My husband, author Greg Leitich Smith, and I spoke last night at a monthly meeting of SCBWI-Houston. We also did a reading of our new picture book, Santa Knows (Dutton, 2006).

We’d like to thank the Houston chapter for its hospitality. Luminaries in the audience included Varsha Bajaj (author interview), Dotti Enderle (author interview), Gail Giles (author interview), and Mary Wade.

What else? The trade edition of Rain Is Not My Indian Name (HarperCollins, 2001)(excerpt) is going into reprint again. Thanks to everyone for supporting my debut tween novel!

Speaking of the book, I appreciated this member review of Rain Is Not My Indian Name at LibraryThing. You can learn more about me and my books via “Authors and Artist for Young Adults: Cynthia Leitich Smith” from Thompson Gale. See also a recommendation of Indian Shoes (HarperCollins, 2002) from CCBC.

More News & Links

“Asian American Kids Search for Themselves in New Books:” from KQED Pacific Time (segment features author Lisa Yee). Read a Cynsations interview with Lisa.

Brighton Writing for Young People: a blog created for people taking the Creative Writing for Young People Workshops in Brighton, which are run by Laura Atkins. Features various creative writing resources, especially those related to writing for youth.

Author Susan Taylor Brown reports on her launch party for Hugging the Rock (Tricycle, 2006). Read a Cynsations interview with Susan.

Congratulations to Gail Giles on her starred review from Kliatt for What Happened to Cass McBride? (Little Brown, 2006)(author interview)! It raves, “Through the voices of three key characters, Giles creates a truly suspenseful story of suicide and revenge.” And adds: “The setting is claustrophobic, the characters are complex and the story will keep readers on the edge of their seats.”

Author David Lubar has redesigned his website. Learn more about David, his books, his reading/writing/teacher guides, and latest news. Don’t miss his humor page. Read a Cynsations interview with David.

Take a sneak peek at the cover art for Brothers, Boyfriends & Other Criminal Minds by April Lurie (Delacorte, 2007) at April’s Blog. I’ve heard part of this baby in manuscript, and it’s to die for. Read a Cynsations interview with April.