Cynthia Leitich Smith's Blog, page 133

The Perks & Perils of Author Panels

With Jonathan Mayberry, Adam Gidwitz, Marie Lu, Jennifer Ziegler & Fred PerryBy Cynthia Leitich Smith
for Cynsations

At conference and festival panels around the globe, children’s-YA authors share our thoughts about the writing process, the writer’s life, the creative journey, book marketing and connecting with our readers.

It’s a wonderful opportunity to gain insight into favorite voices, discover new ones, find inspiration and educate ourselves about craft and the business of publishing.

F...

Book Trailer: Hope Is a Ferris Wheel by Robin Herrera

Compiled by Cynthia Leitich Smith
for Cynsations

Check out the book trailer for Hope is a Ferris Wheel by Robin Herrera (Abrams, 2014). From the promotional copy:

Ten-year-old Star Mackie lives in a trailer park with her flaky mom and her melancholy older sister, Winter, whom Star idolizes.

Moving to a new town has made it difficult for Star to make friends, when her classmates tease her because of where she lives and because of her layered blue hair. But when Star starts a poetry club, she deve...

We Need Diverse Books Campaign

Shared by Cynthia Leitich Smith
for Cynsations


Join in this three-day campaign to raise awareness of the need for diversity in children's-YA literature.

Cynsational News & Giveaways

Compiled by Cynthia Leitich Smith
for Cynsations

Check out the cover for Invisible by Dawn Metcalf (Harlequin Teen, 2014). From the promotional copy:

Some things lie beneath the surface.

Invisible.

With the power to change everything.

Joy Malone wants it all—power, freedom and the boyfriend who loves her. Yet when an unstoppable assassin is hired to kill her, Joy learns that being the girl with the Sight comes with a price that might be too high to pay. 

Love will be tested, lives will be thre...

New Voice: Yvonne Ventresca on Pandemic

By Cynthia Leitich Smith
for Cynsations

Yvonne Ventresca is the first-time author of Pandemic (Sky Pony, 2014)(blog). From the promotional copy:

Only a few people know what caused Lilianna Snyder's sudden change from a model student to a withdrawn pessimist who worries about all kinds of disasters. 

When people begin coming down with a quick-spreading illness that doctors are unable to treat, Lil’s worst fears are realized. 

With her parents called away on business before the conta...

Book Trailer: Don't Call Me Baby! by Gwendolyn Heasley

Compiled by Cynthia Leitich Smith
for Cynsations

Check out the book trailer for Don't Call Me Baby! by Gwendolyn Heasley (HarperTeen, 2014). From the promotional copy:

All my life, I've been known as the girl on that blog.

Do you know what it's like for everyone to think they know you because of what they read on some stupid website? My mother has been writing an incredibly popular, and incredibly embarrassing, blog about me since before I was born. The thing is, I'm fifteen now, and she is sti...

Guest Post: Guadalupe Garcia McCall on Writing & Teaching Poetry

Cynthia and Guadalupe at Texas Book FestivalBy Guadalupe Garcia McCall
for Cynthia Leitich Smith's Cynsations

I love poetry, but not like other people love poetry. No.

I mean, I love poetry.

But it's not that I just love it, I think I actually need it. Just as nourishment, and sunlight, and oxygen sustain me—Poetry sustains me. Just as religion, and family, and nature center me—Poetry centers me. Just as writing, and reading, and teaching fulfill me—Poetry fulfills me.

One of my favorite things t...

Guest Post: Author-Editor Deborah Halverson on Setting, Wherefore Art Thou?

By Deborah Halverson
for Cynthia Leitich Smith's Cynsations

When Cynthia graciously invited me to write a guest post for her blog, she asked if there was a particular writing craft item on my mind. Indeed, there is. And its color is blue.

Blue screen, that is. The kind they use in movie making when they film actors against a blank blue screen and then Cg in the background.

During a blue-screen shoot, the cameras capture the characters delivering their dialogue and action, but they don’t capture...

Cynsational News & Giveaway

Compiled by Cynthia Leitich Smith
for Cynsations

Christian Slater, Annie Hall, Rejection, and Me (Not Necessarily in That Order) by Shawn K. Stout from the Writing Barn. Peek: "That feeling, right there. Do you know the one? That crushing ache? The one right there in the middle of my chest that tells me in that moment I’m unloved by the universe? That’s what rejection feels like to me. Every. Single. Time."

A Logic Model for Author Success by Sharon Bially from Writer Unboxed. Peek: "Called the...

readergirlz: Support Teen Literature Day & "Rock the Drop"

By Melissa Walker of readergirlz
for Cynthia Leitich Smith's Cynsations

In conjunction with Support Teen Literature Day, top young adult authors, editors, teen lit advocates, and readers will “Rock the Drop” by leaving their books in public places for new readers to discover and enjoy.

In recognition of the readergirlz’s seventh birthday of promoting literacy and a love of reading among young women, our fans and followers are also encouraged to donate YA books (or time, or even monetary contrib...