Spotlight image: agent John Cusick signing a contract
Most of us think that agents and editors just do agenting or editing. But what if they are also writers? Does this make a difference how our work is viewed? Evaluated? This three-part series asks agents and editors to share their thoughts and experiences on wearing two hats.
As a debut author myself, it’s an honor to showcase insights from debut middle grade authors Catherine Arguelles, Emi Wantanabe Cohen, Sally Engelfried, Jacquetta Nammar Feldman, Evan Griffith, Lee Y. Miao, Stacy Nockowitz,
Continue Reading Perspectives from 2022 Debuts, Middle Grade Edition »
Congratulations to Liz Garton Scanlon on the publication of Lolo’s Light (Chronicle, 2022)!
From the promotional copy:
This is a truth about growing up: Once in your life, sometime after your first memory but before you can drive a car, something is going to happen to you that doesn’t happen to anyone else you know.
Heroes and villains are typically archetypes that let us see the best––and worst––of the human race. In the Superhero genre, these characters are usually obvious: Superman and Lex Luther or Batman and the Joker. In real life, they can be obvious, too––we see that playing out on the world stage in the fight between Russia and Ukraine.
Continue Reading Guest Post: Jessica Vitalis on Heroes, Villains, & the Gray Space in Between »
Congratulations to Mari Mancusi on her newest book, New Dragon City (Little, Brown BYR, 2022)!
From the publisher’s description:
No one predicted the dragon apocalypse. The dragons came suddenly and decimated the world as we knew it, including New York City. Now, three years later, Noah, his hardcore survivalist father,
By Barbara Dee
Spotlight image: Barbara Dee at the 2021 Chappaqua Children’s Book Festival.
If you write middle grade fiction, chances are good that at some point someone will ask: “Do you ever plan to write for grownups?”
It’s a question that always irks. I think what’s behind it is the assumption that writing for grownups is something to aspire to,
Continue Reading Guest Post: Barbara Dee on the Sound of Middle Grade: Getting the Voice »
Congratulations to Melanie Crowder on her new young adult novel, Jumper (Viking, June 2022)! It received starred reviews from Publishers Weekly and Kirkus Reviews. Melanie recently joined the faculty of Vermont College of Fine Arts Writing for Children and Young Adults program.
Take a look back at Melanie’s thoughts on her debut novel,
Continue Reading Throwback Thursday: Melanie Crowder on Parched »
I’m thrilled to welcome author Kellye Crocker to Cynsations! Like me, she’s a Vermont College of Fine Arts alumnx more than a decade past graduation. Her debut middle grade novel, Dad’s Girlfriend and Other Anxieties (Albert Whitman & Company, October 2022) features practical tips on mindfulness and managing anxiety shared through a hilarious,
Continue Reading Author Interview: Kellye Crocker Uses a Light Touch for a Serious Subject »
Congratulations to Varsha Bajaj on Thirst (Nancy Paulsen Books, July 2022), a New York Times Bestseller!
Take a look back at Varsha’s thoughts about her debut novel, Abby Spencer Goes to Bollywood (Albert Whitman, 2014). This post originally appeared on Cynsations March 3, 2014.
Varsha Bajaj is the debut novelist behind Abby Spencer Goes to Bollywood (Albert Whitman,
Continue Reading Throwback Thursday: Varsha Bajaj on Abby Spencer Goes to Bollywood »
I’m thrilled to welcome two Austin/VCFA authors with debut middle grade novels. I met Jacquetta Nammar Feldman at an intensive at The Writing Barn, and Sean Petrie and I were Vermont College of Fine Arts students at the same time. It’s very exciting when passages you’ve read in a workshop become a published book!
Continue Reading New Voices: Jacquetta Nammar Feldman & Sean Petrie: From Poetry to MG Novels »