Compiled by Cynthia Leitich Smith

Interview with Cassandra Clare by Malinda Lo from Diversity In YA Fiction. Peek: “There is little sexier than watching someone excel at something they do extraordinarily well — the difference between a bad boy is that they know they do it really well and that it’s turning you on; the good boys don’t.” Note: post also includes Cassandra’s thoughts on framing her diverse cast.

IndieBound Mobile Reading App Launches by Rosemary Hawkins from ABA Bookselling This Week. Peek: “IndieBound Reader, which was introduced to ABA IndieCommerce stores last month, is currently available for devices using the Android operating system, such as the Samsung Galaxy Tab and Droid smartphones by Motorola, and will soon be available for iOS devices.” Source: Fiction Notes.

The Make It Safe Project: Making Schools Safer for LGBT Teens. Peek: “The Make It Safe Project delivers books to K-12 schools and LGBT-inclusive youth homeless shelters nationwide.” Note: support and/or request book. See the list of titles. Source: Lee Wind and readergirlz.

Use a Professional-looking Email Address by Jane Leback from QueryTrackerBlog.net. Peek: “Get a separate email address for writing-related business. It’s easy to get another one, so there’s no excuse. Do it now.”

Congratulations to the 2012 Undiscovered Voices Anthology Winners! Peek: “Thirteen promising, unpublished UK writers and, for the first time, six unpublished illustrators, were selected from hundreds of submissions to be included in the Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators (SCBWI British Isles) anthology, titled Undiscovered Voices 2012. The anthology features 4,000-word extracts of novels written for children and black and white illustrations on the theme of ‘undiscovered voices’.” Learn more from Tall Tales & Short Stories.

Red Threads Calendar, a product of the Central Ohio’s Families with Children from China chapter, features art by author-illustrator Grace Lin.

Hunger Mountain‘s latest youth literature offerings include a Q&A with Sara Zarr by Bethany Hegedus, What My Last Book Taught Me by Ron Koertge, Out on the Bendy Branches by Lindsey Lane, and #yamatters by Andrew Karre.

Pushing the Nonfiction Envelope by Rosalyn Schanzer from INK: Interesting Nonfiction for Kids. Peek: “That’s exactly what I’ve tried to do with Witches! The Absolutely True Tale of Disaster in Salem (National Geographic, 2011). If I could pull it off, it seemed to me that this terrifying episode in America’s history had just the right ingredients for cooking up a thriller, a mystery, and a literary mind-bender all rolled into one.”

And the Winner Is… by Shannon Maughan from Publishers Weekly. Peek: “Indeed, at a time when book awards for adult literature are being questioned—for example, the recent controversy over the Man Booker Prize in the U.K.—the Newbery and Caldecott awards are widely known for selling books, thousands, sometimes millions of them. And some 90 years after its founding, they may just be the most coveted book awards in publishing.”

How to Confront the Fear of Public Speaking by Deborah Niemann from Jane Friedman. Peek: “Once you learn to control your fear, you can make it work in your favor. Some of the most exciting speakers are channeling their fear into what looks like enthusiasm in their speech.” See also A Shy Person’s Guide to Public Speaking from Megan Crewe.

IBBY Canada’s 2012 Honour List: “…a biennial selection of outstanding, recently published books that are representative of the best in children’s literature. Each IBBY National Section selects the best books in particular categories (depending on how many official languages are recognized by that country). The Honour List provides insight into the diverse cultural, political, and social settings in which children live around the world and is used to develop educational and literacy programmes to develop exemplary international collections.”

Editorial Director Amber Caraveo of Orion Children’s Books (U.K.) from Candy Gourlay at Notes from the Slushpile. Peek: “Can I have a fantastic new adventure for 9-12s please?”

Video Interview with Matthew Holm from Good Comics for Kids at School Library Journal. Peek: “I caught Matthew during his shift at the Comic Book Legal Defense Fund booth, where he was signing posters and doing sketches in support of the work the CBLDF does.”

Amazon Publishing to Acquire Marshall Cavendish US Children’s Books Titles from BusinessWire. Peek: “Amazon.com, Inc. (NASDAQ: AMZN) and Marshall Cavendish, one of the world’s leading educational and consumer book publishers and classroom digital solutions providers, today announced that Amazon has signed a deal to acquire over 450 titles of its US Children’s trade books business, Marshall Cavendish Children’s Books (MCCB).” Note: speculation as to what this means is all over the Web, but the prevailing word is that the editors and existing contracts are staying in place.

Agent Spotlight: John Rudolph from Literary Rambles. Peek: “…he is keenly interested in middle-grade and young adult fiction and would love to find the next great picture book author/illustrator.”

Stepping Out in Faith from Shelli Johnson. Peek: “Look, I’m not a fan of risk either. I never have been. Part of it is my personality. Part of it is my upbringing.” Source: Phil Giunta.

See also the roundup at Adventures in YA & Children’s Publishing.

Cynsational Giveaways

Last call! Enter to win a critique by Peggy of a nonfiction picture book manuscript or the first three chapters of a longer nonfiction manuscript and a signed copy of Anatomy of Nonfiction by Margery Facklam and Peggy Thomas (Writers Institute Publications, 2011).

To enter, comment on this post (click previous link and scroll to comment) and include an email address (formatted like: cynthia at cynthialeitichsmith dot com) or a link to an email address. Or you can email Cynthia directly with “Anatomy of Nonfiction” in the subject line.

Author-sponsored. Deadline: Dec. 12. Eligibility: international. Anyone can enter! However, the manuscript must be written in English. See also more from Peggy on The Anatomy of Nonfiction.

Last call! Enter for a chance to win a signed copy of Home for the Holidays: Mother-Daughter Book Club #5 by Heather Vogel Frederick (Simon & Schuster, 2011)(excerpt), plus a copy of the newly released Betsy-Tacy Treasury by Maud Hart Lovelace, illustrated by Lois Lenski (HarperCollins, 2011) and the first two Betsy-Tacy high school books, in a special Betsy-Tacy canvas bag! Two additional winners will also receive a signed copies of Home for the Holidays! Note: in this story, the club is reading the Betsy-Tacy books!

To enter, comment on this post (click previous link and scroll to comment) and include an email address (formatted like: cynthia at cynthialeitichsmith dot com) or a link to an email address. Or email Cynthia directly with “Mother-Daughter Book Club” in the subject line.

Author-sponsored. Eligibility: U.S./Canada. Deadline: midnight CST Dec. 14.

Last call! Enter to win an author-signed copy of The Princess of Borscht by Leda Schubert, illustrated by Bonnie Christensen (Neal Porter/Roaring Brook, 2012).

To enter, comment on this post (click previous link and scroll to comment) and include an email address (formatted like: cynthia at cynthialeitichsmith dot com) or a link to an email address. Or email Cynthia directly with “The Princess of Borscht” in the subject line. Author-sponsored. Eligibility: U.S. Deadline: midnight CST Dec. 12.

Elsewhere on the Web, YA author Janet Fox is giving away your choice of Faithful or Forgiven at Through the Wardrobe.

You can also enter to win an ARC of Diabolical and Calli by Jessica Lee Anderson (Milkweed, 2011) from P.J. Hoover at Roots in Myth! Deadline: Dec. 17.

The Cynsational winner of Lala Salama by Patricia MacLachlan, illustrated by Elizabeth Zunon (Candlewick, 2011) is Mary in Washington.

Cynsational Screening Room

Check out the book trailer for The Way We Fall by Megan Crewe (Hyperion, 2011).

A video interview with Mitali Perkins by Ed Spicer from Spicy Reads.

The book teaser to Diabolical by Cynthia Leitich Smith (Candlewick, Jan. 2012) is now live.

More Personally

Highlights of this week included the release of the Diabolical teaser and the Austin SCBWI Holiday Party at Opal Divine’s Marina restaurant–photos coming soon!

The Horn Book raves of Diabolical (Candlewick, 2012): “It’s a considerable challenge for a series not to lose steam by the fourth book, but this one runs full force on the fires of hell and the sword power of heaven.”

The review goes on to praise how “expertly” the characters’ stories are interwoven, praises the novel as a “model for incorporating just enough details from previous books,” notes that it’s “demonically inspired by Stoker’s Dracula and divinely imagined into the present day.”

Don’t miss P.J. Hoover‘s giveaway of an ARC of Diabolical and Calli by Jessica Lee Anderson (Milkweed, 2011) at Roots in Myth! Deadline: Dec. 17.

Alison Defenbach: Collection of Digital Materials says of Tantalize (Candlewick, 2007, 2008): “The format of her novel is delectable and creative, with its sections that come from a menu, starting with your appetizer all the way to your dessert and wine. This was very clever of Smith; it fits right in with the main setting of the book, a vampire themed restaurant.  The ambiance she sets is one that makes you feel like you are participating in an elaborate and elegant play.”

Personal Links:

• Best Endeavo(u)r from Writing with a Broken Tusk
• The Library Phantom Returns from NPR

From Greg Leitich Smith:

• Writers and Illustrators and Dinosaurs: Kathi Appelt
• The Dragon’s Tooth by N.D. Wilson
• GregLSBlog Picks of 2011

Cynsational Events

Christmas Spectacular with the Texas Sweethearts and Scoundrels from noon to 2 p.m. Dec. 10 at The Book Spot (1205 Round Rock Ave #119) in Round Rock, Texas.

Holiday Tree Lighting and Author Signing at LBJ State Park! Join Cynthia Leitich Smith for the tree lighting ceremony at LBJ State Park from 4:30 p.m. Dec. 18. Cynthia will be signing Holler Loudly, illustrated by Barry Gott (Dutton, 2010). Lucy Johnson will be speaking briefly at the event, and Santa may make an appearance, too. See more information.

See also Cynthia’s upcoming events in Austin, Albuquerque, Tucson, Sandy (Utah), Southampton (New York), and Montpelier (Vermont).