Cynthia Leitich Smith's Blog, page 85
February 15, 2017
Author Interview & Giveaway: Sebastian Robertson on Writing His Father's Rock and Roll Biography
By Traci Sorell
for Cynthia Leitich Smith's Cynsations
My love of music outweighs my love of the written word. So, I am delighted when I find children’s
book biographies written about any of my favorite musicians. I rush to devour them and learn more about the creative geniuses whose beautiful lyrics and magical melodies have lifted my spirit or given me comfort throughout my life.
I am honored to shine Cynsations’ spotlight today on Sebastian Robertson (Mohawk/Cayuga), a children’s book author...
for Cynthia Leitich Smith's Cynsations
My love of music outweighs my love of the written word. So, I am delighted when I find children’s book biographies written about any of my favorite musicians. I rush to devour them and learn more about the creative geniuses whose beautiful lyrics and magical melodies have lifted my spirit or given me comfort throughout my life.
I am honored to shine Cynsations’ spotlight today on Sebastian Robertson (Mohawk/Cayuga), a children’s book author...
February 14, 2017
Guest Post: Liz Garton Scanlon and Audrey Vernick on Co-Writing Picture Books
By Liz Garton Scanlon and Audrey Vernick
Liz Garton Scanlon and Audrey Vernick
for Cynthia Leitich Smith's Cynsations
“Writing is a solitary occupation and one of its hazards is loneliness.” – Joyce Carol Oates
“The writing life is essentially one of solitary confinement.” – Will Self
“Writing is an antisocial act.” – Martha Grimes
Writing.
Solitary, lonely, antisocial – except for when it’s not.
Erin, Audrey and Liz at the Writing BarnMost of us choose to write partly because we don’t mind (read:...
Liz Garton Scanlon and Audrey Vernickfor Cynthia Leitich Smith's Cynsations
“Writing is a solitary occupation and one of its hazards is loneliness.” – Joyce Carol Oates
“The writing life is essentially one of solitary confinement.” – Will Self
“Writing is an antisocial act.” – Martha Grimes
Writing.
Solitary, lonely, antisocial – except for when it’s not.
Erin, Audrey and Liz at the Writing BarnMost of us choose to write partly because we don’t mind (read:...
February 13, 2017
In Memory: Anna Dewdney
By Gayleen Rabakukk
for Cynthia Leitich Smith's Cynsations
Anna Dewdney Dies; Author of 'Llama Llama' Books Was 50 from the New York Times.
Anna illustrated a number of books in the 1990s, then became an author/illustrator with the publication of Llama, Lama Red Pajama (Viking, 2005). Since then, Llama Llama and his Mama have appeared in 18 additional titles and sold more than 10 million copies. A Netflix series based on Dewdney's books is expected later this year.
Publishers Weekly shared t...
for Cynthia Leitich Smith's Cynsations
Anna Dewdney Dies; Author of 'Llama Llama' Books Was 50 from the New York Times.
Anna illustrated a number of books in the 1990s, then became an author/illustrator with the publication of Llama, Lama Red Pajama (Viking, 2005). Since then, Llama Llama and his Mama have appeared in 18 additional titles and sold more than 10 million copies. A Netflix series based on Dewdney's books is expected later this year.Publishers Weekly shared t...
February 10, 2017
Cynsational News
By Cynthia Leitich Smith & Gayleen Rabakukk
for Cynsations
How Attending the SCBWI National Conference Can Help Writers/Illustrators of Color by Andrea J. Loney on Don Tate's Blog. Peek: "Spending three days with so many published writers really shifted my thinking about my career. It was at that first conference that I really saw myself as a professional. I sold my first book five months after that weekend."
12-Year-Old Marley Dias Is Publishing An Activism Guide For Children And...
for Cynsations
How Attending the SCBWI National Conference Can Help Writers/Illustrators of Color by Andrea J. Loney on Don Tate's Blog. Peek: "Spending three days with so many published writers really shifted my thinking about my career. It was at that first conference that I really saw myself as a professional. I sold my first book five months after that weekend."12-Year-Old Marley Dias Is Publishing An Activism Guide For Children And...
February 9, 2017
Cover Reveal & Author Snapshot: Uncanny by David Macinnis Gill
By Gayleen Rabakukkfor Cynthia Leitich Smith's Cynsations
Check out the cover of Uncanny by David Macinnis Gill (Harper, Sept. 5, 2017). From the PW announcement:
Uncanny tells the story of Willow Jane Conning, who on her 16th birthday, gains strange powers and begins witnessing unnerving events, including evil spirits rising from the dead and time inexplicably standing still.
Was there any particular element that you had strong feelings about the way it would be depicted?
Black birds -- crows, r...
February 8, 2017
New Voice: David Wright on Away Running
By Gayleen Rabakukkfor Cynthia Leitich Smith's Cynsations
David Wright is the debut YA author of Away Running (Orca Book Publishers, 2016) (discussion guide) (first chapter). From the promotional copy:
Matt, a white quarterback from Montreal, Quebec, flies to France (without his parents' permission) to play football and escape family pressure. Freeman, a black football player from San Antonio, Texas, is in Paris on a school trip when he hears about a team playing American football in a rough,...
February 7, 2017
Guest Post: Writing Across Gender Lines: Fiction that Appeals to Boys and Girls
By Yona Zeldis McDonough
for Cynthia Leitich Smith's Cynsations
I’ve alway thought of myself as a girly-girl writer. Although I’ve written bios for kids that appeal to both boys and girls—many of them in the popular Who Was series (Grosset & Dunlap) —my real love is girl-friendly stories. I like dolls—no fewer than five of my children’s books have had the words doll or doll house in the title—and all the girly stuff that goes with them. I also like kitties, pretty dresses, and tea par...
for Cynthia Leitich Smith's Cynsations
I’ve alway thought of myself as a girly-girl writer. Although I’ve written bios for kids that appeal to both boys and girls—many of them in the popular Who Was series (Grosset & Dunlap) —my real love is girl-friendly stories. I like dolls—no fewer than five of my children’s books have had the words doll or doll house in the title—and all the girly stuff that goes with them. I also like kitties, pretty dresses, and tea par...
February 6, 2017
In Memory: Tom Shefelman
By Gayleen Rabakukk
for Cynthia Leitich Smith's Cynsations
Austin architect contributed modernist buildings to city's landscape by Michael Barnes from The Austin American Statesman. Peek:
"Thomas 'Tom' Shefelman, who helped design several of Austin’s outstanding modernist buildings.... Seattle-born Shefelman, a graduate of the University of Texas School of Architecture and the Harvard Graduate School of Design, also illustrated children’s books and painted watercolor scenes from his travels, of...
for Cynthia Leitich Smith's Cynsations
Austin architect contributed modernist buildings to city's landscape by Michael Barnes from The Austin American Statesman. Peek:
"Thomas 'Tom' Shefelman, who helped design several of Austin’s outstanding modernist buildings.... Seattle-born Shefelman, a graduate of the University of Texas School of Architecture and the Harvard Graduate School of Design, also illustrated children’s books and painted watercolor scenes from his travels, of...
February 3, 2017
Cynsational News
By Cynthia Leitich Smith & Gayleen Rabakukkfor Cynsations
"We Need Diverse Books," They Said, and Now A Group's Dream Is Coming to Fruition by Ron Charles from The Washington Post. Peek: "an impressive new milestone for We Need Diverse Books. Oh, the group’s chief executive and president, has edited and published WNDB’s first anthology: Flying Lessons and Other Stories, published by Crown Books for Young Readers. The book, aimed at readers between ages 8 and 12, features 10 stories by a wh...
February 2, 2017
New Voices: Sarah Johnson on Crossings
By Gayleen Rabakukk
for Cynthia Leitich Smith's Cynsations
Sarah Johnson is the first-time YA author of Crossings (Cedar Fort, 2017). From the promotional copy:
Eliinka has been able to hide her deepest secret...until now. Her only choice is to make a perilous crossing to a foreign land where she'll discover the truth about a powerful legend and the hope for peace after centuries of conflict.
Immerse yourself in this enchanting fantasy world and take heart in Eliinka's journey of sacrifice, roma...
for Cynthia Leitich Smith's Cynsations
Sarah Johnson is the first-time YA author of Crossings (Cedar Fort, 2017). From the promotional copy:Eliinka has been able to hide her deepest secret...until now. Her only choice is to make a perilous crossing to a foreign land where she'll discover the truth about a powerful legend and the hope for peace after centuries of conflict.
Immerse yourself in this enchanting fantasy world and take heart in Eliinka's journey of sacrifice, roma...
