Cynthia Leitich Smith's Blog, page 53

Guest Post: Susan Kralovansky on Transitioning from Librarian to Children's Book Author

Susan Kralovansky at a school visit. By Susan Kralovansky
for Cynthia Leitich Smith's Cynsations

I love books. I love the smell of new books, the brittle pages of old books, and I love collecting the books of my favorite authors.

As a child, I spent all my free time at the public library. In fact, I spent so much time there that I gave myself the job of Children’s Room Library Assistant, complete with my own desk and cardboard nameplate.

As a school librarian, I told my students that I had t...

New Voices: Laura Creedle & Lucia DiStefano, Debut YA Book Award Winners

Laura Creedle and Lucia DiStefanoBy Gayleen Rabakukk
for Cynthia Leitich Smith's Cynsations

In June, Laura Creedle's debut novel, The Love Letters of Abelard and Lily (Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 2017) won the Writers' League of Texas Book Award in the Middle Grade/Young Adult Category.

Lucia DiStefano's debut novel, Borrowed (Elephant Rock Books, 2018), won the Helen Sheehan YA Book Prize.

Both Laura and Lucia tried the traditional route of querying agents, but ultimately ente...

Survivors: Dian Curtis Regan on Thriving as a Long-Time, Actively Publishing Children's-YA Author

Learn more about Dian Curtis Regan.By Cynthia Leitich Smith
for Cynsations

In children’s-YA writing, maintaining an active publishing career is arguably an even bigger challenge than breaking into the field.

Reflecting on your personal journey (creatively, career-wise, and your writer’s heart), what bumps did you encounter and how have you managed to defy the odds to achieve continued success?

I sold my first novel on my 35th birthday. I was in a library, meeting with my writers' group. One mem...

Cynsational News

By Cynthia Leitich Smith
Robin Galbraith, Gayleen Rabukukk, and Stephani Eaton
for Cynsations

Diversity & Inclusion

#readblack: What Would You Include If Someone Asked For A Quick List of Recent Titles Starring Black Kids? By Elizabeth Bird from A Fuse #8 Production. Peek:

“Recently an after-school program in Evanston told me that they had $325 to spend on books and that they really wanted titles for kids with black protagonists. What would I recommend?”

Love...

Interview: Joseph Bruchac on Telling Stories and Two Roads

By Traci Sorell
for Cynthia Leitich Smith's Cynsations

I’m delighted to feature the prolific, award-winning poet and author Joseph Bruchac and his latest middle grade novel, Two Roads (Dial, 2018) on Cynsations.

From the promotional copy:

It’s 1932, and twelve-year-old Cal Black and his Pop have been riding the rails for years after losing their farm in the Great Depression. 

Cal likes being a “knight of the road” with Pop, even if they’re broke. But then Pop has to go to Washington, D.C...

L is for Legacy: Penny Candy Books & The Posthumous Publication of Sydell Rosenberg's H is for Haiku

Sydell Rosenberg and Amy LosakBy Gayleen Rabakukk
for Cynthia Leitich Smith's Cynsations

Today we're chatting with Amy Losak, Chad Reynolds and Alexis Orgera about Penny Candy Books and the posthumous publication of Amy's mother's poetry as a picture book, H is for Haiku: A Treasury of Haiku from A to Z by Sydell Rosenberg, illustrated by Sawsan Chalabi (Penny Candy Books, 2018).

From the jacket copy:

Inspired by her experiences living in New York City, Sydell Rosenberg's haiku invite children an...

Survivors: Leslie Helakoski on Thriving as a Long-Time, Actively Publishing Children's Author-Illustrator

Learn more about Leslie Helakoski; pictured here at the ALA Conference.By Cynthia Leitich Smith
for Cynsations

In children’s-YA writing, maintaining an active publishing career is arguably an even bigger challenge than breaking into the field.

Reflecting on your personal journey (creatively, career-wise, and your writer’s heart), what bumps did you encounter and how have you managed to defy the odds to achieve continued success? 

Initially, I planned to both write and illustrate childr...

Cynsational News

By Cynthia Leitich Smith
Robin Galbraith, Gayleen Rabukukk, and Stephani Eaton
for Cynsations

Diversity

We Are Unbroken: YA Authors Get Honest About Disability by Marieke Nijkamp from Children’s Book Council. Peek:

“In the new YA anthology Unbroken, #1 New York Times–bestselling author Marieke Nijkamp teams up with fellow disabled authors to create a collection of fictional stories that dispatch with the tired, broken stereotypes—and reclaim narratives and identities.”

#Own Voic...

New Voices/New Visions: Author-Illustrators Elizabeth Lilly & Shanda McCloskey Share Their Artistic Journeys

Author-illustrators Elizabeth Lilly and Shanda McCloskeyBy Traci Sorell
for Cynthia Leitich Smith's Cynsations

Today we welcome two of my fellow Epic Eighteen creators, Elizabeth Lilly, author-illustrator of Geraldine (Roaring Brook, 2018) and Shanda McCloskey, author-illustrator of Doll-E 1.0 (Little, Brown, May 2018).

Both Shanda and Elizabeth devoted time and effort to developing their skills before landing their first book contracts.

Elizabeth Lilly

Geraldine, from the promotional copy:

No, no,...

Guest Post: Erin Cashman on The Role of Research in Writing Fantasy

Learn more about Erin CashmanBy Erin Cashman
for Cynthia Leitich Smith's Cynsations

Recently, someone commented to me that writing fantasy must be easy, since I can just make up what I need to fit my plot.

I wish! As Lloyd Alexander said,

“Once committed to his imaginary kingdom, the writer is not a monarch but a subject.” 

To me, world building is both the hardest and the most wonderful part of writing fantasy. But what may surprise some people, is that I, like most fantasy writers I know, d...