Cynthia Leitich Smith's Blog, page 129

In Memory: Frances Foster

Children's book editor Frances Foster with author Barbara O'ConnorCompiled by Cynthia Leitich Smith for Cynsations

Obituary: Frances Foster by Shannon Maughan from Publishers Weekly. Peek: "Editor Frances Foster, whose celebrated tutelage of numerous award-winning authors and illustrators earned her placement in the top echelon of children’s book industry luminaries, died on Sunday, June 8. She was 83. Farrar, Straus and Giroux, where Foster led her eponymous imprint beginning in 1995...."

Belo...

Cynsational News & Giveaways

Compiled by Cynthia Leitich Smith
for Cynsations

Congratulations to Kathi Appelt on the release of Mogie: The Heart of the House, illustrated by Marc Rosenthal (Atheneum, 2014). From the promotional copy:

Mogie is a real-life Labradoodle with a special talent: he always knows just what a sick kid needs! Get to know this passionate pup with this story by a Newbery Honoree.

Give that dog a puddle and he’d splash. Give him a whistle and he’d roll over. Give him a rule and he’d break it.

One day a pas...

Guest Post: Helen Ketteman on Making Picture Books Sing

By Helen Ketteman
for Cynthia Leitich Smith's Cynsations

Are you aware that books can sing?

I learned this in the second grade when an aunt gave me a copy of Rudyard Kipling’s Just So Stories. That book sang to me–it was magic! Those musical words drew me back to read those stories over and over.

Growing up in the south, I did a lot of listening.

I listened to the way people talked and told stories. Their words were full of rhythm and music. In my picture books, I work to make my language sing, pa...

New Voice: Adriana Brad Schanen on Quinny & Hopper

By Cynthia Leitich Smith
for Cynsations

Adriana Brad Schanen is the first-time author of Quinny & Hopper (Hyperion, 2014). From the promotional copy:

Quinny and Hopper couldn’t be more different. They’re an unstoppable team. But when summer ends, things suddenly aren’t the same. 

Can Quinny and Hopper stick together in the face of stylish bullies, a killer chicken, and those brand new Third Grade Rules – especially the one that says they aren’t allowed to be friends anymore?

What inspire...

Author Interview & Giveaway: Greg Leitich Smith on Writing Realistic vs. Speculative Fiction

Greg at HogwartsBy Cynthia Leitich Smith
for Cynsations

Congratulations on the release of my favorite of your books, Little Green Men at the Mercury Inn (Roaring Brook, 2014)! What was your initial inspiration for the novel?

Broadly speaking, I drew on my childhood experiences of summer vacations in Florida.

When I was a kid, my parents packed themselves and my brother and me up into the station wagon and we'd drive to Cocoa Beach, where my parents' best friends (and their adult children) owned a...

New Voice: Maria E. Andreu on The Secret Side of Empty

Resources (Discussion Guide)By Cynthia Leitich Smith
for Cynsations

Maria E. Andreu is the first-time author of The Secret Side of Empty (Running Press, 2014). From the promotional copy:

As a straight-A student with a budding romance and loyal best friend, M.T.'s life seems as apple-pie American as her blondish hair and pale skin. But M.T. hides two facts to the contrary: her full name of Monserrat Thalia and her status as an undocumented immigrant.

With senior year of high school kicking into f...

Event Report: Bethany Hegedus & Grandfather Gandhi

By Cynthia Leitich Smith
for Cynsations

What a thrill it was yesterday to attend author Bethany Hegedus's launch of Grandfather Gandhi, co-authored by Arun Gandhi, illustrated by Evan Turk (Atheneum, 2014) at BookPeople in Austin!

Take a look at how reading, art, music, and yes, cake came together to make it such a success!

Live music both before and after the presentation.
Henna tattoo table.
Henna tattoo.
An array of both healthy and sweet refreshments.
Modeling Grandfather Gandhi with Bethany.
Cak...

Guest Author Snapshot: D.J. MacHale

D.J. with Casey; follow @DJMacHaleBy Laini Bostian (and Omar Elbulok)
for Cynthia Leitich Smith's Cynsations

Librarian Laini Bostian blogs at The Made Up Librarian. 

This winter, Omar Elbulok, one of my library’s teen advisors, and I had the pleasure of talking with author D.J. MacHale. He challenged us to ask him something he had never been asked. 

We enjoyed our Skype/telephone visit, and we definitely learned more about him.

On Teen Voice

D.J. said he didn't try too hard to make his c...

Cynsational News & Giveaways

Compiled by Cynthia Leitich Smith for Cynsations

Illustrator April Chu Takes Us Behind the Art of Summoning the Phoenix from Lee & Low. Peek: "...gives readers an inside look into centuries-old Chinese musical instruments and the more recently formed modern Chinese Orchestra."

Anti-heroes: Why Devious is So Delectable, and Where Are All the Women? by Heather Webb from Writer Unboxed. Peek: "I skimmed my books, looking for these dark characters and after I had gathered a few, I analyzed what...

Guest Post: Karen Rock on Happily-Ever-(NOT): Writing Unforgettable Endings

Get to Know Karen Rock!By Karen Rock
for Cynthia Leitich Smith's Cynsations
Warning: some spoilers for model books.

Many jobs entail courage and risk. Writing is one of them. Creating unforgettable endings that are not ‘Happily-Ever-After’ may be one of the bravest and most honest things an author can do.

Sure, it might mean opening your P.O. Box with one-eye shut, bracing yourself for penned diatribes. Some fans may chastise you for leaving out the rainbow-unicorn finish.

Brace yourself. The con...