Cynsational News - Cynthia Leitich Smith

By Cynthia Leitich Smith, Gayleen Rabakukk, Suma Subramaniam, A.J. Eversole, Mitu Malhotra, and Gail Vannelli for Cynsations

Spotlight Image: Moon Song by Michaela Goade (Little, Brown Books for Young Readers, 2025).

Author/Illustrator Insights

G.P. Putnam’s Sons Books for Young Readers

WNDMG Author Interview: Khushboo Patel on Her Verse Novel All That Chandni Knows by Shifa Safadi from From The Mixed-Up Files of Middle-Grade Authors. Peek: “This is a long game, rejection/block is a part of the process, and endurance/giving yourself grace is key. Read deep and wide and engage with different types of art (paintings, music, architecture, movies, etc.). See what you like, don’t like, lean into your taste, and trust your gut….Keep learning craft. Do the deep work. Ask for help.”

The Stories We Tell Ourselves by Brandi-Ann Uyemura from KidLit in Color. Peek: “I recently heard a podcast about…how our stories are sacred. It got me thinking about what would happen if we were all too afraid to write….Courage doesn’t come from writing without fear. It comes from creating with fear on your back and being led by the voice that says, ‘It matters. We matter. Our stories matter.’”

Yuyi Morales Talks With Roger by Roger Sutton from The Horn Book. Peek: “For years and years, I have explored how I’m always frozen when I have to start a book because it feels like such a big task. And again and again I realize that if I start little, I can do it. I just put away my big expectations and start with a little thing.”

A Flea for Justice: Celebrating a Book Birthday With Valerie Bolling and TeMika Grooms from Highlights Foundation. Peek: [Valerie Bolling:] “I want to inspire children to create change because they can do powerful things. It may not be easy, but they can do things that can make a positive difference in their lives and/or in the lives of other people. I want to encourage young people to think about ways they can be activists….”

Tae Keller Talks With Roger by Roger Sutton from The Horn Book. Peek: “[R]eading is a safe place to explore scary things….[I]n books you can include things that feel scary, that we feel kids shouldn’t have to experience, but in a way that’s safe and can offer some guidance and answer some questions. Rather than, if they have questions and then they Google something and there’s a million different results….”

Katherine Paterson: I Write To Find Answers by Lisa Bullard from Macklin Community. Peek: “Having readers is absolutely the best part of being a writer….[W]riters for the young are the most blessed writers of all. Young readers will go deep. If they love your book, they’ll read it many times, play out scenes with friends, and…save it to pass on to their…children. How many writers for the old can match that?”

Equity & Inclusion

Writing as Necessity: A Conversation With Jasminne Mendez by Urayoán Noel from The Latinx Project. Peek: “I am an avid reader and I always turn to books, but the more I looked for books by women of color about chronic illness, the more I realized they didn’t exist. I knew I wasn’t the only woman, the only Black woman, the only Latina woman living with a chronic illness.”

Q&As With Authors for Young Readers on Showcasing Indigenous Culture and Community by Iyana Jones from Publishers Weekly. Peek: [Steph Littlebird:] “[O]ur unique [Indigenous] culture…emphasizes relationships with the land. I wanted to share the experience of a child learning about their connection to the earth in a way that was culturally specific…I believe most people can feel a connection to the land, but American culture doesn’t give us the language to really explore or express it.”

40 Children’s & YA Books That Celebrate Native American Heritage by Olugbemisola Rhuday-Perkovich from Brightly. Peek: “Native and Indigenous people so often are erased from the narrative of the American past, present, and future….Native stories are not a single story of defeat, bows and arrows, or of ‘the past.’ They include stories of joy, of cultural pride, of meeting everyday challenges, fun, and celebrations of family and friendship.”

Alex Taylor on Bone Broth from SelfMadeHero. Peek: “[S]tories of Queerness and identity have always gone hand in hand with horror….I think horrors and thrillers have always really resonated with queer people because of the reality of the world’s reaction to Queer people. A lot of the themes explored in horrors and thrillers are very relatable to marginalized Queers….”

Interview With Kimberly Tso, Debut Author of Tic-Tac-Toe Chicken by Laura Fineberg Cooper from Writers’ Rumpus. Peek: “I wrote the story because I wanted to capture something fun about living in Chinatown that was relatable to all children. It needed to be a story that celebrated the singularity of Chinatown without “other-ing” it. I also wanted to…confront certain stereotypes about AAPIs [Asian American and Pacific Islanders]…AAPIs are not a monolith….”

A Q&A With Author Joanna Ho by E.Y. Hwang from JADE Magazine. Peek: “[A]fter my first child was born….I began looking for inclusive books for my son and realized [a] lack of representation…continued to persist in children’s literature….I had a sudden inspiration to try writing my own….I threw myself into learning the craft. I attended conferences, read books on writing, pored over hundreds of picture books and novels.”

Writing Craft

Qs With Author Jungyoon Huh from Erin Dealy. Peek: “When we try to write the ‘perfect’ story, it’s easy to get lost in a maze….[I]t’s important to have a big-picture view of your narrative rather than focusing on perfection from the start. Even if your plot feels rough…, setting up the scaffolding of your story allows you to go with the flow and…fill in the details.”

SCBWI Instructs Authors to “Make the Familiar Fresh” in a State of the Industry Overview by Nathalie op de Beeck from Publishers Weekly. Peek: [Deborah Halverson, Author and Editorial Consultant:] “Don’t rush to submit your books…Keep working on your craft; keep reading other books and thinking about why those books might be coming to market. The greatest hook isn’t going to get you far without the craft to execute it well. Every time I talk about the hook, remember: craft first.”

Q&A: Tigest Girma, Author of “Eternal Ruin” by Emily M from Nerd Daily. Peek: “My drafting process is very free, and explores everything interesting under the sun. The tough part is…choosing which elements to discard and which to keep….[I]f I can make an element work at the plot and character level, I get to keep it. I worked really hard to keep both the dark academia element and the fantasy.”

Meet the Descendants of the Zodiac: An Interview With Katie Zhao from Uncharted Magazine. Peek: “I started out as a pantser, mostly writing my stories on the fly with no clear plan, but I quickly realized the most efficient way for me to write on deadline is with an outline….[T]he writing gets easier the more practice I get because my voice and style get more established, but not every book…follows a similar structure.”

Q&A With Ally Russell from Deborah Kalb Books. Peek: “I usually start with a synopsis that details how I’m going to move the story from one chapter to the next. I wrote a synopsis for this book, and I followed it (mostly). However, sometimes the story will take you in different directions as you’re writing, and when that happens, you have to follow the thread.”

Meet the Author: Claudia Rueda by Cherokee Crum from YA Books Central. Peek: “I don’t really think about a specific audience when I write—except when it’s a book for preschoolers. I imagine myself as a storyteller, and I write with the idea that the words will be read out loud. Picture books are meant to be heard, so I pay close attention to rhythm, musicality, and clarity.”

Booksellers

Binc To Offer ComicsPRO Scholarships. The Book Industry Charitable Foundation will double the number of scholarships it is offering comic store owners and their employees to attend the ComicsPRO Industry Meeting in Glendale, CA, held Feb. 18 to Feb. 21. Four $1,500 scholarships will be given out. Apply here.

The American Booksellers Association’s 21st Annual Winter Institute (Wi2026) will take place at the David L. Lawrence Convention Center, Pittsburgh, PA, from Feb. 23 to Feb. 26. On Feb. 22, Black, Indigenous, Asian American and Pacific Islander, Latina/o/x, Chicana/o/x, Hispanic, and BIPOC booksellers are invited to kick off Wi2026 with the pre-conference event, IGNITE.

Marketing

Five Ways To Promote Your Book Long After the Launch by Sandra Beckwith from Build Book Buzz. Peek: “1. Pitch yourself to the press as an expert source….2. Speak about your book’s topic….3. Do podcast interviews….4. Guest blog….Your book doesn’t have to be new….5. Use social media to keep your book title in front of the right readers….[R]egular, appropriate, and humble posts will help remind people…your book is out there waiting to be read and loved.”

Libraries

United for Libraries and Penguin Random House Grants to U.S. Rural and Small Libraries. Peek: “United for Libraries and Penguin Random House will award grants of $500 and $1,000 (totaling $25,000) to support libraries in need [rural/small U.S. libraries]….[G]rant funds will assist Friends of Library groups with priority projects. Additionally, in-kind book donation grants of $500 will be awarded to 20 libraries to purchase Penguin Random House titles.” Applications for the 2026 grants will be open from Dec. 17 to Jan. 21.

Publishing

The Publishing Workshops Taking a Red Pen to AI by Sam Spratford from Publishers Weekly. Peek: “AI-powered developmental editing platforms such as AutoCrit, Editrix, and Anthropic’s Claude have emerged with the promise to make the revisions process faster and more accessible….[I]ts potential has not gone unnoticed by the publishing industry. In PW’s most recent salary and jobs report,…63% of survey respondents said their companies are using AI in some way….”

The 2025 PW Salary & Jobs Report by Publishers Weekly. Peek: “This year’s report, based on 726 responses to our annual survey of publishing professionals, reveals that the industry is becoming increasingly diverse—and increasingly skeptical of AI….[N]ewer industry members worry that increased use of AI will result in job losses, while those who have been in publishing longer see copyright issues and a decline in quality….”

Education/Other Resources/Events

Heartdrum, an imprint of HarperCollins Children’s Books, offers a wide range of stories by Native creators, informed and inspired by lived experiences. Official Heartdrum Teacher Guides, created by Indigenous educators, are available for picture books, chapter books, middle grade, and young adult books. They feature discussion questions, curriculum connections, creator bios, and more.

Reminder! The Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators’ Winter Conference 2026 takes place Jan. 16 to Jan. 18 in-person in New York City, at Marriott Marquis Times Square. Meg Medina, Tiffany D. Jackson, and Jason Reynolds will present keynotes. Other highlights include industry panels, one-on-one manuscript and portfolio consultations, breakout sessions, a half-day intensive just for illustrators, the career-launching Portfolio Showcase, and more. See the schedule here.

The Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators’ 2026 Virtual Winter Conference takes place Feb. 6 to Feb. 7 and features inspirational talks, industry panels, and deep-dive Creative Labs. Videos replays of all sessions are available through Mar. 15. See schedule here.

Awards

Congratulations to the winners of the 2025 National Book Awards, and special acknowledgement to author Daniel Nayeri, winner of the Young People’s Literature award for The Teacher of Nomad Land: A World War II Story (Levine Querido, 2025).

Congratulations to the authors whose books are finalists for the Young Adult Library Services Association’s 2026 Excellence in Nonfiction for Young Adults Award, “which awards the best in nonfiction published during a Nov. 1 to Oct. 31 year for young adults ranging in age from 12 through 18 years. It highlights excellence in writing, research, presentation and readability for young adults.” Winners will be announced Jan. 26.

Congratulations to the California Independent Booksellers Alliance’s Golden Poppy Awards 2025 Finalists, and especially to the finalists in the categories of Picture Book, Middle Grade, Young Adult, Children’s Nonfiction, and Mirrors & Windows: Excellence in Children’s Literature. The awards recognize “the most distinguished books written and illustrated by creators who have made California their home.”

Congratulations to the authors whose books made the Indigo Best Books for Kids, Teens and Tweens lists. Indigo publishes the lists annually, which feature a top-ten list and a longer list. The lists are curated by a committee of Indigo’s employees and booksellers.

Congratulations to the authors whose books made the Goodreads Choice Awards Readers’ Favorite Books of 2025 lists, especially in the categories of Young Adult Fantasy & Sci Fi and Young Adult Fiction. 7,516,397 votes were cast for the awards.

Congratulations to the authors and illustrators whose books made the New York Public Library’s Best Books of 2025 list, especially in the categories of Best Books for Teens and Best Books for Kids. The books were curated by the library’s expert staff and librarians.

Congratulations to the authors and illustrators whose books made the Publishers Weekly’s Best Books of 2025 list in the categories of Picture Books, Middle Grade, and Young Adult. The editors’ selections for the top 50 books of the year include picture books and graphic novels, fiction and nonfiction, and debuts and bestsellers for readers of all ages.

Congratulations to the authors and illustrators whose books are in The Horn Book’s Fanfare, which is a list of the children’s and young adult books that Horn Book editors and reviewers selected as the best of 2025 in the categories of Picture Books, Fiction, Poetry, and Nonfiction.

Congratulations to the authors, narrators, producers, and publishers whose books made the AudioFile’s Best Audiobooks of 2025 list, especially in the categories of Children & Family Listening and Young Adult.

Congratulations to the authors and illustrators whose books made the Kirkus Reviews‘ Best Books of 2025 list, especially in the categories of Picture Books, Middle Grade, and Teens/YA.

Congratulations to the authors and illustrators whose book made the Children’s Book Council’s 2026 Outstanding Science Trade Books list (best science books chosen by science educators) and the 2026 Best STEM Books list (best books with STEM content).

Congratulations to the authors and illustrators whose book made the School Library Journal Best Books 2025 list. The categories include Picture Books, Transitional Books, Middle Grade, Young Adult, Nonfiction Elementary, Nonfiction Middle to High School, Poetry, Graphic Novels, and Manga.

Congratulations to the winners of the Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators’ 2025 Don Freeman Illustration Grants, which enable two talented artists to further develop their illustration work in the picture book genre. The winner of the Published category is Sahar Shams, and the winner of the Pre-published category is Anna Stenger.

Congratulations to the winner of the Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators’ 2025 Karen and Philip Cushman Late Bloomer Award, which is for authors over the age of fifty who have not been traditionally published in the children’s literature field. The winner is Julie Brett Hill for Travertine Gully.

Congratulations to the winners of the Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators’ 2025 Emerging Voices Award. The winners are To-Wen Tseng for Thousand Gold Precious and Hannah Sheldon-Dean for The Pines.

Scholarships & Grants

Penguin Random House, in partnership with We Need Diverse Books, is presenting Creative Writing Awards in the form of college scholarships of up to $10,000 each to six public U.S. high school seniors, nationwide. See Guidelines here. Apply here. The deadline to apply is Jan. 15 at 1 p.m. pacific, 3 p.m. central, 4 p.m. eastern, or when 1,000 applications have been received.

From This Cynsations Series

More Personally—Cynthia

LEGENDARY FRYBREAD DRIVE-IN: INTERTRIBAL STORIES, edited by Cynthia Leitich Smith (Heartdrum, 2025) has been highlighted in the Publishers Weekly Holiday Gift Guide as well as on a number of “best of the year” lists:

Booklist Editors’ Choice
Calgary Public Library Top Books
Center for the Study of Multicultural Children’s Literature Best Multicultural Children’s Books
Chicago Public Library Best Teen Fiction
Common Sense Media Best Books of the Year
!ndigo Best Tween and Teen Books
Kirkus Reviews Best Young Adult Books of the Year
New York Public Library Best Books for Teens

More Personally—Gayleen

My fall semester in the University of North Texas’ Master of Library Science program wraps up this week. It’s been intense, but very rewarding. I was even able to incorporate YAlit into some of my assignments: this Wakelet collection on Digital Citizenship and a book talk on True or False: A CIA Analyst’s Guide to Spotting Fake News by Cindy L. Otis (Feiwel & Friends, 2020)

More Personally—Gail

Many congratulations to my Vermont College of Fine Arts alum friend Sue Ganz-Schmitt, whose new picture book, Party Monsters on the Block, illustrated by Luke Flowers (Two Lions, 2025) launched on Oct. 14. It is a sequel to her spectacularly fun and vibrant picture book about acceptance: That Monster on the Block, illustrated by Luke Flowers (Two Lions, 2020).

Sue has definitely created her magic again, as the characters in Party Monsters deliver a message of compromise and cooperation in a spirited, hilarious, heart-warming way.

More Personally—Suma

I’m thrilled to share that V. Malar – Greatest Ranger Of All Time, the second book in the V. Malar series, releases on January 6th 2026. Pre Order links are on my website: https://sumasubramaniam.com. I also have an in-person book launch event scheduled in mid-January. Here’s the flyer.