Compiled by Cynthia Leitich Smith
Congratulations to Libba Bray on the release of The Diviners (Little, Brown, 2012)! From the promotional copy:
Evie O’Neill has been exiled from her boring old hometown and shipped off to the bustling streets of New York City–and she is pos-i-toot-ly thrilled. New York is the city of speakeasies, shopping, and movie palaces!
Soon enough, Evie is running with glamorous Ziegfield girls and rakish pickpockets. The only catch is Evie has to live with her Uncle Will, curator of The Museum of American Folklore, Superstition, and the Occult–also known as “The Museum of the Creepy Crawlies.”
When a rash of occult-based murders comes to light, Evie and her uncle are right in the thick of the investigation. And through it all, Evie has a secret: a mysterious power that could help catch the killer–if he doesn’t catch her first.
See also Libba Bray’s 10 Favorite Horror Movies (with Libba commentary) and a video of Libba discussing The Diviners from Omnivoracious.
More News & Giveaways
Discovering What Delights: Reader Feedback by Elizabeth S. Craig from Mystery Writing Is Murder. Peek: “Sometimes it takes other people to point out something special.”
Spider-Man, Spider-Man, Does Whatever a YA Writer Can by Emilia Plater from YA Highway. Peek: “As a YA writer, there’s something else that interests me about Spider-Man’s story, and that’s Uncle Ben’s ‘great power’ quote…”
Write Tighter, Write Smarter by Ash Krafton from QueryTracker.netBlog. Peek: “…I’d learned to improve my craft one layer at a time.”
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| Barbara recommends |
Celebrating Diversity in Jewish Books for Children by Barbara Bietz from CBC Diversity. Peek: “The Sydney Taylor Book Award honors books that are accessible to readers of all backgrounds, continuing the legacy and literary standards of the All-of-a-Kind Family series.”
The Clock is Ticking by Lisa Schroeder from Crowe’s Nest. Peek: “…I want to sell it and have other people read it. If you have some underlying fear about all of that, and it’s keeping you from being productive with the writing, have a heart-to-heart with someone you trust about your fears and figure out what you need to do so you can make the writing a priority!”
Book Launch Parties for Reluctant Authors by Mitali Perkins from Mitali’s Fire Escape. Peek: “…there’s still no better way to invite people into your stories than to appear in person. You spread the word about the book through press coverage and social media, creating a ripple effect around each event.”
Think Before You Thank: Writers & Acknowledgments by Kate Messner from Kate’s Book Blog. Peek: “An acknowledgment in the back of a book is different from a quiet thank you note that arrives in a mailbox. It’s a very public thank you, and in some situations, it might not be comfortable for the person being thanked.”
A Most Unusual Father-Daughter (Cassandra Clare) Professional Pairing by David A. Kaplan from CNN. Peek: “I do think one great thing with Simon & Schuster is that over the years they’ve been open to ideas I’ve generated. Some have been enormously successful, and a lot have been ideas that I’ve sorted out by talking to my dad.” Source: April Henry.
Author Challenge: Writing Formal Poetry by Lesléa Newman from Figment. Peek: “Writing in form connects me to poets who wrote in form centuries ago. In
other words, if it’s good enough for William Shakespeare, it’s
certainly good enough for me!”
Interview: Varian Johnson on Being a Writer and a Dad
by Larissa Theule from Quirk and Quill. Peek: “A helpful tidbit for
writer-dads-to-be: babies don’t seem to care about little things like
showers or lunch or book deadlines.”
Social Media Basket by Stina Lindenblatt
from QueryTracker.netBlog. Peek: “With the vast array of social media
sites available, how do you decide which ones are worthwhile? …here
are some tips to consider.”
Three Time Management Tips by Emily Marshall
from Author2Author. Peek: “Knowing rejection is part of the process
definitely slows me down. But I just have to keep telling myself that
it’s natural and part of the process.”
Cynsational Giveaways
- One of three copies of The Infects by Sean Beaudoin (Candlewick, 2012)(YA)
- Signed copy of Forget Me Not by Carolee Dean (Simon Pulse, Oct. 2012)(YA)
The winner of I’m Bored, illustrated by Debbie Ridpath Ohi & hand-drawn doodle is Joy in Arizona, the winners of three paperback copies of One Crazy Summer by Rita Williams-Garcia are Jody in Florida, Margarite in Texas, and Todd in Washington, the winners of Come August, Come Freedom by Gigi Amateau are Heidi in Utah (did you enter? check your email!), and the winner of a signed copy of Lupe Ruiz-Flores’ bilingual picture
book, Alicia’s Fruity Drinks/Las aguas frescas de Alicia; a small “Hope”
note pad; a Charlotte Bronte journal; and a business card holder has still not responded so a new winner may be picked soon!
Check out the 1920s giveaway by Janet S. Fox from Through the Wardrobe. Features “a long
necklace strand of 20’s-style ‘pearls’, plus a feathery, flappery headband” and advance reader copy of Sirens (Speak/Penguin, Nov. 2012). Deadline: midnight Sept. 30. Post features cover reveal and book trailer.
This Week at Cynsations
- Carolee Dean on A Brief History of Novels in Verse
- Michelle Markel on Henri Rousseau & Rejection
- New Voice: Rebecca Maizel on Infinite Days
- Sean Beaudoin (Or Rather Norm) on The Infects
- Book Trailer: Boy + Bot by Ame Dyckman, illustrated by Dan Yaccarino
- Mike Mullin on Writing on the Run (“Actually, I Usually Walk”)
More Personally
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| Loved visiting Librarian Kit & the teens at Cedar Park (TX) Public Library! |
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| Danielle in a Mantle of Dracula T-shirt! |
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| She painted the cover of Blessed and gave it to me! |
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| I also swung by Diana Lopez‘s event at BookPeople! |
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| Books by Mari Mancusi, Tera Lynn Childs & Sophie Jordan from Danny at The Book Spot. |
Personal Links:
- Normal Hope by Meredith Davis at Stories in the Street
- How Much Did Disney/Marvel Make from “The Avengers”?
- “Dr. Horrible’ First CW Promo is Here
- Photo of Woman with Facial Hair Leads to Conversation, Understanding
Cynsational Events
The Austin Teen Book Festival will take place from 9:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. Sept. 29 at Palmer Events Center. The author slate is huge and awesome, featuring Neal Shusterman and Libba Bray as keynoters. Look for Greg Leitich Smith on the “Where We’re Going, We Don’t Need Roads” panel.
Digital Symposium II: The Nuts and Bolts of Success will take place from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Oct. 6 at St. Edward’s University, sponsored by Austin SCBWI. Peek: “…a hands-on technology workshop for illustrators and authors of all techie levels.”
Join Cynthia Leitich Smith at 3 p.m. Oct. 6 at Freeport Library, a branch of the Brazoria County Library System.
Conversation with Kirsten Cappy of Curious City: An Event for Published Authors from 4 p.m. to 6 p.m. Oct. 7 at The
Writing Barn in Austin. “To RSVP, please send an email to writingbarn@gmail.com with ‘Cappy Class’ as the subject line by Oct. 1.”