The Cynsational Books of 2022 were selected by Cynthia Leitich Smith from nominations by Cynsations Team members.
The selections:
Berry Song by Michaela Goade (Tlingit/Haida) (Little, Brown, 2022) From the promotional copy:
On an island at the edge of a wide, wild sea, a girl and her grandmother gather gifts from the earth.
As we close out 2022, I’m thrilled that we can learn from a few more fantastic young adult debut authors’ experiences. Featured in this article are Charity Alyse, Susan Azim Boyer, Anna Gracia, Elizabeth Kilcoyne, Keely Parrack,
Continue Reading Perspectives from 2022 Debuts, Young Adult Edition, Part 2 »
Today I’m talking with Chaz Hayden, the author of The First Thing About You (Candlewick, 2022). Chaz’s debut young adult novel is a deeply personal novel about a high school student, Harris, who just wants to fit in, find love, and be a “normal” teenager despite having spinal muscular atrophy and being confined to a wheelchair.
We were able to ask several debut young adult authors about their highlights and insights from this past year. Featured in this article are Isaac Blum, Becky Dean, R. D. Stevens, Vanessa Torres, Leslie Vedder, and Rebecca Lowry Warchut.
Continue Reading Perspectives from 2022 Debuts, Young Adult Edition »
Congratulations to April Henry on Two Truths and a Lie (Christy Ottaviano Books, 2022), an Amazon Editor’s Pick for Best YA.
Take a look back at April’s advice on tension, originally published in December 2010 and reposted in March 2014, it remains the most-viewed writing craft post in Cynsations history.
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,
Continue Reading Throwback Thursday: Melanie Crowder on Parched »
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 »
Spotlight image above: A.A. Prime accepts the Global Literature in Libraries Initiative Translated YA Book Prize. See the entire presentation here.
Early in the pandemic, the Global Literature in Libraries Initiative named two winners of its 2020 Translated YA Book Prize: The Beast Player by Nahoko Uehashi,
Continue Reading Guest Interview: A. A. Prime on Translating Red Mantle »
Above image: downtown Austin from Lady Bird Lake, photo by Ron Rabakukk
Today I’m chatting with two debut Austin authors with very different books, but both feature strong female protagonists who were envisioned by creators dedicated to letting readers see themselves in stories.
Evan Griffith‘s picture book biography Secrets of the Sea: The Story of Jeanne Power,
Continue Reading New Voices: Evan Griffith & Sajni Patel on Reflecting Strength in Stories »
By Tirzah Price
The biggest question I’ve received from readers when they hear that I’ve written a murder mystery retelling of Pride and Prejudice is why? I don’t know if they ask this because they think that Austen is somehow sacred, or if the mash up seems so incongruous, but I always think,
Continue Reading Guest Post: Tirzah Price on Retelling Jane Austen with Murderous Intent »