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Tag: DVpit

New Voices: Jessica Kim & Risa Nyman Talk Truth in Fiction

Posted on March 31, 2020March 31, 2020

By Stephani Martinell Eaton

Today I’m interviewing two debut middle grade authors about what inspired them as well as how truth emerges through their fiction.

While Jessica Kim’s Stand Up, Yumi Chung! (Kokila, 2020) is a humorous read, and Risa Nyman’s Swallowed by a Secret (Immortal Works,

Continue Reading New Voices: Jessica Kim & Risa Nyman Talk Truth in Fiction »

New Voices: YA Authors Kat Cho and Olivia Hinebaugh

New Voices: YA Authors Kat Cho and Olivia Hinebaugh

Posted on December 4, 2019December 4, 2019

By Stephani Martinell Eaton

Today we welcome debut YA authors Kat Cho, author of Wicked Fox (Penguin Teen, 2019) and Olivia Hinebaugh, author of The Birds, The Bees, and You and Me (SwoonReads, 2019).

They discuss their paths to publication and emphasize the importance of reading to their writing apprenticeship.

Continue Reading New Voices: YA Authors Kat Cho and Olivia Hinebaugh »

New Voices: Gail Shepherd & Karen Strong on Writing Southern Settings

New Voices: Gail Shepherd & Karen Strong on Writing Southern Settings

Posted on May 15, 2019May 15, 2019

By Stephani Martinell Eaton

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 »

About Cynsations


Cynthia Leitich Smith is a New York Times bestselling, award-winning author for young readers. Her 2023 release is HARVEST HOUSE, an Indigenous YA ghost mystery. Her most recent previous books are ANCESTOR APPROVED: INTERTRIBAL STORIES FOR KIDS, which was an ALA Notable Children’s Book; SISTERS OF THE NEVERSEA, which received six starred reviews; and HEARTS UNBROKEN, which won an American Indian Library Association Youth Literature Award. She also is the author-curator of Heartdrum, a Native-focused imprint, and a member of the Vermont College of Fine Arts MFA faculty.

Cynsations Staff: Publisher Cynthia Leitich Smith; Editor-in-Chief/Author’s Assistant Gayleen Rabakukk; Intern Suma Subramaniam; Intern AJ Eversole; Intern Bree Bender; Industry News Reporter Gail Vannelli; and the Cynsational Reporters: Rebecca Kirshenbaum; Helen Kampion; Elisabeth Norton; Veeda Bybee; Clara Hammett; Michael Leali; Linda Joy Singleton.

Learn more about Cynsations here.

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