Cynthia Leitich Smith's Blog, page 67

New Voice: Caroline Leech on Wait for Me

By Gayleen Rabakukk
for Cynthia Leitich Smith's Cynsations

Caroline Leech is the debut author of Wait for Me (HarperTeen, 2017). From the promotional copy:

It’s 1945, and Lorna Anderson’s life on her father’s farm in Scotland consists of endless chores and rationing, knitting Red Cross scarves, and praying for an Allied victory. So when Paul Vogel, a German prisoner of war, is assigned as the new farmhand, Lorna is appalled. 

How can she possibly work alongside the enemy when...

Survivors: David Lubar on Thriving as a Long-Time, Actively Publishing Children's-YA Author

Revising in a Nazareth, PA; learn more about David Lubar. 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?

Considering that I started trying to build a writing career when I was fre...

Cover Reveal: Hearts Unbroken by Cynthia Leitich Smith

By Cynthia Leitich Smith for Cynsations

Wow! Today, BookRiot is hosting the official cover reveal for my upcoming realistic YA novel, Hearts Unbroken (Candlewick, Nov. 2018).

Click this link for the inside scoop on my initial inspirations for the story. You can also pre-order the book from Indiebound, Barnes and Noble, Amazon and other book retailers.

And then keep reading here to learn more about my thoughts on the cover art itself.

From the promotional copy:

Louise’s first re...

Guest Post: Michele Weber Hurwitz on Being Pushed to Persevere

By Michele Weber Hurwitz
for Cynthia Leitich Smith's Cynsations

We writers know well the lessons of perseverance.

Neil Gaiman said: “This is how you do it: you sit down at the keyboard and you put one word after another until it’s done. It’s that easy. And that hard.”

Harriet Beecher Stowe said: “Never give up, for that is just the place and time that the tide will turn.”

And Ray Bradbury said: “You fail only if you stop writing.”

But we also know this: we can read all the quotes in...

Cynsational News

By Cynthia Leitich Smith, Robin Galbraith,
Gayleen Rabukukk & Kate Pentecost for Cynsations

Author/ Illustrator Insights

Interview: Uma Krishnaswami on Treadmills, Knitting, and P.G. Wodehouse from The Booking Biz. Peek:

“I don’t think that inspiration is necessarily a sparkling gold-tipped wand. For me, it comes more slowly, seeps into the mind and refuses to leave me alone. I try to keep myself open to ideas. When one shows up, I test it out by writing around it and asking questio...

Organizer Interview: Laura Pegram on Kweli Conference

Laura Pegram, Kweli Journal Executive Director By Traci Sorell 
for Cynthia Leitich Smith's Cynsations

I am honored to showcase Kweli Journal and its Executive Director, Laura Pegram, on Cynsations.

Kweli’s The Color of Children’s Literature Conference for Native/POC emerging writers and illustrators will take place in New York City on April 6 and April 7.

I first attended this conference in 2016 just after I sold my first picture book. Meeting the legendary Joe Bruchac, who was on...

Author Interview: Charlene Willing McManis on Mentorships & Believing in Your Work

By Traci Sorell
for Cynthia Leitich Smith's Cynsations

I first met Charlene Willing McManis at Kweli’s 2016 The Color of Children’s Literature Conference in New York City. (She's dressed in yellow below.)
Native writers at Kweli’s Color of Children’s Literature Conference in April 2016
Front: L to R: Charlene Willing McManis (Grand Ronde); Andrea Rogers-Henry (Cherokee Nation); Marcie Rendon (White Earth (Anishinaabe) Nation)
Back: L to R: Natalie Dana (Passamaquoddy); Laura Kaye Jagles (Tesuque P...

Survivors: Jane Kurtz on Thriving as a Long-Time, Actively Publishing Children's-YA Author

Learn more about Jane Kurtz.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, what bumps did you encounter and how have you managed to defy the odds to achieve continued success?

It feels to me as if my publishing journey has been nothing but bumpy—and of course all the bumps and bangs and bruises have stabbed my writer’s heart over and...

New Voice: Nic Stone on Dear Martin

William C. Morris Award FinalistBy Robin Galbraith
for Cynthia Leitich Smith's Cynsations

Nic Stone is the debut author of Dear Martin (Crown Books for Young Readers, 2017). From the promotional copy:

Raw, captivating, and undeniably real, Nic Stone joins industry giants Jason Reynolds and Walter Dean Myers as she boldly tackles American race relations in this stunning debut.

Justyce McAllister is top of his class and set for the Ivy League—but none of that matters to the police officer who just...

In Memory: Ursula K. Le Guin

Authors William Alexander and Ursula K. Le GuinBy Robin Galbraith
for Cynthia Leitich Smith’s Cynsations

Author Ursula K. Le Guin died while Cynsations was on winter hiatus.

Ursula K. Le Guin (1929 – 2018) from The Horn Book. Peek:

“Author Ursula K. Le Guin, who challenged the male-dominated fantasy and science fiction fields starting in the 1960s, died January 22, 2018, in Portland, Oregon. She was eighty-eight. 

"Her YA novel A Wizard of Earthsea (which explored the struggle of good ve...