Interview with Sarah Miller, author of Miss Spitfire: Reaching Helen Keller (Simon & Schuster, 2007)(excerpt) by Little Willow at Slayground. Here’s a sneak peek: “That’s an easy one. I saw ‘The Miracle Worker’ on stage at MeadowBrook Theatre in October of 1998. We came to the end, that famous scene with the water pump, and when the audience stood up to applaud, I realized I was crying. I don’t do that. And it’s not like the climax of the play was a surprise – I’d seen the movie, and I knew the story – but bam! there it was, and I got it.”

The Book of Life is a finalist in the 3rd Annual Jewish & Israeli Blog Awards (JIBA), in the “Best Jewish Podcast/Audio Blog/Video Blog” category. However, at this point it’s only received 1.29 percent of the votes. Please consider voting for this podcast by 10 p.m. May 16!

The Edge of the Forest: a new issue, and one of the best ever! Kelly Herold interviews Tracy Grand of JacketFlap and author Kerry Madden. Kim Winters talks about books In the Backpack as well as the writing life. Kelly Fineman interviews blogging writer David Lubar. Don’t miss Little Willow‘s interview with Deb Caletti or her thoughtful take on The Bermudez Triangle: Too Cool for School? Plus, there are reviews, a new interview archive, and the best of the blogs.

Margot Finke offers a new page, Writing Information for Children’s Writers. Read a Cynsations interview with Margot.

Congratulations to Don Tate on the sale of his first picture book manuscript. Don has a lovely and well-established reputation as an illustrator, but this is his first sale as an author. Read a Cynsations interview with Don.

I Heart YA: Beige: a YouTube video by Cecil Castellucci about her latest novel, which has my highest recommendation. Visit Cecil’s site, LJ, and MySpace page. Read a Cynsations interview with her, too.

Happy 17th Birthday to Children’s Book Insider! In celebration, CBI is offer a free three-issue mini-subscription to its e-edition. Source: Create/Relate.

Reminder: please consider supporting If I Can Read, I Can Do Anything: a national reading club for Native American children.

More Personally

In celebration of Texas Writers’ Month, I’ll be speaking with a number of distinguished authors, including Tim Tingle, on the May program of the Writers’ League of Texas from 7 p.m. to 9 p.m. May 23 at the University of Texas Club. The evening includes a free appetizer buffet and a cash bar. Attendence is free and open to the public. See more information. Date change updated 3/21.

Author Tanya Lee Stone says of my new release Tantalize (Candlewick, 2007): “This book is a feast for the senses. I was immediately pulled into the characters and the story line, watching for clues in order to figure out who the true villain is. I particularly enjoyed the visceral and sensual aspects the author was able to bring to this story through the use of food. Bring your appetite!” Read the whole recommendation.

A new prize has been added to the Tantalize Fans Unite! MySpace group giveaway for May. In addition to a hard copy of A Great and Terrible Beauty by Libba Bray (Delacorte, 2003)(author interview) and a Sanguini’s T-shirt, members also will be eligible to win an autographed paperback copy of Gothic! Ten Original Dark Tales edited by Deborah Noyes (Candlewick, 2004)(author interview). See board for details.

Murder in the Faerie Realm by Colleen Mondor at Bookslut in Training. An in-depth look at YA mystery-fantasy hybrids, including Tantalize (Candlewick, 2007). She says in part: “Leitich Smith gives readers a very interesting character to watch. This is a very complex fantasy/horror/mystery novel and should be sought out by any reader with a fondness for something other than the usual high school vamp drama.”

Thanks to Brackenridge and Edison high schools in San Antonio for being a great audience yesterday!

Autographed copies of Tantalize are now available at BookPeople in Austin and Barnes & Noble–San Pedro in San Antonio. Two of my other books, Rain Is Not My Indian Name (HarperCollins, 2001) and Indian Shoes (HaperCollins, 2002) as well as Ninjas, Piranhas, and Galileo by Greg Leitich Smith (Little Brown, 2005) also are available at that B&N.