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.
Continue Reading New Voices: Meredith Davis & Nicole Valentine On Being An Author »
Books have power. They can make us laugh, cry or keep us up late into the night when we just have to find out what happens. Books can also inspire action or influence other authors, even many years later. In 1873, when Jules Verne published Around the World in 80 Days,
Continue Reading Author & Editor Interview: Caroline Starr Rose & Wendy McClure »
By Traci Sorell
Getting a sneak peek at a beautiful picture book before it’s printed always brings me joy. When the book combines poetry and breathtaking images, my joy increases and my heart sings.
That’s what happened when I saw Evan Turk’s You Are Home: An Ode to the National Parks (Atheneum,
I love true stories about people, which is why I write biographies. While I include names, places, events, dates, and accomplishments, I want them to be a natural part of the story.
Equally important to me is that I craft the text so that readers will feel something about the person I’m writing about.
Continue Reading Guest Post: Carla Killough McClafferty on Evoking Feelings in Nonfiction »
By Cynthia Leitich Smith
Michelle Markel is a successful children’s author with a long, distinguished career.
Reflecting on your personal journey, what bumps did you encounter and how have you managed to defy the odds to achieve continued success?
Let’s cut to the chase. There was a major turning point in my career—when I nearly quit writing for children.
By Traci Sorell
Picture book authors Beth Anderson and Tina Cho‘s debut books both explore actual events and both authors agree, craft study and critique groups are vital components on the path to publication.
Beth Anderson
Beth Anderson and I share a love of nonfiction.
Continue Reading New Voices: Beth Anderson & Tina Cho on Bringing True Stories to the Page »
In 2015, I had an idea for an anthology. It would be a collection written by sexual violence survivors for teen readers.
It would be part documentary, part creative content, part informational resource. That anthology was published in March 2018 and was called Things We Haven’t Said: Sexual Violence Survivors Speak Out (Zest Books,
Continue Reading Guest Post: Erin E. Moulton on an Anthology Proposal Crash Course »
Leda Schubert is a successful children’s author with a long, distinguished career.
In children’s-YA writing, 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’s heart),
By Traci Sorell
Spring is in the air. Time for planting seeds and stories. Today’s spotlight is on a new picture book author duo, Miranda and Baptiste Paul. While separately they’ve published picture books, their first co-creations were recently published.
This month they’ll begin a U.S.
Continue Reading Co-Creators Miranda Paul & Baptiste Paul on Picture Book Collaboration »
The Choice Between Fiction or Nonfiction
Choosing is what writers do. We choose our subjects, our characters, our point of views. If you write fiction, you are literally responsible for every horrible event which befalls your characters because they’re all your choices.
But there are choices in nonfiction,