New Voices: Shachi Kaushik & Susan Johnston Taylor Share Picture Book Advice

By Gayleen Rabakukk

Spotlight image: Shachi Kaushik celebrating Diwali with her new book.

I love sharing the success stories of Austin authors with Cynsations readers. Today I’m interviewing two debut picture book authors, Shachi Kaushik and Susan Johnston Taylor, about their paths to publication and advice for aspiring writers.

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Author Interview: Carmen Oliver Shares Insights on Nonfiction, Balance & Building an Orchestra of Hope

By Gayleen Rabakukk

I recently chatted with Austin author Carmen Oliver about her latest release—Building an Orchestra of Hope: How Favio Chavez Taught Children to Make Music from Trash, illustrated by Luisa Uribe (Eerdmans, 2022)—and finding balance, given the many hats she wears. In the photo above,

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New Voices: Alda P. Dobbs & Debbie Zapata Create Books Inspired by Family

By Gayleen Rabakukk

Spotlight image: Debbie Zapata reads Up and Adam, illustrated by Yong Ling Kang (Kids Can Press, 2022) with the assistance of an American Sign Language Interpreter for a group at an Austin park.

Today we welcome two Texas authors to Cynsations to share their path to publication for books inspired by their own families.

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Cover Reveal: Carmen Oliver on Turning Editor Critiques into Published Books

By Carmen Oliver

Editor critiques are invaluable in many ways. They offer insights and takeaways that if we’re open to receiving them, they can improve our stories and lead to publishing contracts in unexpected ways. Some of the best ways to meet editors who are actively looking to acquire new manuscripts are face-to-face or virtually at the Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrator (SCBWI) conferences,

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Guest Post: Carmen Oliver: Cover Reveal & How to Create An Author Program That Schools Will Want

Guest Post: Carmen Oliver: Cover Reveal & How to Create An Author Program That Schools Will Want

Carmen signing her first book contract

By Carmen Oliver

You’ve inked your first book sale. Congratulations!

Now, you’re busy getting ready for your big launch date, and you’re beginning to think about doing school visits.

But before you can connect with your student audience, you first have to create a presentation.

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Book Trailer: Bears Make the Best Reading Buddies by Carmen Oliver, illustrated by Jean Claude

Book Trailer: Bears Make the Best Reading Buddies by Carmen Oliver, illustrated by Jean Claude

By Carmen Oliver
for Cynthia Leitich Smith’s Cynsations

In 2012, I was working on a nonfiction picture book project about white and black spirit bears in Canada and the boy Simon Jackson who was trying to save them from extinction.

At the same time, my daughter was in fifth grade and was given the awesome task of being a reading buddy to an incoming kindergartner.

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Guest Post: Carmen Oliver on Founding a Children’s-YA Author & Illustrator Booking Agency

Guest Post: Carmen Oliver on Founding a Children’s-YA Author & Illustrator Booking Agency

By Carmen Oliver
of The Booking Biz

“I don’t believe in barriers…just fly your plane.”

—Captain Nicole Malachowski from Tanya Lee Stone’s Almost Astronauts (Candlewick, 2009)

Over the last eleven years, I encountered a lot of barriers.

A lot of uncertainty.

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