Cynsational News - Cynthia Leitich Smith

Amber Fang: Self-Publishing a Book from Arthur Slade. Peek: “…there it is. The breakdown of income and expenses. As you can see Amazon (and Createspace and affiliate money) amounted to most of my income. I put the expenses chart there, too.” Notes: (a) post includes charts breaking down sales figures; (b) Arthur is a popular and acclaimed author of numerous successful traditionally published trade books as well.

Making a Difference Booklist from The Horn Book. Peek: “The books below — both fiction and nonfiction titles for a wide range of ages — portray many kinds of social justice work. Many specifically highlight what children can do to contribute this work, helping empower them to fight the good fight.”

How Character Attributes and Flaws Work Within Character Arc by Angela Ackerman from Writers Helping Writers. Peek: “Flaws exist because of a deep fear: that an emotionally traumatic event will happen again, and all that awful vulnerability one felt before will come crashing down.” See also Angela on Writing Emotion: Does Your Hero Shrug, Smile & Frown Too Much?

Transgender Awareness Month 2016 Resources from Out of the Box at The Horn Book.” Peek: “November is Transgender Awareness Month, a time to celebrate the lives of trans people, remember those lost to anti-trans hate crimes, and renew our commitment to fight for trans rights.

Heavy-Handed Imagery & Theme by Mary Kole from Kidlit.com. Peek: “That belongs on a classroom poster. Not at the heart of a story. Now, if you show a character’s life being enriched by sharing, that’s another thing. That lets the reader see the benefits of sharing for himself, and to make the connection that sharing is probably great on his own.”

Good Men & Bad Men: On Latino Masculinities in Joe Jiménez’s Bloodline by Sonia Alejandra Rodríguez, PhD; from Latinx in Kidlit. Peek: “…polarizing possibilities of what it means to be a Latino man are harmful and we need more complex images of Latino men and Latino masculinities that give us a broad spectrum.” See also Creating a Diverse Books Legacy: Interview with Culture Chest Founder Rose Espiritu.

Interview: Author Latisha Redding on Immigration, Grief & The Healing Power of Art from Lee & Low. Peek: “Certainly a six-year old doesn’t have the vocabulary to say, “I’m depressed because this happened to me.” So I wanted to know how could this child, Henri, express the trauma that he has experienced. I explored that question with the story.”

What It Takes to Open a Bookstore by Jonah Engel Bromwich from The New York Times. Peek: “In the last several years, though, there are signs that independent bookstores are making a comeback in New York and other cities, in part through innovative financing that gives neighborhoods a stake in the businesses.”

How to Write When Life Sucks by Cathy Yardly from Writer Unboxed. Peek: “…study yourself: your process, your boosts, your triggers. You’re not going to cure all your stressors at once. What you want is to halt the downward spiral, and slowly build your reserves.”

This Week at Cynsations

More Personally

Donna Janell Bowman‘s Step Right Up is an Orbis Pictus Recommended Book.

Thank you to The Girls’ School of Austin for the welcoming hospitality at my school visit on Thursday. Thank you for the welcome signs. Thank you for your enthusiasm and terrific questions. Thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you! I had such an amazing time.

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Honored to join the SCBWI winter conference faculty!

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