Throwback Thursday: Melanie Crowder on Parched

Throwback Thursday: Melanie Crowder on Parched

Congratulations to Melanie Crowder on her new young adult novel, Jumper (Viking, June 2022)! It received starred reviews from Publishers Weekly and Kirkus Reviews. Melanie recently joined the faculty of Vermont College of Fine Arts Writing for Children and Young Adults program.

Take a look back at Melanie’s thoughts on her debut novel,

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Author Interview: Kellye Crocker Uses a Light Touch for a Serious Subject

By Gayleen Rabakukk

I’m thrilled to welcome author Kellye Crocker to Cynsations! Like me, she’s a Vermont College of Fine Arts alumnx more than a decade past graduation. Her debut middle grade novel, Dad’s Girlfriend and Other Anxieties (Albert Whitman & Company, October 2022) features practical tips on mindfulness and managing anxiety shared through a hilarious,

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Nonfiction for Older Readers: Maureen Charles & Ashley Walker Talk About Collaborating on a Nonfiction Project

By Stephani Martinell Eaton

Today I am excited to introduce our Cynsations readers to Maureen Charles and Ashley Walker who recently collaborated on a nonfiction project for older readers. Their book Music Mavens from Chicago Review Press comes out this fall as part of their Women of Power series.

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New Cynsations Reporter for New England Helen Kampion

By Gayleen Rabakukk and Stephani Martinell Eaton

We are thrilled to welcome Helen Kampion to Cynsations as a reporter covering the New England area.

Helen is very active in the children’s-YA literature community and we’re excited about the posts she will contribute!

Welcome, Helen! You’ll be covering the New England youth literary scene.

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New Cynsations Reporter Veeda Bybee

By Stephani Martinell Eaton

Today we welcome Veeda Bybee to the Cynsations team as a reporter. With a background in journalism as well as someone who participates enthusiastically in conversations surrounding the kidlit community, she is well-suited in this role. Veeda has contributed to the anthologies Rural Voices, edited by Nora Shalaway Carpenter (Candlewick,

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Guest Post: Caroline Kusin Pritchard Reflects on the Influences of Gitty and Kvetch

By Caroline Kusin Pritchard

Stories are the work of a community, not a creator in isolation. I am struck by this truth every single time I hold my debut picture book, Gitty and Kvetch, illustrated by the phenomenal Ariel Landy (Atheneum, 2021), in my hands. Its pages carry the fingerprints of all the people who have poured into my life and this story.

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