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| Learn about Ten by Gretchen McNeil |
How to Write Scary by Gretchen McNeil from Adventures in YA & Children’s Publishing. Peek: “…conveying fear isn’t just about describing a situation, object, or
person that someone might find scary, but giving a blow-by-blow of the
event and actually detailing the fear reaction in the characters.”
Kid-Lit Cares: Superstorm Sandy Relief Auction from Kate Messner. Peek: “…an online talent auction to benefit the Red Cross relief effort for Sandy. Agents, editors, authors, and illustrators have donated various services to be auctioned off to the highest bidder, with donations being made directly to the Red Cross disaster relief fund.”
Pearson Confirms Penguin Merger with Random House by Reuters from The New York Times. Peek: “Britain’s Pearson and Germany’s Bertelsmann are to merge their publishers Penguin and Random House, aiming to gain the upper hand in
their relationship with Amazon and Apple, the leaders in the ebook revolution.”
Everyone’s Afraid of Something by Jennifer R. Hubbard from YA Outside the Lines. Peek: “Fear usually means we have something to lose, something to cherish.”
Be the Lemon Square – Top Submission Tips from My Internship with Kid-Lit Super Agent C by Mima Tipper from Hen & Ink. Peek: “…an agent’s got to love the heck out of a book’s Voice in its rough and murky state to want to follow it through the possible dark of a l-o-n-g revision.”
Cover Stories: Something Wicked with Kelly Parra from Melissa Walker. Peek: “The model gives a paranormal creepy feel with the death mask, yet the pink flowers and dress make it just a bit feminine.”
If I Ever Get Out of Here by Eric Gansworth (Scholastic), highlighted by Debbie Reese at American Indians in Children’s Literature. Note: “Eric Gansworth, a writer and visual artist, is an enrolled member of the Onondaga Nation. Currently, he is a Professor of English and Lowery Writer-in-Residence at Canisius College in Buffalo, New York.”
Q&A with Teaching Agent Mary Kole by Esther Herhsenhorn from Teaching Authors. Peek: “Beginnings are tough to do well, and I often notice that writers don’t start with a strong sense of the present moment and present action.”
Hurricane Update: the deadline for the Lee and Low New Visions Award has been extended to Nov. 14 (as in, Nov. 14 postmark). Peek: “The New Visions Award will be given to a middle grade or young adult science fiction, fantasy, or mystery manuscript by a writer of color who has not previously had a middle grade or young adult novel published. See the full submissions requirements and guidelines.”
SCBWI New On-the-Verge Emerging Voices Award by Lee Wind from SCBWI: The Blog. Peek: “The grant will be given to two writers or illustrators who are from an ethnic and/or cultural background that is traditionally under-represented in children’s literature in America.”
I’m Grateful for Old-fashioned Editors by Mitali Perkins from Mitali’s Fire Escape. Peek: “We met at Not Your Average Joe’s in Watertown, right near
Charlesbridge’s offices, a mile or so from my house in the Boston area. ‘I’m stuck, Yo. I got nothing,’ I said, soaking up Parmesan cheese and
olive oil with freshly baked bread.”
Top 10 Multicultural Ghost Stories
by Marjorie from PaperTigersBlog. Peek: “…they cover a range of
age-groups and genres. Some of the ghosts are friendly, some make you
ponder, and some are just plain terrifying…” See also the PaperTigers 10th Anniversary Giveaway.
Why Picture Books Are Important by Chris Raschka from Picture Book Month. Peek: “…if we’re going to ask why picture books are important, we might as well ask why talking or telling stories is important.”
Win a Library of Signed YA Books from Beth Revis. Note: “…contest runs the entire month of November.” Source: Gwenda Bond.
National Adoption Month Begins with Two Classic Stories of Adoption by Ann Angel from The Pirate Tree. Peek: “By the time my children were almost grown, I had found a few especially
wonderful stories with adoption themes and this seems like a great
opportunity to focus on two classics, stories that have stayed with my
family for almost thirty years because of their honest and
straightforward approach to adoption issues….”
Project Mayhem: The Manic Minds of Middle Grade Writers is seeking new contributors. Deadline: Nov. 30. Note: must be willing to contribute two quality posts per month.
Introducing Nonfiction Notes from The Horn Book by Katrina Hedeen from The Horn Book. Peek: “Marc Aronson sums up our goal: ‘Look to Nonfiction Notes to
help bridge that gap by providing concrete suggestions of high-quality,
useful books that are also enjoyable, eye-opening, and mind-broadening.'” See more information.
Cynsational Giveaways
- New! Two author-signed copies of Eighth Grade Is Making Me Sick by Jennifer L. Holm, illustrated by Elicia Castaldi (Random House, 2012)(Tween)
- New! Bookplate-signed copy of League of Strays by L.B. Shulman (Abram/Amulet, 2012)(YA)
- Signed hardcover copy of Dragonswood by Janet Lee Carey (Dial, 2012) and a bookmark (YA)
The winner of Blackwood by Gwenda Bond is Rebecca in California.
The winner of Dino-Football by Lisa Wheeler, illustrated by Barry Gott is Jenn in Wyoming.
The winner of The Twelve Days of Christmas in Oklahoma by Tammi Sauer is Heidi in Utah, the winner of Princess in Training by Tammi Sauer is Larissa in Florida, the winner of Oh, Nuts! by Tammi Sauer is Darshana in California.
The winner of a Sinister Sweetness Book Club Kit (10 copies, plus bookmarks and swag, plus a 30-minute Skype visit with Nikki) is Jenny in Texas.
The winners of Chronal Engine by Greg Leitich Smith are Barbra in Alberta, Alicia in Alabama, Joy in Oregon and Candace in Virginia.
The winner of Grave Robber’s Secret by Anna Myers is Kathy in Ohio, the winners of Graveyard Girl by Anna Myers are Heidi in Utah and Heather in Tennessee, the winners of Time of the Witches by Anna Myers are Nazarea in Georgia, Susan in Pennsylvania, Deena in New York, the winner of When the Bough Breaks by Anna Myers is Deena in New York, the winners of Tulsa Burning by Anna Myers are Susan in Pennsylvania, Patti in North Dakota, and the winner of Ethan Between Us by Anna Myers is Alicia in Alabama.
See also New YA Books in Stores, Plus Three Giveaways from Adventures in YA & Children’s Literature.
This Week at Cynsations
- 2012 Texas Book Festival Photo Report
- Book Trailer: Fracture by Megan Miranda
- New Voice: L.B. Shulman on League of Strays
- New Voice: Kimberly Sabatini on Touching the Surface
- Giveaway: Eighth Grade Is Making Me Sick by Jennifer L. Holm, illustrated by Elicia Castaldi
- New Voice: Lana Krumwiede on Freakling
More Personally
This past week’s highlight was the 2012 Texas Book Festival.
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| Lisa McMann, Katherine Catmull, Greg Leitich Smith & Bethany Hegedus |
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| Nikki Loftin, Rene Saldaña Jr., Guadalupe Garcia McCall |
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| 2012 TLA Bluebonnet author Shana Burg with Avi |
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| Liz Garton Scanlon |
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| Roland Smith |
See more Texas Book Festival pics!
Cynsational readers! I’m cheerfully buried deep in the deadline cave. Please hold off on any non-time-sensitive correspondence/requests until further notice.
Congratulations to E. Kristin Anderson and Miranda Kenneally on the release of Dear Teen Me (Zest, 2012), which includes contributions from authors such as Jessica Lee Anderson, Joseph Bruchac, K.A. Holt, P.J. Hoover, Ellen Hopkins, Carrie Jones, Kekla Magoon, Cynthia Leitich Smith (and many more)! Note: Central Texans, don’t miss the Dear Teen Me Launch Party at 6 p.m. Nov. 10 at The BookSpot in Round Rock.
Congratulations to Shannon Morgan of San Antonio, who has been admitted to the MFA program in Writing for Children and Young Adults at Vermont College of Fine Arts!
How to Host an Author, From an Author: a Q&A with Cynthia Leitich Smith from The Outreach Librarian. Peek: “Is there a threatened closing, a recent death in the faculty/student body—really anything that might impact our choice of words and/or
demeanor?”
The Top Five Native American Writers You Should Be Reading from Lit Stack. Peek: “Regarded as an expert in children’s-YA literature by the press, she (Cynthia Leitich Smith) also hosts a website for Children’s Literature Resources.”
Personal Links
- Cover Reveal: Riptide by Lindsey Scheibe
- Disney to Acquire Lucas Film
- Amazing Tattoos Inspired by Children’s Books
- Presidential Proclamation: National Native American Heritage Month, 2012
Cynsational Events
Library Jubilee 2012 – The Quest for Imagination will be Nov. 6 in Waco, Texas. Keynote speaker: Cynthia Leitich Smith.
Central Texans, don’t miss the Dear Teen Me Launch Party at 6 p.m. Nov. 10 at The BookSpot in Round Rock.
Cynthia Leitich Smith will sign from noon to 2 p.m. Dec. 1 at The BookSpot in Round Rock.