By Cynthia Leitich Smith, Robin Galbraith, Gayleen Rabukukk, and Stephani Eaton for Cynsations
Author/Illustrator Insights
Q&A: Isabel Quintero & Zeke Peña by Antonia Saxon from Publishers Weekly. Peek:
“Quintero: My situation with Zeke is unique in that [unlike most author-illustrator collaborators] we communicate throughout the whole process.
My third middle grade novel, Lizzie Flying Solo (HarperCollins, 2019), came out a few weeks ago. It took me 13 years to get that book just right.
It was the manuscript my agent signed me for in 2010, but back in the heyday of Harry Potter [by J.K.
Continue Reading Guest Post: Nanci Turner Steveson on Writing Mirrors »
Gail Shepherd and Karen Strong, debut middle grade authors, both found inspiration for their books in southern settings. Today they share insights about their journeys to publication.
Gail Shepherd
I grew up with the Vietnam war in the background—it was always on TV.
Continue Reading New Voices: Gail Shepherd & Karen Strong on Writing Southern Settings »
Toni Buzzeo is a successful children’s author with a long, distinguished career.
In children’s-YA writing, maintaining an active publishing career is arguably an even bigger challenge than breaking into the field.
Reflecting on your personal journey (creatively, career-wise, and your writer’s heart),
Meet YA authors Tiana Smith and Addie Thorley as they discuss their novels, inspiration, and advice for writers. Cynsations is excited to celebrate their debuts!
Tiana Smith
What first inspired you to write for young readers?
I’ve always loved telling stories.
By Traci Sorell
Today, we have two award-winning Epic Eighteen debut authors, Christy Mihaly, author of Hey, Hey, Hay: A Tale of Bales and the Machines that Make Them, illustrated by Joe Cepeda (Holiday House, 2018) and Jessie Oliveros, author of The Remember Balloons,
Continue Reading New Voices: Christy Mihaly & Jessie Oliveros on Their Paths to Publication »
By Cynthia Leitich Smith, Robin Galbraith, Gayleen Rabukukk, and Stephani Eaton for Cynsations
Author/Illustrator Insights
New Release: Up For Air by Laurie Morrison ’12 by Leah Jones and Laurie Morrison from VCFA Wild Things. Peek:
“I returned to it [the manuscript] several months later and saw that there was an extremely boring subplot that could simply drop away…and the rest of the book came together smoothly,
By Traci Sorell
Tony, I’m delighted to welcome you to Cynsations! You have written a detailed, well-paced historical middle grade novel, Chula the Fox (White Dog Press, 2018), set in the Chickasaw homelands of what is now Mississippi in the 1700s.
Congratulations on winning the 2019 Ben Franklin Award Gold Medal from the Independent Book Publishers Association and the 2019 Independent Publisher Book Awards Bronze Medal for Multicultural Fiction in the Juvenile-Young Adult category for your debut work!
Continue Reading Native Voice: Anthony Perry on Growing as a Writer »
Ideas for stories have to come from somewhere.
Today, Swati Teerdhala and Kip Wilson, two YA debut authors, share what inspired them to write their stories as well as advice they have for beginners.
Swati Teerdhala
What first inspired you to write for young readers?
Continue Reading New Voices: Swati Teerdhala & Kip Wilson on Funneling Inspiration Into a Book »
In a world of various career options for smart, charming folks like yourself, why did you choose editing children’s books?
Ha! Nice of you to say. My parents had the same question in 1984.
To be honest, it started when I was a senior in college because I was (slash am) a poet,
Continue Reading Editor Interview: Arthur A. Levine on Levine Querido »