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,
By Bree Rae
Award-winning children’s author and illustrator Mitsumasa Anno died Dec. 24, 2020. He was 94.
Obituary: Mitsumasa Anno by Shannon Maughan from Publishers Weekly. Peek: “He grew up in Tsuwano, a small town surrounded by mountains, where his talent for drawing and an aptitude for mathematics began to shine,
By Cynthia Leitich Smith, Gayleen Rabakukk, Stephani Eaton, Suma Subramaniam, and Gail Vannelli for Cynsations
Spotlight Image: Off to the Sea by Nikki Grimes, illustrated by Elizabeth Zunon (Sourcebooks Jabberwocky, 2021).
Author/Illustrator Insights
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 »
Today I am excited to introduce our readers to Carrie Firestone. Carrie is the author of two YA novels, The Loose Ends List (Little, Brown, 2016) and The Unlikelies (Little, Brown, 2017). Recently, her middle-grade novel Dress Coded (G.P. Putnam’s Sons,
Continue Reading Carrie Firestone on Youth Activism & Dress Coded, Her Debut Middle Grade Novel »
By Cynthia Leitich Smith and Kim Rogers
Cynsations Native Books Reporter Kim Rogers’s poem, “What is a Powwow?” and her short story, “Flying Together,” appear in Ancestor Approved: Intertribal Stories for Kids, edited by Cynthia Leitich Smith (Heartdrum, 2021). The anthology is a collection of intersecting stories and poems set at a powwow that bursts with hope,
Continue Reading Authors Interview: Cynthia Leitich Smith & Kim Rogers on Ancestor Approved »
Kathleen Krull, award-winning author and editor, died after a brief illness on Jan. 15. She was 68.
Author Kathleen Krull Remembered After Unexpected Death from School Library Journal. Peek: “Children’s author Kathleen Krull died unexpectedly over the weekend. Her sister-in-law announced her death on Krull’s Facebook page,
By Cynthia Leitich Smith, Gayleen Rabukukk, Stephani Eaton, Suma Subramaniam, and Gail Vannelli for Cynsations
Spotlight Image: Unspeakable: The Tulsa Race Massacre by Carole Boston Weatherford, illustrated by Floyd Cooper (Carolrhoda Books, 2021).
Author/Illustrator Insights
Peter Sís: Uncovering a Story of Hidden Heroism by Julie Danielson from BookPage.
By Kekla Magoon
As many people did, I followed the recent presidential election cycle fairly closely. During the early months of the primary season, I was hard at work on my picture book biography of Thurgood Marshall, The Highest Tribute: Thurgood Marshall’s Life, Leadership and Legacy, illustrated by Laura Freeman (Quill Tree Books,
Continue Reading Guest Interview: Nikki Grimes on Writing Kamala Harris: Rooted in Justice »
By Kekla Magoon
As I was working on the initial draft of my new picture book biography, The Highest Tribute: Thurgood Marshall’s Life, Leadership and Legacy illustrated by Laura Freeman (Quill Tree Books, 2021), I naturally gravitated toward reading biographies written by other children’s writers, for inspiration and to gather a sense of the many and varied styles that were possible.