New Voices: Casie Bazay & Ginny Myers Sain on Persistence

By AJ Eversole & Gayleen Rabakukk

We’re happy to welcome two debut Oklahoma YA authors to Cynsations today! Casie Bazay’s novel, Not Our Summer (Running Press Kids) released on May 11, 2021 and is a #1 Oklahoma Bestseller. Ginny Myers Sain‘s novel, Dark and Shallow Lies was published by Razorbill/Penguin on September 7,

Continue Reading New Voices: Casie Bazay & Ginny Myers Sain on Persistence »

New Voices: Evan Griffith & Sajni Patel on Reflecting Strength in Stories

By Gayleen Rabakukk

Above image: downtown Austin from Lady Bird Lake, photo by Ron Rabakukk

Today I’m chatting with two debut Austin authors with very different books, but both feature strong female protagonists who were envisioned by creators dedicated to letting readers see themselves in stories.

Evan Griffith‘s picture book biography Secrets of the Sea: The Story of Jeanne Power,

Continue Reading New Voices: Evan Griffith & Sajni Patel on Reflecting Strength in Stories »

New Visions: Author-Illustrator Isabella Kung Discusses her Journey to Publication

 

By Stephani Martinell Eaton

I am so pleased to welcome author-illustrator Isabella Kung to discuss her journey to publication and to share her inspiration for her debut picture book No Fuzzball! (Scholastic, 2020).

What first inspired you to illustrate for young readers?

I always loved reading children’s books and the love only grew as I aged.

Continue Reading New Visions: Author-Illustrator Isabella Kung Discusses her Journey to Publication »

New Voices: Roseanne A. Brown & Diana Ma on Creating Characters That Mirrored Themselves

By Stephani Martinell Eaton

I’m excited to introduce our readers to Roseanne A. Brown, author of A Song of Wraiths and Ruin (Balzar + Bray, 2020), and Diana Ma, author of Heiress Apparently (Abrams, 2020). While these two YA debut novels may seem different in genre and tone,

Continue Reading New Voices: Roseanne A. Brown & Diana Ma on Creating Characters That Mirrored Themselves »

New Voices: Stacy Hackney & Lily LaMotte Discuss “Measuring Up” to Publishing Standards

 

By Stephani Martinell Eaton

One thing writers struggle with is getting their work to measure up to publishing standards. I am pleased to introduce our Cynsations readers the debut authors Stacy Hackney, author of Forever Glimmer Creek (Simon & Schuster, 2020), and Lily LaMotte,

Continue Reading New Voices: Stacy Hackney & Lily LaMotte Discuss “Measuring Up” to Publishing Standards »

New Voices: Tina Mowrey & Amy Mucha on Pitching Picture Books

By Gayleen Rabakukk and Stephani Martinell Eaton

Image above: Author Amy Mucha with her daughter, declaring their rights.

Today we welcome two picture book authors who used Twitter pitch events to connect with agents and editors to get their debut books published.

Tina Mowrey

What was your initial inspiration for writing this book?

Continue Reading New Voices: Tina Mowrey & Amy Mucha on Pitching Picture Books »

New Voices: Ernesto Cisneros & Ash Van Otterloo on Being True to Themselves & Their Roots

By Stephani Martinell Eaton

Welcome to Ernesto Cisneros and Ash Van Otterloo! These two middle-grade debut authors will share with us the inspiration and challenge of staying true to their roots while writing for a young audience.

Ernesto Cisneros

What was your initial inspiration for writing this book?

Continue Reading New Voices: Ernesto Cisneros & Ash Van Otterloo on Being True to Themselves & Their Roots »

New Voices: Kelly J. Baptist & Jess Rinker on the People Who’ve Influenced Their Writing

By Stephani Martinell Eaton

A big welcome to middle-grade debut authors, Kelly J. Baptist and Jess Rinker. Both authors share with us how the people around them influence their writing as well as moments along their journeys to publication.

Kelly Baptist 

What first inspired you to write for young readers?

Continue Reading New Voices: Kelly J. Baptist & Jess Rinker on the People Who’ve Influenced Their Writing »

New Voices: Adiba Jaigirdar & Kim Johnson on Their Journeys to Publication

By Stephani Martinell Eaton

Today Cynsations celebrates the debuts of YA authors Adiba Jaigirdar and Kim Johnson. They discuss their journey to publication—the inspiration, the challenges, and the accomplishments. Both authors drew from their own experiences and identities to create their compelling stories.

Adiba Jaigirdar

What was your initial inspiration for writing this book?

Continue Reading New Voices: Adiba Jaigirdar & Kim Johnson on Their Journeys to Publication »