Cynsations

Guest Post: Loretta Ellsworth on Memories & Unforgettable

2012-01-31T08:33:00.001-06:00

By Loretta Ellsworth
for Cynthia Leitich Smith's Cynsations

When my book Unforgettable (Walker, 2011) was released in September, I hosted a giveaway on my blog. Readers had to write about their earliest memories.

It was fascinating reading them because they reflected a great deal about the readers and their childhood. I thought most of them would be from very memorable events – mine was when I was a flower girl in my aunt’s wedding – but I was surprised that many of them were very ordinary: watching a big brother come home on the school bus, picking strawberries, sitting on a father’s lap while he read the newspaper, the pattern of a linoleum floor or the diamond shape of a doorknob, riding in a crowded car with Italian relatives.

Not extraordinary days or events, but simple pleasures or observances from their childhoods.

Very nostalgic memories, which made me wonder: If we could hold onto our childhood memories forever, would we? Is the ability to forget just as important as the ability to remember?

Most of us would agree that not all memories are good, that there are some things we definitely want to forget. One reader’s earliest memory was of her father hitting her mother. Others remembered getting stitches or the pain of losing a family member. But they didn’t say they wished they didn’t remember those things. Perhaps bad memories serve a good purpose as well, if only to remind us that we survived childhood despite such obstacles.

Loretta

Unforgettable explores many of those issues. Baxter has a perfect memory. In fact he’s unable to forget anything, including his father’s death when he was three years old.

Not only does he remember it, but he also experiences the pain of it just as fresh and sharp as when it happened.

When he and his mom, on the run from an ex-boyfriend with a serious grudge, move from California to Minnesota, Baxter reconnects with Halle, a girl he had a crush on in kindergarten.

At fifteen, those feelings are so real and strong to him still that it’s confusing when she doesn’t remember him at all.

The mixed blessing of Baxter’s memory and his determination to hide it reflect how I often felt in high school - I didn’t want to stand out from the pack and preferred to be invisible.

But for Baxter, things aren’t as simple as that. Hiding a photographic memory is difficult, and starting over isn’t easy, either.

Recently it was revealed that Katia Zatuliveter, the suspected Russian spy being tried in London, has a near photographic memory. She supposedly could read something once and memorize it. A former college classmate said that was how she kept ahead of the class.

Most of us won’t ever have to worry about being accused of having such a memory. But it’s an interesting issue, one worthy of discussion.

Our memories reflect who we are, but how much do we really want to remember? If there was a pill available to give us that kind of recall, would we take it?

New Cynsations Reporter: Angela Cerrito

2012-01-31T08:26:00.000-06:00

By Cynthia Leitich Smith
for Cynsations

Angela Cerrito writes by night and is a pediatric physical therapist by day.

Her debut novel The End of the Line (Holiday House, 2011) was selected for VOYA’s Top of the Top Shelf 2011 and Top Shelf for Middle Grade Readers 2011.

She is the Assistant International Advisor for SCBWI and regularly attends the Frankfurt and Bologna Book Fairs.

When she’s not writing, Angela enjoys eating, climbing in caves and jumping off cliffs. She lives in Europe with her husband, two daughters, a big black cat, a little white dog and a talking parrot.

Angela will be covering the children's-YA book scene in Europe and beyond for Cynsations. Read an interview with Angela.

New Voice: Kami Kinard on Writing Humor & The Boy Project

2012-01-30T08:48:00.000-06:00

By Cynthia Leitich Smith
for Cynsations

Kami Kinard is the first-time author of The Boy Project (Notes and Observations of Kara McAllister)(Scholastic, 2012). From the promotional copy:

For anyone who's ever felt that boys were a different species....

Wildly creative seventh grader, Kara McAllister, just had her best idea yet. She's going to take notes on all of the boys in her grade (and a few elsewhere) in order to answer a seemingly simple question: How can she get a boyfriend?

But Kara's project turns out to be a lot more complicated than she imagined. Soon there are secrets, lies, and an embarrassing incident in the boy's bathroom. Plus, Kara has to deal with mean girls, her slightly spacey BFF, and some surprising uses for duct tape. Still, if Kara's research leads her to the right boy, everything may just be worth it...

Full of charts and graphs, heart and humor, this hilarious debut will resonate with tweens everywhere.

As a comedic writer, how do you decide what's funny? What advice do you have for those interested in either writing comedies or books with a substantial amount of humor in them?

When I hear humor writers speak, they usually say that you can’t teach someone how to write humor, it just happens. Once upon a time, I could see their point. For me, humor writing did seem to come naturally.

But then I taught a novel revision class and one of my students was working on a humorous manuscript. I kept telling her places she needed to ramp up her humor. She asked me how I knew what to do. I said, “It comes naturally.”

Later I realized I had given her the lamest possible answer. I knew that as a teacher, I needed to bring a better answer to the next class. So I have given this question a lot of thought. Why does writing humor come naturally to me?

I think part of the answer is that I enjoy humor, so I’ve immersed myself in funny.

I love reading books that make me laugh! I probably shouldn’t admit this, but I laughed so hard when reading one of the Diary of a Wimpy Kid books by Jeff Kinney that I couldn’t speak for something like fifteen minutes. My husband kept asking me what was so funny, but I couldn’t even choke out an answer.

When I finally settled down enough to read the passage to him, he just looked at me (without laughing) and said, “This only proves that you have the sense of humor of a middle school boy.”

Well, that’s part of it! One reason I can decide what is funny is because I read a lot of funny books for children. And I laugh at them! If you want to write humor for children, you should too.

I also love funny T.V. shows. I’m a longtime fan of shows like "SNL" and British comedies like "Keeping up Appearances." I used to struggle with insomnia, but now I put myself to sleep by listening to "M*A*S*H" on DVD. The voices of Potter, Radar, and Hawkeye sing me to sleep every single night. Sometimes I chuckle as I’m dozing off. (If you try this at home, avoid episodes where Houlihan gets angry. That voice will wake you back up in a hurry!)

So, did humor writing really come naturally to me, or had I just familiarized myself with the techniques by soaking up vast quantities of humor writing via books and television over the years?

You didn’t know there were actual techniques? Me either. But after failing my student, I ordered two books about writing humor: Comedy Writing Secrets by Mel Helitzer (Writer’s Digest Books, 2005) and How to Write Funny by John B. Kachuba (Writer’s Digest Books, 2001). Both are loaded with tips, strategies, and techniques for writing humor.

It turns out, I was using many of them when I wrote The Boy Project. I just didn’t know they were standard issue and that they came with names like "convention suspension" and "anecdotal reverse." Anyone wanting to ramp up the humor in their writing should check out these books or others like them.

Other than immersing yourself in humor and reading up on the techniques, the biggest tip I have for humor writers is this: remember to surprise your audience. (In a good way, not in a jumping from a closet wearing a hockey mask way.) No one is going to laugh at your pranks if they know what is coming.

So as you write, look at your wording and the situations you present and ask yourself, can I surprise my audience by exaggerating this situation until it is larger than life?

Can I paint a picture with words that puts a funny image in their heads – a surprising one that they wouldn’t think of otherwise? If you can do this, you can write humor.

When and where do you write? Why does that time and space work for you?

Kami's office.

I’m a writer who needs a quiet space. I don’t listen to music when I write, and I don’t get much done when there is a lot going on in my house. I do most of my writing during the school day when no one else is home.

When we moved four years ago I insisted on buying a house that had office space —space I wouldn’t have to share with anyone.

The home I left had a beautiful office with windows all along the wall, a built-in bookshelf, and French doors, but I had to share it with my husband, and even when he was working quietly, I found it distracting to have someone else in the room with me.

We moved to the coast and housing prices at that time were at an all-time high. So it wasn’t easy to find a house we could afford that had an extra room for an office!

When we looked at the house we are now living in, it didn’t have an office. What it did have was a small laundry room. I immediately saw office potential! It was a tiny room, but big enough for my computer desk, my antique writing desk, and my imagination.

We moved the washer and dryer elsewhere, put in a glass door so I could see the outside, and installed bookshelves on the wall over my computer. It is all I need and it is perfect.

Now I have my own little office where I am very productive. It works for me because the space is mine; there isn’t room for anyone else!

Hello, puppy!

Cynsational Notes

Check out Kami's craft blog, Crafty Crafts!

Dolly Gray Children's Literature Award Winners (For Portrayals of "Individuals with Developmental Disabilities")

2012-01-30T08:35:00.001-06:00

Source: Tina Taylor Dyches, Ed.D.
Dolly Gray Children's Literature Award Chair
Brigham Young University
at Cynsations

The Dolly Gray Children’s Literature Award was presented Jan. 19 at the Council for Exceptional Children’s Division on Autism and Developmental Disabilities (DADD) international conference in Miami Beach, Florida.

The intermediate/young adult award was presented to Kathryn Erskine, author of Mockingbird (Philomel, 2010) and Beverley Brenna, author of Waiting for No One (Red Deer, 2011).

In the picture book category, the awards went to Rebecca Elliott, author/illustrator of Just Because (Lion, 2011), and Holly Robinson Peete and Ryan Elizabeth Peete (authors) and Shane W. Evans (illustrator) for My Brother Charlie (Scholastic, 2010).

The Dolly Gray Award recognizes high quality fiction/biographical books for children, adolescents, and young adults that authentically portray individuals with developmental disabilities. Special Needs Project, a worldwide leader in the distribution of books related to disabilities, co-sponsors this award.

Fran Prezant, disability consultant, author, presenter, and Dolly Gray Award panelist notes, “Engaging books that feature people with disabilities as individuals with personalities, strengths and talents as part of the story line, have the exponential power to change attitudes and promote inclusion in education, jobs and community life. These are important, not only for young readers with and without disabilities, but for parents and teachers who read books to them and model societal attitudes through words and actions.

"This year, it is wonderful to see so many positive contributions to the literature choices compared to a decade ago when people with disabilities were rarely featured in positive ways if at all, in children's books. The Dolly Gray Award has been a positive vehicle to call attention to this and authors and progressive publishers should be commended and encouraged to put more of these books into the hands of readers.”

New this year is the Dolly Gray Children's Literature Award Special Collection at the Harold B. Lee Library on the Brigham Young University campus in Provo, Utah. This collection will house all books considered for the award since its inception in 2000, and is likely to be the most complete collection of children’s books that include individuals with developmental disabilities. A list of all books eligible for the award, procedures, and submission guidelines are available on the DADD website.

Last Call: PEN Phyllis Naylor Working Writer Fellowship & Steven Kroll Award

2012-01-29T09:06:00.000-06:00

Source: Pen America Center
at Cynsations

PEN American Center is accepting submissions until Feb. 1 for the $5,000 PEN/Phyllis Naylor Working Writer Fellowship, given annually to an author of children's or young-adult fiction.

The Fellowship is designed to assist a writer at a crucial moment in his or her career to complete a book-length work-in-progress. Past recipients include Lucy Frank, Pat Schmatz, Carol Lynch Williams, Theresa Nelson, Diane Les Becquets, Graham McNamee, Lori Aurelia Williams, Franny Billingsley, Amanda Jenkins, and Barbara Shoup. See details, and learn more about Phyllis Reynolds Naylor.

PEN American Center is also accepting submissions until Feb. 1 for the $5,000 PEN/Steven Kroll Award, established in memory of Steven Kroll to acknowledge the distinct literary contributions of picture book writers.

The annual award will be presented for the first time in 2012. It will acknowledge an American or U.S.-based writer for exceptional text illustrated in a picture book. See details.

Cynsational Notes

Author Steven Kroll Dies at 69 by Rocco Staino from School Library Journal.

World Book Night

2012-01-29T08:45:00.001-06:00

Compiled by Cynthia Leitich Smith
for Cynsations

World Book Night will take place on April 23, 2012 across the U.S., U.K. and Ireland.

During World Book Night, 50,000 people, named as “book givers,” will each be giving away 20 books from a select list with a goal to have 1,000,000 people across the United States alone celebrating reading en masse. There will be adult books and young adult titles given away.

Sign up by Feb. 6 to apply to be a “book giver.” See the complete list of titles.

Update: the deadline to apply to be a volunteer book giver was originally Feb. 1 but has been extended to Feb. 6.

Cynsational News & Giveaways

2012-01-27T08:40:00.001-06:00

Compiled by Cynthia Leitich Smith
for Cynsations

The Asian/Pacific American Awards for Literature have been announced.

In the Picture Book category, the winner was The House Baba Built: An Artist’s Childhood in China by Ed Young (Little, Brown), and the honor book was Hot Hot Roti for Dada-ji by F. Zia, illustrated by Ken Min (Lee & Low).

In the Children's Literature category, the winner was The Great Wall of Lucy Wu by Wendy Wan-Long Shang (Scholastic), and the honor book was Vanished by Sheela Chari (Hyperion).

In the Young Adult category, the winner was Orchards by Holly Thompson (Delacorte), and the honor book was Level Up by Gene Luen Yang (First Second).

For author insights, see New Voice: Sheela Chari on Vanished and Holly Thompson on the Perfect Setting and Orchards.

More News & Giveaways

Poetry: A Messy Business from Sharon Darrow. Peek: "What would happen if the wind blew in and swooped up all our carefully ordered pages, tossed them to the ceiling, some even blowing away through the open window, and rearranged those left into a joyful chaos? How would we cope? What treasures might we find?"

The Promise of the Novel by Mary Kole from Kidlit.com. Peek: "If something reads contemporary realistic for enough pages to make me think that it’s a contemporary realistic novel, don’t toss dragons at me on page 25. My expectations have gelled. I am settling into your tale. I don’t want to suddenly discover that I’ll be reading high fantasy."

Do You Need Social Media Interaction? by Angela Ackerman from The Bookshelf Muse. Peek: "Running yourself ragged is not the solution. Quitting a platform you worked so hard to build is not the solution. Change is." See also The Fine Art of Zipping It, or XYZ PDQ by Jennifer Laughran from Jennifer Represents.

Twenty Years Strong from The Brown Bookshelf: United in Story. Peek: "On Saturday, Feb. 4, Philadelphia’s African American Children’s Book Fair turns 20. It’s a milestone that means a lot to founder Vanesse Lloyd-Sgambati."

Placing Too Much Importance on Passion from Jane Friedman. Peek: "As long as we do work that feels satisfying—that complements our personal values and strengths—we can all do just fine, especially if we have relationships that are also fulfilling and satisfying."

Questions about Power in Stories and Storytelling by Mitali Perkins from Mitali's Fire Escape. Two lists of questions to consider before/as you write.

Inspiration and Writing Anyway from Kate Messner. Peek: "Have you ever noticed that we don’t ask this question of people with too many other jobs? I didn’t ask my mail carrier how she got inspired to deliver the mail today, nor do I ask my husband how he gets inspired to figure out the weather forecast." See also Kate on The Fine Art of Faking It.

“Rotters” by Daniel Kraus, narrated by Kirby Heyborne (Listening Library) is the 2012 Odyssey Award winner. See Daniel Kraus on Why Do You Write Such Dark YA Fiction? from Cynsations. Peek: "It has already been called by one taste-maker as the most 'adult' book ever published as YA, and is certainly in the running for the darkest."

2012 Amelia Bloomer Celebrates Feminist Perspective in Books for Young Readers from the American Library Association. See the complete annotated list. See Amelia Bloomer top 10 author Julie Chibbaro on Navigating The Past Through Real Stories.

“Ghetto Cowboy,” by G. Neri and narrated by J.D. Jackson (Brilliance Audio) is a 2012 Odyssey honor book. See G. Neri On The Trail to Ghetto Cowboy from Cynsations. Peek: "By getting boys interested in raising a horse rather than killing another human being, these cowboys gave the youth something positive: father figures, focus, and the ability to stand tall."

Hungry for More About the Hunger Games? A Q&A with Amandla Stenberg (aka Rue) by Karen Springen from Publishers Weekly. Peek: "I had a little wreath of flowers in my pocket that I thought Rue might have. That was in my pocket as good luck, and also a special rock."

When to Quit Querying and Self-Publish by Samantha Clark from Motivation for Writers. Peek: "Rejections to query letters could mean a number of things: the query isn’t strong enough, the writing isn’t good enough, the story isn’t interesting enough, the characters aren’t developed enough. Let’s face it, plenty of us have sent out queries for a book we thought was ready only to look at it later and think it wasn’t."

Karen Schreck and Katherine Grace Bond interview Leah Hultenschmidt of Sourcebooks from Crowe's Nest. Peek: "The 'we publish authors not books' often comes down to career planning. When we sign an author, we want to work with her over a number of different books. We want to launch her (or relaunch her) and build her audience."

Writing Easy Readers - Or How to Get Second Graders to Love You by Dotti Enderle from Trust Me...I'm a Writer. A few tips from the author of a dozen early reader chapter books.

2012 Quick Picks for Reluctant Readers from the Young Adult Library Services Association (YALSA). Note: special congrats to fellow Austinite Chris Barton on the inclusion of Can I See Your I.D.? True Stories of False Identities, illustrated by Paul Hoppe (Dial, 2011)! See Chris on Unbridled Silliness and Carefully Researched Truth Telling.

Catching Your World on Paper by Danielle Leafty from QueryTracker.net. Peek: "World building, in it's most basic form, is the process by which an author takes the story as it is in his or her mind and carefully reconstructs it on the page."

Discussion and Activity Guides: an interview with Debbie Gonzales from Through the Tollbooth. Peek: "...any way we can make our books appealing to gatekeepers – teachers, booksellers, librarians, parents – the better. Guides demonstrate the academic soundness of your book to the educator. They show gatekeepers that you’ve taken their needs to heart and want to help make their lives a little easier."

A Book Rejected 23 Times? What Impact Could It Have? Check out this video featuring Mitali Perkins from the Highlights Foundation. Learn about Mitali's upcoming workshop, Creating an Authentic Cultural Voice, with Donna Jo Napoli and special guests Kathryn Eskine and Alvina Ling, which will take place April 26 to April 29. Peek: "Through impeccable research, imagination, empathy, and experience, a true cultural voice can be achieved." See also upcoming Highlights Workshops on Nature Writing and Science Writing.

List of Selected Illustrators for the Illustrators Exhibition 2012 at Bologna Children's Book Fair. See also Selected Images.

Genre Display Signing for Libraries by Naomi Bates from YA Books and More. Don't miss part two.

It's the End of the World as We Know It (and I Feel Fine) by Jonathan Maberry from Crowe's Nest. Peek: "...four separate aspects to the genre. They are pre-Apocalyptic, Apocalyptic, Post-Apocalyptic and Dystopian. Over the last six years I’ve written variations of all four. And I’m a happy guy. I don’t shovel down anti-depressants and writing this stuff isn’t a cry for help."

Editorial Palavering: Martha Mihalick, Editor at Greenwillow/HarperColllins by Cheryl Klein from Brooklyn Arden. Peek: "...I'm very attracted to stories that involve significant--often heartwrenching--choices for the characters. And ones with strong friendship or sibling themes." Check out Cheryl's book, Second Sight: An Editor's Talks on Writing, Revising & Publishing Books for Children and Young Adults.

When Dad Came Back by Gary Soto (University Press of New England) at facebook. Note: Gary's first e-only book for young adults. See Jo Ellen Misakian Interviews Author Gary Soto on His New Books, Writing and the Gary Soto Museum.

12 x 12 in 2012: Picture Book Writing Challenge from Julie Hedlund: Write Up My Life. Peek: "Twelve complete picture book drafts. Twelve months. 2012. Are you with me?" Sign-up deadline: Jan. 29.

Getting the Glory: A Note about Awards by Kathi Appelt from Write at Your Own Risk. Peek: "What I I think is that we’re all in search of glory. But let me just say that glory comes in many sizes. Some days it ends with a small 'be,' and that’s enough. When I say 'glory be' out loud it reminds me of the joy and wonder that I experience at the end of a well-formed sentence—both my own and others." See also Musings About Awards by Teri Lesesne from professornana.

See also Our Favorite Articles and Blog Posts from Adventures in YA and Children's Publishing.

Cynsational Giveaways

Enter to win a Diabolical giveaway! The grand prize includes:

(were)otter finger puppet
(were)wolf hand puppet
(vampire) bat finger puppet
Tantalize series tie-in buttons
Greetings from Vermont postcard (not pictured; see link)
angel tokens
Codex Gigas necklace (yikes!)
signed copy of Diabolical by Cynthia Leitich Smith
I HEART My Guardian Angel mug; and...
I HEART My Guardian Angel T-shirt (winner's choice of sizes and styles; available in white, light blue, light yellow and pink); or...dragon predator-and-prey shirt (winner's choice of sizes; choice of white, light blue, gray).

Note: Tantalize series logos designed by Gene Brenek; see the whole selection at Sanguini's at CafePress.

Runner-Up Prizes

one of two signed hardcover copies of Tantalize
one of two signed hardcover copies of Eternal
one of two signed hardcover copies of Blessed

To enter, comment on this post (click the previous link and scroll) and include an email address (formatted like: cynthia at cynthialeitichsmith dot com) or a link to an email address. Or you can email Cynthia directly with "Diabolical giveaway" in the subject line. Everyone will be entered for every prize unless otherwise specified. If you have, say, an earlier book in the series and don't want another copy, please just say so! (In the alternative, you could plan to gift one to a friend or a local school/public library.) Author-sponsored. Eligibility: international. Deadline: Feb. 8.

Looking for another chance to win? Check out this Diabolical Interview with Cynthia Leitich Smith & Giveaway by Jen Bigheart from I Read Banned Books.

Grand Prize! Enter for a chance to win:

signed copy of Love? Maybe. by Heather Hepler (Dial, 2012)
signed copy of The Cupcake Queen by Heather Hepler (Dutton, 2009, 2010)
sweet treats to share with friends, including candy heart-shaped balloons, Conversation Hearts candies, Ring Pops and much more...

A runner-up will receive signed copy of Love? Maybe. And sweet treats.

To enter, comment on this post (click the previous link and scroll) and include an email address (formatted like: cynthia at cynthialeitichsmith dot com) or a link to an email address. Or email Cynthia directly with "Love? Maybe." in the subject line. Author-sponsored. Eligibility: North America (U.S./Canada). Deadline: midnight CST Jan. 31.

Plus three $15 iTunes Gift Cards!

Enter to win an author-signed Tantalize: Kieren's Story postcard, Tantalize: Kieren's Story bookmark or Diabolical bookmark! Up to 20 total! Plus, the occasional Tantalize series button or bat stickers or nifty surprise! And three lucky winners will receive a $15 iTunes gift card!

Teachers, librarians and book clubs also may enter to win one of five sets of 10 Tantalize: Kieren's Story bookmarks or one of three sets of five Diabolical bookmarks!

Please indicate your related affiliation in your entry. I.e., Suzy Q, school librarian, Austin Independent School District. To enter, comment on this post (click the previous link and scroll) and include an email address (formatted like: cynthia at cynthialeitichsmith dot com) or a link to an email address. Or email Cynthia directly with "Tantalize Series Bling" in the subject line. Author-sponsored. Eligibility: international. Deadline: midnight CST Feb. 1.

More Giveaways

Last call! Enter to win an ARC of Article 5 by Kristen Simmons (Tor, 2012) and The Pledge by Kimberly Derting (Margaret K. McElderry, 2011) from Tabitha at Writer Musings. Winner will be announced Jan. 28. Note: learn more about Article 5 and The Pledge.

Last call! Interview with Caroline Starr Rose and May B. Giveaway by Literary Rambles. Peek: "...I learned from that disastrous manuscript that regardless of the history, the story had to belong to the character; I couldn’t beat historical facts into my readers’ heads. I went into May B. trusting that if I kept my protagonist’s perspective and understanding of her world, enough history would organically seep in." Deadline: midnight, Jan. 28.

Reminder: Jean Reidy is celebrating cabin-fever creativity and the release of her latest picture book Too Princessy!, illustrated by Geneviève Leloup (Bloomsbury, 2012) by hosting a Boredom Buster Blog - chock full of rainy day ideas from parents, teachers, caregivers, babysitters, writers and other folks like you. Send in your favorite ideas and be entered to win one of five prizes, including a $100 bookseller gift card and autographed books. The drawing will be Feb. 29.

This Week's Cynsations Posts

Austin Scene

Photo courtesy of Jeanette Larson.

Highlights of the week included Carolyn Mackler and Jay Asher event Monday night at BookPeople in Austin. They gave a terrific joint presentation on their new release, The Future of Us (Razorbill, 2011), and are highly recommended as speakers.

More Personally

Look for Diabolical at The Book Spot in Round Rock, Texas.

Diabolical is now available from Candlewick Press! Check out the giveaway (above) as well as buzz and upcoming events (below). Any efforts to help spread the word will be hugely appreciated.

Congratulations to the winners and honorees of the 2012 ALA Youth Media Awards. I was especially excited to see Dear Bully: Seventy Authors Tell Their Stories, edited by Carrie Jones and Megan Kelley Hall (HarperCollins, 2011) on the 2012 Rainbow List. The book includes my essay, "Isolation." Note: awards coverage is ongoing and will continue next week.

Are you a fan of school libraries? Are you based in the U.S.? Please consider signing this White House petition to help ensure every child in America has access to an effective school library program. Please also share this link with fellow enthusiasts. Thank you!

Welcome Cynthia Leitich Smith and Diabolical from Joy Preble at Joy's Novel Idea. Note: an in-depth interview about creating a diversity of work, writing as a career, balance (or lack thereof), a typical day, a double-author marriage, and more! Peek: "Be especially sure to read outside of your comfort zone. Creating art is all about thriving, innovating amidst uncertainly and chaos; reading books that challenge you is a smart way to steel yourself."

Diabolical Interview with Cynthia Leitich Smith & Giveaway by Jen Bigheart from I Read Banned Books. Note: reflections on the Tantalize series, settings, and my favorite "devils." Peek: "...more imagination went into developing the Penultimate, which is located outside the Pearly Gates. It basically functions as a receiving/reunion area and lobby lounge with temporary housing and business offices of the angels."

Nominations for The Children's Book Council "2012 Teen Choice Book of the Year" are being accepted on Teenreads.com until Feb. 15. Readers are being asked to list up to five of their favorite books of 2011; the five titles that receive the most votes will become finalists to be entered in a second round of voting. From there, teens will vote again to determine the ultimate winner --- the 2012 Teen Choice Book of the Year. Note: Blessed by Cynthia Leitich Smith (Candlewick/Walker) is a nominee! If you liked the novel, please consider voting for it--along with your other four picks--to reach the finals. See the full list of nominated books. (Remember, write-in titles are still being accepted.) Vote for your favorite books here! Voting eligibility: international. Anyone between the ages of 12 and 18 can vote. Deadline for voting in the nominating round: Feb. 15.

Into the Mystic says of Blessed: "This is my favorite book in this series so far! I loved the way she brought the characters from the 2 books together and then blended that world so seamlessly with Bram Stoker! It was a stroke of brilliance!"

Into the Mystic says of Diabolical: "Holy hot trips to Hell!!! This book was great! This story was very original, very fast-paced, very engaging and very witty!"

Jen Bigheart at I Read Banned Books says of Diabolical: "He {Zachary} tries his best to follow the rules, but when the ish hits the fan at the boarding school, he follows his own heart. A fast paced paranormal full of magic, mystery, and mayhem!"

Two Writing Teachers says of Diabolical: "It’s a fictitious world, and yet I found myself lost in the story. She made me care about the characters. She made me believe in the evil and trust good would triumph in the end. Her craft is tight and I found myself rereading to see how she could pack so much power in just a few words."

Midnight Reads says of of Diabolical: "There are some excellent twists in the plot and fab new characters, especially Vesper and Nigel, and the relationships between Miranda and Zachary and Quincie and Kieren are as sweet as ever. The final battle in the story is nail-biting and more than one characters life is on the line which makes for an exciting ending."

Personal Links:

From Greg Leitich Smith:

RE Greg Leitich Smith:

Judging a Book by Its Cover by Debbi Michiko Florence from DEBtastic Reads.

Cynsational Events

My Vicious Valentine: Spine-tingling YA Author Panel, featuring Jordan Dane, P.J. "Tricia" Hoover, Mari Mancusi, Rosemary Clement-Moore, Cynthia Leitich Smith, and L.A. Weatherly---moderated by Sean Petrie--will take place at 7 p.m. Feb. 10 at BookPeople in Austin. Join us when six top YA authors dish on the devilish, gab about ghosts, and soar with the angels in this panel celebrating spine-tingling stories, supernatural creatures, and perhaps scariest of all, true love.

See Cynthia's upcoming events in Albuquerque, Tucson, Sandy (Utah), Southampton (New York), and Montpelier (Vermont).

Mark your calendars for Alex Flinn's Upcoming Tour. She'll be appearing at Anderson's Bookshop in Naperville on Feb. 14, at Blue Willow Bookshop in Houston Feb. 15, and at Barnes & Noble in Round Rock (Texas) Feb. 16.

Note: Due to volume, I can't feature the author/illustrator events of all of my Cynsational readers, but if you're Austin bound for an appearance here, let me know, and I'll try to work in a shout out or two. Thanks!

Guest Post: Jessica Lee Anderson on the Creative Skin We’re In

2012-01-26T08:48:00.001-06:00

Learn more about Jessica.

By Jessica Lee Anderson
for Cynthia Leitich Smith's Cynsations

One of my favorite quotes comes from Katherine Paterson, author of the Newbery-winning novel Bridge to Terebithia (HarperCollins):

“I have often noted that it takes the thinnest skin in the world to be a writer, it takes the thickest to seek out publication. But both are needed—the extreme sensitivity and the hippo hide against criticism.”

How can we cultivate the perfect skin as creative souls, the right balance of thin and thick? The thin skin to produce outstanding, unique manuscripts, and the thick skin to endure the seemingly endless waiting as well as rejection and criticism?

As Signe, a character in Kathi Appelt’s novel Keeper (Atheneum), would say, “This is a question for the universe.”

I wish I had the answer. In the ten years I’ve been writing professionally, I’ve had hippo hide moments and laughed in the face of rejection. I’ve had other moments when I practically needed stitches to sew the pieces of me together, moments when the disappointments of writing added to the mounting stresses I faced in other aspects of my life.

No, I don’t have the answer, but these ups and downs have provided some insights.

Insight #1: Avoid Harmful Exposure

Excerpt of Calli (Milkweed, 2011)

Our skin is an incredible sensory organ that holds things in place and protects us from losing water while preventing bacteria from entering at the same time. It requires care, and this is especially true for our “creative skin”.

Like wearing oven mitts when taking a hot casserole out of the oven or slathering on sunscreen, we must do what we can to avoid painful burns.

When you’re feeling especially vulnerable, try to surround yourself with people who encourage rather than those who trivialize or antagonize. Also, we need to be reminded that while writing is important, it isn’t the sum of who we are.

Examine the things that work for you and the things that don’t. Depending on where you’re at, will obsessing over book deals or reading into rejections replenish your creativity or scar it?

What about book reviews—can a few glowing comments extinguish the scorch of the negative? Will haunting book rankings or other statistics inspire or intimidate? Modify accordingly and reexamine as needed.

Many great minds have suffered greatly given the polarity of this field—don’t hesitate to seek professional help if you need it.

Insight #2: Skin Care Regimen

Regardless of skin types, any good, basic skin care regiment consists of cleansing, exfoliating, and moisturizing. If you’re not already in the habit, rinse away dirt, doubt, grime, and insecurity. Scrub away the clogging effects of distractions—television, the Internet, and anything else that blocks you from doing the work that you were called to do. Care for your creative skin by hydrating yourself with projects you enjoy working on or by reading, taking classes, attending conferences, etc.

Insight #3: Strengthening from the Inside Out

Discussion Guide

Topical techniques are important, but to truly have healthy, resilient skin (both physical and creative), it must be nurtured from the inside out. Exercise, good nutrition, adequate sleep, and relaxation all help to reactivate our skin’s innate ability to repair itself.

Okay, okay, I know I’m taking this skin thing way too far, but as I advance into my next decade of writing, and as this market continues to change and challenge, these insights are crucial to my well being and perhaps yours, too.

Highs and lows, thin and thick—it is all a part of this crazy business.

In closing, Katherine Paterson also said, “It takes courage to lay your insides out for people to examine and sneer over. But that's the only way to give what is your unique gift to the world.”

Be courageous, give your gifts, and don’t forget to treat your creative skin well in the process.

Cynsational Notes

Jessica is a founding member of the Texas Sweethearts & Scoundrels.

Check out this video of her talking about patience and online distractions.

Interview: Greg & Cynthia Leitich Smith on Diabolical

2012-01-25T08:56:00.001-06:00

Candlewick & Walker Aus. NZ

By Greg Leitich Smith
for Cynsations

Congratulations on the release of Diabolical - book 4 in the Tantalize series! How did this novel come to be?

Thank you! The original idea behind the Tantalize series was that Bram Stoker’s classic horror novel Dracula is loosely based on truth. Each of my first four books in the series is contemporary but moves closer to that source material. Quickly...

In book 1, Tantalize, we meet a many-times great niece of one of Van Helsing’s original vampire hunters.

In book 2, Eternal, we learn of the Mantle of Dracul, or the present-day vampire royalty.

In book 3, Blessed, we solve a present-day mystery using clues from Stoker’s novel. A literary mystery, if you will, but you don't have to have read Dracula for it to make sense.

Here, in book 4, Diabolical, we journey a modern update of the Scholomance, where the Count learned his wicked ways. Though the books can be enjoyed separately, this novel puts a cap on this super arc.

More globally, the series is set in a multi-creature-verse, featuring guardian angels and archangels, ghosts, vampires, demons, hell hounds, dragons and a myriad of shape-shifters, including a new one—the wereotter. The series has strong male and female leads and a diverse cast, defined broadly.

Don't you just adore otters?!

What I loved most about Diabolical was bringing back all four of the protagonists--Quincie, Kieren, Zachary, and Miranda--in one blockbuster storyline! It's also the most suspenseful, creepy, funny, and romantic of the books to date!

If you get scared easily, read it with the lights on or just read Miranda's point of view. She's writing from the Penultimate outside heaven. Trust me, you'll feel safer there than at the school.

So, this latest novel, like the others in the series, owes a debt to Bram Stoker's Dracula. The setting, in particular, is based on the "Scholomance," referenced by Van Helsing. Can you tell us a bit about the Scholomance (both Bram's and yours)?

Here are Stoker’s pertinent quotes:

“The Draculas were, says Arminius, a great and noble race, though now and again were scions who were held by the coevals to have had dealings with the Evil One. They learned his secrets in the Scholomance, amongst the mountains over Lake Hermanstadt, where the devil claims the tenth scholar as his due.”

“He dared even to attend the Scholomance, and there was no branch of knowledge of his time that he did not essay.”

On one hand, it’s not a lot of information.

On the other, it’s a treasure trove.

I decided to make my Scholomance a junior feeder school to the original. I set in Vermont and then set my mind to the architecture. In Eternal and Blessed, I’d featured a castle based on Castle Bram, and I didn’t want to revisit the old school European style.

Castle Bran

I went modern instead, taking my inspiration from Mies Van der Rohe.

Jeff Crosby’s original art depiction in the book trailer (created by Shayne Leighton) is dead on to my vision.

It’s a seriously scary place, focusing heavily on the demonic. But with terrific furniture, fluffy towels, a well-stocked kitchenette and a first-class gym.

This is the first book I’ve ever written that literally gave me nightmares, but it was also, by far, the most fun. The fiercer the challenge, the more the heroes must find in themselves to combat it. Ditto the author.

The first book in the series, Tantalize, came out in 2007. Your first novel, Rain Is Not My Indian Name, was published in 2001. Has how your approach to writing a novel changed since then?

Notice the (((cough))) gap between my debut and sophomore novel, though I did publish a couple of other books for younger readers (Indian Shoes and Santa Knows) as well as some short stories in between, including one for young adults.

Harper/Listening Library

With Rain Is Not My Indian Name, I dived in without a plan and wrote until I found a character and then wrote until I found her story. I spent about six additional, completely unnecessary extra months on it, gathering courage but mostly spinning. That said, it was a great learning experience.

With Tantalize, I had to learn how to write a fantasy first. In fantasy, you have to do everything you would in realistic fiction, and then you need a fantastical element (or several) that is necessary and speaks to both the internal and external arcs of the story.

Among other things, that meant quality time on creature creation and other aspects of world building. I needed to think hard about the metaphors in play and the histories and connotations of the mythologies behind them.

For the first two books in the series, Tantalize and Eternal, I used my traditional method—writing the entire story with a beginning, middle, and end, and then printing it, reading it, tossing it and deleting the file.

It’s a comforting strategy, one that takes a lot of pressure off (nobody but me was going to read it anyway) and offers the opportunity to get to know the characters and their world. You don't commit to a working manuscript based on that first effort. (It would be a very shaky foundation.) Instead, you start over fresh, armed with lessons learned from the intensive pre-writing.

Once I hit Blessed, and then Diabolical, I’d already done the pre-writing for the characters and world in the previous books, so I was able to move with more of a sense of direction. At my brilliant editor’s encouragement, I do more outlining than I used to, but only in the roughest sense of the word. First, I craft a document that reads like catalog copy and then I begin expanding it from there.

Diabolical, like other novels in the series, is told from multiple points-of-view. What was it like working on the voices of each of the characters?

I’d written Zachary and Miranda’s first-person voices before in Eternal and Kieren’s in the graphic novel, Tantalize: Kieren’s Story, illustrated by Ming Doyle.

Hers was the easiest to differentiate, but the boys are both sort of men of action. They’re both in love. They both have a sense of humor. And they're both solid, stand-up dudes. So I had to really focus on the subtleties of their personalities.

Kieren is the most intelligent of all of my characters. Zachary tends to be the hardest on himself. I was tweaking language up until the final pass pages.

This novel is set outside Montpelier, Vermont. Why?

I love Vermont. I love everyone I’ve ever met there. It’s just magical to me.

Although based in Austin, I’m on the faculty of the Vermont College of Fine Arts low-residency program in Writing for Children and Young Adults, and I wanted to nod to that inspiring New England setting. In Diabolical, the gorgeous winter landscape is juxtaposed against a hellishly hot invading institution; Vermont is the sweet earth that we’re fighting to get home to.

One of the new heroes, Evelyn, is a Vermonter. She’s also the brightest spirit.

Beyond that, I’ve made an effort in this series to vary the stages, and winter in Vermont was a strong contrast to the central Texas and Midwestern road-trip settings of the previous novels.

Your web site and your blog have received many honors from both writing and library organizations. What advice would you give to authors (both novices and veterans) on establishing/maintaining a web presence?

With the caveat, that it's your party and you should rock it the way that pleases you...

Your creative work should come first. Beyond that, think about your goals, your time constraints, and what you enjoy doing.

I recommend going big picture rather than building your online identity too tightly around any one book. Hopefully, you’ll have a body of work, an overarching image to convey.

But whatever you do, keep it current. Fret less about the frequency of your minor, chatty updates, more about making sure your latest release is featured with all its cover art and relevant details.

Weave the Web in accordance with your vision. Try not to get too tangled up in it. There's always a controversy of the day, many of them off-topic. If it's a subject of pertinence and passion, dive in. But try not to get sucked down every rabbit hole, especially if you don't have all the facts first.

And remember that young readers, fellow writers, event planners, gatekeepers, and other publishing professionals will use the Web to get to know you. Be the authentic you, with your best foot forward.

You've recently started using a treadmill desk. Did that take long to get used to? Do you find any difference in creative flow?

Inspired by Tracy Abell.

Not at all! I found myself quickly comfortable with simultaneously writing and walking, though reaching for a glass of water requires bracing myself and real concentration.

I find that I’m much more focused and deliberate in my language.

More blood to the brain, I suppose.

What else is new?

I'm not a big TV person, but I have found a couple of new shows that I really like.

On the recommendation of my friend, author P.J. Hoover, I've begun watching "The Big Bang Theory". Turns out that I'm sufficiently geeky for even the more obscure jokes to resonate.

I've also become addicted to "Supernatural," on the urging of several of my YA readers. It's hugely entertaining and occasionally scary enough that I have to watch a lighter show afterward before going to sleep. I love that it's set all over the country, that Sam and Dean are from Lawrence, Kansas; where I went to college, and the cute guy factor is enormous. I also appreciate that so many speculative fiction TV alumni are cast in guest roles. Of late I've spotted Amber Benson (who played Tara Maclay on "Buffy the Vampire Slayer") and Mitch Pileggi (who played Walter Skinner on "The X-Files").

I'm not caught up to current time on either series, but instead watching back-to-back episodes. "Bones" is my only can't-miss, first-run show.

In terms of recent reading, I finally got a chance to sit down with The Hunger Games trilogy by Suzanne Collins (Scholastic) and thought it was excellent, the hype well deserved, the intensity riveting, the themes timely, and the resolution of the love triangle a real victory for carbohydrates.

What do you have coming out next?

Get to know the Leitich Smith kitties!

I look forward to the release of Eternal: Zachary’s Story, a graphic novel currently being illustrated by Ming Doyle and Smolder, which is set in the Tantalize universe, but begins a new storyline and features new protagonists.

Smolder is due to my editor at the end of this month, so this weekend you and I (by which I mean Greg and I) will be reading it aloud for a copy-edit, assisted by the cats, in the parlor. Should prove interesting!

Cynsational Notes & Giveaways

Welcome Cynthia Leitich Smith and Diabolical from Joy Preble at Joy's Novel Idea. Note: an in-depth interview about creating a diversity of work, writing as a career, balance (or lack thereof), a typical day, a double-author marriage, and more! Peek: "Be especially sure to read outside of your comfort zone. Creating art is all about thriving, innovating amidst uncertainly and chaos; reading books that challenge you is a smart way to steel yourself."

Enter to win the Diabolical Mega Package Giveaway! Author sponsored. Eligibility: international. Deadline: Feb. 8. Featuring seven signed books, wolf & otter & bat puppets, Codex Gigas necklace, angel tokens, angel mug, angel/dragon T-shirt & much more. See details.

You can also enter the Tantalize bling and iTunes gift card giveaway. Author sponsored. Eligibility: international. Deadline: Feb. 1. Featuring buttons, bookmarks & postcards. See details.

Thanks for celebrating the release of Diabolical! Tomorrow, we'll return to regular programming.

About Greg

Greg Leitich Smith writes picture books, short stories, and novels.

His next novel, Chronal Engine, will be released March 24 by Clarion Books (Houghton Mifflin Harcourt). It’s a mystery-adventure time-travel story about three teens who use their reclusive grandfather’s time machine to travel back to the Age of Dinosaurs to rescue their kidnapped sister and solve a family mystery.

Cynthia and Greg's latest joint endeavor is "The Wrath of Dawn," which appears in Geektastic: Stories by the Nerd Herd, edited by Holly Black and Cecil Castellucci (Little, Brown).

Friend Greg at facebook. Visit GregLSBlog.

Release Day & Giveaway: Diabolical by Cynthia Leitich Smith

2012-01-24T08:32:00.000-06:00

By Cynthia Leitich Smith
for Cynsations

Click to enlarge!

Enter to win a Diabolical giveaway! The grand prize includes:

In honor of the character Kieren.

(were)wolf hand puppet
(were)otter finger puppet
(vampire) bat finger puppet
Tantalize series tie-in buttons
Greetings from Vermont postcard (not pictured; see link)
angel tokens
Codex Gigas necklace (yikes!)
signed copy of Diabolical by Cynthia Leitich Smith

Plus, sent separately...

I HEART My Guardian Angel mug; and...

I HEART My Guardian Angel T-shirt (winner's choice of sizes and styles; available in white, light blue, light yellow and pink); or...

dragon predator-and-prey shirt (winner's choice of sizes; choice of white, light blue, gray).

Note: Tantalize series logos designed by Gene Brenek; see the whole selection at Sanguini's at CafePress.

Runner-Up Prizes

one of two signed hardcover copies of Tantalize
one of two signed hardcover copies of Eternal
one of two signed hardcover copies of Blessed

To enter, comment on this post and include an email address (formatted like: cynthia at cynthialeitichsmith dot com) or a link to an email address. Or you can email Cynthia directly with "Diabolical giveaway" in the subject line.

Everyone will be entered for every prize unless otherwise specified. If you have, say, an earlier book in the series and don't want another copy, please just say so! (In the alternative, you could plan to gift one to a friend or a local school/public library.)

Author-sponsored. This giveaway is for international readers--everyone is eligible!

For extra entries (itemize efforts in your entry comment/email with relevant links):

In honor of a new character, Evie.

Blog, tweet (hashtag: #diabolical), facebook or Google+ this giveaway
Blog, tweet (hashtag: #diabolical), facebook or Google+ this link to the Diabolical trailer
Click "like" on the Cynthia Leitich Smith facebook author page
Follow @CynLeitichSmith at Twitter
Subscribe to Cynsations (see sidebar at Blogger)
Follow Cynsations by email (see sidebar at Blogger)
Friend Cynsations at LiveJournal
Subscribe to CynthiaLeitichSmith's channel at YouTube
Bonus: Indicate if you're a teacher/librarian, specifying your school, university or library.

Limit 8 entries. Deadline: Feb. 8.

About Diabolical

Diabolical by Cynthia Leitich Smith is now available from Candlewick Press in North America, and it will be published Feb. 1 by Walker Australia and New Zealand. From the promotional copy:

When “slipped” angel Zachary and his werewolf pal, Kieren, are summoned under suspicious circumstances to a mysterious New England boarding school, they quickly find themselves in a hellish lockdown with an intriguing assortment of secretive, hand-picked “students.”

Plagued by demon dogs, hallucinatory wall decor, a sadistic instructor, and a legendary fire-breathing monster, will they somehow manage to escape? Or will the devil have his due?

Best-selling author Cynthia Leitich Smith unites heroes from the previous three novels in the Tantalize series — including Zachary's girl, Miranda, and Kieren's love, Quincie — along with a fascinating cast of all-new characters for a suspenseful, action-packed clash between the forces of heaven and hell.

Cynsational Notes

Look for this title in hardcover and e-format. E-book: 978-0-7636-5963-9.

Kirkus Reviews cheers: "A smart, playful series... A blend of romance, action and horror, this distinguishes itself from the crowd of paranormal teen fare with the employ of plenty of camp and a healthy dose of dry humor."

The Horn Book raves: "...this one runs full force on the fires of hell and the sword power of heaven."

Guest Post: Monica Brown on Marisol McDonald Doesn't Match

2012-01-23T09:22:00.001-06:00

By Monica Brown
for Cynthia Leitich Smith's Cynsations

Over the years, I have become known for writing children’s biographies—in 2004, my first picture book, My Name is Celia: The Life of Celia Cruz/Me Llamo Celia: La Vida de Celia Cruz, illustrated by Rafael López (Rising Moon, 2004) won the Américas Book Award and a Pura Belpré illustration honor, and with that launch, I was off and running.

As a professor of Latino/a and Latin American literature, it was my pleasure to introduce writers such as Gabriel Garcia Marquez and Pablo Neruda not only to college students, but to children, who I found understood the concept of magical realism better than most adults!

Along the way, I wrote fictional stories as well, including Butterflies on Carmen Street/Mariposas En La Calle Carmen, illustrated by April Ward, translated by Gabriela Baeza Ventura (Piñata Books, 2007) and Chavela and the Magic Bubble, illustrated by Magaly Morales (Clarion, 2010).

During this period of intense productivity and publication, I wrote a story that had a very special place in my heart and mind.

What happens when the biographer becomes an autobiographer? I found out when I created the character of Marisol McDonald, a biracial girl, who, like me, often confounds those who think of race and culture in uncomplicated terms. I knew from experience what happens to children who don’t fit into any one box, and I was determined to see that Marisol’s story was told, for my sake, my daughters’ sake and for the millions of children who are proud of the multiplicity of their identities.

The story was “easy” to write—it flowed with all the humor and mischievousness of my own children, growing up in a close community of cousins, aunts, uncles, and friends, in a place where conversations (and lives) skated across languages and borders. We spoke Spanish, English, and sometimes—both.

I’ll never forget when my swimming teacher asked if I spoke “Peruish” or when my cousin’s new girlfriend informed me that I must be one of the “dark ones” in the family.

Monica and her daughters

The list goes on and on, and I see certain experiences being repeated with my own daughters. When my daughter Isabella was little and out and about alone with my Scandinavian-American husband, he would be asked questions such as, “Is your wife foreign?”

In the hospital where Isabella was born in eastern Tennessee, the nurses happily informed me that they had nicknamed my daughter “the little Eskimo.”

I wondered about the source of that particular nickname until the day the women mopping my hospital room floor approached me to tell me how beautiful my daughter was.

“Thank you!” I replied, in complete agreement.

She and I talked for a long time about our children, and I found out that she was . . . Native Alaskan.

Like me, she had married a European-American and our daughters were true mestizas. She, I, and my daughter Isabella had something else in common—none of us fit into neat ethnic boxes.

Through the process of writing and reflecting, I realized that Marisol’s story wasn’t just about race, or even culture, but it was about being a nonconformist—a spirit that was driven by different weather patterns, desires, and a unique view of the world.

Thus, my manuscript, "Marisol McDonald Doesn’t Match" was completed and much to my disappointment, it did not find a home. Having published over eleven picture books with small, medium, and large publishers, why was this manuscript the most challenging to place?

Monica writing at her kitchen table

Considering the paucity of books representing the biracial experience, I shouldn’t have been surprised, but I was.

It is my firmly held belief that writers must become good friends with rejection, and I experienced it with this manuscript.

Apparently one can write an “edgy” picture book, and in my case, the edge came from attempts to write honestly about teasing, skin color, language, and insecurity.

Happily, Children’s Book Press of San Francisco took the chance with Marisol McDonald Doesn’t Match/Marisol McDonald No Combina, illustrated by Sara Palacios, translated by Adriana Dominguez, and she is now out and about in the world.

I’ll leave you with the final thoughts I share with my readers in the authors note:

People sometimes ask us "what are you?" and, yes, sometimes even say that we "don’t match." But we know better. Our mothers told us that we were Americans, yes, but also citizens of the world.

My life (and I’ll bet yours too) is bound up with the history of many peoples, and like Marisol McDonald, I open my arms wide and embrace them all.

Monica at her university office.

Cynsational Notes

Marisol McDonald Doesn’t Match/Marisol McDonald No Combina by Monica Brown, illustrated by Sara Palacios, translated by Adriana Dominguez (Children's Book Press) is a 2012 Pura Belpré Award honor book in illustration. See the full slate of 2012 Youth Media Award winners and honor books from the American Library Association.

Check out the curriculum guide for Marisol McDonald Doesn't Match.

Don't miss Children's & YA Books with Interracial Family Themes by Cynthia Leitich Smith from Children's & YA Literature Resources.

NAACP Image Awards Youth/Teens Outstanding Literary Work

2012-01-23T08:26:00.000-06:00

Compiled by Cynthia Leitich Smith
for Cynsations

The 43rd NAACP Image Awards Youth/Teens Outstanding Literary Work: Camo Girl by Kekla Magoon (Simon & Schuster/Aladdin); Eliza's Freedom Road: An Underground Railroad Diary by Jerdine Nolan, illustrated by Sadra Strickland (Simon & Schuster/Paula Wiseman); Jesse Owens: I Always Loved Running by Jeff Burlingame (Enslow); Kick by Walter Dean Myers, co-authored by Ross Workman (HarperTeen); Planet Middle School by Nikki Grimes (Bloomsbury).

Cynsational Notes

Kekla Magoon on Truth, Inspiration, and Camo Girl from Cynsations. Peek: "The story’s themes of friendship, loyalty, fitting in, and self-acceptance all rested very close to my heart, but when people asked why I wrote the book, I found myself hemming and hawing."

Co-authors Interview: Walter Dean Myers & Ross Workman on Kick from Cynsations. Peek: "I...saw, first hand, that the experience of writing increases the ability to write. Ross wrote much more convincingly at the end of this project than he did at the onset. I believe that structure helps in the writing process and working with Ross on Kick served to reaffirm this in my mind."

The 2012 ALA Youth Media Awards are currently being announced live. Look for more Cynsations coverage of children's-YA book award winners, honor books, finalists and lists in the days to come.

Awards: NAACP Image, Orbis Pictus & Zolotow

2012-01-22T10:54:00.000-06:00

Compiled by Cynthia Leitich Smith
for Cynsations

The 43rd NAACP Image Awards Children's Outstanding Literary Work: Acoustic Rooster and His Barnyard Band by Kwame Alexander, illustrated Tim Bower (Sleeping Bear); Before There Was Mozart: The Story of Joseph Boulogne, Chevalier de Saint-George by Lesa Cline-Ransome, illustrated by James Ransome (Schwartz & Wade); Heart and Soul: The Story of America and African Americans by Kadir Nelson (Balzer + Bray); White Water by Michael S. Bandy, illustrated by Shadra Strickland (Candlewick); You Can Be A Friend by Tony Dungy and Lauren Dungy, illustrated by Ron Mazellan (Little Simon). Watch Feb. 17 for the winner!

NCTE Orbis Pictus Award for Outstanding Nonfiction for Children from The National Council of Teachers of English: Balloons over Broadway: The True Story of the Puppeteer of Macy's Parade by Melissa Sweet (Houghton Mifflin); honor books: Amelia Lost: The Life and Disappearance of Amelia Earhart by Candace Fleming (Schwartz & Wade); Father Abraham: Lincoln and His Sons by Harold Holzer (Calkins Creek); Pablo Neruda: Poet of the People by Monica Brown, illulstrated by Julie Paschkis (Henry Holt); Terezin: Voices from the Holocaust by Ruth Thomson (Candlewick); The Mangrove Tree: Planting Trees to Feed Families by Susan L. Roth and Cindy Trumbore (Lee & Low). See also Recommended Books.

Patrick McDonnell Wins 2012 Charlotte Zolotow Award from the Cooperative Children's Book Center. Me … Jane written and illustrated by Patrick McDonnell (Little, Brown, 2011) is the fifteenth annual winner of the Charlotte Zolotow Award for outstanding writing in a picture book. The award is given by the Cooperative Children's Book Center, a library of the School of Education at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, and will be presented on March 3 in Madison.

Cynsational Notes

2012 American Library Association (ALA) Youth Media Awards to be Announced Jan. 23 from PaperTigers. Peek: "The ALA will host a live Webcast from the Dallas Convention Center beginning at 7:30 a.m. CT, Jan. 23. Virtual seating will be available on a first-come, first-serve basis. Information will also be posted to the ALA Twitter account @alayma and Facebook account."

See Friday's Cynsational News & Giveaways for more recent children's-YA book award announcements (Edgar, Sydney Taylor, Scott O'Dell).

The Future of Us by Jay Asher and Carolyn Mackler

2012-01-22T09:26:00.000-06:00

Compiled by Cynthia Leitich Smith
for Cynsations

Congratulations to Jay Asher and Carolyn Mackler on The Future of Us (Razorbill, 2011). From the promotional copy:

It’s 1996, and Josh and Emma have been neighbors their whole lives. They’ve been best friends almost as long—up until last November when everything changed. Things have been awkward ever since, but when Josh’s family gets an America Online CD-ROM in the mail, his mom makes him bring it over so Emma can install it on her new computer. When they sign on, they’re automatically logged onto Facebook…

But Facebook hasn’t been invented yet.

Josh and Emma are looking at their profiles fifteen years in the future. Their spouses, careers, homes, and status updates—it’s all there. But it’s not what they expected. And every time they refresh their pages, their futures change. As they grapple with the ups and downs of what their lives hold, they’re forced to confront what they’re doing right—and wrong—in the present.

Cynsational Notes

Attention, Texans! Jay and Carolyn will appear today (Jan. 22) at 2 p.m. at Blue Willow Bookshop in Houston and at 7 p.m. tomorrow (Jan. 23) at BookPeople in Austin.

California readers, check out the rest of their tour schedule!

Become a fan of The Future of Us on Facebook.

Vote in Round One for the 2012 Teen Choice Book of the Year

2012-01-21T09:09:00.000-06:00

Source: TeenReads
at Cynsations

Nominations for The Children's Book Council "2012 Teen Choice Book of the Year" are being accepted on Teenreads.com until Feb. 15. Readers are being asked to list up to five of their favorite books of 2011; the five titles that receive the most votes will become finalists to be entered in a second round of voting. From there, teens will vote again to determine the ultimate winner --- the 2012 Teen Choice Book of the Year.

N. Am. /Aus./NZ cover

U.K. cover

Blessed by Cynthia Leitich Smith (Candlewick/Walker) is a nominee!

If you liked the novel, please consider voting for it--along with your other four picks--to reach the finals.

See the full list of nominated books. (Remember, write-in titles are still being accepted.)

Vote for your favorite books here!

Voting eligibility: international. Anyone between the ages of 12 and 18 can vote.

Deadline for voting in the nominating round: Feb. 15.

Phyllis Naylor Working Writer Fellowship

2012-01-21T09:07:00.000-06:00

Source: Pen America Center
at Cynsations

PEN American Center is accepting submissions until Feb. 1 for the $5,000 PEN/Phyllis Naylor Working Writer Fellowship, given annually to an author of children's or young-adult fiction.

The Fellowship is designed to assist a writer at a crucial moment in his or her career to complete a book-length work-in-progress. Past recipients include Lucy Frank, Pat Schmatz, Carol Lynch Williams, Theresa Nelson, Diane Les Becquets, Graham McNamee, Lori Aurelia Williams, Franny Billingsley, Amanda Jenkins, and Barbara Shoup. See details.

Cynsational News & Giveaways

2012-01-20T09:12:00.003-06:00

Compiled by Cynthia Leitich Smith
for Cynsations

2012 Scott O’Dell Award for Historical Fiction by Roger Sutton from The Horn Book. Peek: "...goes to Jack Gantos for Dead End in Norvelt, published by Farrar Straus Giroux. The award, created by Scott O’Dell and Zena Sutherland in 1982 and now administered by Elizabeth Hall, carries with it a prize of $5000, and goes to the author of a distinguished work of historical fiction for young people, published by a U.S. publisher; and set in South, Central, or North America." See more awards news below.

Micro-level Revision by Paul Greci from Project Mayhem: From the Manic Minds of Middle-Grade Authors. Peek: "I read it out loud—multiple times. If my characters are making faces or moving in other ways while they speak I act these things out to see how they look and how they feel."

From Sketch to Final Art: I'm Bored by Debbie Ridpath Ohi from Pixel Shavings. Peek: "They loved the monster hat on the girl. We decided to make the girl's mouth look more interesting; Justin and Laurent suggested making it look a bit more like the monster's, maybe echoing the shape."

YA Market Ripe for Digital by Caroline Horn from The Bookseller. Peek: "While children's e-book sales saw a marked rise during the Christmas period, they remain a "very small" part of the overall children's market, said Simon & Schuster Children's publisher Ingrid Selberg. Selberg pointed to the young adult market as the obvious digital growth area in 2012." Note: U.K. market. Source: ACHOCKABLOG.

Weaving in Symbolism by Stina Lindblatt from Seeing Creative. Peek: "For example, if the scene takes place in a room with green walls, you won’t be thinking that the director wanted to reveal the subtext of life. But you can guarantee someone behind the scenes purposely picked that color because of what it symbolized and not because it was her favorite color."

Poetry Friday Roundups from Kidlitosphere Central. Peek: "Each week, a blogger is tasked with rounding up the Poetry Friday posts around the blogosphere. Here are links to the bloggers who will be taking on that task in the weeks ahead, as well as links to past round-up posts."

Three Ways to Handle Time in a Novel by Darcy Pattison from Fiction Notes. Peek: "Setting details are a great way to make these time periods clear: is the sun or the moon rising? Are there Christmas ornaments on the street lights or are the daffodils just peeking out of the soil?"

Writing Q&A: Using the Insanity Defense in Your Story by Leslie Budewitz from QueryTracker.net. Peek: "The underlying premise is that a person cannot be held responsible for criminal behavior if mental illness prevented him from understanding that his actions were wrong. This inquiry focuses on the defendant’s mental status at the time of the crime."

Author-Illustrator Interview: Joyce Wan by Tarie from Asia in the Heart, World on the Mind. Peek: "I work mostly in the digital medium so I'm usually on my computer. I'll use my light table for the concept stages of developing a book and for creating book dummies. Hanging on the wall behind my desk is my inspiration board where I pin up printouts of stuff I'm working on, postcards, photographs, quotes, scraps of paper, fabric – anything I find that resonates with me. I think it's really important to create a space for yourself that nurtures your creative spirit."

Lii Yiiboo Nayaapiwak lii Swer/Owls See Clearly at Night by Julie Flett (Simply Read): recommendation by Debbie Reese from American Indians in Children's Literature. Peek: "Flett is Metis. Her language, Michif, has prominence in the book. For example, on the 'A' page, she's got the letter 'A' and 'Atayookee!' Beneath 'Atayookee' is the phrase 'Tell a story', which is what Atayookee means."

YA Houston: Houston area authors writing for teens. Includes Crystal Allen; Dotti Enderle; C.C. Hunter; Sophie Jordan; Lynne Kelly; Mary Lindsey; Christina Mandelski; Jenny Moss; and Joy Preble.

Submit a Photo of Yourself with a Dinosaur to Greg Leitich Smith to take part in his series of blog posts featuring children's-YA authors, illustrators, and other members of the community (booksellers, teachers, publicists, etc.) with dinosaurs to promote your books or other bookish pursuits and in celebration of Greg's upcoming release, Chronal Engine (Clarion/Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 2012). Note: it doesn't have to be an actual, living dinosaur...because that would be challenging. See examples.

Vermont College of Fine Arts Writers in Residency: Q&A with Libba Bray by Tami Lewis Brown from Through the Tollbooth. Peek: "Ultimately, it comes down to, as always, doing your due diligence of finding out who your characters are, finding the heart and the humanity. Be an observer of the world–can you just imagine how something feels? It always gets back to human nature."

New Covers and Black Heart Excerpt from Holly Black. Peek: "This has proven to be a tricky series to find the right jackets for, and I am really excited by this new direction. It was described to me as the sort of cover that might go on a very modern edition of The Great Gatsby, and I think that's a fantastic way of looking at them."

Cynsational Author Tip: create an author vitae, listing your books and other published writing, publishers, awards and honors, significant speaking engagements, teaching experience, judging experience, professional affiliations, and education. Keep it updated.

Skype! Skype! Skype! An Interview with Laurel Snyder by Greg Pincus from The Happy Accident. Peek: "...last year when I saw author Laurel Snyder announce that she was going to do 100 Skype visits in 100 days along with her book launch, I thought it was a fantastic, if exhausting sounding, idea. Now that the visits are over, I asked Laurel a few questions about the experience – the logistics, what she learned, how it did (or didn’t) help her and her book."

Diversity Matters: A Q&A with Debut Author Ellie Daines from Tracy tall tales & short stories. Peek: "With literature, sometimes a book is presented in the media as being say, a Muslim story or an African story, when essentially it’s a universal story which we can all relate to it, no matter what race or social background we come from."

Author-illustrated Keith Graves: Ace Kids' Yarn Spinner by Mark G. Mitchell from How to Be a Children's Book Illustrator. Peek: "Reviewers have used words like 'zany,' 'quirky,' 'twisted' and 'rowdy' to describe his pictures and stories that are also just plain funny and kid-friendly."

The Value Rubric: Do Book Bloggers Really Matter? by Beth Kephart from Publishing Perspectives. Peek: "Book blogging takes time. And while some bloggers have certainly found ways to monetize their efforts (a move that is not without its own complex controversies), a substantial number of the bloggers are still doing what they do for the simple love of books, and for the chance to turn someone’s head toward a story they have loved."

2012 American Library Association (ALA) Youth Media Awards to be Announced Jan. 23 from PaperTigers. Peek: "The ALA will host a live Webcast from the Dallas Convention Center begining at 7:30 a.m. CT, Jan. 23. Virtual seating will be available on a first-come, first-serve basis. Information will also be posted to the ALA Twitter account @alayma and Facebook account."

All the World Loves Marla Frazee from Through the Tollbooth. Peek: "Marla...sees illustrative work as, partly, a type of 'product' – involving decisions with regards front cover design, font, layout, size, and format. These aspects have a commercial component inherent in the illustrator’s work: they implicate the book’s marketing possibilities, and where the book may be placed on the bookstore’s shelf." Note: with regard to Marla's recent stint as illustrator-in-residence at Vermont College of Fine Arts program in Writing for Children and Young Adults.

The 2012 Edgar Nominees in the Best Juvenile and Young Adult Categories from the Mystery Writers of America. Juvenile: Horton Halfpott: Or, The Fiendish Mystery of Smugwick Manor; or, The Loosening of M'Lady Luggertuck's Corset by Tom Angleberger (Abrams - Amulet); It Happened on a Train by Mac Barnett (Simon & Schuster); Vanished by Sheela Chari (Hyperion); Icefall by Matthew J. Kirby (Scholastic); The Wizard of Dark Street by Shawn Thomas Odyssey (Egmont); and YA: Shelter: A Mickey Bolitar Novel by Harlan Coben (G.P. Putnam's Sons); The Name of the Star by Maureen Johnson (G.P. Putnam's Sons); The Silence of Murder by Dandi Daley Mackall (Knopf); The Girl is Murder by Kathryn Miller Haines (Roaring Brook); and Kill You Last by Todd Strasser (Egmont).

2012 Sydney Taylor Book Awards Announced by the Association of Jewish Libraries. Michael J. Rosen and Robert Sabuda, author and artist of Chanukah Lights (Candlewick, 2011), Susan Goldman Rubin, author of Music Was It: Young Leonard Bernstein (Charlesbridge, 2011), and Robert Sharenow, author of The Berlin Boxing Club (HarperTeen, 2011), are the 2012 winners of the prestigious Sydney Taylor Book Award. The awards were announced at the mid-winter meeting of the School, Synagogue and Community Center Division of the Association of Jewish Libraries.

An Interview with Melodie Wright (A QueryTracker Success Story) on signing with agent Tricia Lawrence of Erin Murphy Literary Agency from QueryTracker.net. Peek: "I checked Literary Rambles religiously and only queried agents who specifically said they wanted YA mystery either on their L.R. profile or on their agency web site. I also looked over their client list and tried to read excerpts of books to get a feel for what kind of writing those agents favored."

See also more links for writers from Adventures in YA & Children's Publishing.

Highlights Foundation Workshop

Founders Workshop: Making the Web Work for You from March 4 to March 8.

Peek: "It takes more than a stellar book to make an impact in today’s publishing climate. Media promotion (through websites, blogs, social media, social cataloging, Skype, and podcasts) is integral to successfully launching a children’s book and a writing career!

"Join our team of social marketing gurus, Laurina Cashin and Bobbie Combs, We Love Children’s Books consulting firm; Lindsey Leavitt, Princess for Hire series; and Katie Davis, host of the podcast, Brain Burps About Books, for a workshop guaranteed to improve your social savvy on the web.

"For those just starting out, learn about website design and innovative, painless marketing techniques. For those ready to take self-promotion to the next level, receive guidance in gaining an audience, establishing a brand, and developing a book launch that gets noticed.

"All participants will learn about integrating technology into school visits, how to establish guidelines with publishers for promotion, and opportunities for social networking beyond Facebook."

Special guests: Jules Danielson (Seven Impossible Things Before Breakfast) and Paul Chrichton (Director of Publicity for Simon and Schuster Children’s Publishing).

Bobbie Combs, co-creator of We Love Children's Books, says: "Gone are the days when authors and illustrators would ask 'Do I need a website?' Now it's unthinkable that a professional would not have a website (or a blogsite, Facebook page, or other web presence.) It's not enough, though, to create your site and just let it be. We'll discuss updating your site (how often?) to keep it relevant, marketing your site to connect you with the larger children's book community on the web and give you tips for analyzing your site traffic, maximizing the 'reach' of your site and making your site content sparkle."

See more upcoming Foundation Workshops.

Cynsational Giveaways

Grand Prize! Enter for a chance to win:

signed copy of Love? Maybe. by Heather Hepler (Dial, 2012)
signed copy of The Cupcake Queen by Heather Hepler (Dutton, 2009, 2010)
sweet treats to share with friends, including candy heart-shaped balloons, Conversation Hearts candies, Ring Pops and much more...

Plus three $15 iTunes Gift Cards!

Please indicate your related affiliation in your entry. I.e., Suzy Q, school librarian, Austin Independent School District. To enter, comment on this post (click the previous link and scroll) and include an email address (formatted like: cynthia at cynthialeitichsmith dot com) or a link to an email address. Or email Cynthia directly with "Tantalize Series Bling" in the subject line. Author-sponsored. Eligibility: international. Deadline: midnight CST Feb. 1.

Last Call! Enter to win one of ten signed copies of Bittersweet by Sarah Ocker (Simon Pulse)(excerpt)! To enter, comment on this post (click the previous link and scroll) and include an email address (formatted like: cynthia at cynthialeitichsmith dot com) or a link to an email address. Or email Cynthia directly with "Bittersweet" in the subject line.

If you include in your comment a thought on the video at that link, you'll receive two extra entries! Publisher-sponsored. Eligibility: U.S. Deadline: midnight CST Jan. 23.

More Giveaways

Last call! Enter to win an ARC of Touched by Cyn Balog (Delacorte, Aug. 14, 2012) from The B-log Blog. Peek: "Nick Cross always listens to the voice in his head. Because if he doesn't? Things can go really, really wrong. Like the day he decided to go off script and saved a girl from being run over...and let another one drown. Trying to change the future doesn't work. But this summer at the Jersey Shore, something's about to happen that Nick never could have predicted. He meets a girl named Taryn and finds out about the Book of Touch. Now the path that he thought he was on begins to shift...and there's no way to stop things from happening. Or is there? In a life where there are no surprises, nothing has prepared Nick for what he's about to discover--or the choice he will be forced to make..." Deadline: midnight EST Jan. 20.

Interview with Caroline Starr Rose and May B. Giveaway by Literary Rambles. Peek: "...I learned from that disastrous manuscript that regardless of the history, the story had to belong to the character; I couldn’t beat historical facts into my readers’ heads. I went into May B. trusting that if I kept my protagonist’s perspective and understanding of her world, enough history would organically seep in." Deadline: midnight, Jan. 28.

Interview with Barney Saltzberg & Book Giveaway by April Halprin Wayland from Teaching Authors. Peek: "In my school visits I talk about a dog of ours who was accidentally locked in my studio. She attempted to climb out the window and stepped all over an illustration I had finished. I thought the artwork was ruined. After careful reflection, I found I could turn each paw print into a cloud." Enter to win Beautiful Oops by Barney Saltzberg (Workman, 2010) from Teaching Authors. Deadline: 11 p.m. CST Jan. 25.

Last Call! Canterwood Crest Initiation Giveaway from Jessica Burkhart. Grand prize includes a 20-minute Skype session or phone call with the author. Deadline: 11:59 EST Jan. 20. Eligibility: U.S. only.

Reminder: Enter to win an ARC of Article 5 by Kristen Simmons (Tor, 2012) and The Pledge by Kimberly Derting (Margaret K. McElderry, 2011) from Tabitha at Writer Musings. Winner will be announced Jan. 28. Note: learn more about Article 5 and The Pledge.

Reminder: Jean Reidy is celebrating cabin-fever creativity and the release of her latest picture book Too Princessy!, illustrated by Geneviève Leloup (Bloomsbury, 2012) by hosting a Boredom Buster Blog - chock full of rainy day ideas from parents, teachers, caregivers, babysitters, writers and other folks like you. Send in your favorite ideas and be entered to win one of five prizes, including a $100 bookseller gift card and autographed books. The drawing will be Feb. 29.

Facebook Contest: Grand Prize: Free School or Library Visit by Jan Brett to Anywhere in the World from PR Web. Enter at Jan's facebook page. Deadline: April 9. Source: ACHUKA.

This Week's Cynsations Posts

Cynsational Screening Room

Check out the book trailer for Lovetorn by Kavita Daswani (HarperTeen, 2012). Source: YA Books Central.

How Do I Make a Book Trailer? by Hazel Mitchell from Along the Right Lines. See also (below) the book trailer Hidden New Jersey (Mackinac Island Press).

Just for fun... For those of you who're members of the Vermont College of Fine Arts program in Writing for Children and Young Adults community, the explanation behind this video is self-evident. For our friends, it's traditional for upcoming graduating classes to name themselves and then announce that name at the residencies. With that in mind, presenting, the VCFA WC&YA class of Jan. 2013.... Source: Through the Tollbooth.

More Personally

My most enthusiastic congratulations to 2012 winter graduating class of the Vermont College of Fine Arts program in Writing for Children and Young Adults! Please keep in touch, and know that I'm your forever fan.

This week has been quiet, filled with writing as I close in on the end-of-the-month deadline for Smolder. With that in mind, please hold off on any non-critical questions, pitches or event correspondence until February--thanks!

What else? Because "Joyful Noise" wasn't at the Alamo Drafthouse Austin, my husband Greg and I made the hike to the the pricy but plush iPic Theaters at the The Domain. (I had to see it--my whole Dolly Parton fan-girl thing!) I had shrimp, mozzarella & complimentary popcorn, seated in an extended recliner with a pillow and blanket.

Great service, and yes, I kept thinking that Marie Antoinette would consider the whole experience wildly indulgent. Really.

As for the movie, great for families with older kids, extraordinarily wholesome, the mildly "edgy" parts somehow made it seem more so. I loved it.

Having fun at ALA? Stop by the Candlewick Press booth to sign up for a Where's Waldo 25th Anniversary Giveaway (prize includes a gift pack, Waldo books, and a standee) and/or to pick up a spring 2012 galley -- like Diabolical by Cynthia Leitich Smith!

On a related note, look for Diabolical (Candlewick, Jan. 24, 2012) among "GL's Books We're Crushing On" in the Feb./March 2012 issue of Girl's Life Magazine! Source: Vivian Lee Mahoney.

Book Chic says of Diabolical: "Overall, just a fabulous book with an action-filled plotline and an amazing climax with some sweet romance as well. I cannot wait for the next book in the series!"

Mingey House Blog says of Diabolical: "You don’t have to read all the other books to understand it or love the book; in general it was just fantastic! Most of the things you might not understand she explains in good detail that’s not too long. It is also a decent length, and the way it is put together is just perfect."

Perfect Picture Book Friday: Holler Loudly by Cynthia Leitich Smith, illustrated by Barry Gott from Julie Hedlunch - Write Up My Life. Peek: "This book has fantastic voice (as a book named Holler Loudly should)."

Personal Links:

From Greg Leitich Smith:

Writers & Illustrators & Dinosaurs: Sarah Blake Johnson

Re: Greg Leitich Smith:

Chronal Engine: A Prehistoric Time-Travel Adventure: recommendation from Turning the Pages

Cynsational Events

New Voice: Caroline Starr Rose on May B.

2012-01-19T08:59:00.000-06:00

By Cynthia Leitich Smith
for Cynsations

Caroline Starr Rose is the first-time author of May B. (Schwartz and Wade, 2012)(author blog). From the promotional copy:

I watch the wagon

until I see nothing on the open plain.

For the first time ever,

I am alone.

May is helping out on a neighbor’s homestead—just until Christmas, her pa promises. But when a terrible turn of events leaves her all alone, she must try to find food and fuel—and courage—to make it through the approaching winter.

This gorgeous novel in verse by Caroline Starr Rose will transport you to the Kansas prairie—to the endless grassland, and to the suffocating closeness of the sod house where May is stranded.

May’s eloquent yet straightforward voice, and her bravery, determination, and willingness to risk it all will capture your heart.

What were you like as a young reader, and how did that influence the book that you're debuting this year?

As a reader I devoured everything from Ramona to Scarlett O’Hara, Hugh Lofting’s Doctor Dolittle series to L. M. Montgomery’s Anne and Emily books.

(One summer I took home two grocery bags full of L.M.M. books on loan from a friend. I can proudly claim to have read every single book she’s written -- journals and all).

The books I read became a huge part of my world. I played Nancy Drew with friends, clomping around in too-big high heels and collecting “clues” for a mystery I was sure would unfold if I just studied my surroundings carefully enough. I made maps of Lloyd Alexander's Prydain, one for each book in his chronicles, and, with a friend, journeyed through this mysterious land.

And then there was Laura Ingalls Wilder. My dad started the series with me as a little girl. I began to call my mother "Ma" (really!) and started talking about Laura as if she were someone I knew personally. As my reading progressed, I’d stay one chapter ahead of my dad.

When I discovered Laura’s dog, Jack, was going to die, I didn’t want to continue. Somehow hearing that chapter read aloud was too painful to imagine. When my father wanted to read, I’d give an excuse until gradually he no longer offered. I finished the series on my own when I was a little older. My childhood babysitter, also a huge Laura fan, would also read those later books to me.

As an adult I told my dad why we’d stopped reading the Little House series. Since then I’ve used the phrase “when Jack died” with him to describe those childhood instances that, now with my own children, I’ll notice but not fully understand -- those times when my boys might say or do something that feels out of character and where I realize, if I think through their motivations, hopes, and fears, I might uncover what’s really going on in their worlds.

As a historical fiction writer, what drew you first--character, concept, or time period? In whichever case, how did you go about building your world and integrating it into the story? What were the special challenges? Where did you turn for inspiration or support?

Historical period, most definitely. I knew I wanted to write about the frontier and my own strong pioneer girl (thanks again to Laura Ingalls) and trusted a character would emerge as I studied.

My first attempt at writing had been historical fiction, and I learned from that disastrous manuscript that, regardless of the history, the story had to belong to the character, and I couldn’t beat historical facts into my readers’ heads.

I went into May B. trusting that if I kept my protagonist’s perspective and understanding of her world, enough history would organically seep in.

I poked around with some scenes I thought the story needed but quickly found the writing wasn’t right. I wasn’t close enough to the character. I wasn’t telling the story as honestly as I could.

Continuing with my research, I picked up Elizabeth’s Hamsten’s Read This Only to Yourself: The Private Writings of Midwestern Women, 1880-1910 (Indiana University Press, 1982). Reading these women’s first-hand accounts was like finding a magic formula; their stark, terse, matter-of-fact way of sharing their lives showed me May’s voice. I began writing again, this time in verse, and the story fell into place.

Beyond Hamsten’s book, there are several things that influenced the storyline: my curiosity about children with learning disabilities and how they might be schooled in an era before our own, my interest in survival stories like Gary Paulsen’s Hatchet (Bradbury, 1987), and the challenge in trying to write about solitude (like the prison scenes in my favorite-book-of-all-time, The Count of Monte Cristo (1844-1845)).

One special challenge was locating where May’s sod house stood. There’s a reference in the story to Tom Sawyer, so the book had to take place in 1876 or later.

I wanted her in a part of western Kansas that wasn’t very developed and was semi-close to a railroad. It was also necessary to have wolves around.

The first place I located May was outside of Dodge City, where she would have been smack dab in the middle of the Chisolm Cattle Trail -- not exactly the solitude I was looking for (I also wasn’t interested in telling the sort of rowdy cowboy story that Dodge City brings to mind). The story couldn’t take place much beyond 1880 because in order to have wolves, buffalo still needed to be prevalent; by 1880, these animals were widely wiped out.

Gove County, Kansas became a good location: the railroad (and therefore surrounding communities) was still relatively new but old enough to have been there before 1880; the short-grass country of western Kansas supported sod houses; and wolves, while not spotted everyday, would have still roamed in packs at this time.

Cynsational Notes

Debut Writers of the Class of 2k12: Caroline Starr Rose: an interview by Janet Fox from Through the Wardrobe. Peek: "200+ direct rejections from editors over 11 years; 75+ agent rejections."

Check out the book trailer for May B. by Caroline Starr Rose. See also Video Reading: May B. by Caroline Rose Star from Cari's Book Blog.

Book Trailer: Girl Meets Boy, edited by Kelly Milner Halls

2012-01-19T08:39:00.000-06:00

By Cynthia Leitich Smith
for Cynsations

Check out the book trailer for Girl Meets Boy, edited by Kelly Milner Halls (Chronicle, 2012).

The paired contributing authors are: Cynthia Leitich Smith and Joseph Bruchac, Ellen Wittlinger and James Howe, Terry Trueman and Rita Williams-Garcia, Sara Ryan and Randy Powell, Terry Davis and Rebecca Fjelland Davis, Kelly Milner Halls and Chris Crutcher.

Don't miss the Girl Meets Boy discussion guide from Chronicle Books.

Sweet Giveaway: Signed Copies of Love? Maybe. and The Cupcake Queen

2012-01-18T09:08:00.002-06:00

By Cynthia Leitich Smith
for Cynsations

Grand Prize! Enter for a chance to win:

signed copy of Love? Maybe. by Heather Hepler (Dial, 2012)
signed copy of The Cupcake Queen by Heather Hepler (Dutton, 2009, 2010)
sweet treats to share with friends, including candy heart-shaped balloons, Conversation Hearts candies, Ring Pops and much more...

A runner-up will receive signed copy of Love? Maybe. And sweet treats.

To enter, comment on this post and include an email address (formatted like: cynthia at cynthialeitichsmith dot com) or a link to an email address. Or email Cynthia directly with "Love? Maybe." in the subject line. (If you're on LiveJournal, I'm also taking entries via comment at the Cynsations LJ.)

Author-sponsored. Eligibility: North America (U.S./Canada). Deadline: midnight CST Jan. 31.

From the promotional copy of Love? Maybe.:

Just because Piper's birthday is on Valentine's Day does not mean she's a romantic. In fact, after watching her father and then her stepfather leave, she's pretty sure she doesn't believe in love at all.

Then her friends concoct a plan to find them all Valentine's dates, and somehow Piper finds herself with the most popular guy in school. But true love never follows a plan, and a string of heartfelt gifts from a secret admirer has Piper wondering if she might be with the wrong guy.

In this heartwarming romance, true love is more than a maybe - and it might be closer than you think.

From the promotional copy of The Cupcake Queen:

A confection of a novel, combining big city sophistication with small town charm.

When her mother moves them from the city to a small town to open up a cupcake bakery, Penny's life isn't what she expected. Her father has stayed behind, and Mom isn't talking about what the future holds for their family. And then there's Charity, the girl who plays mean pranks almost daily.

There are also bright spots in Hog's Hollow—like Tally, an expert in Rock Paper Scissors, and Marcus, the boy who is always running on the beach. But just when it looks as though Penny is settling in, her parents ask her to make a choice that will turn everything upside down again.

A sweet novel about love, creativity, and accepting life's unexpected turns.

Check out this Cupcake Queen trailer by MRCPLStaff.

Video Interview: Bullying, YA Literature & Fancy White Trash

2012-01-18T08:48:00.003-06:00

By Cynthia Leitich Smith
for Cynsations

In Cathy Castelli's video below, Marjetta Geerling Talks about Bullying in Her Novel, Fancy White Trash. See also Marjetta on Craft, Career & Cheer from Cynsations and two more videos by Cathy: Bullying Books and Bully Books, part 2, where she reports on why authors such as Julie Anne Peters, Joyce Sweeney, Rita Williams-Garcia, Pete Hautman, Nancy Garden, and A.S. King included bullying in their stories. Note: turn up the volume on your computer for the last two videos.

National No-Name Calling Week is Jan. 23 to Jan. 27.

Guest Post: Ann Redisch Stampler on Paper Clips, Post-its and The Meaning of Life

2012-01-17T08:57:00.000-06:00

Simon & Schuster, 2012; see more info.

By Ann Redisch Stampler
for Cynthia Leitich Smith's Cynsations

The thing that I find the weirdest in the process of writing children’s book is the juxtaposition of the sublime and the ridiculous, the weighty issues and the tiny mundane quirks that all have to be lined up just right for the whole enterprise to work.

(For me. For writers whose deep and fabulous books just flow right out of them easily and without fanfare, moments of intense doubt, or quirks that drive copyeditors to drink, it’s a whole different story. A story some of use will never hear because we’ll have our fingers in our ears, and we’ll be going neee-neee-neeee-neeeee.)

My weighty issue: Mortality.

Specifically cancer, when my kids were very tiny, leading me to ask in a more urgent way than usual, what do I want in my life? What do I want my legacy to be? What’s important to me?

The answers being: I want to raise my children and spend a lot of time caring for my family (The “lot of time” thing was key here.), and I want to write books.

Specifically, books driven by what I care about and want to write, without my voice dulled out or dumbed down or my eye hugely on the market.

And even though this was probably completely selfish, my thought was that, given that my children needed to be loved and raised and that good books (It was my plan that these books would be good.) are inherently valuable and needed in the world, it wasn’t the kind of selfish that would detract from world’s overall well-being.

It was the socially useful and, in its small way (but for me, individually, huge way), a world-healing kind of selfish, and it has been my deeply appreciated good fortune to be able to work at those three things for eighteen years and counting post-cancer.

Bringing us to the ridiculous.

More about Ann Redisch Stampler.

The way my books actually get written. How chunks of picture books got written in spiral notebooks balanced on my steering wheel in the carpool line and in the coffee shop of Vroman’s Bookstore in Pasadena while my children were at choir practice down the street.

How when my youngest left for college and picture books didn’t fill my suddenly gapingly open days sufficiently, I went on an emotional-emergency shopping trip to Staples and agonized about the right color for a plastic three-ring binder in which to put a not-yet-written novel. (Red.)

How I need color-coded pastel paper clips and Post-it Notes to organize my hundreds of pages of manuscript because, being way on the side of 40 when the brain begins to turn to Swiss cheese, without sky-blue and lemon-yellow paper clips, I am physically incapable of organizing more than 15 pages.

How I cut and paste, and a significant aspect of my writing life involves crawling around on the floor with scissors and Scotch tape, trying to prevent my writers-helper dog from eating any significant passages. (He eats paper.)

And I think that what happens on the pages of the books, especially with the YA novel, reflects the same juxtaposition of elements that happens in my writing life.

A Jewish Folktale from Afghanistan

There are the weighty issues and the aspiring truths -- finding your own identity, figuring out who you are and then figuring out how to be true to that evolving person -- all in there, but the way the story gets told is with concrete, mundane moments in the days of flawed, concrete characters who need their own versions of multi-colored paper clips, their own tiny concrete ways of getting through the minutes and hours of their lives.

Because with all the lofty aspirations in the galaxy, the only way to get there is to slog through the concrete details of creation.

On the page and in life.

The characters’ lives and mine as well.

Multi-YA Author Video: Words Have Power from Holly Cupala

2012-01-17T08:48:00.000-06:00

By Cynthia Leitich Smith
for Cynsations

In celebration of Don't Breathe a Word by Holly Cupala (HarperTeen, 2012), several popular and acclaimed YA authors discuss the power of words. Visit DontBreatheaWord.com. Video by Holly.

Educators may want to tie this into conversations of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.'s legacy and/or No Name-Calling Week (Jan. 23 to Jan. 27).

New Voice: Helen Landalf on Flyaway

2012-01-16T09:26:00.002-06:00

By Cynthia Leitich Smith
for Cynsations

Helen Landalf is the first-time novelist of Flyaway (Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 2011). From the promotional copy:

Fifteen-year-old Stevie Calhoun is used to taking care of herself. But one night, her mom, who works as an exotic dancer in a downtown Seattle nightclub, never comes home.

That's the night Stevie's life turns upside down.

It's the night that kicks off an extraordinary summer: the summer Stevie has to stay with her annoyingly perfect Aunt Mindy; the summer she learns to care for injured and abandoned birds; the summer she gets to know Alan, the meanest guy in high school.

But most of all, it's the summer she finds out the truth about Mom.

How did you approach the research process for your story? What resources did you turn to? What roadblocks did you run into? How did you overcome them? What was your greatest coup, and how did it inform your manuscript?

There were a number of things I had to research in order to make Flyaway as authentic as possible. For one thing, I had to learn about the rehabilitation of injured and orphaned wild birds.

Visit PAWS

Print research is never enough for me, so I decided to get some hands-on experience by volunteering to work in the Bird Nursery at my local PAWS (Progressive Animal Welfare Society). There I learned how to feed baby birds with an eyedropper, watched the birds progress from incubator to basket to aviary, and even got to witness a rehabilitated robin's release back into the wild.

One of the major characters in my novel grew up in foster homes, so I needed to find out how that might have affected him emotionally. For that piece of research, I turned to a co-worker's husband, who not only grew up in the foster-care system but also now works for the Anna E. Casey Foundation, an organization dedicated to helping foster kids. I did a phone interview with him and also had him vet portions of my manuscript for authenticity.

The most difficult aspect of my novel to research was methamphetamine use; as dedicated as I am to hands-on research, I draw the line at engaging in illegal activities. Both fortunately and unfortunately, someone close to me is a former meth addict, so my portrait of Stevie's mom is largely based on my experience with that person. I also frequented some Internet sites where users discuss methods of taking the drug, the feel of the high, etc. I even called a drug rehab center and conversed at length with an intervention specialist.

The greatest coup for me, research-wise, was being able to spend a day at Second Chance Wildlife Care Center, a wildlife rehab center based in a residential home. When I saw the teens volunteering there, completely absorbed in caring for wild birds and mammals, and when I learned that they had been placed there to fulfill a community service requirement, I knew I had found the perfect model for the bird rehab clinic in Flyaway.

As a teacher-author, how do your two identities inform one another? What about being a teacher has been a blessing to your writing?

In addition to being a writer, I work as a freelance Creative Dance teacher in preschools and a Pilates instructor at Pilates Northwest in Seattle.

I love combining teaching with writing, because I get a chance to experience both my introverted and my extroverted side each day.

And even though only one of my students is a teen (my youngest dance students are two and a half; my oldest Pilates client is 85), just being in contact with so many people and listening to their stories and concerns can't help but stimulate the idea-generating part of my brain.

Plus, with all the butt-in-chair that writing requires, I really appreciate the fact that movement is a major part of my day job.

Add to that the fact that my work in Creative Dance has spawned five nonfiction books for teachers, and you'll understand why, for me, teaching and writing are a match made in heaven.

Cynsational Notes

Helen is previously published in the picture book and adult nonfiction; however, the fact that this is her first YA novel makes her a "new voice" for our purposes at Cynsations.

Martin's Big Words: The Life of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.

2012-01-16T09:08:00.001-06:00

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Scholastic video based on Martin's Big Words: The Life of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. by Doreen Rappaport, illustrated by Bryan Collier (Jump at the Sun, 2001).

Cynsational Notes

Check out the list of twenty-four authors and four illustrators to be featured marking The Brown Bookshelf's fifth annual 28 Days Later initiative, a month-long celebration of veteran and emerging children’s authors of color. If you haven't already, add The Brown Bookshelf to your bookmarks, blog roll and/or subscriptions.

Giveaway: Tantalize Series Signed Bling & iTunes Gift Cards

2012-01-14T08:13:00.018-06:00

By Cynthia Leitich Smith
for Cynsations

art by Ming Doyle

Enter to win an author-signed Tantalize: Kieren's Story postcard, Tantalize: Kieren's Story bookmark or Diabolical bookmark! Up to 20 total!

Plus, the occasional Tantalize series button or bat stickers or nifty surprise!

And three lucky winners will receive a $15 iTunes gift card!

Teachers, librarians and book clubs also may enter to win one of five sets of 10 Tantalize: Kieren's Story bookmarks or one of three sets of five Diabolical bookmarks! Please indicate your related affiliation in your entry. I.e., Suzy Q, school librarian, Austin Independent School District.

To enter, comment on this post and include an email address (formatted like: cynthia at cynthialeitichsmith dot com) or a link to an email address. Or email Cynthia directly with "Tantalize Series Bling" in the subject line. (If you're on LiveJournal, I'm also taking entries via comment at the Cynsations LJ.)

Author-sponsored. Eligibility: international. Deadline: midnight CST Feb. 1.

Cynsational Notes

Diabolical by Cynthia Leitich Smith will be available Jan. 24 from Candlewick Press in North America, and Feb. 1 from Walker Books Australia and New Zealand. More releases to come!

Cynsational News & Giveaways

2012-01-13T09:43:00.008-06:00

Compiled by Cynthia Leitich Smith
for Cynsations

Cover Stories: Untraceable by S.R. Johannes from Melissa Walker. Insights from S.R. and Vania, the photographer. Peek from S.R.: "We wanted to use a real life model. I think stock photos are great but to me – we wanted that feeling of being in the woods. Of Grace hiding, and I think Vania got that. There is nothing like an original artwork."

Character Traits: Wounded by Becca Puglisi from The Bookshelf Muse. See sidebar for much more.

Rgz Salon: Bestest. Ramadan. Ever. by Medeia Sharif (Flux): reviewed by Lyn Miller-Lachmann from readergirlz. Peek: "The author, of Kurdish and Muslim heritage, offers a portrayal that is both realistic and humorous. The experience of being caught between family rules and pressures on the one hand and the drama of peers on the other is one to which readers of all cultural backgrounds can relate."

Read a Sample Chapter of See You at Harry's by Jo Knowles from Candlewick Press. Release date: May 2012.

Interview with Maria Modugno, Vice President and Editorial Director of HarperCollins Children’s Books, from Picture This! A Daily Guide to Picture Book Writing with Rob Sanders, Children's Author. Peek: "When you publish a new book in a picture book series, you are giving the consumer something that is both tried and true and new." Don't miss the continuing interview in part 2, part 3, and part 4. Source: Jill Corcoran.

Interview with Diane Muldrow, Editorial Director of Golden Books/Random House, from Picture This! A Daily Guide to Picture Book Writing with Rob Sanders, Children's Author. Peek: "A picture book is usually a read-aloud, so it has to be written in a way that will have a sort of musicality when read aloud. A picture book needs to have an emotional resonance, too. Or be really funny. It should—artfully—lead us to feel something, teach us something, or show us something in a new way..." Don't miss the continuing interview in part two and part three. Source: Jill Corcoran.

Q & A with Andrea Pinkney of Scholastic, editor of Allen Say’s Drawing from Memory from PaperTigers Blog. Peek: "He is known by many for his work as a brilliant picture book creator, and Caldecott medallist. But in this book, Allen extends his talent to create a stunning work that is part memoir, part graphic novel, part narrative history."

U.K. Publisher Tamarind Books Seeks Quality, Multicultural Manuscripts by Caroline Horn from The Bookseller. Peek: "'Authors themselves don't need to come from a mixed community—although that can work well—but I am essentially looking for strong stories and a good mix of ages,' said Bavishi. 'It has to be a beautiful story—not a focus on the fact that the main character is not middle-class or white.'" Source: ACHUKA.

Cynsational Author Tip: if possible, mention your publisher's name whenever sharing information about your books online. It makes it easier for prospective readers/buyers to find out more and follow up from there.

To Do Well in Life, You Have to Read Well: an audio interview with Walter Dean Myers from National Public Radio.

Daniel Abraham’s Private Letter from Genre to Literature from SF Signal. Peek: "I read through the collections of your most honored short stories, and what do I see? Fantasy, mystery, ghost stories, romance. How often you refresh yourself at my springs. I wonder whether your contempt might hide something deeper. Fear perhaps, that you might be less without me as I am less without you." More on Daniel Abraham. Source: April Henry.

2010 U.S. Population Data Compared with Books By and About Color from Mitali Perkins at Mitali's Fire Escape. Peek: "...a table we compiled in my month-long course on "Race, Culture, and Power in Children's Books" at Saint Mary's College of California."

Rushing Toward that Dream? Wait. by Yahong Chi from Project Mayhem from The Manic Minds of Middle Grade Writers. Yahong asks authors Kate Messner, Jonathan Auxier, and Stephen Messer what they miss from their days as unagented, unpublished writers. Peek from Jonathan: "...before I had a book in the world, I had no real sense of my audience. Audience was an abstract idea that couldn't be pinned down and had little say in my storytelling."

Online Gallery Featuring the Art of Ed Young from PaperTigers. Peek: "Ed has illustrated more than 80 books, nearly half of which he also wrote. His versatility and the imaginative mixing of media in his art, as well as his artistic sensitivity towards each new book, have reaped him many awards, including the Caldecott Medal for Lon Po Po: A Red-Riding Hood Story from China (Philomel, 1989) and two Caldecott Honors for The Emperor and the Kite (Philomel, 1967) and Seven Blind Mice (Philomel, 1992), based on the classic Indian story of the blind men and the elephant."

The Pen Name is Mightier by Jan Fields from the Institute of Children's Literature. Peek: "An author may use a pen name if his/her real name is too much like another author or celebrity. It can be hard to stand out as yourself if your real name is a close match like Steven King or Jan Yolen. It's even harder if it's exactly the same as the famous author. If the author is less famous, the introduction of your middle initial or a variant on your first name may be enough to stand out."

Video Interview: Gene Luen Yang and Thien Pham from Good Comics for Kids at School Library Journal. Filmed at San Diego International Comic-Con.

SCBWI Pre-Conference Interview with Author/Illustrator John Rocco by Lee Wind from I'm Here. I'm Queer. What the Hell Do I Read? John talks about how he approaches illustrating a cover, how his stories involve in terms of art and text, portraying diversity, and portfolio tips. Peek: "...make sure the work all looks like it came from the same person's hand. It is okay to have more than one style, just make sure you separate those styles in different sections of your portfolio."

By Kimberly Pauley (Tu Books, April 1)

Publishing Interview: Stacy Whitman, editor at Tu Books (Lee and Low) by Stephanie S. Kuehn from YA Highway. Peek: "I’ve been looking for an Asian steampunk for about a year now. Get on it, writers! I’d also love to see strong stories for middle grade girls, a voice that’s sometimes hard to get right. I’d love to see unique settings, inspired by real-world cultures but creating new fantasy worlds." See also Beyond Orcs & Elves: Stacy Whitman on Writing Cross-Culturally by Susan J. Morris from Omnivoracious.

Video Interview with U.K. Debut Author Jasmine Richards from Tall Tales and Short Stories. Peek: "Jasmine talks about her debut novel, The Book of Wonders, and what it's like to be on the other side of the publishing desk as an author, instead of in her usual role as a Senior Commissioning (Children's Fiction) Editor at OUP (Oxford University Press)."

Writing Exercise: Give Your Character Something to Hold by Darcy Pattison from Fiction Notes. Peek: "...look for an object around your house, something you can pick up and hold. It might be a camera, a needle and thread, a baseball glove, a salt shaker, a frying pan, a hair dryer, a favorite book–anything."

National Jewish Book Awards announced by the Jewish Book Council. The winner in the Children's and Young Adult Literature category is Deadly: How Do You Catch an Invisible Killer? by Julie Chibbaro (Atheneum), and the finalists are In the Face of Evil by Tema N. Merback (Friesen Press); To Hope and Back: The Voyage of St. Louis by Kathy Kacer (Second Story); and Music Was It: Young Leonard Bernstein by Susan Goldman Rubin (Charlesbridge). The Louis Posner Memorial Award for Illustrated Children's Book goes to The Golem's Latkes, adapted by Eric A. Kimmel; illustrated by Aaron Jasinski (Marshall Cavendish), and the finalists are Lipman Pike, America's First Home Run King by Richard Michelson, illustrated by Zachary Pullen (Sleeping Bear); and Marcel Marceau, Master of Mime by Gloria Spielman, illustrated by Manon Gauthier (Kar-Ben). Source: The Whole Megillah.

Our Favorite Articles and Blog Posts from Adventures in YA & Children's Publishing.

Cynsational Giveaways

Enter to win one of ten signed copies of Bittersweet by Sarah Ocker (Simon Pulse)(excerpt)! To enter, comment on this post (click the previous link and scroll) and include an email address (formatted like: cynthia at cynthialeitichsmith dot com) or a link to an email address. Or email Cynthia directly with "Bittersweet" in the subject line. If you include in your comment a thought on the video at that link, you'll receive two extra entries! Good luck! Publisher-sponsored. Eligibility: U.S. Deadline: midnight CST Jan. 23.

Enter to win an ARC of Article 5 by Kristen Simmons (Tor, 2012) and The Pledge by Kimberly Derting (Margaret K. McElderry, 2011) from Tabitha at Writer Musings. Winner will be announced Jan. 28. Note: learn more about Article 5 and The Pledge.

Enter to win an ARC of Shatter Me by Tahereh Mafi (Harper, 2011) from P.J. Hoover at Roots in Myth. Peek: "...a super-fast read with tons of action and adventure and a healthy dose of dystopia and sci-fi." Note: post includes book trailer.

Jean Reidy is celebrating cabin-fever creativity and the release of her latest picture book Too Princessy!, illustrated by Geneviève Leloup (Bloomsbury, 2012) by hosting a Boredom Buster Blog - chock full of rainy day ideas from parents, teachers, caregivers, babysitters, writers and other folks like you. Send in your favorite ideas and be entered to win one of five prizes, including a $100 bookseller gift card and autographed books. For every idea you submit before January 15th, you'll be entered five times in the drawing for prizes. For every idea submitted after January 15th, you'll be entered once. The drawing will be Feb. 29.

Facebook Contest: Grand Prize: Free School or Library Visit by Jan Brett to Anywhere in the World from PR Web. Enter at Jan's facebook page. Deadline: April 9. Source: ACHUKA.

Reminder: join Kelly Starling Lyons on her blog tour, celebrating the release of Ellen's Broom, illustrated by Daniel Minter (G.P. Putnam's Sons, 2012), and comment on Kelly's blog, her facebook author page, or any of her blog stops for a chance to win a wedding/anniversary broom courtesy of Stuart’s Creations and a signed poster of the Ellen’s Broom cover. Deadline: the a.m. of Jan. 16. Eligibility: U.S. only. See also Celebrating Us: Children's Books About Weddings by Kelly Starling Lyons from The Brown Bookshelf.

Reminder: Canterwood Crest Initiation Giveaway from Jessica Burkhart. Grand prize includes a 20-minute Skype session or phone call with the author. Deadline: 11:59 EST Jan. 20. Eligibility: U.S. only.

This Week's Cynsations Posts:

Contributors include Cynthia Leitich Smith.

Cynsational Screening Room

The Joy of Books by Type Book Store (883 Queen Street West) in Toronto. Source: Jon Gibbs.

Behind the Scenes with Illustrator Matt Tavares from Tavares Books. Note: "A short video about the making of Lady Liberty: A Biography, a picture book written by Doreen Rappaport, illustrated by Matt Tavares, published by Candlewick Press (2008)."

Author Holly Cupala on the "Dear Bully" Anthology and her latest Young Adult Novel, Don't Breathe A Word (HarperCollins) from Lee Wind at I'm Here. I'm Queer. What the Hell Do I Read?

More Personally

What an honor to see my official author website, including Children's & YA Lit Resources and Goodies for Writers at www.cynthialeitichsmith.com, recognized among Great Websites for Kids by the Association for Library Service to Children, a division of the American Library Association!

The ALA cheers my site not only for its information of my own work but also my pages on multiculturalism and speculative fiction. See listing.

Thanks to my web designer, Lisa Firke, for her ongoing contributions to the success of the site!

After an hour, I found Blizzard in the laundry basket.

What else? My very cute husband (and sometimes co-author) Greg Leitich Smith and I have exchanged our most recent manuscripts. Mine is due to my Candlewick editor at the end of the month, and his is a first draft.

I had to drop out of critique groups to teach at Vermont College of Fine Arts. (I couldn't read regularly for eight, plus, other novelists), so Greg is my only early reader these days.

We'll sit down on Saturday evening or Sunday afternoon to discuss, and I'm excited to both check out his latest and soak up his feedback.

Greg's next novel, Chronal Engine (Clarion/Houghton Mifflin Harcourt), will be out in March.

Cynthia Leitich Smith: Back Again with Another Bestseller by Karleen Tauszik from Kids' Ebook Bestsellers. Interview focuses on e-publishing, marketing, audience, and tech v. print accessibility issues for young readers. Note: "Haunted Love" is now available from Candlewick Press for free download via major online retailers. The story features new characters but is set in the Tantalize series universe. Thanks to everyone who helped make "Haunted Love" a Books on Board bestseller!

Author copies of Diabolical are in the house!

More Fantastic Books for Older Readers by Cynthia K. Ritter from The Horn Book. The highlighted four titles include Diabolical (Candlewick/Walker, 2012). Peek: "The Harry Potter–worthy final battle between good and evil — with a welcome dose of devilish humor added in — make this installment an expertly woven narrative, bringing new readers up to speed while satisfying invested fans with a happily-ever-after ending."

P.J. Hoover at Roots in Myth says of Diabolical (Candlewick/Walker, 2012): "...what really dawned on me in Diabolical is how absolutely awesome her two main guy characters really are. Steam comes off the pages in this one." Note: Diabolical will be released Jan. 24.

My first author copy of Blessed in paperback!

Samantha Boyette says of Blessed (Candlewick/Walker, 2011): "Quincie has a spine and some personality... I mean sure, she still does crazy things to be with this guy, but she also runs a restaurant and has other friends too. She is a well-rounded character who happens to be in love." Note: Blessed will be available in paperback on Valentine's Day.

In support of No Name-Calling Week, look for Dear Bully, edited by Megan Kelley Hall and Carrie Jones (HarperCollins, 2011) in the adult section (with the parenting books) this month at your local Barnes & Noble. Note: the anthology includes my essay, "Isolation."

Looking for signed copies of the Tantalize series books (Candlewick/Walker, 2007-) or Holler Loudly, illustrated by Barry Gott (Dutton, 2010)? Try my local independent bookstore, BookPeople in Austin, Texas. Note: the BookPeople children's-YA department also has signed copies of Ninjas, Piranhas and Galileo by Greg Leitich Smith (Little, Brown).

Personal Links:

From Greg Leitich Smith:

Cynsational Events

Brian Yansky will be presenting "Getting Organized" at 10 a.m. Jan. 14 on the second floor at BookPeople in conjunction with Austin SCBWI. "Brian will be sharing his secrets of success regarding how to keep all of the loose ends of crafting a manuscript in control while attempting to balance a busy everyday life." Note: the chapter will offer an open critique group at 11 a.m., and then members Tim Crow, Lynne Hoenig, and Bonnie Crow will report on the Story Masters Workshop, featuring Chris Vogler, James Scott Bell, and Donald Maass at 1 p.m.

Vicious Valentine: a YA fantasy celebration, featuring authors Jordan Dane, P.J. "Tricia" Hoover, Mari Mancusi, Rosemary Clement-Moore, Cynthia Leitich Smith, and L.A. Weatherly---moderated by Sean Petrie--will take place at 7 p.m. Feb. 10 at BookPeople in Austin. Whether you love love, hate it or fear it, be there for spooky cool refreshments and scary bookish fun!

See Cynthia's upcoming events in Albuquerque, Tucson, Sandy (Utah), Southampton (New York), and Montpelier (Vermont).

Mark your calendars for Alex Flinn's Upcoming Tour. She'll be appearing at Anderson's Bookshop in Naperville on Feb. 14, at Blue Willow Bookshop in Houston Feb. 15, and at Barnes & Noble in Round Rock (Texas) Feb. 16.

Blogger Interview: Steven R. McEvoy of Book Reviews and More

2012-01-13T09:33:00.001-06:00

By Cynthia Leitich Smith
for Cynsations

Learn more about Steven R. McEvoy.

Are you a bookstore or library reader or both?

Both, but to be honest about 80% of what I read is ARCs or review copies. But I love browsing both bookstores and libraries.

Do you keep a record of your reading? If so, how?

Yes. I am on my 34th volume of reading journals since August of '94 when I started keeping track of reading and have an itemized list dating to October 1995. I also keep a list of favorite books each year and favorite authors each year.

Now I only count books I read for myself. I do not list books I read to my children or other children.

How do books for children and teens fit into the mix?

I tend to go through phases in my reading, currently I would say about 75% of what I read is YA or children’s literature. I have had a great fondness for children’s lit since doing a university course in it about 10 years ago.

Because of my dyslexia and not learning to read until later in life, I never read children’s books while a child. And now I have a deep appreciation and love for them.

How do you spread the word about great reads?

If it makes my top ten of the year, I tend to buy a bunch of copies and give it away for Christmas and birthdays. I now try and post a review of every book I read on my blog, Book Reviews and More. Once posted on my blog I cross-post to amazon.com, amazon.co.uk, amazon.ca and chapters.indigo.ca. After that, I tweet about it, post to Google+ and Facebook.

How do you store your books? Do you keep all of them? Donate?

With reading over 100 books a year I now keep very few, and if I buy an electronic copy, I usually do not keep the physical book anymore at all.

Most of my ARCs and review copies end up with Family and Children's Services. My dad and stepmom are foster parents, and I pass along a lot that my stepmom reads with the kids. I also donate them to the FACS Library or Foster Parent Association garage sale.

I tend to only keep about one out of every hundred books I read, and usually only if I plan on rereading the book again and again.

Was there a book that changed your life?

The fiction book that had the biggest impact on my life was probably Jacob the Baker by Noah benShea. I have read the first book 13 times and the trilogy 10 times. They are books I reread every year, and each time they challenge me to be a better person. The books in the series are: Jacob the Baker, Jacob's Journey and Jacob's Ladder.

What were you like as a young reader?

To be honest, I could not read and did everything I could to avoid it.

In school, I rented the movies and did my reports based on the movies until after grade 7. I felt stupid because others in school could read and I could not. I hated having to go out to special instruction for English class time.

What challenges did you face?

I came out of grade 7 reading at a grade 3 level. And yet I passed the school year and was soon to be in high school. My parents sent me to a private summer school, and in two months, I went from reading about 30 words per minute to over 400 with comprehension, and from reading well below my grade level to reading at a university level. Once I learned how to read and discovered the joy in reading, it was like suddenly there were worlds I never knew existed and I became very addicted to it.

What advice do you have for young readers with dyslexia?

Be persistent. Get the help you need. There are worlds in books, and friends awaiting you. If one technique does not work for you, keep trying until you find the one that does.

What advice do you have for teachers and parents?

Lead by example. Be a reader. Also do not give up on anyone. I had teacher after teacher just pass me on in English.

Anyone can become a reader if they are really taught to read and the wonder of literature.

What do you do when you're not reading?

Write reviews, workout, hang out with my wife and kids. Plan my next books to read. I usually have different books on the go on my Kobo, iPad, iPhone and physical books.

Currently, I have about 30 books in process.

What does reading mean to you now?

Books show us other ways of being; they can help us learn to be better at being. To help us become what we were meant to be.

I love this quote from Saint Erasmus: "When I get a little money, I buy books; and if any is left over, I buy food and clothes!" That is the passion I have for books.

What is their special appeal?

Books can take us to places we have never been. They can take us to places we never dreamed of. They are friends we can visit again and again. They can be an escape or distraction or they can focus us to a greater purpose.

Why is word-spreading so important to you?

When I encounter something that I believe is wonderful or amazing, I do all I can to promote it.

Back when I was a bookseller, I hand-sold books by Paolo Coelho, Chuck Palahniuk, Christopher Moore, Robin Sharma and Dan Millman every day. At the time they were among my favorite authors, and I could sell almost anyone on trying one of their books.

I think, as readers, we have a responsibility to the authors and the characters in the stories that touch us to share them with others.

If, as I see it, books and characters can be friends.... Well, who doesn’t like their friends to meet each other?

Which were your favorite authors or books in your youth?

I tend to read an author's entire body of work, not just books on a title by title basis. I find an author I like and read everything he or she wrote. When I was younger, it was Harry Harrison, Piers Anthony (all the non- Xanth books), Robert A. Heinlien, Steven Brust. Back then, I read mostly science fiction.

Which are your favorite authors or books now?

For the last few years I have been mostly on a young adult kick. I find the writing so much better, the stories tighter and the characters amazing.

My current favorite authors would be: Cecil Castellucci, Noah benShea, Cynthia Leitich Smith, Libba Bray, Alexander Gordon Smith, Kathryn Lasky, Arthur Slade, Kenneth Oppel, Holly Black, Pat Schmatz and more.

New Voice: Robin Bridges on The Gathering Storm

2012-01-12T09:01:00.000-06:00

By Cynthia Leitich Smith
for Cynsations

Robin Bridges is the first-time author of The Gathering Storm (Book One of The Katerina Trilogy)(Delacorte, 2012). From the promotional copy:

St. Petersburg, Russia, 1888.

As she attends a whirl of glittering balls, royal debutante Katerina Alexandrovna, Duchess of Oldenburg, tries to hide a dark secret: she can raise the dead. No one knows. Not her family. Not the girls at her finishing school. Not the tsar or anyone in her aristocratic circle.

Katerina considers her talent a curse, not a gift. But when she uses her special skill to protect a member of the Imperial Family, she finds herself caught in a web of intrigue.

An evil presence is growing within Europe's royal bloodlines—and those aligned with the darkness threaten to topple the tsar. Suddenly Katerina's strength as a necromancer attracts attention from unwelcome sources . . . including two young men—George Alexandrovich, the tsar's standoffish middle son, who needs Katerina's help to safeguard Russia, even if he's repelled by her secret, and the dashing Prince Danilo, heir to the throne of Montenegro, to whom Katerina feels inexplicably drawn.

The time has come for Katerina to embrace her power, but which side will she choose—and to whom will she give her heart?

How did you approach the research process for your story? What resources did you turn to? What roadblocks did you run into? How did you overcome them? What was your greatest coup, and how did it inform your manuscript?

I started hoarding books on Russia after reading one about the history of the Moscow Art Theater over ten years ago. The culture that was flourishing in Russia at the end of the 19th and beginning of the 20th century was fascinating to me--this was the time when artists like Tchaikovsky, Faberge, Tolstoy, and Repin were all creating their masterpieces.

I always knew I wanted to write a story about that time and place. I began collecting books, mostly used, about Russian history, from biographies of the Romanovs to old Russian cookbooks to museum catalogs of Faberge treasures. The prize of my library is a copy of Masha by Mara Kay (Lothrop, Lee, and Shepherd, 1968). It’s about a young girl growing up at the Smolny Institute for Noble Maidens in the reign of Alexander the First. I fell in love with this school and decided it would be the perfect setting for my story.

The more I read about nineteenth century Russian history, I discovered the superstitions and rumors swirling around the Imperial court. My what if? moment came when I wondered what if these peasant rumors were true--what if the Russian court really did consist of witches and sorcerers? And what if one of the noble maidens at Smolny was the only one who could defend the tsar from these monsters?

My research began to include Eastern European folklore and fairy tales, many of which I’d heard as a child. My great-grandparents were of German descent but their families had lived in Russia for generations. My great-grandfather owned a bakery outside of Kiev in 1900 and my great-grandmother learned to speak several languages, including Russian, German, Polish and Yiddish, in order to serve the diverse customers that came into the shop. Stories told to me about the old bakery and its old samovar were woven in with stories about firebirds and snowmaidens as well as Grimm fairy tales.

As I researched the Romanov family tree, I decided not to use an actual person for my main character. Katerina Alexandrovna of Oldenburg did not really exist, but Evgenia Maximilianova and Alexander Petrovich of Oldenburg did. Prince Alexander really did open up the Institute for Experimental Medicine and really did give much of his wealth to hospitals and other charities.

I’d like to think that a daughter of his would have shared his interest in medicine. Women were not allowed to attend medical school in Russia in the late nineteenth century, but a generation later, the Empress and her daughters became nurses. They took care of wounded soldiers during the Russo-Japanese War under the supervision of a princess who’d attended medical school in Switzerland, Princess Vera Gedroits.

As a nurse myself, researching the early women doctors of Russia was inspiring.

By Sarah Miller

Katerina’s story became a late nineteenth century fairytale, filled with spiritism and superstition of the era, as well as the hope for a new century filled with progress. I trolled the Alexander Palace Time Machine’s website for photographs and biographies of Russian nobility. I emailed back and forth with the director of the Museum of Medical History at the University of Zurich. I researched the mystical societies and secret orders of the time.

Not being able to read German and Russian texts has been frustrating, but I’ve had plenty of English resources.

Sarah Miller, a fellow Blue Boarder and the author of The Lost Crown, (Athenum, 2011), was kind enough to share tons of old Romanov photographs with me. Before The Katerina Trilogy is complete, I hope to travel to Russia and see the palaces and museums for myself.

As soon as I learn to speak Russian.

As someone with a full-time day job, how do you manage to also carve out time to write and build a publishing career? What advice do you have for other writers trying to do the same?

Visit Robin Bridges.

When I was an English major, my writing consisted of literary short stories, based on growing up in the South. I thought I had to be Eudora Welty.

I put my writing aside when I went back to school to become a nurse. I did not write a single word for two years.

By then, I’d fallen in love with the books my children loved, especially Harry Potter and the Princess Diaries. And I remembered why I’d wanted to be a writer when I was little.

It wasn’t because I wanted to be Harper Lee; it was because I wanted to be Laura Ingalls.

Being a pediatric nurse is a difficult but incredibly rewarding career. But it’s also perfect for me as a writer. I work three twelve hour shifts on the weekend, and then have the rest of the week at home to write. This works best during the school year, when I have an empty house to myself during the weekdays. Just me and the dogs.

The Fault in Our Stars by John Green

2012-01-12T08:43:00.000-06:00

Compiled by Cynthia Leitich Smith
for Cynsations

Booklist Senior Editor Ilene Cooper speaks to author John Green about his new novel The Fault in Our Stars (Dutton, 2012), the difficulties of honestly depicting cancer survivors, and the challenges of signing every single copy of the 150,000 first printing.

Check out the book trailer for The Fault in Our Stars by John Green. Source: YABC.

Cynsational Notes

See also John's National Tour Schedule. Here in Texas, he'll be in Houston, in conjunction with Blue Willow Bookshop, Jan. 20 and in Austin, in conjunction with BookPeople, Jan. 21. See link for details on these off-site events and others across the U.S. and B.C.

Guest Post: Elizabeth O. Dulemba on Promoting a Book App

2012-01-11T09:04:00.002-06:00

By Elizabeth O. Dulemba
for Cynthia Leitich Smith's Cynsations

Apps are the hot new thing.

And while they’re not exactly the same as books, they have one big thing in common... there are so many of them, it’s hard to find any particular one.

A few years ago when I came out with my app Lula's Brew, it was early in the game and she was pretty easy to find. Sadly, that is no longer the case. And the iTunes search engine really doesn’t help.

So, how can you get your app found? Just as with books, you have to look at alternative paths than just posting it in iTunes.

Here at Cynsations, I’ve talked about “Marketing - the Snowball Effect” and building a platform from day one, so that when you have a product to sell, you have an already established audience eager to support you. Word-of-mouth is one of the best ways to advertise.

Of course, in this age, word-of-mouth means blogs, twitter, email, facebook, YouTube, etc. And those are your next best bet. Shout about your app from the hilltops! But to avoid being obnoxious, try to give back while you do it. Offer a giveaway, free lesson plans, puzzles, support materials - anything that might tie in with your app that you can give away for free.

Make sure you have a link to buy your app on your website or blog. (Sounds obvious but...)

Send your app to the myriad of new app reviewers, like the biggie, Moms with Apps. Offer a few free download codes in exchange. It’s how Lula's Brew was downloaded over 7,000 times in two days! (Over 10,000 total.)

Guest post on other blogs (like this!). Cynthia was kind enough to let me promote by offering her readers some free content about marketing! But she’s not the only one.

Lots of bloggers are looking for content to share on their blogs. Ask a few if you can be a guest blogger or if they mind hosting you on a Blog APP Tour (rather than a Blog Book Tour).

Finally, accost everybody you see with a smart phone and make them download your app. Okay, maybe not. But do be proactive. Because if you don’t sell your app, nobody will, and it will quickly disappear into the deep app sea.

About Lula's Brew

Lula's Aunties want her to be a witch like them. But Lula prefers to study cookbooks rather than spellbooks (and hates to fly on a broom). Lula wants to be a famous chef. In desperation, the Aunties insist she try to make one last potion. Lula secretly adds her cooking flair and in true witchy fashion creates a brew that bewitches the entire town, and her Aunties too! Download the iPad app. Also now available as a .pdf, on the Nook color, and Kindle.

See also Elizabeth O. Dulemba on “Marketing - the Snowball Effect” from Cynsations.

So Silver Bright Animated Trailer Contest

2012-01-11T08:37:00.000-06:00

So Silver Bright Animated Trailer Contest from Lisa Mantchev. Enter to win T-shirts, tote bags and more. Deadline: midnight PST Jan. 31. More about So Silver Bright (Square Fish, 2012).

See details to enter here!

Author Lena Coakley Interviews Author Alan Cumyn on Tilt

2012-01-10T08:49:00.001-06:00

By Lena Coakley
for Cynthia Leitich Smith's Cynsations

Alan Cumyn is the author of many acclaimed novels for both children and adults.

Books in his Owen Skye series have won the Mr. Christies and Hackmatack awards and were nominated for the Governor General’s Award, the Ruth Schwartz Award, the TD Canadian Children’s Literature Award, and the Canadian Library Association Book of the Year for Children Award. His novel The Famished Lover was long-listed for the Giller prize and the International IMPAC Dublin Literary Award.

He lives in Ottawa and teaches in the M.F.A. program in Writing for Children and Young Adults at Vermont College of Fine Arts.

LC: You’ve written for adults and for children, but Tilt (Groundwood, 2011) is your first foray into young-adult writing. Did you approach this book differently from your others?

AC: Every book for me starts with a character in a situation. What was different with Tilt was the way those elements came to me. Three years ago I had just arrived at Vermont College of Fine Arts as new staff, and I listened to a lecture by the brilliant Louise Hawes on “the line of desire” – what your character wants and why s/he can’t get it. Louise had us all write a letter to ourselves at a much younger age, and what sprang to mind for me was an image of myself at sixteen.

No letter emerged; instead I had to play an imaginary game of one-on-one basketball with my much younger self before we could even begin to have a conversation. Once that happened, the character was with me, and the situation soon followed: Stan is stymied in his basketball aspirations, trying not to think about his tangled home life, and hopelessly in love with someone who might not even be available. In a nutshell: adolescence!

LC: Your portrait of sixteen-year-old Stan Dart is so well observed I couldn’t help wondering if Tilt was semi-autobiographical. Is there any Stan Dart in you?

AC: Like Stan, at sixteen I was obsessed with basketball – it was a near-religion for me – and I also wrote poetry and dreamed about martial arts. And, of course, like most adolescent males, I was trapped between raging hormones and no socially acceptable outlet for sexual urges.

So a lot of the prep work for Tilt involved what I think of as exploring emotional memory – being true to the feelings of the time rather than, necessarily, the actual events.

LC: Tilt deals very frankly (and often hilariously!) with sex. You cover erections, first kisses, first sexual encounters—even the title refers to the sexual orientation of one of the characters, Janine, who may or may not be a “gwog” (goes with other girls).

Did you ever feel that you needed to censor yourself because you were writing for a younger audience?

AC: First and foremost I wanted to be true to the feelings and situations Stan has to deal with; I wanted to write the kind of emotionally honest book that I wished I could have easily gotten my hands on when I was younger.

First sexual urges are amongst the strongest emotions many people experience; the agonies are terrible and the ecstasies are out of this world. Young people today are also exposed to – through films, TV, the Internet – more explicit content than most of us want to even think about.

So the challenge for me was to not pull my punches and yet stay emotionally true to the experiences Stan goes through. My own daughters, who were teenagers at the time, read the manuscript before I sent it off to my agent. If I was working with an internal censor, it was the parent in me trying not to alarm my own kids. But they were cool with it….

LC: I read that you studied writing under the great Canadian novelist and short story writer Alistair MacLeod and I know that you are also on the faculty of Vermont College of Fine Arts. I’m wondering how your experiences as both as student and a teacher have advanced your craft.

AC: A good writer keeps learning, changing, pushing boundaries and trying new things. I had an extraordinary education in writing, especially given the opportunity to study with a brilliant writer and teacher in Alistair MacLeod, but I graduated with an M.A. in creative writing when I was only 24 – I had a lot more living and craft work to do before my stories would begin to have an impact on others.

It’s certainly also a privilege and a gift to teach; good teachers soon realize that they are learning as much, or even more, than their students.

If you’re going to explain something valuable to others you have to first figure it out for yourself. Malcolm Gladwell and others talk about the 10,000 hours of honest, hard, diligent prep work it takes to become good at anything worthwhile and difficult. Well, time studying and time teaching writing have been an essential part of my on-going education as a writer.

It’s also tremendously stimulating to be working with colleagues and students who are so dedicated and talented. Tilt is in many ways a product of my VCFA experience – I got the main idea while at a residency there, have read from early drafts to VCFA audiences, and launched the book there this summer when the first copies emerged.

LC: What were you like as a young reader, and how did that influence Tilt and your other works?

AC: I was a “reluctant reader” when young. I vividly remember the pain and effort (and disappointment!) involved in decoding all those symbols and sounding out individual words. Reading only started to make sense to me when my parents began buying me sports books.

Then I caught fire when I realized that reading could be a ticket to the adult world. So I leapt from "The Babe Ruth Story" to The Godfather, and somewhere along the way stumbled into Alice Munro and others and the realization that a good novel could take you silently, without need for a lot of conversation, into fascinating other bodies, other lives.

I read because I was hungry to understand what I was in for, what might be coming my way in the years ahead, and I write now hoping to serve the same hunger in others.

If Tilt works for a young reader, for any reader, I’m hoping it’s because the characters and situations resonate in an honest way with the delights and pitfalls life serves up.

LC: Readers love to hear about an author’s process—what your writing day is like, how long a book takes, what the editing process is like, etc. Can you tell us a little about that?

AC: In recent years I have become unusually busy, not just with teaching duties but other adventures – I was Chair of The Writers’ Union of Canada for a year, which monopolized a lot of my attention.

So for Tilt I had to be terrifically organized and focused: writing in the mornings, staying away from email until noon (when possible), working through the weekend if family members were away.

A book takes me at least two years, and often the re-writing involves a boiling off of everything that isn’t essential to the text. Shelley Tanaka was extremely helpful as editor for Tilt in helping me sort out some plot and character tangles – I do tend to complicate things unnecessarily sometimes.

But writing for me is a joy, it’s the best part about being an author – the hours spent quietly figuring out, through language, who these people are and what they do to themselves and each other.

LC: What are you working on now? Will you go back to writing for adults or has writing for children and young adults won you over?

AC: I like to change gears, so I am working on an adult novel now. I must say I love the flexibility, the world of possibilities, of writing for younger audiences, but I am also drawn to the elemental nature of adult concerns. Life seems to get simpler, and harder, as we go along, though we surround ourselves with complications. How’s that for a recipe for interesting stories?

Cynsational Notes

Honors for Tilt include:

Kirkus Reviews 2011 Top books for teens in U.S.
Fall 2011 selection for Young Adults (mature) - Junior Library Guild, U.S.
Quill & Quire 2011 Top books for young readers in Canada
CBC Radio The Next Chapter Selection

In a starred review, the Bulletin of the Center of Children's Books says of Tilt: "Cumyn writes with an artless, resilient quirkiness, a wry plainspoken inventiveness that instantly animates scenes and characters."

In the video below, Alan reads from his children's book, Deer/Dear Sylvia (Groundwood, 2008). Featuring Kimba Gifford as Owen Skye. Directed by Jasmine Murray-Bergquist.

Lena Coakley was born in Milford, Connecticut and grew up on Long Island. In high school, creative writing was the only class she ever failed (nothing was ever good enough to hand in!), but, undeterred, she went on to study writing at Sarah Lawrence College.

She became interested in young adult literature when she moved to Toronto, Canada, and began working for CANSCAIP, the Canadian Society of Children’s Authors, Illustrators and Performers, where she eventually became the Administrative Director. She is now a full-time writer living in Toronto.

Witchlanders, her debut novel, was called “a stunning teen debut” by Kirkus Reviews. It is a Junior Library Guild selection and an ABC new voices selection.

See also New Voice: Lena Coakley on Witchlanders and Author Lena Coakley Interviews Editor Hadley Dyer of HarperCollins Canada, both from Cynsations.

Writing for Children and Young Adults MFA 2012 Winter Residency at Vermont College of Fine Arts

2012-01-10T08:15:00.000-06:00

By Cynthia Leitich Smith
for Cynsations

Best wishes to the faculty, administrators, students and staff of the M.F.A. in Writing for Children and Young Adults at Vermont College of Fine Arts as you gather over the next several days for the winter 2012 residency in Montpelier.

Hooray for visiting speakers Marla Frazee and Libba Bray!

Congratulations to new visiting faculty members April Lurie and Matt de la Peña!

Welcome to the first semester students! Good luck to the graduating class on your readings and lectures! Stay warm, have fun, learn, grow, share, and dance like Snoopy!

My thoughts are with you all!

Cynsational Notes

Due to my publication schedule, I'm on extended leave from the faculty.

Check out this 2008 video celebrating Vermont College of Fine Arts:

Giveaway: Ten Signed Copies of Bittersweet by Sarah Ockler

2012-01-09T08:35:00.002-06:00

By Cynthia Leitich Smith
for Cynsations

Enter to win one of ten signed copies of Bittersweet by Sarah Ocker (Simon Pulse)(excerpt)!

From the promotional copy:

From the author of Twenty Boy Summer, a teen pushes the limits to follow her dreams—and learns there’s a fine line between bitter and sweet...

Once upon a time, Hudson knew exactly what her future looked like. Then a betrayal changed her life and knocked her dreams to the ground. Now she’s a girl who doesn’t believe in second chances, a girl who stays under the radar by baking cupcakes at her mom’s diner and obsessing over what might have been.

So when things start looking up and she has another shot at her dreams, Hudson is equal parts hopeful and terrified.

Of course, this is also the moment a cute, sweet guy walks into her life—and starts serving up some seriously mixed signals. She’s got a lot on her plate, and for a girl who’s been burned before, risking it all is easier said than done.

It’s time for Hudson to ask herself what she really wants, and how much she’s willing to sacrifice to get it. Because in a place where opportunities are fleeting, she knows this chance may very well be her last....

To enter, comment on this post and include an email address (formatted like: cynthia at cynthialeitichsmith dot com) or a link to an email address. Or email Cynthia directly with "Bittersweet" in the subject line. If you include in your comment a thought on the video below, you'll receive two extra entries! Good luck!

Publisher-sponsored. Eligibility: U.S. Deadline: midnight CST Jan. 23.

Cynsational Notes

Courtesy of Simon & Schuster Children's Publishing

Sarah Ocker is the bestselling author of Fixing Delilah (Little, Brown, 2011) and the critically acclaimed Twenty Boy Summer (Little, Brown, 2010), a YALSA Teens' Top Ten nominee and IndieNext List pick.

She is a championship cupcake eater, coffee drinker, night person, and bookworm.

When she’s not writing or reading at home in Colorado, Sarah enjoys taking pictures, hugging trees, and road-tripping through the country with her husband, Alex.

Visit her website at sarahockler.com and find her on Twitter and Facebook.

Read chapter one of Bittersweet.

Girl Meets Boy, Edited by Kelly Milner Halls is Now Available

2012-01-09T08:14:00.003-06:00

By Cynthia Leitich Smith
for Cynsations

Congratulations to anthologist Kelly Milner Halls on the release of Girl Meets Boy (Chronicle, 2012). From the promotional copy:

What do guys and girls really think?

Twelve of the most dynamic and engaging YA authors writing today team up for this one-of-a-kind collection of “he said/she said” stories—he tells it from the guy’s point of view, she tells it from the girl’s. These are stories of love and heartbreak.

There’s the good-looking jock who falls for a dangerous girl, and the flip side, the toxic girl who never learned to be loved; the basketball star and the artistic (and shorter) boy she never knew she wanted; the gay boy looking for love online and the girl who could help make it happen.

Each story in this unforgettable collection teaches us that relationships are complicated—because there are two sides to every story.

The paired contributing authors are: Cynthia Leitich Smith and Joseph Bruchac, Ellen Wittlinger and James Howe, Terry Trueman and Rita Williams-Garcia, Sara Ryan and Randy Powell, Terry Davis and Rebecca Fjelland Davis, Kelly Milner Halls and Chris Crutcher.

Cynsational Notes

Kelly Milner Halls is the author of Albino Animals (Darby Creek, 2004) and Tales of the Cryptids: Mysterious Creatures That May Or May Not Exist, co-authored by Rick Spears and Roxyanne Young (Darby Creek, 2006), both YALSA Quick Picks for Reluctant Readers. Her more recent releases include In Search of Sasquatch (Houghton Mifflin, 2011) and Alien Investigation: Searching for the Truth About UFOs and Aliens (Milbrook/Lerner, Jan. 15, 2012). She lives in Spokane, Washington.

Don't miss the Girl Meets Boy discussion guide from Chronicle Books.

Preview Girl Meets Boy below; excerpt features "Love or Something Like It" by Chris Crutcher and "Some Things Never Change" by Kelly Milner Halls:
Girl Meets Boy

Vote in the Preliminary Round of the YA Book Genre Battle

2012-01-08T11:57:00.002-06:00

Paperback edition coming Feb. 14.

By Cynthia Leitich Smith
for Cynsations

Vote for the paranormal novel Blessed by Cynthia Leitich Smith (Candlewick/Walker Books) and your other favorites of 2011 in the preliminary round of the YA Book Genre Battle, hosted by Most Important Letter!

You can vote for as many as you like and nominate additional books.

Categories include:

contemporary
paranormal
dystopian/post-apocalyptic
science fiction
mythology
fantasy
mystery

Vote, volunteer, and/or nominate! Scroll to the end of the post to vote (above that, you can volunteer to help out, if you'd like to do so).

Deadline: Jan. 11.

Cynsational Notes

Cynsations reporter Lena Coakley's Witchlanders (Atheneum, 2011) also is a nominee in the paranormal category.

Thanks to everyone who helped make the electronic release of the short story, "Haunted Love," by Cynthia Leitich Smith (Candlewick, 2011) a Books on Board bestseller!

Cynthia Leitich Smith: Back Again with Another Bestseller by Karleen Tauszik from Kids' Ebook Bestsellers. Interview focuses on e-publishing, marketing, audience, and tech v. print accessibility issues for young readers.

"Haunted Love" is now available from Candlewick Press for free download via major online retailers. The story features new characters but is set in the Tantalize series universe.

Cynsational News & Giveaways

2012-01-06T08:38:00.001-06:00

FSG, 2012

Compiled by Cynthia Leitich Smith
for Cynsations

My Query Letter by Elizabeth Fama. Peek: "In July of 2010, I somehow managed to snag one of the kindest, most down-to-earth, and fiercely professional agents out there, Sara Crowe. In case my query letter had anything to do with this happy event, I publish it here for aspiring writers."

40 Questions to Test Your Manuscript by Martina from Adventures in YA and Children's Publishing. Peek: "Whether you're starting to plot from scratch or starting up a revision, it's a great time to check the soundness of the idea and the different story elements."

Does Word Count Matter Anymore? by Dawn Lairamore from Project Mayhem: From the Manic Minds of Middle Grade Authors. Note: don't miss the continued conversation in the comments.

World Read Aloud Day: Skyping Author Volunteers for March 7, 2012 by Kate Messner from Kate's Book Blog. Peek: "...a number of authors have again volunteered their time to read aloud to classrooms and libraries all over the world."

The 50/50 Challenge: Support Local Booksellers by elementary school librarian Travis Jonker from 100 Scope Notes. Peek: "I’m committing to using at least half of my yearly budget to purchase books at my local independent bookstores (namely Pooh’s Corner and Schuler Books). The question is – are you with me?"

Hazel Mitchell Children's Illustrator/Author: official website. Hazel's illustrated books include Hidden New Jersey (Mackinac Island Press/Charlesbridge, 2012), How to Talk to an Autistic Kid (Free Spirit, 2011), and the All Star Cheerleader series by Anastasia Suen (Kane Miller 2011-2013).

Dori Hillestad Butler–2011 Edgar Winner for Best Juvenile Mystery from Printsasia. Peek: "In 2011, her book The Buddy Files: The Case of a Lost Boy (Albert Whitman, 2010) has won Edgar Award for the best Juvenile Mystery. In her interview with us regarding her award winning book, Dori talks about her concept of the plot, relationship equations, character portrayals, and her forthcoming releases along with her message for readers." See also The Buddy Files Coloring Sheets and Teacher Guide.

Cybils: The 2011 Cybils Finalists. Note: special congratulations to VCFA alum Marianna Baer on Frost House (Balzar+Bray/HarperCollins) being named a YA category finalist.

Free eBook: How to Choose Children's Books by Aaron Mead from Children's Books and Reviews. Peek: "A comprehensive list of online resources for finding excellent children’s literature, including book lists, sources of professional book reviews, and children’s literature blogs." Note: Thanks to Aaron for including Cynsations among his recommended resources.

When You're Bad at Something by Natalie Whipple from Between Fact and Fiction. Peek: "I do believe with all my heart that anyone can improve in something if they want to. It doesn't matter what it is—you can go after it and do it well. It might take twice as long. You may never be as good as a prodigy. But you as a human being have the potential to succeed. It is part of all of us." Source: Jennifer R. Hubbard.

How Do You Know If Your Agent is Any Good? by Jane Friedman. Peek: "Do you get the feeling that the agent genuinely believes in you and your work? While agents are certainly interested in a sale, they’re also interested in projects that excite them and clients they are proud to represent."

Weighing in on Weight by Rae Carlson at From the Writer's Desk: The Official Blog of Greenwillow Books. Peek: "Thousands, maybe millions of women have their accomplishments waved away or ignored daily, even as their bodies suffer devastating scrutiny—from both men and women. These experiences were very much on my mind when I sat down to write The Girl of Fire and Thorns." Source: Tiffany Trent at Center Neptune.

A Brief Explanation of Film Options by Kody Keplinger from YA Highway. Peek: "When a film is "optioned" there is no guarantee it'll be made. Basically, an 'option' is just that - a studio or producer or director or whatever buys the option to make the film."

A WOW Wednesday Invitation to Writers from Adventures in YA and Children's Publishing. Peek: "...if you have any good news at all -- we would love to invite you to do a WOW Wednesday guest post for us and help uplift and inspire other writers while letting us give you a little well-deserved promotion."

Barnes and Noble Puts Sterling Up for Sale by Erin Carlson from The Hollywood Reporter. Peek: "Barnes & Noble has put Sterling Publishing up for sale, almost 10 years after acquiring the company, the Wall Street Journal reported."

Seven Best Practices for Building an Online Presence by Daisy Whitney from Chuck Sambuchino from Writer's Digest. Peek: "Your reputation online is real! It matters. It lives and breathes and you need to figure out what it is. Treat it delicately and carefully like you would a resume for a job and always put your best foot forward."

Writing Comic Sci Fi for Children by Mark Griffiths from Becky at The Bookette. Peek: "Science fiction comedy (and if a cow jumping over the moon doesn’t count as that, I don’t know what does) seems to me a natural form to use when writing for children, allowing, as it does, tremendous scope for the imagination and for the inversion of the normal way of things." Note: learn more about Mark's new release, Space Lizards Stole My Brain!, illustrated by Pete Williamson (Simon & Schuster U.K., 2012).

Rock the Rock: web design service from Little Willow of Bildungsroman fame here in the kidlitosphere. Children's/YA clients include author Christopher Golden, readergirlz, author Liz Gallagher, and agent Sara Crowe.

Interview with Taraneh Matloob on Outsiders Writing Across Cultures with an Insider's Eye by Uma Krishnaswami from Writing with a Broken Tusk. Peek: "In Iran, we are introduced to the Western culture mainly through translation; Iranian authors rarely write about the West from their point of view. However, it is important to have Iranian multicultural authors who write about the West from the outside position because Western audience needs to know how their culture is viewed from the East. Conversely, this is true for the Westerners who write about the East."

Reading for Pleasure by Stephen Krashen from Language Magazine. Peek: "Of the 66 respondents in Mellon’s study who claimed they never read in their spare time, 49 checked several categories of leisure reading when asked what they liked to read." Source: Julie Lake.

Author Tim Wynne-Jones has just been named an Officer of the Order of Canada (Arts/Writing). Peek: "...recognizes a lifetime of achievement and merit of a high degree, especially in service to Canada or to humanity at large."

The Year of Impossible Things by Jenny Martin from Crowe's Nest. Peek: "Day by day, page by page, you must be the one to dare the impossible, emerging as the hero of your own story. Let this be the year. Your year."

Cynsational Giveaways

Enter to win a "boxed set" of novels by Beth Fantaskey, including Jessica's Guide to Dating on the Dark Side, Jessica Rules the Dark Side, and Jekel Loves Hyde (all Houghton Mifflin Harcourt). Deadline: noon EST Jan. 10. Eligibility: international.

Canterwood Crest Initiation Giveaway from Jessica Burkhart. Grand prize includes a 20-minute Skype session or phone call with the author. Deadline: 11:59 EST Jan. 20. Eligibility: U.S. only.

Join Kelly Starling Lyons on her blog tour, celebrating the release of Ellen's Broom, illustrated by Daniel Minter (G.P. Putnam's Sons, 2012), and comment on Kelly's blog, her facebook author page, or any of her blog stops for a chance to win a wedding/anniversary broom courtesy of Stuart’s Creations and a signed poster of the Ellen’s Broom cover. Deadline: the a.m. of Jan. 16. Eligibility: U.S. only. See also Celebrating Us: Children's Books About Weddings by Kelly Starling Lyons from The Brown Bookshelf.

The Way We Fall Trailer Giveaway from Megan Crewe. "Five winners chosen by random draw will receive a signed hardcover of The Way We Fall (Hyperion, 2012), a The Way We Fall journal and pen (so you can record your own life-changing events), a bottle of hand sanitizer (to keep those pesky germs away), a magnet, and a bookmark." Deadline: 11:59 EST Jan. 11. Eligibility: international.

Audio Giveaway of Cinder by Marissa Meyer from Karin's Book Nook. Deadline: Jan. 13. Note: listen to audio excerpt and download the first five chapters for free. See also Interview with Marissa Meyer by Ellen Oh from The Enchanted Inkpot. Peek: "Although I love fairy tales, I don’t think novels can get away with the same stereotyping and oversimplification that the original tales have. In 'Cinderella,' it’s enough for the stepmother to be given the role of 'wicked,' and we all take it at face value, but it’s not so easy in a book. How is she wicked? What made her that way?"

The Cynsational winner of Dreaming Anastasia and Haunted by Joy Preble (both Sourcebooks) is Delilah in Atlanta. Note: Look for a new ten-book giveaway to go live on Monday!

This Week's Cynsations Posts:

Walter Dean Myers

Cynsational Screening Room

Check out the book trailer for Dragonswood by Janet Lee Carey (Dial, 2012). In a starred review, Kirkus Reviews cheers, "A fairy tale for those who have given up on believing in them, but still yearn for happily ever after." See also the Dragonswood Blog Tour.

Check out the book trailer for Dumpling Days by Grace Lin (Little, Brown, 2012). Note from Grace: "The beloved heroine of The Year of the Dog and The Year of the Rat has returned in a brand new story."

Check out the book trailer for Ruth the Sleuth and the Messy Room, by Carol Gordon Ekster, illustrated by Kimberly Soderberg (Character Publishing, 2011). Character Publishing is a new company, designed around the concept that parents of picture book and middle grade readers may select specific titles to nurture/role model particular traits such as courage, creativity, or logical/problem solving. See submissions guidelines. Note: Carol's husband created the trailer.

Bison v. Woman Skating Competition, promoting Prairie Storms by Darcy Pattison, illustrated by Kathleen Rietz (Sylvan Dell, 2011). Darcy says, "This new video is an example of a YouTube Aesthetic Book Trailer, an informal, humorous video that only addresses the content of the book tangentially, but nevertheless creates interest." See also Book Trailer: Archived Video and Purchased Music from Darcy at Fiction Notes. Note: Darcy will be speaking on the topic of book trailers as part of the pre-con Marketing Intensive at the 13th Annual Winter SCBWI Conference in New York City on Jan. 27.

More Personally

Happy New Year! This week was another one of juggling the Smolder deadline and the Diabolical launch. My goal is to bring the manuscript to a place where Greg can critique it early next week.

What else? Here at Cynsations, I've noticed a significant uptick in traffic. Welcome, new readers, and thanks to long-term visitors for your ongoing enthusiasm and support!

Thanks to Mary E. Cronin for this self shot, taken at Eason's book shop in Galway, Ireland; of the first three books in the Tantalize series! Note: the books were originally released as single titles, but are now being repackaged and marketed as a series.

Thanks to Kathi Appelt for this shot of my first book, Jingle Dancer, illustrated by Cornelius Van Wright and Ying-Hwa Hu (Morrow/HarperCollins, 2000), taken at Autry museum gift store in L.A.!

You can also find me at my facebook author page, twitter (@CynLeitichSmith), LiveJournal, YouTube, and JacketFlap.

Personal Links:

The Nicest Place on the Internet; source: Deva Fagan
"Star Wars" Heroes and Villains Pancake Molds; source Janni Lee Simner
Why A Teen Who Talks Back May Have a Bright Future by Patti Neighmond from NPR
Bookshelves of Doom at Etsy

From Greg Leitich Smith:

Bird Talk: What Birds Are Saying and Why by Lita Judge (Flash Point/Roaring Brook , March 13, 2012)

Cynsational Events

Jan. 24 U.S. release date, see trailer.

Brian Yansky will be presenting "Getting Organized" at 10 a.m. Jan. 14 on the second floor at BookPeople. "Brian will be sharing his secrets of success regarding how to keep all of the loose ends of crafting a manuscript in control while attempting to balance a busy everyday life." Sponsored by Austin SCBWI.

Vicious Valentine: a YA fantasy celebration, featuring authors Jordan Dane, P.J. "Tricia" Hoover, Mari Mancusi, Rosemary Clement-Moore, Cynthia Leitich Smith, and L.A. Weatherly---moderated by Sean Petrie--will take place at 7 p.m. Feb. 10 at BookPeople in Austin. Whether you love love, hate it or fear it, be there for spooky cool refreshments and scary bookish fun!

See Cynthia's upcoming events in Albuquerque, Tucson, Sandy (Utah), Southampton (New York), and Montpelier (Vermont).

Mark your calendars for Alex Flinn's Upcoming Tour. She'll be appearing at Anderson's Bookshop in Naperville on Feb. 14, at Blue Willow Bookshop in Houston Feb. 15, and at Barnes & Noble in Round Rock (Texas) Feb. 16.

Check out John Green's National Tour. He'll be in Houston, in conjunction with Blue Willow Bookshop, Jan. 20 and in Austin, in conjunction with BookPeople, Jan. 21. See link for details on these off-site events and others across the U.S. and B.C.

New Voice: Mônica Carnesi on Little Dog Lost: The True Story of a Brave Dog Named Baltic

2012-01-05T08:43:00.000-06:00

By Cynthia Leitich Smith
for Cynsations

Mônica Carnesi is the first-time author-illustrator of Little Dog Lost: The True Story of a Brave Dog Named Baltic (Nancy Paulsen/Penguin, 2012)(blog). From the promotional copy:

On a cold winter day, a curious dog wandered onto a frozen river, and before he knew it he was traveling fast on a sheet of ice. Many people tried to help, but the dog could not be reached.

Finally, after two nights and seventy-five miles, the little dog was saved by a ship out in the Baltic Sea.

The gallant rescue of the little dog nicknamed Baltic made international news. Mônica Carnesi's simple text and charming watercolor illustrations convey all the drama of Baltic's journey. His story, with its happy ending, will warm readers' hearts. An author's note and map are included.

Was there one writing workshop or conference that led to an "ah-ha!" moment in your craft? What happened, and how did it help you?

In October 2009, I attended the Rutgers One on One Plus Conference for the first time. I attended as an illustrator -- my application consisted of samples of my artwork, and I was thrilled when I learned it had been accepted.

At every conference and workshop I’ve attended, my main objective has always been to learn as much as I can about the art, craft, and business of children's book publishing, but at the One on One Plus, I had an additional goal: I was hoping to connect with an agent.

Visit Monica's blog.

One of my New Year’s resolutions for 2009 was to promote my artwork and find professional opportunities to showcase my illustrations. With its customized format, in which attendees are paired with mentors (editors, agents, art directors, authors, illustrators), the One on One seemed like the ideal setting to get individualized feedback and advice.

Happily, I did meet my agent that day during one of the activities, the “Five on Five” session. There were five illustrators and five mentors at our table, and at one point they asked us to show our portfolios.

As a result, Teresa Kietlinski, an agent at Prospect Agency who was at the table, saw my portfolio and a month later contacted me to offer representation. That was a major step for me, but my "ah-ha!" moment happened right there at the conference when Teresa and I began talking.

As an illustrator and a visual thinker, I attempt to infuse my illustrations with a sense of narrative, but I’d struggled with the thought of myself as an author. While talking to Teresa about children’s books in general, about my background and my illustrations, she asked if I’d ever considered writing.

My first reaction would have been to say no, but that day I experienced what I can only describe as a feeling of possibility. It's not that I had never thought about or tried my hand at writing before, but something about that conversation made it seem possible.

Throughout the day we'd heard speakers talk about the importance of challenging oneself, of experimenting and pushing limits. I spent the day interacting with other aspiring authors and illustrators and was feeling inspired as a result. That day marked a creative shift for me, one that has been challenging but also immensely rewarding.

My first picture book came about when I heard a news story on NPR in late January of 2010, an amazing and moving story: a little dog stranded on an ice floe in the Baltic Sea had been rescued by a scientific research ship and was now a member of the crew. The dog, nicknamed Baltic by his rescuers, had initially been spotted two days earlier floating on a piece of ice on the Vistula River.

When Illustration Friday, a weekly illustration challenge website, coincidentally proposed the theme "Adrift," I knew what I wanted to paint: a little dog on an ice floe. Teresa, who by this point was representing me, saw the illustration on my blog and encouraged me to write Baltic's story.

And I did -- what might have remained only a visual interpretation of a single moment became a full-fledged story, with images and words combined in one of my favorite literary art forms: the picture book, my very own picture book.

And it all began when I attended that conference, met my agent, and had an "ah-ha!" moment.

As an author-illustrator, you come to children's books with a double barrel of talent. Could you describe your apprenticeship in each area, and how well (or not) your inner writer and artist play together? Likewise, as an librarian-author, how do your two identities inform one another? What about being a librarian has been a blessing to your writing? How do you manage to also carve out time to write and build a publishing career? What advice do you have for other writers trying to do the same?

How Monica checks for consistency and flow.

I am an author-illustrator, with a full-time job as a librarian at The Free Library of Philadelphia.

When I think of ideas for a picture book, I think in terms of images. That's how it starts, but once an idea begins to take form, I move into the realm of words.

As an illustrator it can be easy to fall in love with a drawing or a painting -- too easy, in fact. If an image does not advance the story, it will probably need to be altered or given up altogether, something that can be very difficult to do if you focus too much on the art.

At some point during the beginning stages of story development, I need to bring writing to the foreground. It's a matter of balance. Making sure my inner writer and artist “play nice” together can be challenging, but it makes the moments when they are in synch so much more gratifying.

I’m originally from Brazil and did my undergraduate studies in Rio de Janeiro, where I grew up. I studied visual arts for a year before changing majors to pursue a degree in English-Portuguese translation. I loved art school but didn’t think I had enough talent to get a job after graduation. I also loved words and language, so switching majors to translation seemed to make sense.

After getting married and moving to the United States, I went back to school and got a master’s degree in library science. But art always remained a part of my life, and whenever I could, I would take continuing education classes in drawing or painting. Then, in the spring of 2006, I took a class called “Children’s Book Illustration” and realized what I wanted to do.

Working full time does complicate things a bit – after all, there are only so many hours in the day – but being a librarian has really helped me to grow in my second career. The old advice that to become a writer or illustrator one must read, read, read is absolutely true.

Visit the Free Library.

Working in a library has helped me immerse myself in children’s literature and be aware of what's being published every year. I’m constantly borrowing books, reading reviews, checking publishers’ catalogs.

Writing and illustrating children’s books is, in a way, a natural extension of my day job. Finding the time to do both does require discipline and planning, and it can be very intense, especially when deadlines are looming.

For my first book, I used vacation time to work on the illustrations and stay on schedule. It’s not ideal and it’s not easy, and I’m still figuring it out. So, it’s a work in progress, but it’s been a great ride!

Blog Tour & Giveaway: Ellen's Broom by Kelly Starling Lyons & Daniel Minter

2012-01-05T08:00:00.009-06:00

Congratulations to Kelly Starling Lyons on the release of Ellen's Broom, illustrated by Daniel Minter (G.P. Putnam's Sons, 2012)!

Join Kelly on her blog tour, and comment on Kelly's blog, her facebook author page, or any of her blog stops for a chance to win a lovely wedding/anniversary broom courtesy of Stuart’s Creations and a signed poster of the Ellen’s Broom cover. Deadline: the morning of Jan. 16. Eligibility: U.S.

Kelly will launch the book in-person at Quail Ridge Books & Music at 3 p.m. Jan. 15 in Raleigh, North Carolina. "Along with the program, craft and signing, a couple of young crooners from the MLK All-Children’s Choir will sing. To top it all off, we’ll have a beautiful wedding cake designed by local baker extraordinaire, Yummy to Your Tummy Desserts by Andrea."

From Quail Ridge: "Can’t make it? To request a signed or personalized copy, call 828-1588 (locally) or 1-800-672-6789 or contact orders@quailridgebooks.com (at least 48 hours in advance for email) to check availability."

Celebrating Poetry: Kate Hosford on A Place of Wonder

2012-01-04T08:45:00.000-06:00

By Kate Hosford
for Cynsations

A couple years ago, my son came home from school and informed me that one of his teachers was “rusted from the inside”.

While another parent might have probed further into this state of affairs, I immediately lunged for my writing book and scribbled down the phrase.

“Rusted from the inside?”

That was too good to pass up.

As poets, we strive to see the world with childlike wonder. In his book, The Poetry Home Repair Manual: Practical Advice for Beginning Poets (University of Nebraska, 2005), 2004 poet laureate Ted Kooser says that poetry can result in a “re-freshening of the world.” He goes on to say, “it is the device through which the ordinary world is seen in a new way, engaging, compelling, even beautiful.”

This is true for all good poetry, whether it is meant for an adult audience or for younger readers.

So what happens to the potential poets on the road to adulthood? Why is it that so many of us struggle to perceive the world in a fresh way? Is it simply a function of getting older and more desensitized? Or is it more complicated than that?

In her book, Poemcrazy (Three Rivers Press, 1996), poet Susan Goldsmith Wooldridge says, “children naturally express things in a fresh way, until we teach them the right way.” She remembers waiting at the bus stop as a child and noticing a beautiful snowflake that fell on her mitten. When she showed it to another girl, that child began to mimic her, “Look at the pretty little snowflake!”

“I learned that day,” she says, “that there didn’t seem to be a place for a person describing a snowflake on a mitten. After that I was quiet about what I saw so I wouldn’t make a fool of myself. I learned to be quiet about beauty.”

As we get older, most of us learn to become quiet about beauty, or ugliness, or anything else that might reveal that we are observing our world carefully. By the time we are willing to go public with our observations, they may not be as fresh or original as once were.

It is the job of the poet to unlearn this quietness and return to a place of wonder.

In the upcoming months, I will be interviewing poets who are able to speak from this place. I will focus on poetry for young readers released in 2011-2012, and will also interview librarians and anthologists who are responsible for making sure that the poet’s words are heard.

I hope you will join me for conversations about craft, connecting with one’s audience, and the role of poetry in children’s publishing.

Cynsational Notes

Celebrating Poetry will be a series of posts by author Kate Hosford throughout 2012 at Cynsations.

From Carolrhoda Books: "Kate Hosford read constantly as a child, even reading through a school fire alarm at one point. She grew up in Waitsfield, Vermont, with lots of animals, including a miniature cow named Mini Moo. Kate attended Amherst College, and also spent a semester studying Buddhism in India.

"Kate has worked as an adoption and foster care worker, a teacher and an illustrator, before turning to writing full time. She has taught in New York, San Francisco, and Hong Kong."

She lives in Brooklyn and is a graduate of the M.F.A. program in Writing for Children and Young Adults at Vermont College of Fine Arts.

Walter Dean Myers Named New National Ambassador for Young People's Literature

2012-01-04T08:31:00.000-06:00

Walter Dean Myers is the New National Ambassador for Young People's Literature from the Library of Congress. Peek: "...created to raise national awareness of the importance of young people’s literature as it relates to lifelong literacy, education and the development and betterment of the lives of young people."

Cynsational Notes

SLJ Exclusive Interview: Walter Dean Myers, the New National Ambassador for Young People's Literature by Debra Lau Whelan from School Library Journal. Peek: "I would like to continue my work in juvenile detention centers. If I could, with the help of Jon and Katherine and the legion of other writers out there, convince America that I was very much like the kids in the juvy prisons, and that I was truly saved by reading and by books, I feel I could change the country."

Children's Book Envoy Defines His Mission by Julie Bosman from The New York Times. Peek: "As an African-American man who dropped out of high school but built a successful writing career — largely because of his lifelong devotion to books — Mr. Myers said his message would be etched by his own experiences."

In the video below, Walter Dean Myers reads a selection from We Are America: A Tribute from the Heart, illustrated by Christopher Myers (HarperCollins, 2011).

Father-son team Walter Dean Myers and Christopher Myers discuss their latest book, We Are America: A Tribute From the Heart.

Video: Holly Cupala on Don't Breathe a Word

2012-01-03T19:12:00.000-06:00

Congratulations to Holly Cupala on the release of Don't Breathe a Word (HarperTeen, 2012)! From the promotional copy:

Joy Delamere is suffocating...

From asthma, which has nearly claimed her life. From her parents, who will do anything to keep that from happening. From delectably dangerous Asher, who is smothering her from the inside out.

Joy can take his words—tender words, cruel words—until the night they go too far.

Now, Joy will leave everything behind to find the one who has offered his help, a homeless boy called Creed. She will become someone else. She will learn to survive. She will breathe…if only she can get to Creed before it’s too late.

Set against the gritty backdrop of Seattle’s streets and a cast of characters with secrets of their own, Holly Cupala’s powerful new novel explores the subtleties of abuse, the meaning of love, and how far a girl will go to discover her own strength.

Check out Holly's virtual party--with giveaways, blog tour, graphic adaptation, and more!

New Voice: K.M. Walton on Cracked

2012-01-03T08:50:00.001-06:00

By Cynthia Leitich Smith
for Cynsations

K. M. Walton is the first-time author of Cracked (Simon Pulse, 2012)(author blog). From the promotional copy:

Victor hates his life. He's relentlessly bullied at school and his parents ridicule him for not being perfect. He's tired of being weak, so he takes a bottle of his mother's sleeping pills -- only to wake up in the hospital.

Bull is angry, and takes all of his rage out on Victor. He's the opposite of weak. And he's tired of his grandfather's drunken beatings, so he tries to defend himself with a loaded gun.

When Victor and Bull end up as roommates in the same psych ward, things go from bad to worse. Until they discover they just might have something in common: a reason to live.

In writing your story, did you ever find yourself concerned with how to best approach "edgy" behavior on the part of your characters? If so, what were your thoughts, and what did you conclude? Why do you think your decision was the right one?

Not until I read The Absolutely True Story of a Part Time Indian by Sherman Alexie (Little, Brown, 2007) did I realize that young adult fiction could be so real. Or so raw. I was blown away by that book and how authentically the main character was written.

Then I read Going Bovine by Libba Bray (Delacorte Books (2009) and Looking for Alaska by John Green (Dutton Books, 2005) in succession and experienced not only severe writer envy, but also an overwhelming desire to try my hand at contemporary YA. Up to that point I’d only written middle grade suspense manuscripts.

The perfect storm occurred in my hotel room while attending my second SCBWI Winter Conference in NYC:

I had those three amazing books rattling around inside my head throughout the conference.
I heard one of the speakers talk about books written from alternating perspectives.
Libba Bray gave her keynote, in which she repeatedly told the room full of writers to ask themselves “Is it true yet?

KM Walton in 1985

Lighting struck.

A bully and his victim rushed into my head, and I rushed back to my hotel room and got a T-chart going. I brainstormed a list of character details and plot points. Cracked was born.

I wrote Cracked with abandon—the two main characters demanded it. Victor and Bull became living breathing human beings with important stories to tell--painful and sometimes raw stories--but important nonetheless.

I never put a swear word or an edgy scene in for sensationalistic purposes. If it’s in there, it’s because it needs to be.

I wanted it to be true.

As a contemporary fiction writer, how did you find the voice of your first person protagonist? Did you do character exercises? Did you make an effort to listen to how young people talk? Did you simply free your inner kid or adolescent? And, if it seemed to come by magic, how would you suggest others tap into that power in their own writing?

Once I have my “big picture” plot points reasoned out in my head, I move onto character development. My characters start out as bullet-pointed lists. Personality traits, quirks, physical descriptions all get brainstormed into a sloppy, handwritten inventory. However, I don’t intimately know my characters until revisions. The questioning, revisiting and fine tuning of revisions are when their human nuances surface. That’s when they come alive for me as their creator.

During revisions I’ll find myself asking, “Would he really say that?”

Libba Bray’s directive to ask yourself “Is it true yet?” always sits on my shoulder as I revise.

I support my answer to Libba’s question by asking myself a few pointed questions:

Based on who this character is and what they’re going through in the novel, would he/she truly have the voice I created?
Am “I” coming through at all in the character’s voice?

I am a huge fan of writers that disappear from their writing and let the characters take front and center. Nothing throws me out of story more than when characters break character.

I believe the best way to create an authentic character’s voice is to have confidence in your characters—let them be themselves. Let them act, think, do and feel exactly how they would if they were standing right in front of you.

How did you go about connecting with your agent? What was your search process like? Who did you decide to sign with? What about that person and/or agency seemed like the best fit for you? What advice do you have for other writers in seeking the right agent for them?

Do you have an hour or so? Kidding.

I queried for nearly two-and-a-half years, racked up 148 rejections on three different novels and officially gave up one day. Then a funny thing happened the next day – Ms. Sarah LaPolla from Curtis Brown Ltd. requested the full of Cracked. And the rest, as they say, is history.

KM Walton

But let me back up just a little bit here, to the “querying for 2.4 years part”. I’d like to share what that looked like for me. I lived on querytracker.net and absolutewrite.com, scouring for information, anything that could help me break through. I put my query letters on a few key places for proper public floggings, and despite the black eyes I sustained, my query letters got better and better and better.

But the most important thing I did while querying was to continue writing. During my query period I wrote four more novels. Cracked was the third, and I knew it was the one that would land me my agent. With each new novel, my craft improved. So keep writing, a lot.

Lastly, to writers doing everything in their power to land their agent: Do Note Give Up!

The power is in your hands to research and query and write and revise and query some more.

It’s always about the work and the writing. Get out there, get your work out there, get feedback, become a better writer, learn about the craft of writing, try new techniques in your own stories, read everything you can in the genre in which you write, build your own buzz, join groups, visit every site you can and make comments. You can do it.

Believe it will happen. Envision it happening. Make it happen.

Cynsational Notes

Read an excerpt of chapter one from Simon & Schuster.

Apocalypsies Button

Your Mindset and Critique by K.M. Walton from The Apocalypsies.

Live Action Book Trailer Contest for Film-making Enthusiasts from K.M. Walton (click flyer on the bulletin board). Prizes include $500 cash and personal film critiques by top industry professionals. Deadline: Jan. 17.

Follow K.M. on her online book tour. See also K.M.'s site for teacher guides (click teacher drawer), excerpts (click pile of books), and writer resources (click trashcan under desk).

Check out Cracked at Goodreads and Cracked at Facebook.

Of the video below, K.M. says: "This bit of fun is dedicated to unpublished writers everywhere refusing to abandon their dream."

New Voice: Sarah Tregay on Love and Leftovers

2012-01-02T08:43:00.003-06:00

By Cynthia Leitich Smith
for Cynsations

Sarah Tregay is the first-time author of Love and Leftovers (Katherine Tegen/HarperCollins, 2012). From the promotional copy:

My wish
is to fall
cranium over Converse
in dizzy, daydream-worthy
love.

When her parents split, Marcie is dragged from Idaho to a family summerhouse in New Hampshire. She leaves behind her friends, a group of freaks and geeks called the Leftovers, including her emo-rocker boyfriend, and her father.

By the time Labor Day rolls around, Marcie suspects this "vacation" has become permanent. She starts at a new school where a cute boy brings her breakfast and a new romance heats up.

But understanding love, especially when you've watched your parents' affections end, is elusive. What does it feel like, really? Can you even know it until you've lost it?

Love and Leftovers is a beautifully written story of one girl’s journey navigating family, friends, and love, and a compelling and sexy read that teens will gobble up whole.

In writing your story, did you ever find yourself concerned with how to best approach "edgy" behavior on the part of your characters? If so, what were your thoughts, and what did you conclude? Why do you think your decision was the right one?

When I started Love and Leftovers, I set out with the goal of writing about a main character who makes a big mistake. I had just finished reading several books where the main character’s friends had wronged them, and I wanted to reverse that.

Because of this premise, I was concerned with what readers would think and if they’d find such a character likable. So I spent a lot of time thinking about Marcie’s not-so-great behavior and when it would occur—if she jumped in too soon she’d appear insincere, and if it took two hundred poems to happen, well, that’d be a dull read.

But it wasn’t just timing, I felt like I had to set Marcie up in such a way that what she does seems like the next logical step—even if it’s a step in the wrong direction. I took her away from her friends, made her question her relationships, and then gave her a temptation she couldn’t walk away from.

Then, when the moment comes, I used the verse format to my advantage. It’s sparse, sexy and funny, without too many “edgy” details.

I think that my decisions were the right ones for my book. With the right timing and the right set-up, I felt that my main character could slip up and fall hard, as long as there was a little humor in there too. As for how many details to include, I put in what felt right for my story.

If I were to put Love and Leftovers on a novels-in-verse scale of sweet vs. edgy, I’d put it on the Sonya Sones and Lisa Schroeder sweet side, and not on the Ellen Hopkins edgy side—and I love reading Ellen’s books—but what feels right in her novels wouldn’t be right for mine.

As a poet, how did you achieve this level in your craft? What advice do you have for beginner poets interested in writing for young readers?

My approach to poetry is intuitive, rather than something I studied in college. (My MFA is in design, not writing.) That said, I’m happy to share a bit about how I write.

In addition to the interior details of the poem—word choice, metaphor, turns-of-phrase, etc.— I pay close attention to the visual and auditory components.

I am a graphic designer by training, and I organize typography on a daily basis. This ties in amazingly well with the visual aspect of poetry.

Unlike prose, poetry has white space (think paper). Line length, line breaks, indents, and hard returns all play a part in how a poem looks on the page. Careful choices about white space can add structure to the poem, aid reader comprehension, and add meaning.

I feel that poetry literally has a voice—the type with pitch and cadence. I read my writing out loud and make adjustments because of the way it sounds. For example, an angry poem will sound grating, and a contemplative one will sound hesitant.

Occasionally, this technique has gotten me into grammatical trouble, but my editor was kind enough to point these moments out to me.

So my advice to poets is to take a minute to both look at and listen to your poetry. And if you are going to publish your poems or novel in verse, be prepared to make a few tweaks after the designer has typeset your book—the pages are a different size and the poems look very different than they do in Word.

Happy New Year

2012-01-01T08:23:00.003-06:00