Cynthia Leitich Smith's Blog, page 137

Laney Nielson Wins Austin SCBWI Cynthia Leitich Smith Writing Mentor Award

Laney NielsonBy Samantha Clark of Austin SCBWI
for Cynthia Leitich Smith's Cynsations

Congratulations to Laney Nielson, who won a year's mentorship with the inaugural Cynthia Leitich Smith Writing Mentor Award, at the Austin SCBWI 2014 Writers & Illustrators Working Conference last month.

Laney was one of eight nominees chosen by the conference's critiquing faculty for their high-level writing. She wins a year's mentorship, this year with Cynthia herself.

"Laney's manuscript, 'Shattered,' was...

Guest Post: Lorie Ann Grover on Gendercide & Firstborn

By Lorie Ann Grover
for Cynthia Leitich Smith's Cynsations

37 million girls missing…in China alone, due to the One Child Policy.

The United Nations estimates 200 million girls are missing worldwide.

What is this systematic killing of girls called?

Gendercide.

Reading these statistics I was appalled. How could this be happening today?

"It’s a Girl" movie, now on Instant View on Netflix, made the atrocity even clearer.

How can we turn away from the woman who says she killed eight daughters while waitin...

New Voice: Varsha Bajaj on Abby Spencer Goes to Bollywood

Discussion GuideBy Cynthia Leitich Smith
for Cynsations

Varsha Bajaj is the debut novelist behind Abby Spencer Goes to Bollywood (Albert Whitman, 2014). From the promotional copy:

What thirteen-year-old Abby wants most is to meet her father. She just never imagined he would be a huge film star—in Bollywood! 

Now she's traveling to Mumbai to get to know her famous father. 

Abby is overwhelmed by the culture clash, the pressures of being the daughter of India's most famous celebrity, and...

Cynsational News

Compiled by Cynthia Leitich Smith
for Cynsations

Judge My Books by Tiffany Trent from Diversity in YA. Peek: "I was so proud of my publisher for going the extra mile to get it right. And yet people were saying that they got it wrong! Some even accused them of pandering to diversity pundits just to get more attention. That could not have been further from the truth."

Considering Common Themes in Middle Grade Books by Joseph McGee from Project Mayhem. Peek: "While we should never resort to becomi...

Guest Post: Todd Strasser on Water Seeks Its Own Level: Finding the Right Agent

By Todd Strasser
for Cynthia Leitich Smith's Cynsations

A number of years ago Twentieth Century Fox went into production on a script based on my novel, How I Created My Perfect Prom Date (Simon Pulse).

This, as I’m sure you can imagine, was pretty exciting stuff, and, I imagined hopefully, possibly even an opportunity to improve my visibility among the Hollywood decision makers of the day.

My agent at that time was a nice enough fellow, but he worked at a small agency, which, though well-regarded...

New Voice: Peggy Eddleman on Sky Jumpers

Educator GuideBy Cynthia Leitich Smith
for Cynsations

Peggy Eddleman is the first-time author of Sky Jumpers (Random House, 2013). From the promotional copy:

Twelve-year-old Hope lives in White Rock, a town of inventors struggling to recover from the green bombs of World War III. 

But Hope is terrible at inventing and would much rather sneak off to cliff dive into the Bomb’s Breath—the deadly band of compressed air that covers the crater left by the bombs—than fail at yet another invention. ...

Free E-Copies of "Haunted Love" & "Cat Calls" -- Tantalize for Only $1.99

Free! Consider it a gift!By Cynthia Leitich Smith
for Cynsations

Hey, e-book readers!

You can snag free copies of two of my short stories, "Haunted Love" and "Cat Calls," from E-volt & a copy of Tantalize (Book 1 in the Tantalize series) for only $1.99 through 2/28.

Visit this link to download! Expires midnight EST 2/28/14.

Note: the short stories are set in the Tantalize & Feral series universe (and all are from Candlewick Press)! The shorts introduce new characters, except for Granny...

Guest Post: Sherry Shahan on Skin and Bones

By Sherry Shahan
for Cynthia Leitich Smith's Cynsations

Years ago I wrote a quirky short story about teens in an Eating Disorders Unit of a metropolitan hospital.

Sort of “One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest” meets “Love Story.” Then titled “Iris and Jim,” it sold to a major literary journal. Later, a London publisher included “Iris and Jim” in their YA anthology, and after that it appeared in their Best Of collection.

In total “Iris and Jim” has appeared eight times worldwide.

My agent kept encouragi...

New Voice: Gayle Rosengren on What the Moon Said

Discussion QuestionsBy Cynthia Leitich Smith
for Cynsations

Gayle Rosengren is the first-time author of What the Moon Said (Putnam, 2014). From the promotional copy:

Thanks to her superstitious mother, Esther knows some tricks for avoiding bad luck: toss salt over your left shoulder, never button your shirt crooked, and avoid black cats. 

But even luck can't keep her family safe from the Great Depression. When Pa loses his job, Esther's family leaves their comfy Chicago life behind for a fa...

Event Report: Nikki Loftin's Launch for Nightingale's Nest

Compiled by Cynthia Leitich Smith
for Cynsations

Weekend highlights included Nikki Loftin's launch party for Nightingale's Nest (Razorbill, 2014) at BookPeople in Austin, followed by a reception at The Writing Barn.

Greg Leitich Smith, Nikki & me Celebratory cake for Nightingale's Nest Lindsey Lane & Nikki Sean Petrie & me Bethany Hegedus & Greg Kayla Olson & Shelli Cornelison Samantha Clark, Sara Kocek, Bethany & special guest book model Carmen Oliver & Brian Anderson H. Sc...