Happy Holidays, Cynsational readers!
Effective immediately, this blog is on winter hiatus. We’ll return after the ALA Midwinter Conference with more inspiration, insights, and info on children’s-YA writing, illustration, literature and publishing. In the meantime, you’re welcome keep up on those topics with me on Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest, and Twitter.
But first, let’s raise a cup of cocoa to Cynsations Editor-in-Chief Gayleen Rabakukk, Managing Editor Stephani Martinell Eaton, Industry News Reporter Gail Vannelli, and Interns Suma Subramaniam and Bree Bender as well as our beat and at-large reporters Carol Coven Grannick, AJ Eversole, Elisabeth Norton, Linda Joy Singleton, Rebecca Kirshenbaum, and Clara Hammett.
I’m absolutely wowed and eternally grateful for their steadfast and heartfelt efforts through yet another challenging year. They all worked so hard to keep you updated on industry news, to feature new children’s-YA book voices and new releases, and to highlight educational, financial, and craft-development opportunities. They offered hope and optimism, grounded in reality, to bolster us all.
More personally, I want to thank Team Cynsations and all of you, too, for your enthusiasm and support during the launch of Heartdrum, a Native-focused imprint of HarperChildren’s as well as the release of my first two middle grade books, the anthology Ancestor Approved: Intertribal Stories for Kids and the novel Sisters of the Neversea. I also appreciate your joining us here for yet another year of conversations about all things related to books for young readers.
To those families like mine who’ve lost loved ones this year, please know that my heart and sympathies are with you. Of late I’ve embraced the blessings of reunions with friends and family, local patio dining, and drive-in movies. Whatever it is that brings you joy or comfort, I hope you’re enjoying that, too.
Love and deepest thanks to all!
We look forward to reconnecting in 2022!