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| Discussed among bestsellers |
A Closer Look at Gender & The New York Times YA Bestsellers List by Kelly Jensen from Stacked. Peek: “I’ve always suspected that men outnumbered women on the list, and when I’ve made that claim before, I’ve been told that’s not true. But actually, it’s startlingly true.” Don’t miss part two.
Point of View: Inside/Outside a Character’s Head by Darcy Pattison from Fiction Notes. Peek: “…David Jauss says there are two points of view that allow narrators to be both inside and outside a character: omniscience and indirect interior monologue.”
Literary Agents Discuss the Diversity Gap in Publishing from Lee and Low Books. Peek: “…there are some real disconnects that make selling these projects to publishers a little more difficult sometimes. But the audience is there, and growing.”
Writing in a Changing World: Craft, Readerships & Social Media: An Interview with Stephanie Vanderslice by Tasha Golden from Ploughshares Literary Magazine. Peek: “Teaching students to function in their own literary culture isn’t just about self-promotion or platform building, either. It’s about owning the fact that you are a citizen of that literary culture.” Source: QueryTracker.netBlog. Note: lots of interest here, but the mid-list situation, while always perilous, is perhaps less so in children’s-YA than in publishing for adults.
Silent Auction Opportunity: Win an Hour of Editorial Time with Editor Cheryl Klein from Brooklyn Arden. Peek: “Professional book editor will help you with developmental editing, line-editing, copyediting, proofreading, copywriting, query letter or publishing advice — whatever you and your project require!* Minimum bid $40.”
G.I.V.E: 4 Questions Writers Can Use to Define Their Social Media Presence by Martina Boone from Adventures in YA Publishing. Peek: “Before investing time into any social medium, make sure it will work for you in the longterm. That includes matching the type of medium to your goals and inspiration; they all have different strengths and conventions.”
Resources and Kid Lit About American Indians by Debbie Reese from School Library Journal. Peek: “Real relationships with American Indians are vital in order to avoid romanticizing or denigrating various groups through stereotypical ideas and characters.” See also Tips for Choosing Culturally Appropriate Books & Resources about Native Americans by Dr. Cathy Gutierrez-Gomez from Colorín Colorado.
The Four Types of Character Flaws by Angela Ackerman from Writers Helping Writers. Peek: “Flaws are especially important as in the character’s weaker moments, they dictate their thoughts, actions and behaviors, leading to poor decisions and mistakes. Talk about fueling great conflict and tension!”
Problems of the Uni-Voice by Elizabeth Bluemle from Publishers Weekly. Peek: “I don’t want every smart, observant, wry, misfit teen narrator to sound the same.”
Learning to Write Romance from Justine Larbalestier. Peek: “…in a teen romance it’s about the protag getting to know and love themselves, getting the boy or girl is the icing on the cake. Whereas in adult romance getting the boy/girl is the cake.” Source: Gwenda Bond.
This Week at Cynsations
- Ammi-Joan Paquette on An Abundance of Book Releases: How Much is Too Much?
- Jane Sutton on Writing with Stealth
- Book Trailer: Picture Book Perfection
- New Voice Marcia Goldman on Lola Goes to Work: A Nine-to-Five Therapy Dog
- Austin SCBWI’s Cynthia Leitich Smith Writing Mentor Award
Cynsational Giveaway
Four Giveaways & New YA Lit Releases in Stores from Adventures in YA Publishing.
More Personally
Welcome to Austin, Kidlit Con! I look forward to seeing y’all for tomorrow morning’s keynote.
My deepest thanks to Austin SCBWI for instituting the Cynthia Leitich Smith Writing Mentor Award in my name. I’m honored and hopeful that this program will help many writers in the years to come.
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| Learn more about my Tantalize: Kieren’s Story comics shoes |
Surf over to GregLSBlog for A Dino A Day Strikes Back — a dinosaur T-shirt celebration of the paperback release of Chronal Engine (Clarion, 2013) and new editions of Ninjas, Piranhas and Galileo and Tofu and T.rex (IntoPrint, 2013)(originally published by Little, Brown).
Don’t miss the Chronal Engine Activity Kit!
Even More Personally
I’m so saddened to hear that two students, Andrea Maloney and Houston St. John, from Shawnee Mission West High School in Overland Park, Kansas have died suddenly in a little over a month. West is my alma mater, and my thoughts and prayers are with the families and SMW community.
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| A Dino A Day Strikes Back: Day 1 |
- “Star Wars” Imperial Forces Invade the Quaint Paintings of Thomas Kinkade
- Rare “Star Wars” Footage Shoes Real Reason Obi-Wan Kept Vader’s Identity Secret
- Attention Filmmakers & Readers: Make a Snowblind Trailer
- Greg Leitich Smith’s A Dino A Day Strikes Back
- DC Comics Basing Native Superhero on Cree Activist Shannen Koostachin
- Modern Renaissance Superhero Designs: Altered Art
- DVD Review: Canes of Power
- Chef Charlie Trotter Dead at 54
- Serendipity and the Little Free Library
Cynsational Events
Cynthia Leitich Smith (Feral Nights) and P.J. Hoover (Solstice) will sign their new releases from 2 p.m. to 4 p.m. Nov. 9 at the Barnes & Noble in Round Rock, Texas.
Cynthia and Greg Leitich Smith will speak at the Florida Association for Media in Education Conference Nov. 20 to Nov. 22 in Orlando.
The Craft & Business of Writing: Everything You wanted to Know About Writing,
a fundraiser featuring C.C. Hunter, Miranda James and Lori Wilde for
the Montgomery County Book Festival, on Nov. 16 at Lone Star College
Montgomery Campus in Houston. Fee: $100. Registration deadline: Nov. 10.
See more information. Register here.
Cynthia and Greg Leitich Smith will teach from June 16 to June 20 at Writing and Illustrating for Young Readers in Sandy, Utah. Note: details are still emerging.