Cynthia Leitich Smith's Blog, page 122

New Voice: Tracy Holczer on The Secret Hum of a Daisy

Teacher's Guide & ExcerptBy Cynthia Leitich Smith
for Cynsations

Tracy Holczer is the first-time author of The Secret Hum of a Daisy (Putnam, 2014). From the promotional copy:

Twelve-year-old Grace and her mother have always been their own family, traveling from place to place like gypsies. But Grace wants to finally have a home all their own. She thinks she's found it with Mrs. Greene and her daughter Lacey, so when her mother says it's time to move on again, Grace summons the courage to te...

Giveaway: 10th Anniversary of Cynsations

Speaking at KidlitCon 2013By Cynthia Leitich Smith
for Cynsations

Today marks the 10th Anniversary of Cynsations!

The blog launched on Nov. 12, 2004; and featured children's author Chris Barton, talking about consolidation and marketing.

There was no introductory post and no images--until Blogger introduced that option.

Thanks so much to each of you for reading and sharing your thoughts!

This is a condensed excerpt from a keynote I delivered at the 2013 KidLitCon in Austin:

I embraced the earliest...

Guest Post: Deanna Roy on Getting By As A Writer With A Little Help From Your Friends

Kindergarten author talkBy Deanna Roy
for Cynthia Leitich Smith's Cynsations

There are a lot of lonely jobs out there. Night security. Toll booths.

I once worked at a huge event arena, where my sole job was watching a panel of red lights in case one light up.

When I first became a full-time writer, it seemed like a dream.

No more pesky day job! No more distractions! I could write all day.

Then reality hit.

I was by myself, in my house, and expected to create fascinating people, colorful locales, and...

Author-Illustrator Interview: Lita Judge on Born in the Wild: Baby Mammals and Their Parents

By Cynthia Leitich Smith
for Cynsations

From the promotional copy of Born To Be Wild: Baby Mammals and Their Parents by Lita Judge (Roaring Brook, 2014):

What do grizzly bear cubs eat? Where do baby raccoons sleep? And how does a baby otter learn to swim? 

Every baby mammal, from a tiny harvest mouse "pinky" to a fierce lion cub, needs food, shelter, love, and a family.

Filled with illustrations of some of the most adorable babies in the kingdom, this awww-inspiring book looks at the traits...

Cynsational News & Giveaways

By Cynthia Leitich Smith
for Cynsations

Why Picture Books Are Important by Kelly Bingham from Picture Book Month. Peek: "Picture books teach us – young and old alike – lessons about ourselves, our world, our feelings, our realities." See also Chris Barton on Why Picture Books Are Important.

You're Such a Character by Jael McHenry from Writer Unboxed. Peek: "Even if you do want to tell your readers all about your life, they’re not likely to be interested. You’re going to be selecting details rega...

Guest Post & Giveaway: Kimberley Griffiths Little on Making the Switch: from MG to YA, YA to MG & Back Again

By Kimberley Griffiths Little
for Cynthia Leitich Smith's Cynsations

Over the last decade I’ve published seven middle-grade novels with Random House and Scholastic, focusing my last four titles on contemporary magical realism stories set in the bayous and swamps of Louisiana with page-turning plots and a lot of heart and family issues.

But I also write young adult and always have. I’ve just never published one—until now.

It’s funny because as promotion and publicity has been ramping up for the la...

Guest Post: Lindsey Lane on How a Picture Book Author-Playwright-Journalist Became a YA Author

By Lindsey Lane
for Cynthia Leitich Smith's Cynsations

It’s opening night. I am sitting in the audience at the debut of a play I had written.

I remember thinking as I watched, “This is as much as I know right now.” It wasn’t a negative thought. I simply knew that this play was the culmination of everything I knew up to that moment.

The next play I wrote would be the sum of more knowledge. I knew that I would learn from each attempt. I knew I would grow every time I came to the page.

And I did.

The...

Guest Post: Jane Sutcliffe on The White House is Burning & Bridging a Two-Century Gap

By Jane Sutcliffe
for Cynthia Leitich Smith's Cynsations

The seed of The White House is Burning: August 24, 1814 (Charlesbridge, 2014) was planted on 9/11.

Sometime during that day, as we all tried to get a handle on what had happened, a TV reporter compared the terrorist attacks with other national tragedies like Pearl Harbor.

The burning of Washington was on the list, too, and right away I was intrigued.

I remembered from some long-ago history class that the British had burned Washington, but th...

Guest Post & Giveaway: Shirley Parenteau on Ship of Dolls

By Shirley Parenteau
for Cynthia Leitich Smith's Cynsations

This picture of my then three-year-old granddaughter Michelle inadvertently sparked the idea for Ship of Dolls (Candlewick, 2014) and a forthcoming sequel, Dolls of Hope.

My son and daughter-in-law had taken Michelle to visit her maternal grandparents in Japan in time for the traditional girl’s day festival of Hintamatsuri.


I’d just begun writing a series of picture books for Candlewick Press. Michelle’s blend of formal Japanese kimono...

Event Report: Texas Book Festival

By Cynthia Leitich Smith
for Cynsations

About The Texas Book Festival: "...celebrates authors and their contributions to the culture of literacy, ideas, and imagination."

Author Michelle Knudsen and moderator Sean Petrie in the green room. TBF committee member Carmen Oliver and moderator Anne Bustard in the green room. Tim Tingle, Diane Gonzales Bertrand, Jacqueline Woodson, Pat Mora, Andrea Davis Pinkney and Don Tate With author Kelly Bennett in the Writers' League of Texas booth With authors Greg...