Author P.J. Hoover‘s latest book, The Hidden Code (CBAY Books, 2019), is a fast-paced adventure thriller. From the promotional copy:
Eleven years ago, Hannah Hawkins’ parents disappeared while traveling abroad. Presumed dead, Hannah and her uncle are shocked when a letter from her mom arrives right after Hannah’s sixteenth birthday.
Continue Reading Author Interview: P.J. Hoover on Writing (& Publishing) the Stories You Love »
By Traci Sorell
Memoir is one of my favorite genres to read. When Nikki Grimes shared some poems from hers last summer, I knew I must read Ordinary Hazards (Boyds Mills & Kane, 2019), the entire book.
Written in verse, her words captivated me much as the act of writing did her at an early age.
Continue Reading Author Interview: Nikki Grimes on The Power of Words »
By Cynthia Leitich Smith, Gayleen Rabukukk, Stephani Eaton and Gail Vannelli for Cynsations
Author/Illustrator Insights
Julie C. Dao on Fairy Tales, Romance & Her Latest YA Novel by Karis Rogerson from We Need Diverse Books. Peek: “‘Looking back, I see now how every rejection and roadblock happened for a good reason,’ she said,
I’ve attended the SCBWI Annual Summer Conference in Los Angeles every summer since 1991—and for good reason! It’s a wonderful conference with something for every writer and illustrator.
The 2019 conference will always be extra special to me because of the amazing moment that happened just hours after I arrived at the Marriott Hotel.
Continue Reading Guest Post: Linda Joy Singleton on Attending SCBWI Annual Conferences »
Today I’m excited to interview two fellow Vermont College of Fine Arts graduates, Tami Lewis Brown and Debbie Loren Dunn about their new nonfiction picture book, Instructions Not Included, illustrated by Chelsea Beck (Disney-Hyperion, 2019).
Congratulations on Instructions Not Included! It’s a fun and inspiring book.
Continue Reading Co-Authors Interview: Tami Lewis Brown & Debbie Loren Dunn »
By Cynthia Leitich Smith, Gayleen Rabukukk, Stephani Eaton and Gail Vannelli for Cynsations
Author/Illustrator Insights
Q&A with Oge Mora: Saturday from We Need Diverse Books. Peek: “As a picture book maker, I am all about finding the magic present in everyday life.
By Kim Rogers
Today, I’m delighted to welcome Weshoyot Alvitre to Cynsations.
At the Mountain’s Base (Kokila, 2019) is illustrated by Weshoyot and written by Cherokee author Traci Sorell.
Weshoyot is Tongva (Los Angeles Basin) and is well established within the Indigenous art community.
Continue Reading Native Vision: Weshoyot Alvitre on Illustrating At The Mountain’s Base »
I’ve always been a writer.
The first thing I wrote, and produced, was a play. There were two members of the cast (myself and my younger sister), and one member in the audience. My grandmother, Nana.
I don’t think I was much more than seven years old.
Still,
Continue Reading Guest Post: Carol Lynch Williams on Writing Craft, Perseverance & Writing Life »
By Cynthia Leitich Smith, Gayleen Rabukukk, Stephani Eaton and Gail Vannelli for Cynsations
Author/Illustrator Insights
Writing Through Fear: A Chat with Ashley Woodfolk About Her Heartbreaking YA Novel by Wesley Salazar from Brightly. Peek: “I think loss is one of those universal experiences that no one really knows how to talk about.
By Traci Sorell
Rarely do we see biographies of Native people post-1900, so the biography of Elizabeth Peratrovich, Fighter in Velvet Gloves (University of Alaska Press, 2019), by Annie Boochever with Roy Peratrovich, Jr. (Tlingit) is a welcome addition in children’s literature.