Author Interview: Anne Bustard’s Advice on Historical Fiction & Far Out!

By Gayleen Rabakukk

When I was brand-new to Austin, my fellow Vermont College alumnx welcomed me to the local kidlit community, especially Anne Bustard. At a writing retreat six or seven years ago, Anne told us she was working on an intergenerational story set in the 1960s, with a small Texas town planning a UFO welcome festival.

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In Memory: Betty X Davis

By Lindsey Lane

On January 5, 2022, Betty X Davis vacated her seat at the front row of our BookPeople launches. At one hundred and six years old, still quoting Shakespeare at length and spouting snippets of French, it seemed like she might live forever. But alas, she slipped away, quietly, as one does when they’ve been to an excellent party,

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Children’s-YA Book Community Strategies for Sharing While Social Distancing

By Stephani Martinell Eaton

Closed. Canceled. Rescheduled. These are words we are hearing over and over.

As COVID-19 spreads, life is changing each day. With so many closures and cancellations, many within the children’s-YA book community are finding ways to use technology to bring people together, sharing their love of books without sharing the germs.

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Career Achievers: Anne Bustard on Thriving as a Long-Time, Actively Publishing Children’s Author

By Cynthia Leitich Smith

Anne Bustard is a successful children’s author with a long, distinguished career.

In children’s-YA writing and illustration, 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-artist’s heart), what bumps did you encounter and how have you managed to defy the odds to achieve continued success?

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New Voices: Meredith Davis & Nicole Valentine On Being An Author

By Gayleen Rabakukk

I’m thrilled to introduce two debut authors to the Cynsations audience today. I met both at Vermont College of Fine Arts several years ago while we were all working on MFAs in Writing for Children and Young Adults. Both write middle grade, but their books are very different, illustrating the depth and diversity that exists in children’s literature.

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Guest Post & Giveaway: Anne Bustard on Musicality: Composing with Repetitions

Guest Post & Giveaway: Anne Bustard on Musicality: Composing with Repetitions

By Anne Bustard

Every writer wants her work to sing.

Writing that sings is exquisitely crafted. It lifts its voice in praise of language. Its story is pitch perfect. It invites readers to sing along and has the power to linger in a reader’s consciousness long after the last note.

Like a composer creating a musical score,

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