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,
Continue Reading Author Interview: Deborah Noyes on the Creative Life & A Hopeful Heart »
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.
By Kim Rogers
Today, we’re chatting with Navajo author Brian Young. Brian is a film maker and personal trainer. His debut middle grade novel is Healer of the Water Monster (Heartdrum, 2021). From the promotional copy:
“When Nathan goes to visit his grandma, Nali, at her mobile summer home on the Navajo reservation,
Continue Reading Native Voice: Brian Young on Writing Healer of the Water Monster »
By Tirzah Price
The biggest question I’ve received from readers when they hear that I’ve written a murder mystery retelling of Pride and Prejudice is why? I don’t know if they ask this because they think that Austen is somehow sacred, or if the mash up seems so incongruous, but I always think,
Continue Reading Guest Post: Tirzah Price on Retelling Jane Austen with Murderous Intent »
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,
Continue Reading Author Interview: Anna-Marie McLemore on Representation & Their Writing Journey »
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,
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.
By Mark Karlins and Nicole Wong
Kiyoshi’s Walk, written by Mark Karlins and illustrated by Nicole Wong (Lee & Low, March 2021) is the story of a Japanese-American boy who wants to learn how to write poetry and of his relationship with his grandfather.
Both of us found great joy in creating this book.
Continue Reading Guest Post: Mark Karlins & Nicole Wong on the Creation of Kiyoshi’s Walk »
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.
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,
Continue Reading Author Interview: Christina Soontornvat: When a Book is Worth the Wait »