An Interview with Melanie Watt from the Cybils. See also a Cynsations interview with Melanie on Scaredy Squirrel (Kids Can, 2006). Don’t miss the companion book, Scaredy Squirrel Makes a Friend (Kids Can, 2007), which is reviewed at Big A little a.

Joseph Bruchac from the Blue Rose Girls. A report on the winter dinner meeting of the Massachusetts PAS North Shore Council of IRA. Read a Cynsations interview with Joe.

Conference sketches of SCBWI in NYC, Feb 2007 from Ruth McNalley Barshaw. Could make it to the conference? No worries! Tag along with Ruth as she makes the journey and soaks up the inspiration, information, and fun. Ruth is the author-illustrator of Ellie McDoodle: Have Pen, Will Travel (Bloomsbury, May 2007).

Congratulations to Varian Johnson on his admittance to the Vermont College MFA program in Writing for Children and Young Adults. Read interviews with past VC faculty chair Kathi Appelt and current chair Sharon Darrow.

“A Conversation with an Editor:” Jennifer Laughran, a buyer for Books, Inc in San Francisco and its Not Your Mother’s Book Club interviews Flux editor Andrew Karre. Don’t miss the prequel: “A Conversation with a Bookstore Buyer.” Andrew Karre of Flux interviews Jennifer Laughran of Books, Inc. in San Francisco and its Not Your Mother’s Book Club. Read a Cynsations interview with Andrew.

“Come for the Xbox, Stay for the Books” by Lauren Mechling from The Boston Globe. Source: yalsa_blog.

David Gill recommends Beastly by Alex Flinn (HarperCollins, 2007). Read a Cynsations interview with Alex.

An Interview with Jennifer L. Holm from Little Willow at Slayground.

Author Interview: Melissa Marr on Wicked Lovely from HarperCollins.

“Indian to Indian: How Humor Dances Across Borders and Speaks the Truth:” a recent session by Marguerite Houle (Huron), Vermont College MFA alumna, and Uma Krishnaswami (Indian American) [in case you didn’t get the “Indian to Indian” reference) at the National Writing Project Rural Sites Network conference in Albuquerque. Uma and Marguerite both offer their PDF bibliographies.

Melissa (AKA “Book Diva”) is blogging of late about YA literature at her MySpace. Check out recent interviews with authors Rachel Cohn, Linda Joy Singleton, and Lori Stolarz.

Poetry with Laura Purdie Salas: a chat transcript from the Institute of Children’s Literature. Visit Laura’s author site.

Reminder: Cynthia Leitich Smith will be signing Tantalize (Candlewick, 2007) and select backlist titles at from 2 p.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday, March 17 at Barnes & Noble Round Rock (TX).

Reminder: Young Adult Book Central is sponsoring a giveaway contest featuring 20 copies of Tantalize. Here’s the challenge: “Make up a favorite recipe/dish for either a vampire or a werewolf. Be Creative! And remember, answers DO count!” Please feel free to pass this on to the YA readers in your life.

Shrinking Violet Promotions: Marketing for Introverts: a new blog from Mary Hershey and Robin LaFevers. Don’t miss their interview with Ellen Jackson. See also an interview with Robin from Cynsations. Source: Bartography.

Jane Yolen at Telling the True: A Writer’s Journal offers some gems from her upcoming talk on revision (March 5-7 entry).