“Beethoven’s Five Legless Pianos Inspire Winter’s Wacky Kids’ Book:” An Exclusive Authorlink Interview with Jonah Winter, author of The 39 Apartments of Ludwig Van Beethoven (illustrated by Barry Blitt (Schwartz & Wade/Random House, 2006)) by Susan VanHecke from Authorlink. September 2006. Note: For registered users (minimal fee), Authorlink also offers An Exclusive Interview With Kathy Dawson, associate editorial director at Harcourt Children’s Books, by Lesley Williams.

NikiBurnham: LJ of the sparkling YA romance author. Look for Do-Over (Simon Pulse, 2006)(excerpt). Read a Cynsations interview with Niki.

Author Jennifer L. Holm is signing her new novel, Penny From Heaven (Random House, 2006), at BookPeople in Austin, Texas; on Oct. 4 at 10 a.m.

Interview with Debut YA Author Robin Merrow MacCready by Debbi Michiko Florence. Robin is the author of Buried (Dutton, 2006). Learn more about Robin. See also the interview with Robin at TeensReadToo.com.

Read new interviews with Joyce Sidman and Tanya Lee Stone by Tracie Vaughn Zimmer from The Poetry House. Don’t miss previous interviews with Rebecca Kai Dotlich, Ralph Fletcher, Kristine O’Connell George, Nikki Grimes, Heidi Roemer, Marilyn Singer, and Lisa Wheeler. Tracie is the author of Sketches from a Spy Tree, illustrated by Andrew Glass (Clarion, 2005) and Reaching for the Sun (Bloomsbury, 2007). She also writes teacher guides for other children’s book creators and publishers. Read Vaughn Zimmer, Tracie’s LJ.

Reminder: The 92nd Street Y Buttenwieser Library and the Jewish Book Council are co-sponsoring the Eighth Annual Jewish Children’s Book Writers’ Conference at the 92nd Street Y in Manhattan (New York City) Nov. 19 from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. The final registration deadline is Nov. 11. The conference sold out last year, so register early. Learn more about the conference.

What Makes a Good Thriller: Working with Fear by Nancy Werlin from The Horn Book Magazine. Read a recent Cynsations interview with Nancy.

Check out the photos from author Jo Whittemore‘s signing for Curse of Arastold (excerpt), Book Two of the Silverskin Trilogy, which kicked off with Escape from Arylon (author interview)(both Llewellyn, 2006). The event was held at Barnes & Noble, Round Rock, which is just outside of Austin. Learn more about the photographer, author Brian Anderson. Note: my husband, author Greg Leitich Smith, and I were there. So was author Varian Johnson.