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.
Learn more about Erin Cashman
By Erin Cashman
Recently, someone commented to me that writing fantasy must be easy, since I can just make up what I need to fit my plot.
I wish! As Lloyd Alexander said,
“Once committed to his imaginary kingdom, the writer is not a monarch but a subject.”
Continue Reading Guest Post: Erin Cashman on The Role of Research in Writing Fantasy »
Andrea M. Page is the first-time author of Sioux Code Talkers of World War II (Pelican Publishing, 2017). From the promotional copy:
In World War II, code-making and code-breaking reached a feverish peak. The fabled Enigma Cipher had been broken, and all sides were looking for a secure,
Continue Reading New Voice: Andrea Page on Sioux Code Talkers of World War II »
My current work in progress is a middle grade historical fantasy set in 1903.
Delving into the past has made me think about how history is presented in novels and the balance between real and imaginary.
For more insight on that topic,
Continue Reading Author Interviews: Kate Hannigan & Janet Fox on Facts in Historical Fiction »
Christian McKay Heidicker is the first-time author of Cure for the Common Universe (Simon & Schuster, 2016). From the promotional copy:
Sixteen-year-old Jaxon is being committed to video game rehab…ten minutes after he met a girl. A living, breathing girl named Serena,
Continue Reading New Voice: Christian McKay Heidicker on Cure for the Common Universe »
By E.M. Kokie
From the flap copy of Radical by E.M. Kokie (Candlewick, 2016):
Preppers. Survivalists. Bex prefers to think of herself as a realist who plans to survive, but regardless of labels, they’re all sure of the same thing: a crisis is coming.
And when it does,
Continue Reading Guest Post: E.M. Kokie on Hands-On Research & Getting Out of Your Character’s Way »
Sonya Mukherjee
is the first-time author of Gemini (Simon & Schuster, 2016). From the promotional copy:
In a powerful and daring debut novel, Sonya Mukherjee shares the story of sisters Clara and Hailey, conjoined twins who are learning what it means to be truly extraordinary.
Visit Heather Lang’s official author site & @Hblang
Congratulations on your new picture book biography Fearless Flyer: Ruth Law and Her Flying Machine (Calkins Creek, 2016) and the starred reviews from Booklist and School Library Journal!
I was captivated by your account of Ruth Law’s record-breaking flight from Chicago to New York City one hundred years ago,
Continue Reading Author Interview: Heather Lang on Fearless Flyer & Writing Strong Women »
Several years ago I had a story idea swirling inside my head. It was about three sisters who try to clear their father’s name after he is accused of being a Nazi spy.
The story was based on the real-life experiences of my grandparents, whose restaurant in Maryland in 1939 was boycotted by the townspeople over my grandfather’s purported “secret back room” and rumors of espionage.
Continue Reading Guest Post: Shawn Stout on Historical Fiction: How Much Research Is Enough? »
