Spotlight image: Illustrator S.D. Nelson and co-authors Donna Janell Bowman and Billy Mills at a 2024 event.
I’m thrilled to welcome fellow Austin author and Vermont College alumnx Donna Janell Bowman to discuss collaborating with Olympian Billy Mills on Wings of an Eagle: The Gold Medal Dreams of Billy Mills,
Continue Reading Author Interview: Donna Janell Bowman on Collaborating with Olympian Billy Mills »
Spotlight image: Patricia Newman signs a book for Bebe, the narrator of A River’s Gifts book trailer.
I’m excited to celebrate an amazing new book by Sibert Honor award winning author Patricia Newman and acclaimed illustrator Natasha Donovan. I’ve been lucky to be in a critique group with Patricia for over a dozen years—she’s one of the best critique partners ever.
We’re thrilled to welcome Jyoti Rajan Gopal to Cynsations.
When you look back on your writing journey, what are the changes that stand out?
There are several moments that stand out!
I knew that children’s publishing was extremely hard to break into,
Continue Reading Author Interview: Jyoti Rajan Gopal Reflects on Owning Her Identity as a Writer »
I’m thrilled to welcome two debut Austin picture book authors to Cynsations today! Please join us in celebrating Kari Lavelle‘s We Move the World, illustrated by Nabi H. Ali, released in May (HarperCollins), and Anne Wynter‘s Everybody in the Red Brick Building,
Continue Reading New Voices: Austin Authors Kari Lavelle & Anne Wynter Celebrate Community »
By Kim Rogers
Today, I’m excited to welcome back Traci Sorell, former Cynsations reporter and award-winning author. Traci’s book Classified: The Secret Career of Mary Golda Ross, Cherokee Aerospace Engineer, illustrated by Natasha Donovan, was published by Millbrook Press in March. Her book We Are Still Here: Native American Truths Everyone Should Know,
Continue Reading Native Voices: Traci Sorell on Writing With & About Community »
The typical Pinterest user searches the platform for one-off ideas to enhance their projects. Such pinners typically establish Personal Accounts on which to save and classify pins they find to be educational, inspirational, or edifying.
Oftentimes, book creators build what are known as “mood boards” by selecting and categorizing pins that visually represent themes,
Back in 2011, Cynsations shared Ellen Beier‘s research and illustration process working on a historical picture book manuscript. Since then, the book’s journey has taken a few interesting twists and turns.
Readers fascinated by Lindsey Lane‘s Cynsations series on Books Going Out of Print may be especially intrigued by this new stage of the book’s journey.
Sometimes a book can take you back to a particular time or place. When I read All of a Sudden and Forever: Help and Healing after the Oklahoma City Bombing by Chris Barton, illustrated by Nicole Xu (Carolrhoda, February 2020), I remembered a day that book would’ve made a big difference.
Continue Reading Author Interview: Chris Barton on Writing Stories That Heal »
Author Kate Hosford‘s latest book, A Songbird Dreams of Singing: Poems About Sleeping Animals, illustrated by Jennifer M. Potter (Running Press, 2019), explores the sleeping habits of 17 different animals through poetry and exposition. The book piqued my curiosity, and I’m very exited to share a peek at Kate’s process with Cynsations readers.
Today I’m excited to interview two fellow Vermont College of Fine Arts graduates, Tami Lewis Brown and Debbie Loren Dunn about their new nonfiction picture book, Instructions Not Included, illustrated by Chelsea Beck (Disney-Hyperion, 2019).
Congratulations on Instructions Not Included! It’s a fun and inspiring book.
Continue Reading Co-Authors Interview: Tami Lewis Brown & Debbie Loren Dunn »