Carol Plum-Ucci
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Carol Plum-Ucci (born August 16, 1957 in
Atlantic City, New Jersey Atlantic City, often known by its initials A.C., is a coastal resort city in Atlantic County, New Jersey, United States. The city is known for its casinos, boardwalk, and beaches. In 2020, the city had a population of 38,497.
) is a
young adult A young adult is generally a person in the years following adolescence. Definitions and opinions on what qualifies as a young adult vary, with works such as Erik Erikson's stages of human development significantly influencing the definition of ...
novelist A novelist is an author or writer of novels, though often novelists also write in other genres of both fiction and non-fiction. Some novelists are professional novelists, thus make a living writing novels and other fiction, while others aspire ...
and
essayist An essay is, generally, a piece of writing that gives the author's own argument, but the definition is vague, overlapping with those of a letter, a paper, an article, a pamphlet, and a short story. Essays have been sub-classified as formal ...
. Plum-Ucci's most famous work to date is ''
The Body of Christopher Creed ''The Body of Christopher Creed'' is a young adult novel by Carol Plum-Ucci. It tells the story of a high school student whose life is unravelled when he tries to solve the mystery of a classmate's sudden disappearance. The novel won the Micha ...
'', for which she won a Michael L. Printz Award in 2002 and was named a Finalist to the
Edgar Allan Poe Award The Edgar Allan Poe Awards, popularly called the Edgars, are presented every year by the Mystery Writers of America, based in New York City. Named after American writer Edgar Allan Poe (1809–1849), a pioneer in the genre, the awards honor the bes ...
. Describing her subjects as "the most common, timeless, and most heart-felt teenagers," Plum-Ucci is widely recognized for her use of the South Jersey shore to set scenes for engaging characters embracing suspense themes.


Early life, education, and career

Plum-Ucci was born to Neil Plum, owner of Plum Funeral Homes and a funeral home singer, and teacher Ellen Ingersoll Plum. As Plum-Ucci grew up she knew she wanted to write books. The Body of Christopher Creed was her "cloud song." Plum-Ucci grew up on the barrier island of
Brigantine, New Jersey Brigantine (or simply The Island) is a city in Atlantic County, New Jersey, United States. As of the 2010 United States census, the city's population was 9,450,"A mature subject for local author's new teen novel"
, ''
The Press of Atlantic City ''The Press of Atlantic City'' is the fourth-largest daily newspaper in New Jersey. Originally based in Pleasantville, it is the primary newspaper for southeastern New Jersey and the Jersey Shore. The newspaper designated market runs from Ware ...
'', July 13, 2008. Accessed September 2, 2008. "The work station in her Absecon home resembles a child's bedroom....Plum-Ucci, a Brigantine native, situates her stories in the towns and beaches from her childhood."
She then went to Atlantic City Friends’ School, where her grandmother, Neva Ingersoll, taught advanced high school mathematics. She graduated from Holy Spirit High School in 1975. Her father, Neil Plum, and her paternal grandmother, Ads Plum, partnered in the funeral business, owning Plum Funeral Homes in Brigantine, Atlantic City, and Ventnor. Plum-Ucci largely attributes her writer's imagination to lying awake at night, above the Brigantine funeral parlor, listening to the sounds downstairs. She received her bachelor's in communication from
Purdue University Purdue University is a public land-grant research university in West Lafayette, Indiana, and the flagship campus of the Purdue University system. The university was founded in 1869 after Lafayette businessman John Purdue donated land and ...
in 1979. She served as feature editor of the ''
Purdue Exponent The ''Purdue Exponent'' is an independent student newspaper that serves Purdue University in West Lafayette, Indiana. It is published on Mondays and Thursdays during university semesters by the Purdue Student Publishing Foundation, and is Indiana ...
'', a two-year post. After Purdue, Plum-Ucci was a freelance writer in the Chicago area for several years. She became Assistant to the Producer of the
Miss America Pageant Miss America is an annual competition that is open to women from the United States between the ages of 17 and 25. Originating in 1921 as a "bathing beauty revue", the contest is now judged on competitors' talent performances and interviews. As ...
in Atlantic City in 1984. She later served as Staff Writer and Director of Publications of the Miss America Organization and Miss America Scholarship Foundation, producing up to a dozen publications a year for volunteers and participants. Plum-Ucci retired in 1999, two months after receiving her first advance on royalties from The Body of Christopher Creed from Harcourt—the first novel she sold. She has been a resident of
Absecon, New Jersey Absecon (, ) is a city in Atlantic County, New Jersey. As of the 2010 United States Census, the city's population was 8,411,
.


Novels

* ''
The Body of Christopher Creed ''The Body of Christopher Creed'' is a young adult novel by Carol Plum-Ucci. It tells the story of a high school student whose life is unravelled when he tries to solve the mystery of a classmate's sudden disappearance. The novel won the Micha ...
'', 2000 * ''What Happened to Lani Garver'', 2002 * ''The She'', 2003 * ''The Night My Sister Went Missing'', 2006 * ''Streams of Babel'', 2008 * ''The Fire will fall'', 2010


Awards

*2007 Nominated for the
Edgar Allan Poe Award The Edgar Allan Poe Awards, popularly called the Edgars, are presented every year by the Mystery Writers of America, based in New York City. Named after American writer Edgar Allan Poe (1809–1849), a pioneer in the genre, the awards honor the bes ...
for ''The Night My Sister Went Missing'' *2003 Nominated for Michael L. Printz Award for ''What Happened to Lani Garver'' *2001 Won the Michael L. Printz Award for ''The Body of Christopher Creed'' *2000 Won worst cliff hanger award for ''The Body of Christopher Creed''


References


External links


Carol Plum-Ucci’s Web Site
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Plum-Ucci, Carol 1957 births Living people 21st-century American novelists American women novelists American writers of young adult literature American children's writers Edgar Award winners Purdue University alumni American thriller writers People from Absecon, New Jersey People from Brigantine, New Jersey Writers from Atlantic City, New Jersey American women essayists American women children's writers 21st-century American women writers Women writers of young adult literature Women thriller writers 21st-century American essayists Novelists from New Jersey