Thank you, Cynsational readers, contributors, reporters, webmaster, and most of all, Cynterns, for your support, generosity and enthusiasm for our ongoing conversations!
This blog is now officially on winter hiatus. We will return after the ALA Midwinter Conference in 2020 with more inspiration, insights and information on children’s-YA writing, illustration, literature and publishing.
In the meantime, keep up on all those topics with me on Facebook,
Today we welcome Lee & Low editor Louise May to Cynsations to share her insights into poetry anthologies, working with Lee Bennett Hopkins, and I Remember: Poems and Pictures of Heritage, edited by Lee (Lee & Low, 2019).
Congratulations on I Remember: Poems and Pictures of Heritage! The book has received excellent reviews.
Continue Reading Editor Interview: Louise May on I Remember: Poems and Pictures of Heritage »
By Kim Rogers
I had the pleasure of interviewing Christine Day (Upper Skagit) for Cynsations. Her debut middle grade novel, I Can Make This Promise (HarperCollins 2019), was inspired by her own family history and tells the story of twelve-year-old old Edie who discovers her family secrets and finds her own Native American identity.
What were the challenges (literary, research, psychological, logistical) in bringing I Can Make This Promise to life?
Continue Reading Native Voices: Christine Day on I Can Make This Promise »
Author Kate Hosford‘s latest book, A Songbird Dreams of Singing: Poems About Sleeping Animals, illustrated by Jennifer M. Potter (Running Press, 2019), explores the sleeping habits of 17 different animals through poetry and exposition. The book piqued my curiosity, and I’m very exited to share a peek at Kate’s process with Cynsations readers.
Poems about sleeping animals are delightfully specific.
Andrew Clements, beloved and prolific author, died Nov. 28 in West Baldwin, Maine. He was 70.
Obituary: Andrew Clements by Shannon Maughan from Publishers Weekly. Peek: “Clements shared…that he credited his parents, both avid readers, with instilling a love of books and reading in him and his siblings, and noted that tech-free family summers spent at a cabin on a lake in Maine helped him ‘begin to think like a writer.’”
Frindle Author Remembered from School Library Journal.
Cynthia Leitich Smith, Gayleen Rabukukk, Stephani Eaton and Gail Vannelli for Cynsations
Author/Illustrator Insights
You Should Be Getting Your Biographies in Children’s Picture Book Form by J.M. Farkas from Electric Lit. Peek: “Reading PBBs [Picture Book Biographies] is an amazing hack for readers who want to know the general beats of notable lives.
After twelve years of writing and hundreds of rejections as I learned to write, I can’t quite believe my first novel is coming out in just eight weeks.
My biggest struggle had always been my characters. I read dozens of character craft books and asked for advice from character gurus like Coe Booth and Sandra Nickel.
Even as a student at Vermont College of Fine Arts,
Continue Reading Guest Post: Abigail Hing Wen on Character Development the Brutally Hard Way »
Today we welcome debut YA authors Kat Cho, author of Wicked Fox (Penguin Teen, 2019) and Olivia Hinebaugh, author of The Birds, The Bees, and You and Me (SwoonReads, 2019).
They discuss their paths to publication and emphasize the importance of reading to their writing apprenticeship.
Kat Cho
In terms of publishing,
Continue Reading New Voices: YA Authors Kat Cho and Olivia Hinebaugh »
By Traci Sorell
I love books that celebrate multigenerational family gatherings and connections between family members of all ages. Going Down Home With Daddy (Peachtree, 2019) combines rich language by Kelly Starling Lyons and spectacular illustrations by Daniel Minter.
When you sit with the book, you easily see why it garnered starred reviews, effusive praise and made The Horn Book’s Calling Caldecott list.
My First Critique Group
When I was a new young writer, a friend invited me to her critique group. I was told to bring a chapter of my work-in-progress to share. It was a casual group open to many writers. I had no idea what to expect and was so shy that reading in front of a dozen-plus writers terrified me.
Continue Reading Guest Post: Linda Joy Singleton on Critiquing Critique Groups »