Cynsations is celebrating its 20th anniversary by switching to a quarterly publishing schedule, featuring in-depth interviews and articles. Thank you for your ongoing support and enthusiasm!
Spotlight image: Author Candice Ransom with a few of her 180 published books at a library event.
There was no doubt I was going to be a writer of children’s books.
Cynsations is celebrating its 20th anniversary by switching to a quarterly publishing schedule, featuring in-depth interviews and articles. Thank you for your ongoing support and enthusiasm!
Congratulations to Richard Michelson on the publication of One of a Kind: The Life of Sydney Taylor, illustrated by Sarah Green (Calkins Creek,
Continue Reading Throwback Thursday: Richard Michelson on Making History Appeal to Young Readers »
I’m thrilled to welcome Jyoti Gopal to Cynsations today!
You lived in many countries before settling down in the United States. How did that experience inform you as an author?
Living outside one’s culture, learning different languages, straddling different ways of being – these were gifts,
Continue Reading Author Interview: Jyoti Gopal Shares Strategies for Juggling Multiple Projects »
When I was brand-new to Austin, my fellow Vermont College alumnx welcomed me to the local kidlit community, especially Anne Bustard. At a writing retreat six or seven years ago, Anne told us she was working on an intergenerational story set in the 1960s, with a small Texas town planning a UFO welcome festival.
Continue Reading Author Interview: Anne Bustard’s Advice on Historical Fiction & Far Out! »
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,
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.
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 »
Critique partners can play a huge role in taking a manuscript to the next level. Today we’re chatting with critique partners Candy Wellins and Philip Hoelzel about their picture book biographies.
Candy’s book is The Stars Beckoned: Edward White’s Amazing Walk in Space,
By Kate Hosford
A little over four years ago, my husband Chris and I were reading the Sunday New York Times, when he noticed a tribute to the astronomer Vera Rubin, who had died the day before. He suggested that I write a picture book about her. Although I was fascinated by Vera, I had a feeling that the perfect author for this project was my friend,
By Kim Rogers
Today, I’m excited to introduce you to debut author Andrea L. Rogers.
I met Andrea at Kweli’s Color of Children’s Literature Conference in New York City in 2018. Andrea is a citizen of the Cherokee Nation of Oklahoma.
Her debut middle grade book is Mary and the Trail of Tears: A Cherokee Survival Story (Capstone,
Continue Reading Native Voice: Andrea L. Rogers on Writing about the Trail of Tears »