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 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,
Continue Reading Author Interview: Kellye Crocker Uses a Light Touch for a Serious Subject »
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 »
By Laura Sibson
Today we welcome Rob Costello to share about his writing process. Rob and I attended VCFA together, and his writing has long impressed me. In fact, I use his short story “The Hole of Dark Kill Hollow” from Rural Voices: 15 Authors Challenge Assumptions About Small-Town America,
Continue Reading Guest Interview: Laura Sibson Talks to Rob Costello About Short Stories »
By Laura Sibson
Hello! I am thrilled to be here as a guest reporter chatting with you about the writing process and how it changes for each book. I wondered if this was only true for me, but it turns out that lots of other authors experience the same phenomenon. In this post, I’ll share with you the distinctions in drafting my manuscripts and over the next few days,
Continue Reading Guest Post: Laura Sibson on Finding a Writing Process That Fits Each Book »
Diana Renn has written mysteries for adults and young adults about everything from cycling and spies to art and antiquities, set in locations around the world. But her newest book Trouble at Turtle Pond (Fitzroy Books, 2022) is aimed at younger readers, and is set much closer to home.
Continue Reading Author Interview: Diana Renn Reveals Her Mystery Writing Process »
Today I’m thrilled to welcome fellow Austin author and friend Jennifer Ziegler to the Cynsations blog for a chat about writing and teaching. Her latest middle grade novel, Worser (Margaret Ferguson Books/Holiday House, 2022) has received several starred reviews and lots of positive buzz.
Tell us about your new release,
Continue Reading Author Interview: Jennifer Ziegler on Word Play and Developing Characters »
Today we continue our focus on chapter books by talking with Claudia Mills, author of more than 60 books for young readers, including dozens of chapter books.
What appeals to you about writing chapter books?
Oh, so many things! But if I were to distill them into one,
Hard work, persistence.
I’ve always believed in them.
It’s there in my first picture book The Amazing Idea of You, illustrated by Mary Lundquist (Bloomsbury, 2019), which celebrates the journey from potential to fruition, be it for seed, tadpole, child or idea:
Hidden in this apple
is the idea of a tree
wrapped tight
in this shiny seed.
Continue Reading Guest Post: Charlotte Sullivan Wild on Creating Love (When Work Isn’t Enough) »
At Cynsations this week we’re taking a deep dive into picture book biographies by interviewing eight debut biography authors. But first, today we’re kicking things off by featuring Bethany Hegedus, author of five published picture book biographies and more on the way.
Earlier this year I attended an SCBWI workshop where you discussed Social Emotional Learning.