By Cynthia Leitich Smith

Diversity and Difference in YA from Megan Crewe. Peek: “If you flesh out all your characters and avoid making one characteristic the entirety of that character’s ‘personality,’ you’re a lot less likely to end up with a stereotype.” See also Why We Need Diversity in YA Fiction from Cheryl Rainfield.

A Visit to Chronicle Books by Darcy Pattison from Fiction Notes. Note: a photo report.

A Corollary to NaNoWriMo, or, Why I’m Prouder of 600 Words than 10,000 from Beth Revis. Peek: “I was getting close to 10k words. And then, on Day 5, I realized: that was the wrong 10k words. So I deleted them all.” Source: Gwenda Bond.

How to Critique and Still Have Friends by Mary Ann Rodman from Teaching Authors. Peek: “At the start of a session I remind the writer that he is already a writer; working together, he will become a better writer.”

How to Host an Author, From an Author: a Q&A with Cynthia Leitich Smith from The Outreach Librarian. Peek: “Is there a threatened closing, a recent death in the faculty/student body—really anything that might impact our choice of words and/or
demeanor?”

YA Bookstore Opens Within General Bookstore in St. Paul from Publishers Weekly. Peek: “Mayer, a librarian with the St. Paul public school system, previously worked for three different Twin Cities bookstores, including Micawber’s, where he wrote the children’s portion of the store newsletter. He also has served on the board of the University of Minnesota’s Kerlan Collection of Children’s Literature.”

Top 10 Historical Picture Books by Sherry York from PaperTigers.Blog. Peek: “These titles represent ten of my picks of authentic historical picture books.  They all present U.S. history from points of view not often seen in ‘mainstream’ lists.”

Reminder! Kid-Lit Cares: Superstorm Sandy Relief Auction from Kate Messner. Peek: “…an online talent auction to benefit the Red Cross relief effort for Sandy. Agents, editors, authors, and illustrators have donated various services to be auctioned off to the highest bidder, with donations being made directly to the Red Cross disaster relief fund.” Note: round 2 kicks off Nov. 12 from Joanne Levy. See also Kid Lit Community Giving Back to Benefit Red Cross (auction items in sidebar) from Jen Malone Writes.

Surviving Sandy: Stories from the Publishing World by Diane Roback from Publishers Weekly. Peek: “A common refrain heard during the party: if you have to be stranded somewhere, you could do much worse than Austin.”

Outlining: Write with the End in Mind by Yahong Chi from Project Mayhem: The Manic Minds of Middle Grade Writers. Peek: “…saves you from wandering through your middle in one direction, only to realize that your story actually ends up over there — and thereby rendering your first 10,000 words useless.”

Do YA Authors, Editors & Librarians Promote the Idea that Books Can Do Good, But Reject the Idea that They Can Do Harm? by Daniel Nayeri
from CBC Diversity. Peek: “…any workshop or football coach will tell
you, don’t accept the compliments if you won’t believe the criticism.”

Learn about Rain Is Not My Indian Name.

“Clean” Reads for Multicultural YA Girls by Stacy Whitman from Stacy Whitman’s Grimoire. Peek: “Feel free to suggest titles that
might not be shelved in a church library only if they’re
borderline, i.e., something my friend my suggest the girls look up on an
individual basis if she feels they’re ready for them).” Note: post
updated; see list at Pinterest.

How to Handle Picture Book Back Matter During Submission by Deborah Halverson from DearEditor.com. Peek: “That supporting material is a component of your project, which should be considered in full.”

Author Insight: Writing Roadblocks from Wastepaper Prose. Peek: “What’s the biggest consistent obstacle in your writing process? How do you overcome it?”

Transformational Journeys: Working with Archetypes by Robin LaFevers from Writer Unboxed. Peek: “The transformative part comes in when we take that grief or bitterness
or suffering and let it be the catalyst that impels us to a new state of
being; that instead of experiencing our emotions as random stepping
stones, we allow ourselves to see the path that is forming at our feet
and dare to take it, follow it to a new awareness.”

Looking for more publishing news and resources? Try The Publishing Pulse from QueryTracker.netBlog.

Cynsational Giveaways

• New! Rootless T-shirt and a signed, personalized copy of Rootless by Chris Howard (Scholastic, 2012), and bookmarks (YA) 
• New! The Christmas Tugboat: How the Rockefeller Center Christmas Tree Came to New York City by by George Matteson and Adele Ursone, illustrated by James Ransome (Clarion, 2012)(PB)
• New! Three ARCs of Feral Nights by Cynthia Leitich Smith (Candlewick, 2013)(YA) 
• New! Three copies of Pickle: The (Formerly) Anonymous Prank Club of Fountain Point Middle School by Kim Baker (Roaring Brook, 2012)(MG)
• Last call! Two author-signed copies of Eighth Grade Is Making Me Sick by Jennifer
  L. Holm, illustrated by Elicia Castaldi (Random House, 2012)(Tween)
• Last call! Bookplate-signed copy of League of Strays by L.B. Shulman (Abram/Amulet, 2012)(YA)

The winner of Dragonswood by Janet Lee Carey is Selena in Wisconsin.

See also YA Book Releases in Stores 11/10-11/17 and four-book giveaway from Adventures in YA and Children’s Publishing.

This Week at Cynsations

• New Voice: E. Kristin Anderson on Dear Teen Me
• Author Chris Howard & Scholastic Editor Mallory Kass on Rootless
• Video: “Write On — Mark Twain” by Alan Silberberg
• Cover Reveal & Giveaway of Feral Nights by Cynthia Leitich Smith
• New Voice & Giveaway: Kim Baker on Pickle: The (Formerly) Anonymous Prank Club of Fountain Point Middle School (Roaring Brook, 2012)
• Janet S. Fox on Core Emotions & Writing from the Heart

Library Jubilee

This week’s event highlight was Library Jubilee: The Quest for Imagination in Waco, Texas!

Greg & Cyn, photo by Joy Preble

Loved the tie-in decorations to the fantasy theme!

Dear Teen Me panel with E. Kristin Anderson, K.A. Holt, Jessica Lee Anderson, P.J. Hoover & Mari Mancusi

“Imagine New World” panel with Nikki Loftin, Lynne Kelly & Shana Burg

More Personally

This week, I unveiled the cover to Feral Nights (Book One in the Feral series)(Candlewick, 2013). Thank you to the remarkable design team at Candlewick Press for a wonderful job (it beckons, don’t you think?), and thanks to all who’ve passed on and cheered the cover! Your support means so much! (Don’t miss the ARC giveaway!)

Personal Links:

• LCV Cities Tour – Montpelier, Vermont Literary Scene 
• Calico Buffalo: A Musical
• Women, Latinos: Record Numbers in U.S. Congress
• Amazon Pulls Thousands of E-Books in Dispute 

Cynsational Events

Shelley Ann Jackson and Jeff Crosby will speak on Rhythmic Syncopation at 10 a.m. Nov. 10 at BookPeople in Austin in conjunction with Austin SCBWI. Following the meeting (at 11 a.m.), check out the open critique group meeting on the third floor or basic Photoshop assistance with Marsha Riti in the first-floor coffee shop.

Central Texans, don’t miss the Dear Teen Me Launch Party at 6 p.m. Nov. 10 at The BookSpot in Round Rock.

Cynthia Leitich Smith will sign from noon to 2 p.m. Dec. 1 at The BookSpot in Round Rock.

2013 Novel Writing Retreat for Middle Grade and Young Adult Writers will be March 15 to March 17 at Vermont College of Fine Arts. Study with Cynthia Leitich Smith, Lauren Myracle and Candlewick editor Andrea Tompa.