“Strength Like A Rock” selected by Cindy Welch of BCCB. “[C]elebrates the power and determination of strong black females, young and old, who rise to the occasion, sustain family, and carry forward the dreams of a nation.”

“True Blue Patricia C. McKissack” by Deborah Stevenson from BCCB. Patricia’s titles include Days of Jubilee: The End of Slavery in the United States (with Fredrick L. McKissack)(Scholastic, 2003).

“What Does Black History Month Mean to You?” a Q&A with noted voices in children’s literature from Lee & Low Books. Note: I learned of this link at Don Tate’s blog, Devas T Rants and Raves, which includes more thoughts on the subject. Read a Cynsations interview with Don.

More News & Links

The February 2007 issue of SmartWriters features: “Alert the Media! Press Releases 101” by Roxyanne Young; “Book Trailers are Easy…If You’ve Got the Software, and the Savy,” also by Roxyanne; and “Writers Retreats & Conferences” by Margot Finke. Read Cynsations interviews with Roxyanne and Margot.

Mitali Perkins at Mitali’s Fire Escape recommends Bringing Asha Home by Uma Krishnaswami, illustrated by Jamel Akib (Lee & Low, 2006) and Kimchi & Calamari by Rose Kent (HarperCollins, 2007). The blog also features Books About Adoption.

Debbie Reese at American Indians in Children’s Literature recommends SkySisters by Jan Bourdeau Waboose, illustrated by Brian Deins (Kids Can, 2000).

More personally, Tracie Vaughn Zimmer’s enthusiastic post about the upcoming publication of my YA gothic fantasy, Tantalize (Candlewick, 2007), brought tears to my eyes. Thanks, Tracie! Don’t miss Tracie’s next release, Reaching for the Sun (Bloomsbury, 2007).

Look for the Tantalize ad in the upcoming issue of Publishers Weekly!