YA Highway: Road Trip Wednesday #15

"Road  Trip  Wednesday is a ‘Blog Carnival,’ where YA Highway's contributors  post a  weekly writing- or reading-related question that begs to be  answered.  In the comments, you can hop from destination to destination  and get  everybody's unique take on the topic." 

Today's question on the  YA  Highway Road Trip is:

 "It's almost prom season, and since we love to read and write about teenagers, we want to hear your prom stories!"

I have this theory that whether or not your high school cohort utilized the article in referring to this dance says a lot about the importance placed on it. If the dance we're talking about was referred to as "prom," it was a big deal. If you called it "the prom," it was not as major an event, as compared to the article-less. Anyone carry to weigh in?

As for my personal prom stories: I don't know that I have any that are fit for public consumption. My prom experiences were a mixture of illicit behavior and boredom, so they're probably best kept to myself. 

(Source)

 My high school did not have an over the top culture surrounding prom, but there was the standard dress/transportation/date/after party drama. Picking out the dress was the most complicated part of attending junior and senior prom for me.

 It was the first time I got to pick out a fairly expensive garment on my own, and it felt like a test. What I chose would mean something about who I was. I had to confront my feelings about my appearance and how weirded out I was by the stereotypical Pretty Prom Princess role that even Sassy (at right) assumed I wanted to play.

Now, I've never been accused of under-thinking things, so my reaction to picking out a dress was probably a little over the top. But if you can't be dramatic when you're a teenager, when can you be?

My senior prom picture (already shared here) is at left. If I could tell the girl in that picture one thing, it would be to go ahead and do all the things she was afraid of or thought she shouldn't. In the fifteen or so years since my first prom, the vast majority of things that I regret are the ones I didn't do.

PRETTY AMY & Worst Prom Photo Contest

Today's a personal blogging milestone: my first cover reveal! Across the blog-o-sphere, readers are now viewing the cover of debut author Lisa Burstein's PRETTY AMY for the first time. Ta da!  

Entangled Publishing says, "We will be hosting a Worst Prom Photo contest in the weeks leading up to AMY's release on May 15. So make sure to dust off your old prom photos—the more tulle, bows, and big hair the better!—and watch Lisa's site, http://www.lisaburstein.com, for details on how to submit/enter to win a beauty package."

Here's the book blurb: "Amy is fine living in the shadows of beautiful Lila and uber-cool Cassie, because at least she’s somewhat beautiful and uber-cool by association. But when their dates stand them up for prom, and the girls take matters into their own hands—earning them a night in jail outfitted in satin, stilettos, and Spanx—Amy discovers even a prom spent in handcuffs might be better than the humiliating “rehabilitation techniques” now filling up her summer. 

Worse, with Lila and Cassie parentally banned, Amy feels like she has nothing--like she nothing. . .Bringing readers along on an often hilarious journey, Amy finds that maybe getting a life only happens when you think your life is over."

Looking at the cover, I'm mesmerized by the poofy layers and the girl's shoes.  I think maybe there are two types of high school girls in the world--those who wear heels to the prom, and those who don't.  You can see in the photo below which camp I fell into.

Actually, the grass is pretty high, so maybe you can't see that I was wearing flats, third from the left. Why my dress wasn't five inches longer, I will never know.