagged With: Katie Bayerl, SLJTeen, YAlit Discussion: View 1 Comment
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Comments

Evelyn Krieger says:
March 22, 2017 at 3:36 pm
This book sounds fascinating and I’m excited to read it. I also live in New England and have a strong interest in how religious beliefs shape family relationships. My middle-grade novel, One Is Not A Lonely Number, explores orthodox Jewish life through girls’ friendships and families. Congratulations to Katie!

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HOMEWRITERS OF THE WORLDKATIE BAYERL KATIE BAYERL I didn’t start out as a writer. I wasn’t that kid who dreams of holding her own novel one day. I was a voracious reader, though, and I loved being around young people, so I found my way into a career as a teacher. I thrived on those moments when one of my students discovered a book that connected. Being “on” ten hours a day was probably a bad idea for a person with my emotional makeup, though, and the anger I harbored against a system that treated my students as disposable took a serious toll. I left teaching abruptly. It was awful. Also, brave. During my recovery, I caught a movie version of one of my favorite young adult novels (Speak by Laurie Halse Anderson) on late-night TV. Something clicked: teens and books, my two great loves. I needed to be writing books for teens! I outlined my first young adult manuscript that night. I now teach part-time in addition to my work as a young adult author. It’s a much better mix. In my own books, I explore personal themes and ideas, but I also get to be part of all of these other young writers’ stories. I can only write so many books in my lifetime, but I can also be part of bringing powerful, diverse new voices into the world. That feels like the perfect place to be. www.katiebayerl.com FEATURED BOOKS - CLICK A COVER TO EXPLORE! EXPLORE ALL BOOKS Subscribe to Warren Adler’s Newsletter Warren Adler ©2017, Stonehouse Press, All Rights Reserved Tv / Films BACK Grey Eagle Films Plays News BACK Latest news Articles Interviews Videos Ask the Author Writers of The World Blog BACK Featured Literary Technology Media Politics Speeches Bio Books by Warren Adler BACK All Books Bestsellers Relationships/Family Relationships/Love The Fiona Fitzgerald Mystery Series Psychological Thrillers Political Thrillers Historical Fiction Short Story Collections Mystery/Cozy About Us BACK Stonehouse Productions Available Rights Contact Book Review Rewards Club WARREN ADLERTV / FILMS GREY EAGLE FILMS PLAYSNEWS LATEST NEWS ARTICLES INTERVIEWS VIDEOS ASK THE AUTHOR WRITERS OF THE WORLDBLOG FEATURED LITERARY TECHNOLOGY MEDIA POLITICS SPEECHES BIOBOOKS BY WARREN ADLER ALL BOOKS BESTSELLERS RELATIONSHIPS/FAMILY RELATIONSHIPS/LOVE THE FIONA FITZGERALD MYSTERY SERIES PSYCHOLOGICAL THRILLERS POLITICAL THRILLERS HISTORICAL FICTION SHORT STORY COLLECTIONS MYSTERY/COZY ABOUT US STONEHOUSE PRODUCTIONS AVAILABLE RIGHTS CONTACTBOOK REVIEW REWARDS CLUB Why I Write CLICK TO SUBMIT YOUR STORY! HOMEWRITERS OF THE WORLDKATIE BAYERL KATIE BAYERL I didn’t start out as a writer. I wasn’t that kid who dreams of holding her own novel one day. I was a voracious reader, though, and I loved being around young people, so I found my way into a career as a teacher. I thrived on those moments when one of my students discovered a book that connected. Being “on” ten hours a day was probably a bad idea for a person with my emotional makeup, though, and the anger I harbored against a system that treated my students as disposable took a serious toll. I left teaching abruptly. It was awful. Also, brave. During my recovery, I caught a movie version of one of my favorite young adult novels (Speak by Laurie Halse Anderson) on late-night TV. Something clicked: teens and books, my two great loves. I needed to be writing books for teens! I outlined my first young adult manuscript that night. I now teach part-time in addition to my work as a young adult author. It’s a much better mix. In my own books, I explore personal themes and ideas, but I also get to be part of all of these other young writers’ stories. I can only write so many books in my lifetime, but I can also be part of bringing powerful, diverse new voices into the world. That feels like the perfect place to be. www.katiebayerl.com FEATURED BOOKS - CLICK A COVER TO EXPLORE! EXPLORE ALL BOOKS Subscribe to Warren Adler’s Newsletter Warren Adler ©2017, Stonehouse Press, All Rights Reserved Tv / Films BACK Grey Eagle Films Plays News BACK Latest news Articles Interviews Videos Ask the Author Writers of The World Blog BACK Featured Literary Technology Media Politics Speeches Bio Books by Warren Adler BACK All Books Bestsellers Relationships/Family Relationships/Love The Fiona Fitzgerald Mystery Series Psychological Thrillers Political Thrillers Historical Fiction Short Story Collections Mystery/Cozy About Us BACK Stonehouse Productions Available Rights Contact Book Review Rewards Club WARREN ADLERTV / FILMS GREY EAGLE FILMS PLAYSNEWS LATEST NEWS ARTICLES INTERVIEWS VIDEOS ASK THE AUTHOR WRITERS OF THE WORLDBLOG FEATURED LITERARY TECHNOLOGY MEDIA POLITICS SPEECHES BIOBOOKS BY WARREN ADLER ALL BOOKS BESTSELLERS RELATIONSHIPS/FAMILY RELATIONSHIPS/LOVE THE FIONA FITZGERALD MYSTERY SERIES PSYCHOLOGICAL THRILLERS POLITICAL THRILLERS HISTORICAL FICTION SHORT STORY COLLECTIONS MYSTERY/COZY ABOUT US STONEHOUSE PRODUCTIONS AVAILABLE RIGHTS CONTACTBOOK REVIEW REWARDS CLUB Why I Write CLICK TO SUBMIT YOUR STORY! HOMEWRITERS OF THE WORLDKATIE BAYERL KATIE BAYERL I didn’t start out as a writer. I wasn’t that kid who dreams of holding her own novel one day. I was a voracious reader, though, and I loved being around young people, so I found my way into a career as a teacher. I thrived on those moments when one of my students discovered a book that connected. Being “on” ten hours a day was probably a bad idea for a person with my emotional makeup, though, and the anger I harbored against a system that treated my students as disposable took a serious toll. I left teaching abruptly. It was awful. Also, brave. During my recovery, I caught a movie version of one of my favorite young adult novels (Speak by Laurie Halse Anderson) on late-night TV. Something clicked: teens and books, my two great loves. I needed to be writing books for teens! I outlined my first young adult manuscript that night. I now teach part-time in addition to my work as a young adult author. It’s a much better mix. In my own books, I explore personal themes and ideas, but I also get to be part of all of these other young writers’ stories. I can only write so many books in my lifetime, but I can also be part of bringing powerful, diverse new voices into the world. That feels like the perfect place to be. www.katiebayerl.com FEATURED BOOKS - CLICK A COVER TO EXPLORE! EXPLORE ALL BOOKS Subscribe to Warren Adler’s Newsletter Warren Adler ©2017, Stonehouse Press, All Rights Reserved ShareThis Copy and PasteTv / Films BACK Grey Eagle Films Plays News BACK Latest news Articles Interviews Videos Ask the Author Writers of The World Blog BACK Featured Literary Technology Media Politics Speeches Bio Books by Warren Adler BACK All Books Bestsellers Relationships/Family Relationships/Love The Fiona Fitzgerald Mystery Series Psychological Thrillers Political Thrillers Historical Fiction Short Story Collections Mystery/Cozy About Us BACK Stonehouse Productions Available Rights Contact Book Review Rewards Club WARREN ADLERTV / FILMS GREY EAGLE FILMS PLAYSNEWS LATEST NEWS ARTICLES INTERVIEWS VIDEOS ASK THE AUTHOR WRITERS OF THE WORLDBLOG FEATURED LITERARY TECHNOLOGY MEDIA POLITICS SPEECHES BIOBOOKS BY WARREN ADLER ALL BOOKS BESTSELLERS RELATIONSHIPS/FAMILY RELATIONSHIPS/LOVE THE FIONA FITZGERALD MYSTERY SERIES PSYCHOLOGICAL THRILLERS POLITICAL THRILLERS HISTORICAL FICTION SHORT STORY COLLECTIONS MYSTERY/COZY ABOUT US STONEHOUSE PRODUCTIONS AVAILABLE RIGHTS CONTACTBOOK REVIEW REWARDS CLUB Why I Write CLICK TO SUBMIT YOUR STORY! HOMEWRITERS OF THE WORLDKATIE BAYERL KATIE BAYERL I didn’t start out as a writer. I wasn’t that kid who dreams of holding her own novel one day. I was a voracious reader, though, and I loved being around young people, so I found my way into a career as a teacher. I thrived on those moments when one of my students discovered a book that connected. Being “on” ten hours a day was probably a bad idea for a person with my emotional makeup, though, and the anger I harbored against a system that treated my students as disposable took a serious toll. I left teaching abruptly. It was awful. Also, brave. During my recovery, I caught a movie version of one of my favorite young adult novels (Speak by Laurie Halse Anderson) on late-night TV. Something clicked: teens and books, my two great loves. I needed to be writing books for teens! I outlined my first young adult manuscript that night. I now teach part-time in addition to my work as a young adult author. It’s a much better mix. In my own books, I explore personal themes and ideas, but I also get to be part of all of these other young writers’ stories. I can only write so many books in my lifetime, but I can also be part of bringing powerful, diverse new voices into the world. That feels like the perfect place to be. www.katiebayerl.com FEATURED BOOKS - CLICK A COVER TO EXPLORE! EXPLORE ALL BOOKS Subscribe to Warren Adler’s Newsletter Warren Adler ©2017, Stonehouse Press, All Rights Reserved Tv / Films BACK Grey Eagle Films Plays News BACK Latest news Articles Interviews Videos Ask the Author Writers of The World Blog BACK Featured Literary Technology Media Politics Speeches Bio Books by Warren Adler BACK All Books Bestsellers Relationships/Family Relationships/Love The Fiona Fitzgerald Mystery Series Psychological Thrillers Political Thrillers Historical Fiction Short Story Collections Mystery/Cozy About Us BACK Stonehouse Productions Available Rights Contact Book Review Rewards Club WARREN ADLERTV / FILMS GREY EAGLE FILMS PLAYSNEWS LATEST NEWS ARTICLES INTERVIEWS VIDEOS ASK THE AUTHOR WRITERS OF THE WORLDBLOG FEATURED LITERARY TECHNOLOGY MEDIA POLITICS SPEECHES BIOBOOKS BY WARREN ADLER ALL BOOKS BESTSELLERS RELATIONSHIPS/FAMILY RELATIONSHIPS/LOVE THE FIONA FITZGERALD MYSTERY SERIES PSYCHOLOGICAL THRILLERS POLITICAL THRILLERS HISTORICAL FICTION SHORT STORY COLLECTIONS MYSTERY/COZY ABOUT US STONEHOUSE PRODUCTIONS AVAILABLE RIGHTS CONTACTBOOK REVIEW REWARDS CLUB Why I Write CLICK TO SUBMIT YOUR STORY! HOMEWRITERS OF THE WORLDKATIE BAYERL KATIE BAYERL I didn’t start out as a writer. I wasn’t that kid who dreams of holding her own novel one day. I was a voracious reader, though, and I loved being around young people, so I found my way into a career as a teacher. I thrived on those moments when one of my students discovered a book that connected. Being “on” ten hours a day was probably a bad idea for a person with my emotional makeup, though, and the anger I harbored against a system that treated my students as disposable took a serious toll. I left teaching abruptly. It was awful. Also, brave. During my recovery, I caught a movie version of one of my favorite young adult novels (Speak by Laurie Halse Anderson) on late-night TV. Something clicked: teens and books, my two great loves. I needed to be writing books for teens! I outlined my first young adult manuscript that night. I now teach part-time in addition to my work as a young adult author. It’s a much better mix. In my own books, I explore personal themes and ideas, but I also get to be part of all of these other young writers’ stories. I can only write so many books in my lifetime, but I can also be part of bringing powerful, diverse new voices into the world. That feels like the perfect place to be. www.katiebayerl.com FEATURED BOOKS - CLICK A COVER TO EXPLORE! EXPLORE ALL BOOKS Subscribe to Warren Adler’s Newsletter Warren Adler ©2017, Stonehouse Press, All Rights Reserved ShareThis Copy and PasteTv / Films BACK Grey Eagle Films Plays News BACK Latest news Articles Interviews Videos Ask the Author Writers of The World Blog BACK Featured Literary Technology Media Politics Speeches Bio Books by Warren Adler BACK All Books Bestsellers Relationships/Family Relationships/Love The Fiona Fitzgerald Mystery Series Psychological Thrillers Political Thrillers Historical Fiction Short Story Collections Mystery/Cozy About Us BACK Stonehouse Productions Available Rights Contact Book Review Rewards Club WARREN ADLERTV / FILMS GREY EAGLE FILMS PLAYSNEWS LATEST NEWS ARTICLES INTERVIEWS VIDEOS ASK THE AUTHOR WRITERS OF THE WORLDBLOG FEATURED LITERARY TECHNOLOGY MEDIA POLITICS SPEECHES BIOBOOKS BY WARREN ADLER ALL BOOKS BESTSELLERS RELATIONSHIPS/FAMILY RELATIONSHIPS/LOVE THE FIONA FITZGERALD MYSTERY SERIES PSYCHOLOGICAL THRILLERS POLITICAL THRILLERS HISTORICAL FICTION SHORT STORY COLLECTIONS MYSTERY/COZY ABOUT US STONEHOUSE PRODUCTIONS AVAILABLE RIGHTS CONTACTBOOK REVIEW REWARDS CLUB Why I Write CLICK TO SUBMIT YOUR STORY! HOMEWRITERS OF THE WORLDKATIE BAYERL KATIE BAYERL I didn’t start out as a writer. I wasn’t that kid who dreams of holding her own novel one day. I was a voracious reader, though, and I loved being around young people, so I found my way into a career as a teacher. I thrived on those moments when one of my students discovered a book that connected. Being “on” ten hours a day was probably a bad idea for a person with my emotional makeup, though, and the anger I harbored against a system that treated my students as disposable took a serious toll. I left teaching abruptly. It was awful. Also, brave. During my recovery, I caught a movie version of one of my favorite young adult novels (Speak by Laurie Halse Anderson) on late-night TV. Something clicked: teens and books, my two great loves. I needed to be writing books for teens! I outlined my first young adult manuscript that night. I now teach part-time in addition to my work as a young adult author. It’s a much better mix. In my own books, I explore personal themes and ideas, but I also get to be part of all of these other young writers’ stories. I can only write so many books in my lifetime, but I can also be part of bringing powerful, diverse new voices into the world. That feels like the perfect place to be. www.katiebayerl.com FEATURED BOOKS - CLICK A COVER TO EXPLORE! EXPLORE ALL BOOKS Subscribe to Warren Adler’s Newsletter Warren Adler ©2017, Stonehouse Press, All Rights Reserved Tv / Films BACK Grey Eagle Films Plays News BACK Latest news Articles Interviews Videos Ask the Author Writers of The World Blog BACK Featured Literary Technology Media Politics Speeches Bio Books by Warren Adler BACK All Books Bestsellers Relationships/Family Relationships/Love The Fiona Fitzgerald Mystery Series Psychological Thrillers Political Thrillers Historical Fiction Short Story Collections Mystery/Cozy About Us BACK Stonehouse Productions Available Rights Contact Book Review Rewards Club WARREN ADLERTV / FILMS GREY EAGLE FILMS PLAYSNEWS LATEST NEWS ARTICLES INTERVIEWS VIDEOS ASK THE AUTHOR WRITERS OF THE WORLDBLOG FEATURED LITERARY TECHNOLOGY MEDIA POLITICS SPEECHES BIOBOOKS BY WARREN ADLER ALL BOOKS BESTSELLERS RELATIONSHIPS/FAMILY RELATIONSHIPS/LOVE THE FIONA FITZGERALD MYSTERY SERIES PSYCHOLOGICAL THRILLERS POLITICAL THRILLERS HISTORICAL FICTION SHORT STORY COLLECTIONS MYSTERY/COZY ABOUT US STONEHOUSE PRODUCTIONS AVAILABLE RIGHTS CONTACTBOOK REVIEW REWARDS CLUB Why I Write CLICK TO SUBMIT YOUR STORY! HOMEWRITERS OF THE WORLDKATIE BAYERL KATIE BAYERL I didn’t start out as a writer. I wasn’t that kid who dreams of holding her own novel one day. I was a voracious reader, though, and I loved being around young people, so I found my way into a career as a teacher. I thrived on those moments when one of my students discovered a book that connected. Being “on” ten hours a day was probably a bad idea for a person with my emotional makeup, though, and the anger I harbored against a system that treated my students as disposable took a serious toll. I left teaching abruptly. It was awful. Also, brave. During my recovery, I caught a movie version of one of my favorite young adult novels (Speak by Laurie Halse Anderson) on late-night TV. Something clicked: teens and books, my two great loves. I needed to be writing books for teens! I outlined my first young adult manuscript that night. I now teach part-time in addition to my work as a young adult author. It’s a much better mix. In my own books, I explore personal themes and ideas, but I also get to be part of all of these other young writers’ stories. I can only write so many books in my lifetime, but I can also be part of bringing powerful, diverse new voices into the world. That feels like the perfect place to be. www.katiebayerl.com FEATURED BOOKS - CLICK A COVER TO EXPLORE! EXPLORE ALL BOOKS Subscribe to Warren Adler’s Newsletter Warren Adler ©2017, Stonehouse Press, All Rights Reserved Tv / Films BACK Grey Eagle Films Plays News BACK Latest news Articles Interviews Videos Ask the Author Writers of The World Blog BACK Featured Literary Technology Media Politics Speeches Bio Books by Warren Adler BACK All Books Bestsellers Relationships/Family Relationships/Love The Fiona Fitzgerald Mystery Series Psychological Thrillers Political Thrillers Historical Fiction Short Story Collections Mystery/Cozy About Us BACK Stonehouse Productions Available Rights Contact Book Review Rewards Club WARREN ADLERTV / FILMS GREY EAGLE FILMS PLAYSNEWS LATEST NEWS ARTICLES INTERVIEWS VIDEOS ASK THE AUTHOR WRITERS OF THE WORLDBLOG FEATURED LITERARY TECHNOLOGY MEDIA POLITICS SPEECHES BIOBOOKS BY WARREN ADLER ALL BOOKS BESTSELLERS RELATIONSHIPS/FAMILY RELATIONSHIPS/LOVE THE FIONA FITZGERALD MYSTERY SERIES PSYCHOLOGICAL THRILLERS POLITICAL THRILLERS HISTORICAL FICTION SHORT STORY COLLECTIONS MYSTERY/COZY ABOUT US STONEHOUSE PRODUCTIONS AVAILABLE RIGHTS CONTACTBOOK REVIEW REWARDS CLUB Why I Write CLICK TO SUBMIT YOUR STORY! HOMEWRITERS OF THE WORLDKATIE BAYERL KATIE BAYERL I didn’t start out as a writer. I wasn’t that kid who dreams of holding her own novel one day. I was a voracious reader, though, and I loved being around young people, so I found my way into a career as a teacher. I thrived on those moments when one of my students discovered a book that connected. Being “on” ten hours a day was probably a bad idea for a person with my emotional makeup, though, and the anger I harbored against a system that treated my students as disposable took a serious toll. I left teaching abruptly. It was awful. Also, brave. During my recovery, I caught a movie version of one of my favorite young adult novels (Speak by Laurie Halse Anderson) on late-night TV. Something clicked: teens and books, my two great loves. I needed to be writing books for teens! I outlined my first young adult manuscript that night. I now teach part-time in addition to my work as a young adult author. It’s a much better mix. In my own books, I explore personal themes and ideas, but I also get to be part of all of these other young writers’ stories. I can only write so many books in my lifetime, but I can also be part of bringing powerful, diverse new voices into the world. That feels like the perfect place to be. www.katiebayerl.com FEATURED BOOKS - CLICK A COVER TO EXPLORE! EXPLORE ALL BOOKS Subscribe to Warren Adler’s Newsletter Warren Adler ©2017, Stonehouse Press, All Rights Reserved ShareThis Copy and PasteTv / Films BACK Grey Eagle Films Plays News BACK Latest news Articles Interviews Videos Ask the Author Writers of The World Blog BACK Featured Literary Technology Media Politics Speeches Bio Books by Warren Adler BACK All Books Bestsellers Relationships/Family Relationships/Love The Fiona Fitzgerald Mystery Series Psychological Thrillers Political Thrillers Historical Fiction Short Story Collections Mystery/Cozy About Us BACK Stonehouse Productions Available Rights Contact Book Review Rewards Club WARREN ADLERTV / FILMS GREY EAGLE FILMS PLAYSNEWS LATEST NEWS ARTICLES INTERVIEWS VIDEOS ASK THE AUTHOR WRITERS OF THE WORLDBLOG FEATURED LITERARY TECHNOLOGY MEDIA POLITICS SPEECHES BIOBOOKS BY WARREN ADLER ALL BOOKS BESTSELLERS RELATIONSHIPS/FAMILY RELATIONSHIPS/LOVE THE FIONA FITZGERALD MYSTERY SERIES PSYCHOLOGICAL THRILLERS POLITICAL THRILLERS HISTORICAL FICTION SHORT STORY COLLECTIONS MYSTERY/COZY ABOUT US STONEHOUSE PRODUCTIONS AVAILABLE RIGHTS CONTACTBOOK REVIEW REWARDS CLUB Why I Write CLICK TO SUBMIT YOUR STORY! HOMEWRITERS OF THE WORLDKATIE BAYERL KATIE BAYERL I didn’t start out as a writer. I wasn’t that kid who dreams of holding her own novel one day. I was a voracious reader, though, and I loved being around young people, so I found my way into a career as a teacher. I thrived on those moments when one of my students discovered a book that connected. Being “on” ten hours a day was probably a bad idea for a person with my emotional makeup, though, and the anger I harbored against a system that treated my students as disposable took a serious toll. I left teaching abruptly. It was awful. Also, brave. During my recovery, I caught a movie version of one of my favorite young adult novels (Speak by Laurie Halse Anderson) on late-night TV. Something clicked: teens and books, my two great loves. I needed to be writing books for teens! I outlined my first young adult manuscript that night. I now teach part-time in addition to my work as a young adult author. It’s a much better mix. In my own books, I explore personal themes and ideas, but I also get to be part of all of these other young writers’ stories. I can only write so many books in my lifetime, but I can also be part of bringing powerful, diverse new voices into the world. That feels like the perfect place to be. www.katiebayerl.com FEATURED BOOKS - CLICK A COVER TO EXPLORE! EXPLORE ALL BOOKS Subscribe to Warren Adler’s Newsletter Warren Adler ©2017, Stonehouse Press, All Rights Reserved Tv / Films BACK Grey Eagle Films Plays News BACK Latest news Articles Interviews Videos Ask the Author Writers of The World Blog BACK Featured Literary Technology Media Politics Speeches Bio Books by Warren Adler BACK All Books Bestsellers Relationships/Family Relationships/Love The Fiona Fitzgerald Mystery Series Psychological Thrillers Political Thrillers Historical Fiction Short Story Collections Mystery/Cozy About Us BACK Stonehouse Productions Available Rights Contact Book Review Rewards Club WARREN ADLERTV / FILMS GREY EAGLE FILMS PLAYSNEWS LATEST NEWS ARTICLES INTERVIEWS VIDEOS ASK THE AUTHOR WRITERS OF THE WORLDBLOG FEATURED LITERARY TECHNOLOGY MEDIA POLITICS SPEECHES BIOBOOKS BY WARREN ADLER ALL BOOKS BESTSELLERS RELATIONSHIPS/FAMILY RELATIONSHIPS/LOVE THE FIONA FITZGERALD MYSTERY SERIES PSYCHOLOGICAL THRILLERS POLITICAL THRILLERS HISTORICAL FICTION SHORT STORY COLLECTIONS MYSTERY/COZY ABOUT US STONEHOUSE PRODUCTIONS AVAILABLE RIGHTS CONTACTBOOK REVIEW REWARDS CLUB Why I Write CLICK TO SUBMIT YOUR STORY! HOMEWRITERS OF THE WORLDKATIE BAYERL KATIE BAYERL I didn’t start out as a writer. I wasn’t that kid who dreams of holding her own novel one day. I was a voracious reader, though, and I loved being around young people, so I found my way into a career as a teacher. I thrived on those moments when one of my students discovered a book that connected. Being “on” ten hours a day was probably a bad idea for a person with my emotional makeup, though, and the anger I harbored against a system that treated my students as disposable took a serious toll. I left teaching abruptly. It was awful. Also, brave. During my recovery, I caught a movie version of one of my favorite young adult novels (Speak by Laurie Halse Anderson) on late-night TV. Something clicked: teens and books, my two great loves. I needed to be writing books for teens! I outlined my first young adult manuscript that night. I now teach part-time in addition to my work as a young adult author. It’s a much better mix. In my own books, I explore personal themes and ideas, but I also get to be part of all of these other young writers’ stories. I can only write so many books in my lifetime, but I can also be part of bringing powerful, diverse new voices into the world. That feels like the perfect place to be. www.katiebayerl.com FEATURED BOOKS - CLICK A COVER TO EXPLORE! EXPLORE ALL BOOKS Subscribe to Warren Adler’s Newsletter Warren Adler ©2017, Stonehouse Press, All Rights Reserved ShareThis Copy and Paste
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Author Spotlight and Q&A with Katie Bayerl
May 15, 2017

Katie Bayerl lives in Boston. Her first book for teens is A Psalm for Lost Girls. She teches classes for teens and leads a Young Writers network. Katie is obsessed with saints, bittersweet ballads, and murder. You can find out more about Katie at katiebayerl.com

Thousand Islands Book Festival: Hey Katie, I'm so happy you could answer some questions for us today. Congrats on your debut novel, A Psalm for Lost Girls. How about we get to some questions?

TIBF: As a writer, what would you choose as your mascot or spirit animal?
Katie: A cat. Have I mentioned how much I adore cats? They really know how to live.

TIBF: If you couldn't be an author, what other job would you most like to do?
Katie: Dancer or economist

TIBF: If you couldn't be an author, what other job would you least like to do?
Katie: Anything involving a suit

TIBF: What were your best book friends growing up?
Katie: Everything by Lucy Maud Montgomery, author of Anne fo Green Gables (and more importantly, Emily of New Moon!)

TIBF: Hey, me too. I love Anne so much. What is your writing Kryptonite?
Katie: I can write anywhere and under any conditions if necessary, but I prefer to write with a cup of coffee and two purring kitties on my lap. (Which is what I'm doing right now!)

TIBF: What was an early experience where you learned that language had power?
Katie: I can't remember a time before I was in love with stories and songs. Every week in elementary school, my mom took me to the library. I was allowed to take out as many books as my age (6 when I was 6) and one record. It was my favorite part of the week.

TIBF: What is one subject you wish had been taught in school?
Katie: I'd have loved to take a class about legendary/mystical women across history and continents

TIBF: What is one thing you think readers would be interested to know about you?
Katie: I speak three languages and have traveled to every continent, except Antarctica.

TIBF: What is your writing process like?
Katie: I usually write first thing in the morning, seated in my rocking chair with two cats and a cup of coffee.

TIBF: If you were headed to a deserted island and could only bring stories with two out of three qualities (plot, characters, setting), which one would you leave behind?
Katie: Plot. Definitely.

TIBF: What Hogwarts House are you?
Katie: Ravenclaw

TIBF: What is your favorite under-appreciated book?
Katie: The Farming of Bones by Edwidge Danticat (not her most famous book but my favorite)

TIBF: How did you come up with one of your character's names?
Katie: There is a creepy priest named Brother Andrew. My brother's name is... Andrew. He has mostly forgiven me.

TIBF: If you could tell your younger writing self anything, what would it be?
Katie: Read what you love, write what you love, take your time. You don't have to be anyone but you. Enjoy reading whatever you like and writing whatever interests you.

Thousand Islands Book Festival: That was fabulous - we can't wait to meet you in person on June 3!

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The Porchlight: Episode Eleven with Katie Bayerl

Episode Eleven features Katie Bayerl, author of A Psalm For Lost Girls, Putnam, March 2017. Katie’s debut novel is a contemporary YA in mystery clothing, about an abduction that changes the lives of three girls. Katie holds an MFA in Writing for Children and Young Adults from Vermont College of Fine Arts and directs the VCFA Young Writers Network. The Network connects VCFA alums to underserved young readers through writing workshops at no cost for attendees. She has taught creative writing in schools and a variety of community settings and currently teaches classes for teens at GrubStreet.

Our Porchlight conversation with Katie explores her love of writing, “there’s always more to learn.” She discusses her publishing journey and the challenges of revision – “the messy part of being a novelist.” Katie estimates it took her eight years to complete A Psalm for Lost Girls, but has since developed tools to make sure each chapter is moving the story forward. She’ll be sharing these tools with attendees of The Literary Page Turner: Advanced Writer Weekend at The Writing Barn in November. Katie and Bethany also discuss the value of writing retreats and how being in a new place can give a writer new perspective on their work.

Links
Katie Bayerl
VCFA Young Writers Network
Interview with School Library Journal
School Library Journal starred review
Publishers Weekly starred review
First chapter of A Psalm for Lost Girls
A Psalm for Lost Girls
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13
MAR
2017
Blog Tour: A Psalm For Lost Girls by Katie Bayerl – Author Q &A and Giveaway!

Posted in Blog Tour, Giveaways |
Book Tour
A Psalm for Lost Girls

Author: Katie Bayerl

Publication Date: March 14th, 2017

Publisher: G.P. Putnam’s Sons Books for Young Readers

Synopsis: Tess da Costa is a saint — a hand-to-god, miracle-producing saint. At least that’s what the people in her hometown of New Avon, Massachusetts, seem to believe. And when Tess suddenly and tragically passes away, her small city begins feverishly petitioning the Pope to make Tess’s sainthood official. Tess’s mother is ecstatic over the fervor, while her sister Callie, the one who knew Tess best, is disgusted – overcome with the feeling that her sister is being stolen from her all over again.

The fervor for Tess’s sainthood only grows when Ana Langone, a local girl who’s been missing for six months, is found alive at the foot of one of Tess’s shrines. It’s the final straw for Callie.

With the help of Tess’s secret boyfriend Danny, Callie’s determined to prove that Tess was something far more important than a saint; she was her sister, her best friend and a girl in love with a boy. But Callie’s investigation uncovers much more than she bargained for: a hidden diary, old family secrets, and even the disturbing truth behind Ana’s kidnapping.

Some Nifty Book Links:

Goodreads | Amazon

About the Author

When Katie Bayerl isn’t penning stories, she coaches teens and nonprofits to tell theirs. She holds an MFA in Writing for Children and Young Adults from Vermont College of Fine Arts and has taught creative writing in schools and a variety of community settings. Katie has an incurable obsession with saints, bittersweet ballads, and murder. A Psalm for Lost Girls is her first novel.

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Q&A With Katie Bayerl
What inspired you to write A Psalm for Lost Girls?
The first seed for this novel was planted during a trip to Portugal. Before my trip, a friend sent me an article about the Lúcia dos Santos, the last of child saints of Fátima, and one hot afternoon, I took a bus to the Basilica of Our Lady Fátima to learn more.

In 1917, Lúcia and her two cousins allegedly witnessed apparitions of the Virgin Mary. The cousins passed away young, leaving Lúcia to carry their story. She joined a convent as a young woman and remained a nun until her death at age 97.

I couldn’t stop asking myself what it would be like to be in her position, on track to sainthood at such a young age. What if, at age 16, she had a change of heart? What if all she wanted to live a normal life, make mistakes, fall in love?

So many stories begin with that type of “what if” question. In this case, the question spoke to something personal. You see, I was a labeled gifted (academically) at a young age. It was a label that weighed heavy at times and one I struggled to live up to at others. Sometimes, it felt like that was all I was.

But, of course, no person can ever be reduced to one thing.

I wanted to explore that idea—all of these questions and tensions that come along with being “gifted.” I wasn’t sure how I to tell that story, though, until a girl named Callie popped onto the page—angry, grieving, and desperate to tell the world about the mess that her sister’s gifts had left in their wake.

Books about family are essential – do you have any siblings or family members that you considered your best friend growing up?
Yes! I have a younger cousin who was like a sister to me growing up. Our moms were each other’s best friends, and we had summer homes around the corner from each other. We were together constantly, keeping each other entertained with all sorts of schemes and driving each other nuts too. I won’t lie. Family love is messy, especially in a big family—our grandparents had nine kids! My cousin and I stuck together, hiding in each other’s rooms when we couldn’t handle the crowd, and cracking each other up with jokes that didn’t make sense to anyone else.

(I have a baby sister too—12 years younger—and she is my heart. I think we’re supposed to be grownups at this point? But we basically spend all of our time sending each other ridiculous animal gifs.)

What was your favorite part about writing A Psalm for Lost Girls?
I had the most fun writing the scenes between Callie and Tess. I love how their personalities play off of each other and how you get to see a tender side of (smart, tough, no-nonsense)

Callie through her sister’s eyes. I also love how warm and silly and all-over-the-place Tess can be; her chapters just poured out of me.

I’ll admit, I had a lot of fun writing the creepy scenes with little abducted Ana, too. That voice—agh—I’m not exactly sure where it came from, but it transported me!

How do you avoid distractions while writing?
When I’m in the zone, nothing else exists. The trick is getting there. Sometimes I have to turn off the wi-fi to stop myself from mindlessly flipping over to social media. Music helps me too. I have a playlist for each novel, and certain songs plunk me right back into the story.

(Here’s the playlist for Psalm.)

What books are on your nightstand right now?
Do you really want to know what a mess my TBR situation is? I have a huge problem: way too many books, not nearly enough time, and a late-fee phobia, which puts library books ahead of the pack and creates a major backup.

But you asked, so…

Almost overdue, must hurry: The Underground Railroad by Colson Whitehead

Half read and eager to finish (damn you, library interruptions!): The Regional Offices Are Under Attack by Manuel Gonzales; The Lonely City by Olivia Lang; Between the World and Me by Ta-Nehisi Coates.

Up next: The Weight of Feathers by Anna-Marie McLemore; Swing Time by Zadie Smith; The Sympathizer by Viet Thanh Nguyen

Recently read/loved and really should put on a proper self: Maud by Melanie Fishbane; Monterrey Bay by Lindsay Hatton

A lot of adult books right now! I flip back and forth. I bet there’ll be another YA binge coming soon…

Giveaway!
Enter for a chance to win one (1) of five (5) copies of A Psalm for Lost Girls by Katie Bayerl (ARV: $17.99 each).

NO PURCHASE NECESSARY. Enter between 12:00 AM Eastern Time on March 13, 2017 and 12:00 AM on March 27, 2017. Open to residents of the fifty United States and the District of Columbia who are 13 and older. Winners will be selected at random on or about March 29, 2017. Odds of winning depend on number of eligible entries received. Void where prohibited or restricted by law.

Tour Schedule

Week One:

March 13 – Here’s to Happy Endings – Author Q&A

March 14 – Butter My Books – Guest Post

March 15 – Margie’s Must Reads – Spotlight

March 16 – Cynsations – Gust Post

March 17 – Ex Libris – 10 Favorite Moments from Psalm for Lost Girls

Week Two:

March 20 – Forest of Words and Pages – Like/Try/Why

March 21 – That Artsy Reader Girl – Debut Dish

March 22 – Twinning for Books – Review

March 23 – Mundie Moms – Review

March 24 – The Children’s Book Review – Guest Post

Tagged Blog Tour |
This entry was posted in Blog Tour, Giveaways and tagged Blog Tour. Bookmark the permalink.
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9 Responses to Blog Tour: A Psalm For Lost Girls by Katie Bayerl – Author Q &A and Giveaway!
Brittany says:
March 13, 2017 at 3:40 pm
I loved learning about all the historical details; how interesting! Also, the cover is very pretty 🙂 Thanks for sharing! Great post 😀

Brittany @ Brittany’s Book Rambles

Reply
Kelly says:
March 13, 2017 at 4:10 pm
It was so much fun learning about the history of this book and how it came to be! And you’re right about the cover – it’s really pretty. Thanks for stopping by!
Kelly recently posted…Blog Tour: A Psalm For Lost Girls by Katie Bayerl – Author Q &A and Giveaway!My Profile

Reply
Marilyn says:
March 13, 2017 at 3:51 pm
Thank you for this giveaway. I thought of Psalm 23.
Marilyn

Reply
Marilyn says:
March 13, 2017 at 3:51 pm
Thank you for this giveaway. I thought of Psalm 23.
Marilyn

Reply
Kelly says:
March 17, 2017 at 8:08 pm
You’re welcome! Good luck!

Reply
danielle hammelef says:
March 13, 2017 at 7:44 pm
I love this unique character! As a Catholic, I have studied saints and would love to read about someone on track to be a siant, yet secretly want more. Excellent idea here and I can’t wait to read this book.

Reply
Stephanie's Book Reviews says:
March 13, 2017 at 9:46 pm
This looks kind of intriguing. Might have to read it!
Stephanie’s Book Reviews recently posted…Review: Geekerella: A Fangirl Fairytale by Ashley PostonMy Profile

Reply
Olivia @ The Candid Cover says:
March 14, 2017 at 7:36 am
This sounds like such an interesting book! I have never heard of it before and I am really intrigued by the unique concept. This interview is wonderful and really shows how much the author has put into researching this book. <3 Olivia @ The Candid Cover recently posted…Giveaway Hop: Lucky LeprechaunMy Profile Reply Shannon @ It Starts at Midnight says: March 15, 2017 at 12:44 am This is great! I had heard the story about the cousins and the Lady of Fatima thing, but I had no idea about Lucia’s story! That is so fascinating. I love Katie’s story about her family, too- her relationship with her sister sounds so sweet! Also, I feel her on the TBR issue 😉 Great post! Shannon @ It Starts at Midnight recently posted…Some Books I’ll Get to This Spring (And Some I Really Won’t)My Profile Reply Leave a comment Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked * Comment Name * Email * Website Post Comment CommentLuv badge Notify me of follow-up comments by email. Notify me of new posts by email. Follow Me Search Search Recent Posts Blog Tour: Speak Easy, Speak Love by McKelle George – Review and Giveaway! Blog Tour: The Lost Causes by Jessica Etting & Alyssa Schwartz – Review and Giveaway! I Hate Everyone But You by Gaby Dunn and Allison Raskin Genuine Fraud by E. Lockhart Blog Tour: When I Cast Your Shadow by Sarah Porter Recent Reviews PreviousNext My Badges Currently Reading Currently Reading Currently Listening Currently Listening Archives Select a month Upcoming Reviews Subscribe Email Address Email Address go Instagram @herestohappyendingsMommy, wife, writer, and avid reader of YA fiction! Book blogger at herestohappyendings.com.Kelly Gunderman This package featuring thecrownsofcroswald by author authordenight is one of the most beautifully made ones that I have come across I cannot wait to read thisbookstagram bookblogger prettybooks sparkles glitter middlegrade Spent my weekend outdoors camping with this amazing read bookstagram bookblogger prettybooks camping leaves fallreading shimmerandburn prhpartner The One Memory of FloraBanks cupcakes Check out the full post on my blogpenguinteen cupcakes baking bookrecipe bookstagram Such beautiful bookmail So excited to read this thank you so much fiercereads thetraitorskiss prettybooks amreading flowers bookstagram Load More...Follow on Instagram 2017 Reading Challenge 2017 Reading Challenge Kelly has completed her goal of reading 50 books in 2017! 76 of 50 (100%) view books Writing Home About Contact Authors Giveaways Index Contact © 2015 - 2017 Here's To Happy Endings. All rights reserved.
Kit Frick - https://kitfrick.com/2017/04/18/katie-bayerl-a-psalm-for-lost-girls/
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Katie Bayerl :: A PSALM FOR LOST GIRLS
PUBLISHED ON April 18, 2017
I could not be more excited to share with you the inaugural post in the Debut-to-Debut Interview Series. Interviews will be posted sporadically throughout 2017, 2018, and 2019—the year leading up to, during, and following my own debut. I hope to connect with a wide-ranging group of debut young adult novelists through this series and to share their books and experiences with you: fellow writers, fellow debuts, fellow readers, fellow YA enthusiasts.

This month, I corresponded with Katie Bayerl about her debut young adult novel A Psalm for Lost Girls (Penguin / Putnam, 2017).

From the jacket:

Tess da Costa is a saint—a hand-to-god, miracle-producing saint. At least that’s what the people in her hometown of New Avon, Massachusetts, seem to believe. And when Tess suddenly and tragically passes away, her small city begins feverishly petitioning the Pope to make Tess’s sainthood official. Tess’s mother is ecstatic over the fervor, while her sister Callie, the one who knew Tess best, is disgusted—overcome with the feeling that her sister is being stolen from her all over again.

The fervor for Tess’s sainthood only grows when Ana Langone, a local girl who’s been missing for six months, is found alive at the foot of one of Tess’s shrines. It’s the final straw for Callie.

With the help of Tess’s secret boyfriend Danny, Callie’s determined to prove that Tess was something far more important than a saint; she was her sister, her best friend and a girl in love with a boy. But Callie’s investigation uncovers much more than she bargained for: a hidden diary, old family secrets, and even the disturbing truth behind Ana’s kidnapping.

Without further ado…

KIT FRICK: A Psalm for Lost Girls is told through three voices. The novel’s primary narrator is Callie, who must navigate the aftermath of her sister Tess’s tragic death and her hometown’s fervor to petition for Tess’s sainthood. But we also get pieces of the story through the diary entries that Tess left behind and through an omniscient voice privy to the experience of Ana, a local girl who is—possibly miraculously—found after six months missing. Tell us a bit about your writing process for developing a first person primary narrator, a second narrator who speaks to us only through her journals, and a third-person omniscient point of view. Did you always know your book would include all three, or did any evolve through the revision process?

KATIE BAYERL: I’d like to say it was all part of my master plan. The novel began as a (third person!) short story in the voice of Callie, the skeptical, grief-stricken sister. Once I realized it was a novel, I knew I wanted to include Tess’s voice too, but it took a few drafts—and a failed attempt—before I found a way to make it work. (She’s dead at the outset of the story, after all.) Ana Langone, the missing child, appeared in early drafts as a nameless child who’d been miraculously healed, and as the novel took shape, I realized there was more to her story.

I can see now that the three voices were all there in the beginning, but writing this novel felt like carving a statue out of stone. It took a lot of chipping away before the story emerged in its full form. In the end, I think the three girls provide important, complementary perspectives. Callie is the raw emotion and grit, Tess offers heart and humor, and Ana’s third-person narration adds an ethereal, suspenseful layer. I’ve come to think of them as a holy trinity of sorts, a metaphor that feels appropriate.

KIT: Religion—particularly Christianity and the phenomenon of sainthood—plays an important role in the novel. For some in the book’s setting of New Avon, Massachusetts, including Tess and Callie’s mother, religion provides both a comfort and a sense of purpose following Tess’s death. But for others, particularly Callie, the town’s zeal to petition for her sister’s sainthood is a source of pain and outrage. Tell us a little about your interest in saints, psalms, and miracles, and the research you did when writing your debut.

KATIE: I grew up Catholic in an era when the saints were hardly discussed, and I was pretty fed up with the Virgin Mary as the only available female role model. (The way her story was told, it seemed like the poor woman never had a unique thought of her own!) I began combing through other faiths for more spirited female icons. That search—and the friction it caused with various adults—was a huge part of my teen years.

It was my study abroad semester in the Dominican Republic that put sainthood into a new light for me. I encountered another conception of sainthood there—a blend of Catholic and West African traditions known as santería—that knocked me flat. That’s when I first realized that lady saints didn’t have to be bland or docile. They could be powerful, flawed, complex. I was hooked. From that point on, everywhere I’ve traveled I’ve hunted for images and stories of lady saints. The idea for this novel was born during one of those trips—to the site that commemorates the “child saints” of Fátima, Portugal.

I read quite a bit about saints and miracles as I worked on the novel—most of it for inspiration or to sort out specific details. The two books that most influenced my thinking were The Miracle Detective by Randall Sullivan, a journalistic dive into how miracles are investigated by the Catholic church, and Muses, Madmen & Prophets by Daniel Smith, an historical take on voice hearing and its many interpretations.

KIT: Tell us something about A Psalm for Lost Girls that isn’t apparent from the book cover or flap copy. We want the inside scoop!

KATIE: I became a ruthless cutter and shed many favorite scenes along the way. The darling I mourned most was Tess’s visit to a psychic named Miss Edna who tries to help her come to terms with her gift. It was a tragic scene in a lot of ways but also cracked me up.

KIT: What gives you the most joy about your life as a YA writer right now? What is bringing you satisfaction at this moment in time?

KATIE: I’m really enjoying how enthusiastic my family and friends are about this book! For so long, writing was this weird thing I did that I really only talked about with other writers, but now that the book’s out there, my parents, aunties, cousins, and friends are all out hitting the streets, telling everyone who will listen about my book. It’s adorable.

KIT: The publishing journey is unique for every author, but it’s safe to say that the road to book publication is filled with surprises, twists, and turns for all of us. What has surprised you most about the process of putting a first book into the world?

KATIE: The time it took? If anyone had told me how many years lay ahead of me when I first started pursuing writing seriously, I might have given up on the spot. In hindsight, I needed that time to develop my craft . . . but I truly had no idea how much I had to learn or what a strange, winding process it would be—at every single stage.

KIT: Drawing from your own unique experience, what advice would you to give to future young adult debut authors, or debut novelists in general?

KATIE: Throw away your timelines. Time is irrelevant. You’ll get to where you need to be. Just focus on the step ahead of you, and do the work that your story is asking of you. Do your story proud.

When Katie Bayerl isn’t penning stories, she coaches teens and nonprofits to tell theirs. She holds an MFA in Writing for Children and Young Adults from Vermont College of Fine Arts and has taught creative writing in schools and a variety of community settings. She currently leads the VCFA Young Writers Network and teaches classes for teens at GrubStreet. Katie has an incurable obsession with saints, bittersweet ballads, and murder. A Psalm for Lost Girls (spring 2017, Putnam) is her first novel.

Kit Frick is a novelist, poet, and MacDowell Colony fellow. Originally from Pittsburgh, PA, she studied creative writing at Sarah Lawrence College and received her MFA from Syracuse University. When she isn’t putting complicated characters in impossible situations, Kit edits poetry and literary fiction for a small press, edits for private clients, and mentors emerging writers through Pitch Wars. Her debut young adult novel is See All the Stars (Simon & Schuster / Margaret K. McElderry Books, 2018).

A Psalm for Lost Girls released on March 14, 2017 and is available wherever books are sold. Allow me to recommend your local indie, in addition to Amazon.

Stop back for future posts in the Debut-to-Debut Interview Series in the coming months!

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HER STORY: LADIES IN LITERATURE WITH KATIE BAYERL

Monday, June 19th, 2017 at 12:00 AM | filed under Her Story: Ladies In Literature

HER STORY: LADIES IN LITERATURE is a special, month-long series on Pop! Goes The Reader in which we celebrate the literary female role models whose stories have inspired and empowered us since time immemorial. From Harriet M. Welsch to Anne Shirley, Becky Bloomwood to Hermione Granger, HER STORY: LADIES IN LITERATURE is a series created for women, by women as thirty-three authors answer the question: “Who’s your heroine?” You can find a complete list of the participants and their scheduled guest post dates HERE!

ABOUT KATIE BAYERL

When Katie Bayerl isn’t penning stories, she coaches teens and nonprofits to tell theirs. She holds an MFA in Writing for Children and Young Adults from Vermont College of Fine Arts and has taught creative writing in schools and a variety of community settings. She currently leads the VCFA Young Writers Network and teaches classes for teens at GrubStreet. Katie has an incurable obsession with saints, bittersweet ballads, and murder. A Psalm For Lost Girls (spring 2017, Putnam) is her first novel.

Author Links: Website ● Twitter ● Facebook ● Instagram ● Goodreads

I was 17, book smart, and painfully insecure, a fish out of water at a posh private school where I found room to stretch my mind and exercise my activist aspirations even as I struggled to hide the wounds left by middle school.

Like a lot of authors-to-be, I was most at home in books. I found solace in smart, outspoken misfits like Anne Shirley and Elizabeth Bennett. During my senior year, I discovered a bold heroine who broke me open in a whole new way: Minerva Mirabal.

I was taking a special seminar with Mr. Bardo, a Birkenstock-sporting teacher who said “groovy” unironically and let the f-bombs fly. He taught an entire course about literary characters who stood up against political injustice and oppression.

I know. I was a lucky girl. Very.

I wish I remembered everything we read — or better yet, could take the course again. The one book that stuck with me most was In The Time Of The Butterflies by Julia Alvarez.

Alvarez (who, incidentally, attended the same posh high school and I liked to imagine felt as out of place as me) wrote about a novel about four real sisters from the Dominican Republic, heroines of the resistance against infamous dictator Rafael Trujillo. Minerva was the third sister, a daddy’s girl (like me!). She was smart, outspoken, passionate, and principled (like me!). She wore pants, sassed her mom about religion (again: me!), and definitely didn’t fit into any of the accepted feminine molds like her sisters. Her underground name was Mariposa, butterfly. She risked everything for the resistance, pulling two of her sister into the movement. They were jailed, then murdered, and went on to become international symbols of feminism and social justice.

All of this happened in the 1950s/60s in Santo Domingo. Here I was, a white American girl enjoying incredible privilege in 1990s Massachusetts. Why did Minerva speak to me so deeply? Maybe because, despite our outward differences, Minerva was everything I knew myself to be: strong of mind and bold of heart. Maybe because she stuck to what she knew to be right under the most dangerous circumstances. Maybe because I saw that she felt scared sometimes too.

I loved Minerva Mirabal. I loved her author too.

Alvarez was a gateway author for me, leading me to other Caribbean authors, including Esmeralda Santiago, Paula Marshall, Jamaica Kincaid, and Edwidge Danticat. From there, I branched out to women telling stories of resistance across Latin America and Africa. For the next two decades, these women filled my life with beautiful sentences, sharp social commentary, and characters who spoke to my heart. They transformed me.

I realize this is an unusual experience for a white American woman. I hope that won’t always be true.

Of course, when I first encountered Minerva Mirabal, I had no idea that she’d lead me on this path, or that I’d spend an important chunk of my life in her country, or that I’d visit the home she shared with her sisters.

I certainly never guessed that one day I’d live under a “president” with traits scarily similar to the one she resisted. Here’s the thing: While I admired Minerva deeply, I never envied her that fight. From where I stood, it seemed there was plenty of work to do — plenty of injustice to combat without worrying about profoundly racist, deeply delusional narcissist taking over my homeland.

Sigh.

The good news and the bad? In The Time Of The Butterflies is still a beautiful book and every bit as relevant today as it was when it changed my life.

¡Viva la Mariposa!

TITLE A Psalm For Lost Girls
AUTHOR Katie Bayerl
PAGES 363 Pages
INTENDED TARGET AUDIENCE Young Adult
GENRE & KEYWORDS Contemporary, Mystery
PUBLISHED March 14th, 2017 by G.P. Putnam’s Sons Books for Young Readers
FIND IT ON Goodreads ● Amazon.com ● Chapters ● The Book Depository

I’ll Give You The Sun meets True Detective in this brilliant YA debut about saints, sisters, and learning to let go.

Tess da Costa is a saint — a hand-to-god, miracle-producing saint. At least that’s what the people in her hometown of New Avon, Massachusetts, seem to believe. And when Tess suddenly and tragically passes away, her small city begins feverishly petitioning the Pope to make Tess’s sainthood official. Tess’s mother is ecstatic over the fervor, while her sister Callie, the one who knew Tess best, is disgusted—overcome with the feeling that her sister is being stolen from her all over again.

The fervor for Tess’s sainthood only grows when Ana Langone, a local girl who’s been missing for six months, is found alive at the foot of one of Tess’s shrines. It’s the final straw for Callie. With the help of Tess’s secret boyfriend Danny, Callie’s determined to prove that Tess was something far more important than a saint; she was her sister, her best friend and a girl in love with a boy. But Callie’s investigation uncovers much more than she bargained for — a hidden diary, old family secrets, and even the disturbing truth behind Ana’s kidnapping. Told in alternating perspectives, A Psalm For Lost Girls is at once funny, creepy and soulful — an impressive debut from a rising literary star.

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THE MFA IN WRITING FOR CHILDREN & YOUNG ADULTS AUTHOR BLOG

KATIE BAYERL AND A PSALM FOR LOST GIRLS

Posted by Sarah Johnson on Tue, Mar 14, 2017 @ 06:03 AM

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Congratulations to Katie Bayerl. She visits the Launchpad today and discusses her young adult mystery, A Psalm for Lost Girls.

When Katie isn’t penning her own stories, she coaches teens and nonprofits to tell theirs. A summer 2010 graduate of Vermont College of Fine Arts, Katie currently leads the VCFA Young Writers Network, which connects alumni authors with underserved kids and communities.

APsalmCoverfullsize.jpg

Tess da Costa is a saint—a hand-to-god, miracle-producing saint. At least that’s what the people in her hometown of New Avon, Massachusetts, seem to believe. And when Tess suddenly and tragically passes away, her small city begins feverishly petitioning the Pope to make Tess’s sainthood official. Tess’s mother is ecstatic over the fervor, while her sister Callie, the one who knew Tess best, is disgusted—overcome with the feeling that her sister is being stolen from her all over again.

The fervor for Tess’s sainthood only grows when Ana Langone, a local girl who’s been missing for six months, is found alive at the foot of one of Tess’s shrines. It’s the final straw for Callie. With the help of Tess’s secret boyfriend Danny, Callie’s determined to prove that Tess was something far more important than a saint; she was her sister, her best friend and a girl in love with a boy. But Callie’s investigation uncovers much more than she bargained for—a hidden diary, old family secrets, and even the disturbing truth behind Ana’s kidnapping.

Welcome Katie. What was the spark that ignited this book?

About a month before I began at VCFA, I took a trip to Portugal. Before I left, a friend (who knows I’m obsessed with saints) sent me info about the recently deceased and soon-to-be-beatified Lúcia dos Santos, the last of the Child Saints of Fátima. I dragged myself away from Lisbon for a day to see what that was all about. The básilica is basically a hideous tourist trap, but I found myself sucked into the history. You see, Lúcia was just 10 years old when she and two cousins claimed to witness apparitions of the Virgin Mary in 1917. The cousins passed away young, leaving Lúcia to carry their story. I couldn’t stop asking myself what it would be like to be in her position, on track to sainthood (and confined to a life as a nun) at such a young age. What if, at age 16, she had a change of heart? What if all she wanted to live a normal life, make mistakes, fall in love, be a regular girl.

It was a series of “what ifs” that stuck… and at the end of my first semester at VCFA, I found myself writing a response to those questions from the perspective of a young saint’s grieving sister. Psalm Headhot.jpg

Tell us about how you sold this book. Were there a lot of revisions along the way?

I wrote the first two drafts at VCFA and really wanted to have a submission-worthy draft upon graduation. That didn’t happen. Not even close. I got the core of it down in my last two semesters, but I still had so much to figure out before I could find the story’s shape. I spent three more years revising the manuscript—giving up for about a year in the middle—and then coming back to it when I had a major plot breakthrough. (My stints as a VCFA graduate assistant helped a lot!)

My agent, Erin Harris, had a revision idea that excited me: include Tess (the alleged saint) as an alternating point of view. I’d tried to include Tess in early drafts; this time, I saw a way that would work. I added about 80 pages to the book at that point, and Erin cracked a whip, getting me to tighten the rest considerably.

I lost track of how many drafts it was in the end. There was still some significant revision after I sold the book to Putnam, but those final drafts—with agent and editor—were the most satisfying because I could finally see the story emerging in its true form.

Who was your favorite character to write and why?

I had the most fun writing Tess (the saint). Those scenes, constructed as diary entries, poured right out. I love her warmth and sense of humor and had fun being with her, even in the agonizing moments.

The main protagonist, Callie, was much harder. Much. She has a tough skin and didn’t want anyone—least of all her author—to see her true self. You know what? I get that, and I respect her for it. It was a tricky dance, recognizing her boundaries while showing enough of her underbelly for let readers into her story. In the end, Callie is the one I fell for the hardest.

What authors do you love for their sentences? How about plot? Character?

I will trade plot for great sentences and heart-tugging characters any day of the week. Also? I really think that character is established at the sentence level, so basically, I’m cheating on this question.

Three authors who slay me with their sentences: Benjamin Alire Saenz (especially his YA), Edwidge Danticat (especially her works for adults), and VCFA’s own Jandy Nelson. That’s just a sampling. I’m such a sentence slut; if I start listing all of the writers who knock me over with their sentences, it would get embarrassing.

Who were your advisors at VCFA?

Sharon Darrow, Tim Wynne-Jones, Shelley Tanaka, Rita Williams-Garcia

How did attending VCFA affect your (writing) life?

I learned a lot about craft, obviously, but it was the community that had the greatest impact on me. I made the best friends of my life at VCFA and, as a result of those relationships and so many meandering conversations about craft and art and politics and life, I feel like I became not just a better writer but a better me.

You can visit Katie at www.katiebayerl.com or on twitter at @katiebayerl

Topics: young adult, Putnam, Penguin, 2017 release, Katie Bayerl
Sarah Tomp
3/16/2017, 11:33:03 AM
Ever since hearing you read part of this - I have been waiting impatiently to read it! Congrats!
With love from,
A fellow sentence slut

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Bayerl, Katie: A PSALM FOR LOST GIRLS
Kirkus Reviews.
(Jan. 15, 2017):
COPYRIGHT 2017 Kirkus Media LLC
http://www.kirkusreviews.com/
Full Text:
Bayerl, Katie A PSALM FOR LOST GIRLS Putnam (Children's Fiction) $17.99 3, 14 ISBN: 978-0-399-54525-2
Tess da Costa was believed to work miracles but lost street cred after failing to find Ana, a child abductee; when,
months after Tess dies, Ana's found alive, Tess appears slated for sainthood--unless her sister, Callie, can stop it.Callie,
white and wrapped in grief and anger, has no compassion to spare for Tess' followers, desperately coping with troubles
of their own, or for Tess' Puerto Rican boyfriend, Danny, whom she recruits in her crusade. Callie's failing in school
and at war with her hospital-receptionist single mom. Her feelings for Tess (and the church) are complicated. If Tess,
17, was the angel, Callie, 16, felt like her demonic twin. Tess' journal, excerpted throughout, reveals that being cast as
saintly was no picnic, either. Not all plot elements mesh neatly. Callie and Danny's hunt for Ana's abductor, a plot
thread explored partly from Ana's point of view, has gravitas; however resolved, a child abduction leaves lasting scars.
While Callie's family history takes up a fair chunk of plot real estate, she's the story's beating heart--scrappy, resentful,
funny, and, above all, observant of her hardscrabble, working-class southeastern Massachusetts town and its denizens.
Of Portuguese, Latino, and Irish descent (but not Cape Verdean), with strong cultural and religious (Roman Catholic)
immigrant ties, they've struggled economically since the mills closed. Plot and pacing could be tighter, but packed with
vivid cultural scenery, this ambitious debut offers readers a journey worth taking. (Fiction. 12-16)
Source Citation (MLA 8th
Edition)
"Bayerl, Katie: A PSALM FOR LOST GIRLS." Kirkus Reviews, 15 Jan. 2017. General OneFile,
go.galegroup.com/ps/i.do?
p=ITOF&sw=w&u=schlager&v=2.1&id=GALE%7CA477242404&it=r&asid=ddc34b7df98987ae7b7c23f5a29c5e28.
Accessed 16 Sept. 2017.
Gale Document Number: GALE|A477242404

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A Psalm for Lost Girls
Sarah Hunter
Booklist.
113.12 (Feb. 15, 2017): p76.
COPYRIGHT 2017 American Library Association
http://www.ala.org/ala/aboutala/offices/publishing/booklist_publications/booklist/booklist.cfm
Full Text:
A Psalm for Lost Girls. By Katie Bayerl. Mar. 2017. 368p. Putnam, $17.99 (9780399545252). Gr. 9-12.
Before she died, Callie's sister, Tess, was obsessed with the kidnapping of Ana Langone. Tess heard voices, which
helped her save a few lives in their rundown city, but after Ana disappeared, the voices stopped being helpful. Not long
after Tess' death, Ana has miraculously returned home, though her kidnapper is still on the loose, and bitter Callie has
taken on her late sister's obsession. That would be complicated enough, but Callie's also dealing with lingering
religious fervor for her late sister. Tess was widely considered a saint, and Callie's mother and priest are spearheading a
campaign to get her canonized. Callie, however, is furious with how the deified version of her sister has subsumed the
real Tess she knew and loved. Bayerl packs a lot into her debut, and while the preponderance of plotlines occasionally
clutters the narrative, there are some bright spots, such as Callie's complex relationship to her sister, some thoughtprovoking
questions about religion, and the creepy details surrounding Ana's case. Ideal for fans of both mysteries and
character-driven novels. --Sarah Hunter
Hunter, Sarah
Source Citation (MLA 8th
Edition)
Hunter, Sarah. "A Psalm for Lost Girls." Booklist, 15 Feb. 2017, p. 76. General OneFile, go.galegroup.com/ps/i.do?
p=ITOF&sw=w&u=schlager&v=2.1&id=GALE%7CA485442581&it=r&asid=6633e8c490d3716c76c6cf2dac7342cf.
Accessed 16 Sept. 2017.
Gale Document Number: GALE|A485442581

---

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A Psalm for Lost Girls
Publishers Weekly.
264.2 (Jan. 9, 2017): p70.
COPYRIGHT 2017 PWxyz, LLC
http://www.publishersweekly.com/
Full Text:
* A Psalm for Lost Girls
Katie Bayerl. Putnam, $17.99 (368p)
ISBN 978-0-399-54525-2
Callie da Costa is 16 when her older sister, Tess, whom many believe channels God's divine will, dies from an
untreated heart defect. After a missing six-year-old, Ana Langone, reappears at one of Tess's shrines and other reports
of Tess's miracles pour in, Callie's mother is set on having Tess named a saint. Determined to stop the petition for
sainthood and debunk the miracle of Ana's safe return, Callie teams up with Danny, an old friend who has a
complicated relationship with both sisters. Callie's first-person chapters alternate with excerpts from Tess's journals,
weaving Tess's final thoughts and experiences with those of Callie in the months after Tess's death. Through these two
perspectives--alleged saint and grieving sister--debut author Bayerl unspools a gripping story of loss and grace. The
search for Ana's abductor and the eventual revelations surrounding her kidnapping form a poignant parallel to Tess and
Callie's relationship, deftly underlining the ways in which grief can warp reality and encourage self-destruction. Richly
and evocatively written, Bayerl's story is ideal for fans of Jandy Nelson and Melina Marchetta. Ages 12--up. Agent:
Erin Harris, Folio Literary Management. (Mar.)
Source Citation (MLA 8th
Edition)
"A Psalm for Lost Girls." Publishers Weekly, 9 Jan. 2017, p. 70+. General OneFile, go.galegroup.com/ps/i.do?
p=ITOF&sw=w&u=schlager&v=2.1&id=GALE%7CA477339400&it=r&asid=a21c1e472ee13093df7a9e5176250627.
Accessed 16 Sept. 2017.
Gale Document Number: GALE|A477339400

"Bayerl, Katie: A PSALM FOR LOST GIRLS." Kirkus Reviews, 15 Jan. 2017. General OneFile, go.galegroup.com/ps/i.do?p=ITOF&sw=w&u=schlager&v=2.1&id=GALE%7CA477242404&it=r. Accessed 16 Sept. 2017. Hunter, Sarah. "A Psalm for Lost Girls." Booklist, 15 Feb. 2017, p. 76. General OneFile, go.galegroup.com/ps/i.do?p=ITOF&sw=w&u=schlager&v=2.1&id=GALE%7CA485442581&it=r. Accessed 16 Sept. 2017. "A Psalm for Lost Girls." Publishers Weekly, 9 Jan. 2017, p. 70+. General OneFile, go.galegroup.com/ps/i.do?p=ITOF&sw=w&u=schlager&v=2.1&id=GALE%7CA477339400&it=r. Accessed 16 Sept. 2017.

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Book Review: “A Psalm for Lost Girls” by Katie Bayerl
MARCH 14, 2017
Callie’s older sister, Tess, died a few months ago. Since then, she’s been fighting with her mom, skipping school, pulling pranks – anything to keep her from remembering that her best friend is gone. Of course, things are complicated by the fact that Tess was kind of a local celebrity – of the religious sort.

Two years before her death, Tess started hearing voices, and it turns out those voices helped save people’s lives. Pretty soon people around town were praying to her and claiming she had the power to heal them. Tess may not have been entirely sure if the voice in her head was the voice of God, but almost everyone else sure seemed to think so. Now that she’s died, her followers at the church are building a case for Tess to be named a Catholic saint – a fate Callie isn’t sure her sister would have wanted.

A Psalm for Lost Girls is a pretty solid read. Author Katie Bayerl has definitely hit on a new concept for contemporary realistic YA fiction – it’s not often that I get to read a story about a grieving sister who’s trying to stop her mother from petitioning the Pope to name her sister a saint. Bayerl also manages to weave a kidnapping mystery into the story, which adds a bit of spice to what would otherwise be simply a story of mourning.

But even though I liked the book pretty well, I couldn’t help but think I would have been a lot more interested in reading Tess’s story than Callie’s. Bayerl does give us some excerpts from Tess’s diaries, which is probably what whetted my appetite for this alternative version of the narrative. Ultimately, I thought that a really interesting idea ended up transformed into a fairly mediocre book. I found it okay but not especially compelling or memorable. I will, however, be interested in seeing what Bayerl comes up with in her future works!

A copy of this book was provided by the publisher for review.

Tags: A Psalm for Lost Girls, Katie Bayerl
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Book Review: Katie Bayerl's A Psalm for Lost Girls by Taja Boone
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Katie Bayerl delivers an amazing story about love, death, and religion in such a unique way, with her first book titled, A Psalm for Lost Girls. I will say that when I first heard the title of this book, and planned to read and review it, I initially felt a little out of my comfort zone being a person who loves romance, love, mystery and action. But with that being said, DO NOT be turned off by the title! While this book does make several references to religious things, it is NOT a religious book! It has the perfect balance of reality, fantasy, love and death, which surprisingly make it a real page – turner! Now, if that alone doesn’t interest you, I’m not sure what will!! BUT, if you are intrigued and want to know a little more of what this story has to offer, read on because trust me, A Psalm for Lost Girls will definitely be a fan favorite!

“Stay out of trouble. As if trouble asked permission before shoving its way into your life.”

One thing that really stuck out to me while reading this book, is the general set up of how the story is told. I know that some people may not like a story that switches from the present being told by one person, and then to the past being told by someone else. But personally, I LOVED it!! Being able to hear a story from more than one perspective gave a lot more insight into the personalities of all the characters.

The book starts out with Callie, the main character, right in the middle of dealing with the unexpected death of her older sister, that she loved and looked up to very much. Through the words of the author, you can literally feel Callie’s anger and sadness about losing her sister, which was one of my favorite parts of the book. Ok, so I know that may sound a little weird – but I was impressed by the fact that even though the subject matter was sad, the overall feel of the book wasn’t sad at all. Hearing how Callie felt about her sister, Tess, and how badly she wanted to preserve her memory was actually really inspiring. Basically, Callie really didn’t like the way everyone else was handling the death of her sister, and spends the majority of the book trying to prove that Tess was just a regular girl just like everyone else. But most importantly, she was her sister.

Reading the chapters that were from Tess’s diary, also helped fill in the blanks about her life which was also really helpful. Hearing how Tess truly felt in the few months leading to her death, made me understand her more as a person rather than just a dead sister. Callie is a person who feels her emotions very deeply and sometimes her feelings can come across a little harsh. For example, when she talks about the people in her life like Danny (Tess’s boyfriend), and even when she speaks of their mom, it sounds a lot different than when Tess talked about them. It was really refreshing to be reminded that the way someone views or sees another person isn’t necessarily the same way for everyone else, and Katie Bayerl made that happen perfectly in the personalities of the 2 sisters.

While the entire book definitely grabbed and kept my attention from beginning to end, there were a lot of parts that stuck out to me – which made them my favorites! For example, when Tess talked about Danny and how much they loved each other, it made my heart just melt. Being a hopeless romantic myself, it was also very sad to read of the love they had for one other seeing that she was already dead. Reading that part made me wish for an alternative ending where Callie and Danny both got their girl back. But alas, that was not the case in this book.

Another big part of the book that stuck out to me the most was literally how the story itself came together. Of course it’s a book about grief and saints – but at the same time, one of the other stories that was also happening is about the kidnapping of a child. So while Callie was trying to preserve the memory of her sister, for me it also felt like Callie and Danny were trying to solve a crime at the same time! Trying to put together the pieces to a tragic story, and without giving to much away, let me tell you – this book is the bomb!!!

Reading this story it was really easy to relate to each of these characters. Callie being outspoken, saying whats on her mind and just being fun and outgoing, really speaks to that part of my personality. While Tess, who is kind and caring and tends to care what people think of her and wants to please everyone around her really speaks to that part of my personality as well. Reading how Callie deals with her sister’s death is so captivating and sad and emotional, something that Katie captured perfectly as well, just the overall way that this story is told and written was perfect! Thank you Katie B for this great novel!

Buy this book TODAY! You won’t regret it,

Writing/Language: 9

Storyline: 9

Ending: 8.5

Overall Rating: 8.8
APRIL 27, 2017
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