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| Discover Victoria’s oddest recap. |
Author Insight: Peculiar Recaps from Wastepaper Prose. Peek: “What is the weirdest way someone (possibly you) has recapped your book?”
Spring Cleaning Your Manuscript by P.J. Hoover from Roots in Myth. Peek: “As with a title change, sometimes characters need a fresh, new start. When you started your story, you probably named your characters for really deep meanings. Do these meanings still matter?”
Two Strategic Reasons to Keep Blogging & When to Kill a Blog by Dan Blank from Jane Friedman. Peek: “While social media delivers a potentially more immediate reaction from others, I am still a big believer in blogging. There are many reasons for this, but let’s just focus on two specific reasons. Then we’ll discuss how to deal with blogging exhaustion—or when to kill a blog entirely.”
It’s Okay to Slow Down by Lee Bross from YA Highway. Peek: “I was one of those people who had to be working on something, anything, every minute of the day. After five straight years of this, I was a mess.”
Writers, How Healthy Are Your Boundaries? by Kristi Holl from Writer’s First Aid. Peek: “You believe what you’ve been told—that you’re not smart enough or creative enough. As a result, rejection from editors or negative critiques from a writing partner can set you back for a week.”
Attention Teachers! Debbie’s Doodle Outreach from Debbie Ridpath Ohi. Peek: “If your class sends me a snail mail about I’m Bored, I will write back with doodles.”
Know Your Best Alternative by Jane Lebak from QueryTracker.netBlog. Peek: “You’re querying a manuscript and an Agent, Annie Awesome, calls to offer representation. You hit it off on the phone, and she sends you her agency contract. But in that contract, you find something you don’t feel comfortable with. What do you do?”
Danger! Dialogue Ahead by Marc Tyler Nobleman from The Horn Book. Peek: “When writing nonfiction, including dialogue can be a dangerous proposition.”
1968 Newbery Award Acceptance Speech by Elaine L. Konigsburg from The Horn Book. Peek: ” have this foolish faith in words. Because I want to show it happening. Because for some atavistic, artistic, inexplicable reason, I believe that the writing of it makes normal of it.” See also Roger Sutton on Remembering Elaine Konigsburg from The Horn Book and E.L. Konigsburg, Author, Is Dead at 83 from The New York Times.
Cynsational Screening Room
Book Trailer Interview with Meredith Zeitlin by Rachel Wilson from Quirk and Quill. Peek: “We definitely didn’t want to do something linear, like a movie trailer, or anything where you’d see a ‘Kelsey’ – one of the reasons I don’t really describe her, or any of the characters in the book, physically is because I want readers to picture her any way they want. So that’s why only her hands are visible in the trailer.”
Check out the book trailer for Octopus Alone by Divya Srinivasan (Viking, 2013) and plan to celebrate the release in Austin, Texas; Naperville, Illinois; Brooklyn, New York; Washington, D.C.; Corte Madero, California; or Los Angeles.
Cynsational Giveaways
- Take Me to Your BBQ by Kathy Duval, illustrated by Adam McCauley (PB)
- Dear Life, You Suck by Scott Blagden & T-shirts
This Week at Cynsations
- In Memory: E.L. Kongisburg
- New Voice: Claire M. Caterer on The Key & The Flame
- We Believe in Picture Books: John & Katherine Paterson
Celebrating Bridget Zinn’s Poison
Austin writers & readers gathered Friday night to celebrate Poison by Bridget Zinn (Hyperion, 2013) at BookPeople. Several local authors signed and a few read from the book.
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| Modeling Poison |
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| Signing with Lindsey Lane, P.J. Hoover, Susie Kralovansky & Nikki Loftin |
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| Nikki & Cory Putnam Oakes |
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| Liz Garton Scanlon, Greg Leitich Smith, Cynthia Levinson |
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| Feral Nights & Poison |
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| See also E.M. Kokie on Bridget Zinn & Poison |
BookPeople has leftover signed stock from this event! Please either swing by the store to pick up your copy or buy it online.
More Personally
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| New graphic novel at TLA! |
Cynsations readers will note that this week’s roundup is posted earlier than usual due to my participation in this week’s Texas Library Association conference (photos to come!).
I had a great time yesterday participating in YART’s YA Spirit of Texas panel. I’ll be signing Feral Nights, Eternal: Zachary’s Story and more in the author area at 1 p.m. and the Mackin booth (2125) at 2 p.m. today (Thursday) and will appear at the Texas Tea on Friday.
(By the way, Greg Leitich Smith will be signing Chronal Engine (Clarion) and doing a giveaway of Tofu and T. Rex (Little, Brown) at the Book Festivals of Texas (2145) booth at 3 p.m. today (Thursday)).
If you’re at TLA, come find me, say “howdy,” and check out my latest books at the Candlewick Press booth! Next week I’ll be back to the regular blogging schedule.
What else? Last weekend, I popped by a reception in honor of Sara Zarr, who was teaching a workshop on Emotional Pacing, at The Writing Barn in Austin.
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| Sara with Joy Preble |
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| Sara Kocek & Katie Bayerl |
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| Salima Alikhan |
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| Sara & Bethany Hegedus welcome participants and guests |
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| Writers introduce themselves & talk about their work. |
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| With Varsha Bajaj |
Personal Links
- The West, Texas Disaster Relief Fund
- “Thor: The Dark World” Poster
- Did I Choose You, Or Did You Choose Me? by Uma Krishnaswami
Cynsational Events
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| By Tom Shefelman from I, Vivali |
Authors/Speakers at TLA 2013 from April 24 to April 27 in Fort Worth from the Texas Library Association. Look for Cynthia Leitich Smith‘s signings on Thursday and the Spirit of Texas High School author panel on Wednesday. Check out my latest books at the Candlewick Press booth. See also the Itsy Bitsy Gallery to “take a chance on art at the TLA 2013 raffle” to benefit the Texas Library Disaster Relief Fund. Note: featuring an original illustration by Tom Shefelman from I, Vivali by Janice Shefelman (Eerdman’s).
YA lit readers! Join Cynthia Leitich Smith at 6:30 p.m. May 25 at Round Rock Public Library.
Join Cynthia and Greg Leitich Smith at 11 a.m. June 11 at Lampasas (TX) Public Library.
Join authors Cynthia and Greg Leitich Smith, Nancy Werlin and ICM Partners literary agent Tina Wexler at a Whole Novel Workshop from Aug. 4 to Aug. 10, sponsored by the Highlights Foundation. Peek: “Our aim is to focus on a specific work in progress, moving a novel to the next level in preparation for submission to agents or publishers. Focused attention in an intimate setting makes this mentorship program one that guarantees significant progress.” Special guests: Curtis Brown agent Sarah LaPolla, authors Bethany Hegedus and Amy Rose Capetta.
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| Find out what’s new with the Texas Sweethearts & Scoundrels! |
We definitely need more of your writing and other writers like you too. You are not only keeping the youngsters positively and constructively engaged with your writing but you are literally mentoring them. Keep the good work up, Cynthia.