By Cynthia Leitich Smith, Gayleen Rabakukk, Stephani Eaton, Suma Subramaniam, Bree Bender and Gail Vannelli for Cynsations
Spotlight Image: When Lola Visits by Michelle Sterling, illustrated by Aaron Asis (Katherine Tegen Books, 2021).
Category: General
Illustrator Interview: Simona Ceccarelli on Illustrating Internationally
I’m talking today with Simona Ceccarelli, an illustrator based in Switzerland who has worked books for publishers in several countries, including the U.S. market.
Simona, it’s been so rewarding to watch your career take off! It wasn’t that long ago that the first book you illustrated came out,
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Author Interview: Deborah Noyes on the Creative Life & A Hopeful Heart
I am excited to welcome Deborah Noyes to Cynsations to share with our readers her thoughts on the creative life, both about her own work and that which has influenced her.
Welcome, Deborah! Could you tell us about your new release?
A Hopeful Heart (Random House,
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Cynsational News
By Cynthia Leitich Smith, Gayleen Rabakukk, Stephani Eaton, Suma Subramaniam, Bree Bender and Gail Vannelli for Cynsations
Spotlight Image: Grandpa Across the Ocean by Hyewon Yum (Abrams Books for Young Readers, 2021).
Author/Illustrator Insights
My Beauty Uniform: Ruth Chan by Joanna Goddard from A Cup of Jo.
Author Interview: Anna-Marie McLemore on Representation & Their Writing Journey
We’re thrilled to welcome Anna-Marie McLemore to Cynsations today.
When you look back on your writing journey, what are the changes that stand out?
I’ve gone from coming from a place of thinking I had to apologize for my identities—especially my intersectional identities like being queer and Latinx—and thinking I had to apologize for including them in my stories,
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Author Interview: Amra Sabic-El-Rayess on Her Memoir The Cat I Never Named: A True Story of Love, War, and Survival
Today we welcome Amra Sabic-El-Rayess to Cynsations. Her acclaimed memoir with Laura L. Sullivan, The Cat I Never Named: A True Story of Love, War, and Survival (Bloomsbury, 2020) was a YALSA finalist for excellence in nonfiction.
Amra’s author biography describes her book as “a timely warning to Americans against othering,
Cynsational News
By Cynthia Leitich Smith, Gayleen Rabakukk, Stephani Eaton, Suma Subramaniam, Bree Bender and Gail Vannelli for Cynsations
Spotlight Image: We Dream Medicine Dreams by Lisa Boivin (HighWater Press, 2021).
Author/Illustrator Insights
Elizabeth Acevedo Understands That “People Read Like They Eat” from The New York Times.
Author Interview: Ruth Erica on De boom met de bittere bladeren (The Tree with Bitter Leaves)
Today I’m pleased to introduce Cynsations readers to Ruth Erica, whose young adult novel De boom met de bittere bladeren (The Tree with Bitter Leaves) has been published in Dutch in the Netherlands and Belgium by Lemniscaat. The novel explores the experience of growing up in the aftermath of the Rwandan genocide through the eyes of a teenaged protagonist who was a small child when the events took place.
Author Interview: Christina Soontornvat: When a Book is Worth the Wait
Christina Soontornvat was recently recognized with two Newbery Honors – for All Thirteen: The Incredible Cave Rescue of the Thai Boys’ Soccer Team (Candlewick, 2020) and A Wish in the Dark (Candlewick, 2020). All Thirteen was also a 2021 Sibert Honor, a finalist for YALSA’s Excellence in Nonfiction,
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Author Interview: Valerie Bolling on the Creative Life & Writing That Moves
By Bree Rae
Cynsations is excited to welcome Valerie Bolling, author of the picture book Let’s Dance!, illustrated by Maine Diaz (Boyds Mills & Kane, 2020) as well as the forthcoming Together We Ride (Chronicle, 2022) and its sequel Together We Swim (Chronicle, 2023).
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