It is with much joy that I introduce Jenn Bailey and Breanna McDaniel, two debut picture book authors who share their struggles and triumphs of bringing their highly personal stories to the page.
Jenn Bailey
What were the challenges in bringing the text to life?
I should probably start by explaining that A Friend for Henry (illustrated by Mika Song (Chronicle,
Cynsations Note: This is the first in a series of posts highlighting the upcoming SCBWI Europolitan Conference, set for May 4 and May 5 in Zurich, Switzerland.
Today’s post features faculty members Naomi Colthurst, editor at Penguin Random House Children’s, as well as authors Kathi Appelt and Chitra Soundar.
The theme of this year’s conference is: “Taking Your Work to the Next Level.”
Naomi,
I am excited to share the publishing journeys of Lisa Moore Ramée and Jeanne Zulick Ferruolo. Both are members of the Novel Nineteens author group. Both of their middle grade novels debuted this month.
Lisa Moore Ramée
What was your initial inspiration for writing A Good Kind of Trouble (Balzer + Bray)?
Welcome to our new home, Cynsational Readers! We have moved from Blogger to WordPress.
Anyone who’s ever relocated from one place to another knows that it can be one of life’s most stressful events. And while we weren’t packing physical boxes and loading up a moving truck during the Cynsations winter hiatus, there was much to prepare for our transition.
Samantha M. Clark and Melanie Sumrow
Today I’m excited to share the publishing journeys of two Texas middle grade authors, Samantha M. Clark and Melanie Sumrow.
Both are members of the Electric Eighteen debut author group and both are passionate about community involvement as a component of publishing success.
Samantha M.
Continue Reading New Voices: Samantha M. Clark & Melanie Sumrow on Writing Communities »
Part One: The Writer’s Heart
Many hard-working, committed, persistent, and resilient writers forge ahead with their writing journeys in spite of obstacles, disappointments, “almost-there” moments and plenty of what I call “Beautiful, buts.”
This two-part interview explores the experience of being a long-time, determined writer who has not yet had a book published.
Writers Lisa Bierman, Meredith Davis,
Stephani Eaton, photo by Tanya Odom
When I was in second grade, I wrote a poem about an impending storm that pleased my dad so much that he hung it in his office. It stayed there for years.
I recently asked if he remembered what it said and he rattled off: “This dark and rainy noon will soon pass the sunset of time.”
I had to laugh at the melodrama of my seven-year-old self.
Continue Reading Cynsations Intern: Stephani Eaton on The Joy of Writing »
Lin Oliver interviews Lois Lowry at SCBWI L.A. Conference
In August, I attended my very first SCBWI international summer conference. It was truly an amazing experience, but also a bit overwhelming with nearly 1,200 people in attendance.
Thankfully, we all share a love of children’s books, making it much easier to talk with people than typical social situations.
Continue Reading Intern Insights: Highlights of SCBWI LA 2018 »
By Tioka Tokedira
for SCBWI Bologna 2018 & Cynthia Leitich Smith‘s Cynsations
Note: To wrap up Cynsations coverage of the 2018 Bologna Children’s Book Fair, Tioka Tokedira, Regional Adviser for SCBWI France, talks with SCBWI co-founder Lin Oliver about trends in publishing for children and young adults.
In today’s digital world,
Continue Reading Guest Interview: Lin Oliver on the Global Future of Children’s Literature »
After years of writing you finally have your very first book deal! Now what? How do you promote your debut novel? I talked to four Maryland debut authors from the Electric Eighteens to get the inside scoop on how debut groups for young adult and middle grade authors work.
Deborah Schaumberg, J.H. Diehl, Lauren Abbey Greenberg, Continue Reading New Voices: Inside Scoop on Debut Author Groups with J.H. Diehl, Lauren Abbey Greenberg, Jonathan Roth & Deborah Schaumberg »
By 