Today I’m excited to interview two fellow Vermont College of Fine Arts graduates, Tami Lewis Brown and Debbie Loren Dunn about their new nonfiction picture book, Instructions Not Included, illustrated by Chelsea Beck (Disney-Hyperion, 2019).
Congratulations on Instructions Not Included! It’s a fun and inspiring book.
Continue Reading Co-Authors Interview: Tami Lewis Brown & Debbie Loren Dunn »
Both Nikki Barhtelmess, author of The Quiet You Carry (Flux, 2019) and Laura Sibson, author of The Art of Breaking Things (Viking, 2019), revisited personal memories to write authentic stories of teens.
Nikki Barthelmess
What first inspired you to write for young readers?
I’ve always been a writer.
The first thing I wrote, and produced, was a play. There were two members of the cast (myself and my younger sister), and one member in the audience. My grandmother, Nana.
I don’t think I was much more than seven years old.
Still,
Continue Reading Guest Post: Carol Lynch Williams on Writing Craft, Perseverance & Writing Life »
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 »
By Gail Vannelli
Long ago, a four-wheeler that started to swirl hit a car with a mother and four-year-old girl. And that girl, in a hospital, smelly and white, lay confused and alone, with her leg wrapped up tight in a cast in a sling pulled up high in the air, where it linked to all kinds of weird gadgets up there.
Continue Reading Cynsations Intern: Gail Vannelli on Loving Literature »
At a recent book event, a little boy was nonplussed to discover that humans are animals, too.
“You mean, me?” he asked incredulously. “I’m an animal?”
Yup, welcome to the family!
I loved doing the research for Brother, Sister, Me and You (National Geographic,
Continue Reading Guest Post: Mary Quattlebaum on Nonfiction, Connections & Environmental Change »
What are we to make of the knowledge that we share DNA with a banana?
No, I’m not kidding. All life on earth evolved from a single-celled common ancestor—our genes and banana genes are over 60 percent identical.
I love thinking about this because stories are the same.
Continue Reading Guest Post: Lisa Papademetriou on Writing Tools »
Lately I’ve been giving a lot of thought to time, in part because time travel factors into my manuscript, but also because scheduling is one of my biggest challenges.
Family life, teaching gigs and volunteer work quickly fill my days—not to mention the household chores I should be doing (my home could easily be mistaken for a dust bunny rescue).
Continue Reading Intern Insights: Strategies for Achieving Your Creative Goals »
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?
By Cori McCarthy & A.R. Capetta
Hello dear readers (and, in many cases, writers)!
A.R. and I are here today to interview each other in celebration and—let’s be honest—promotion of our debut coauthored YA novel Once & Future (Jimmy Patterson, 2019), a genderbent King Arthur retelling in space,
Continue Reading Guest Post: A.R. Capetta & Cori McCarthy Share Craft & Career Insights »