A Trio of Trailblazing Performers by Joy Fleishhacker from School Library Journal. Peek: “Introducing three African American women born in the early 20th century, these noteworthy picture book biographies resound with compelling storytelling, expressive artwork, and a sonorous message about overcoming obstacles and following one’s dreams.”
Selling on Proposal AKA The Dreaded Synopsis by Gretchen McNeil from Adventures in YA Publishing. Peek: “It’s a double-edged sword, of course. While you’ve managed to charm an editor and publisher with your synopsis and/or pages, you still have to deliver a final manuscript on or before a due date, and the pressure of scheduling your creativity can be crippling.”
How to Choreograph a Great Action Scene by Darcy Pattison from Fiction Notes. Peek: “It’s not just movement, but conflict made concrete. Movement across a scene without a purpose is just the beat of a scene and action implies much more.”
Should Book Reviews Mention Characters’ Race? by Roger Sutton from The Horn Book. Peek: “…we are always trying to figure out where and how to mention ethnicity, especially in reviewing books in which skin color plays a part only in the illustrations and goes unmentioned in the text.” See also Writing More Diverse Characters: the Third Culture Individual from Tu Books.
Rejecting Rejection: Terror Days by Amy Rose Capetta from The Writing Barn. Peek: “The first two books I wrote have a straight main character. The projects I kept coming up with after that? Besides being in a different genre, the main characters were queer. And I had a thousand worries attack me all at once.”
Librarian’s Corner: Vicky Lorencen on Playing With Words from Ann Jacobus at ReaderKidz. Peek: “Without formally saying so, Grandma taught me that words weren’t just for communicating, they’re also for enjoyment. I was encouraged to play with words.”
Manuscripts on Submission 101 by Jennifer Laughran from Jennifer Represents… Peek: “If I get an offer, or a request for revision, of course I share it immediately. The same goes for a really kind/complimentary or otherwise uplifting decline.”
Positive and Negative Character Motivation by Mary Kole from Kidlit.com. Peek: “We often react to adversity by stubbornly wanting to best it. But it’s important to note that this is a reaction to something negative in life that we’re inspired to overcome.”
Character Skills and Talents Astrological Divination by Angela Ackerman from Writers Helping Writers. Peek: “A character who has studied astrology extensively can chart an individual’s celestial path by using the date and hour of their birth.”
Everything I Need to Know About Character I Learned from Buffy by Dave King from Writer Unboxed. Peek: “Even his darkest characters have balancing characteristics that make them interesting and often redeemable – the Scooby Gang has included at times two vampires and a demon. D’Hoffryn, for instance, though a Lower Being and Lord of the Vengeance Demons, is always unfailingly polite.”
The Point of Writing by Meg Rosoff from Writer Unboxed. Peek: “Truth is what will give your work resonance and power and make it worth reading long after you’ve spent the money that someone may or may not have paid you for your work.”
Bibliotherapy for Teens: Helpful Tips & Recommended Mental-Health Themed Fiction by Erin E. Moulton from School Library Journal. Peek: “While mental illness is clearly prevalent, a stigma persists. A recent article in Time, prompted by the suicide of actor Robin Williams, estimated that about 60 percent of those suffering from mental illness don’t seek assistance. Reading is not a replacement for professional therapy. But surely, the right books can help.” See also Books to Celebrate and Teach About Adoption by Jill Eisenberg from Lee and Low.
Scholastic Picture Book Award: “…a joint initiative between the National Book Development Council of Singapore (NDBCS) and Scholastic Asia, and it is presented biennially to an outstanding unpublished picture book with distinct Asian themes by an Asian team of writer and illustrator.” See also from SCBWI Japan Translation Group: “Entries of unpublished, Asian-themed picture books up to 500 words will be accepted until Dec. 19 at 5 p.m. Singapore time. Picture book text must be in English, but works in languages other than English may be considered, if an English translation is submitted with the original text and illustrations.”
What Do You Have to Do Online? Authors Have Surprising Freedom by Darcy Pattison from Fiction Notes. Peek: “Do you like to write short, write long, take/edit photos, produce audio, or produce video? Those are the only options you have, regardless of the platform. Think about which form of communication you are good at, and can consistently produce.”
Starving in the Midst of Plenty by Teri Lesesne from The Goddess of YA Literature. Peek: “I will return from the conference with a suitcase packed with books (or I will be mailing a ton of them). They will float on to other hands as soon as they are read. But I am a trifle embarrassed by these riches.”
The Stakes Should Always Be Death by Maureen McQueery from Teaching Authors. Peek: “For the reader to be concerned, risk has to be real and the protagonists’ motivation worthy. Worthy motivations involve noble concepts like: forgiveness, love, redemption, self-worth.”
National Book Award
Congratulations to Jacqueline Woodson, winner of the National Book Award for Young People’s Literature, for Brown Girl Dreaming (Nancy Paulsen Books)! Don’t miss coverage of Brown Girl Dreaming from NPR and How This Year’s National Book Awards Could Change the Face of Children’s Literature by K.T. Horning from The Conversation.
We Need Diverse Books
The initial $100,000 goal for We Need Diverse Books has been met–hooray! And thank you! But the campaign is ongoing and the organization has announced our stretch goals. Peek:
“Once we’ve reached our first stretch goal, WNDB will be able to create a paid internship program to help interns from diverse backgrounds (as noted in our mission statement) who demonstrate financial need. We hope our grants will allow people who might not otherwise be able to achieve their dream of a career in publishing. We will also be able to fund a year-long mentorship program for multiple writers….
“We will expand our outreach and create more educational kits and educational materials to be used to discuss diversity in all its ways and forms. And we’ll offer travel grants, to help currently-published authors attend conferences and events that would otherwise not be accessible to them.
“Finally, we plan develop a WNDB app. The WNDB app goes beyond recommendations and looks for new interactive ways to support diverse authors and books. With it, WNDB is excited to create a new high-tech way to bring diverse books to you, the reader.”
Note: Daniel Handler (AKA Lemony Snicket), after apologizing and describing his comments with regard to Jacqueline Woodson at the National Book Awards as “monstrously inappropriate, and yes, racist” has donated $10,000 and will be matching donations today up to $100,000. (Jackie is on our advisory board.)
Marketing Diverse Children’s Books by Matia Burnett from Publishers Weekly. Peek: “Rodriguez also witnessed a parent refuse to purchase her daughter a copy of My Friend Maya Loves to Dance by Cheryl Willis Hudson, illustrated by Velasquez (Abrams), which is about an African-American ballerina. Regardless of the skin color of the main character in the story, Rodriguez said of the girl who was so drawn toward the book: ‘She too was a ballerina. That’s all she saw.'”
See also Lindsey Lane on Why We Need Diverse Books.
Peek: “We are trying to understand what it means to write diverse
characters if we are white. How do we do it? Can we do it? Are we
allowed? How can we contribute to the We Need Diverse Books campaign?'” Note: a heartfelt, respectful contribution to the conversation.
Cynsational Giveaways
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| Jingle Dancer Interior Image. |
The winner of Forbidden by Kimberley Griffiths Little is Jen in Texas. The winner of Ship of Dolls by Shirley Parenteau is Akiko in Texas. The winners of What Flowers Remember by Shannon Wierbitzky are Donna in New Jersey and Frances in Illinois.
This Week at Cynsations
- Lindsey Lane on a Heap of Talking with Edward Carey
- Deborah Halverson on Five Things YA Writers Should Know About New Adult
- Candace Fleming on The Family Romanov: Murder, Rebellion & The Fall of Imperial Russia
- Melanie Chrismer on Author-Author Promotion & Reciprocity
More Personally
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| Where Are the Characters of Color in Science Fiction & Fantasy? panel at YALSA Symposium in Austin. |
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| With authors Justina Chen, Janet Wong & Lorie Ann Grover at the Hyatt Regency Austin. |
Thank you to Mighty Girl for highlighting my picture book Jingle Dancer (HarperCollins, 2000)!
Link of the Week: Four Mistakes Made in Children’s Books About Natives and Books That Fix Them by Debbie Reese from Indian Country Today.
Even More Personally
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| In the holiday spirit with Greg Leitich Smith at Whole Foods! |
Personal Links
- Modern “The Empire Strikes Back” Trailer
- New Author Website: Christine Soontornvat
- Sylvia Vardell on Poem Read-Aloud Strategies
- Lee Wind on Product Placement in Books
- Gate A-4
- Reading Trends by Gender
- 5 Things to Know About Chris Hemsworth
- Austin Writers Tackle Gaming, Bullying in Two Books
- Official U.S. Trailer: Disney’s Live-Action “Cinderella”
- Resourceful Teens Will Always Find Books to Read
- Thais Held After Flashing “Hunger Games” Salute
- “Knight Rider,” “Battlestar Galactica” Creator Glen Larson Dies
- “Normal Barbie” Comes with Cellulite, Stretch Marks, Acne & Tattoos
Cynsational Events
Cynthia Leitich Smith will speak at the American Library Association MidWinter Convention in Chicago from Jan. 30 to Feb. 3. Details TBA.
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| Now Available! |
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| Coming Soon! |
The SCBWI Austin 2015 Writers and Illustrators Working Conference will take place March 7 and March 8 at Marriott Austin South. Note: Cynthia Leitich Smith will be moderating a panel and offering both critiques and consultations.
Cynthia Leitich Smith will serve as the master class faculty for the VCFA Alumni Mini-Residency from June 19 to 21.
Cynthia Leitich Smith will speak on a We Need Diverse Books panel at the 2015 Annual Conference of the American Library Association from June 25 to June 30 in San Francisco.