From Here To Eternal

Something about launching Tantalize (Candlewick, 2007) and turning in the manuscript for Eternal (Candlewick, forthcoming) put me a bit behind on my day-to-day to dos. So, I've been playing catch-up.

This weekend, GLS and I took some photos of Austin for my upcoming PowerPoint presentations. I continued to navigate MySpace and finished judging some contest entries for an out-of-state picture book competition.

My amazing, brilliant CP editor dug into Eternal within the first two days and has already gotten back to me with an initial cheer. She used words like "dreamy" and "hilarious" and "another stunner." She also mentioned getting back to me with more comments in a couple of weeks.

In other news, I'd like to send up a huge cheer to Chris Barton on the sale of his second book. Way to go, Chris!

Spooky News & Links

I found out yesterday that my new novel, Tantalize (Candlewick, 2007), which was released Feb. 13, is already in its third printing. Thanks to all for your support!

Thanks also to A Fuse #8 Production and Buried in the Slushpile for the kind words about my recent article "How to Throw a Book Launch Party" at Create/Relate.

Here's the latest:

"An Appetizing Gothic Fantasy:" a review of Tantalize by Norah Piehl of BookPage. She cheers: "Quincie's sarcastic narration and take-charge attitude, will appeal to fans—both teens and adults—of Buffy the Vampire Slayer. ...readers will certainly be licking their lips at the end of Tantalize, their appetites whetted for Smith's next enticing adventure." Read the whole review.

Spooky Links

Learn more about Cecil Castellucci's graphic novel The Plain Janes, illustrated by Jim Rugg (DC Comics/Minx, May 2007). More soon on her fierce and amazing new prose novel, Beige (Candlewick, 2007); read a Cynsations interview with Cecil.

The Den of Shadows: author site by Amelia Atwater-Rhodes.

"Recent graphic novels explore strange new worlds" by Becky Ohlsen from BookPage.

Congratulations to Brent Hartinger on the glowing review by USA Today of his new release, Split Screen: Attack of the Soul-Sucking Brain Zombies/Bride of the Soul-Sucking Brain Zombies (HarperCollins, 2007). Read a recent Cynsations interview with Brent.

Melissa Marr, author of Wicked Lovely (HarperCollins, 2007), visits the YA Authors Cafe. Read her interview and ask her a question. Visit Melissa's site, and learn more about Wicked Lovely.

Eternal Off to Boston; Cyn Launches MySpace

I had the pleasure of sending my draft of Eternal to my CP editor a couple of days ago. I look forward to revisions, but for now, I'm needing a break. I've been playing with it so long that the whole thing is starting to blur. Distance and a fresh eye will help.

In other news, I've launched a MySpace! Please surf by to check it out and consider me as a friend. It's interesting because--for someone with two blogs, one of which is mirrored and both of which are syndicated and with a main author and book-specific site--I originally found the interface intimidating. Yet, I found actually putting it together and selecting a design really enjoyable.

Spooky Links

Author Interview: Deborah Lynn Jacobs on Powers (Roaring Brook, 2006) at Cynsations. Powers is a great read and centers on a psychic connection.

Tantalizing Review; More Party Reports

My new novel, Tantalize (Candlewick, 2007) received a five-star review from Karin Perry at TeensReadToo.com! Karin calls the novel "...a stimulating paranormal mystery mixed with romance. The relationship between Quincie and Kieren is touching and so deep that the reader feels Quincie’s pain at the thought of losing Kieren, while at the same time understanding Kieren’s reasons for keeping Quincie at arms length..." Read the whole review.

Speaking of Tantalize itself, though, Alison Dellenbaugh (AKA She Who Brought Her Own Fangs) offers her report on the novel's launch party at Alison Wonderland. So does Jo--news with many party pics!--and Liz on "community" at their LJs. And Tanya Lee Stone offers cheers. See the full launch party report.

How To Throw A Book Launch Party

Learn "How to Throw a Book Launch Party" via an article I've written that has been posted to Anastasia Suen's blog, Create/Relate: News from the Children's Book Biz.

Illustrator Interview: Gene Brenek on the Logo for Sanguini's from Tantalize

Gene Brenek on Gene Brenek: "Well I had to put on a little 'ABBA Gold' to gear up for this. Let's see, I was born in Houston many moons ago, but not as far back as when ABBA was still in heavy rotation. I was an 80's kid, more Prince back before he changed his name to a hieroglyph and way before he went back to being Prince. Why is my bio suddenly full of old pop artist references? Dunno, I guess that's what happens when I'm left to my own devices.

"Let's move this ahead a few years shall we? I'm currently a creative director for a big ad agency in Austin, Texas. In my spare time, I'm working on a master's in writing for children and young adults at Vermont College, which is truly a great program. I also have been illustrating dummies for my own picture book ideas. Let's just say I don't sleep. And I'm waiting, PATIENTLY, to be discovered. Ahem."

Thanks so much for designing logos for Sanguini's, the fictional vampire restaurant featured in my gothic fantasy, Tantalize (Candlewick, 2007). What was your initial inspiration for the designs?

Designing a logo is a lot like creating a picture book in a way. You need a very simple idea. A logo can't contain several different concepts at once and be effective. The ones with staying power are very iconic.

Certainly what separated the dead from the undead restaurants was the vampire mythology. So I started brainstorming and writing down anything that came to mind when I thought about vampires.

Usually I spend a fair amount of time trying out various color combinations but this assignment begged for two colors. Black, the color of night and red. Yes, black is the absence of color but when you're talking to printers it's still an ink color. Red seemed an obvious but essential choice: blood, wine, marinara.

One logo idea, that for better or worse got nicknamed "the girly one," came out of Quincie's, the protagonist's, femininity. I loved the idea of blood draining off the gothic lettering and dripping down a flowering vine, as if elements of the restaurant were changing who she was.

I also kept coming back to puncture wounds. The other logo (see above) incorporated that idea. So thank you for coming up with a restaurant that had two i's in the name, you made my job easy. If you ever write a book about a vampire-themed Ikea, I may have some leftover ideas for all those umlauted furniture names.

What considerations came into play when developing the logos?

I treated this project as I would any other design project. Before starting any sketches I had a few questions. What the owners were like? What was their vision for the restaurant? Who was their clientele? What cues could I get from the interior spaces? And while that may seem like a tough assignment, given that it's a fictional place, I found that the writing was crafted in such a way that it was very easy for me to get a sense of all of these things.

I approached this as not a design project for author Cynthia Leitich Smith but for Quincie [the protagonist]. I tried to understand her as much as I could and what her sensibilities were. Now it could be argued that Cyn and Quincie are one in the same, certainly there are aspects of that, but they are different people.

What were the challenges in bringing them to life?

Honestly the biggest challenge was not getting to design the menu, interior, the matchbooks, the business cards –all the elements that go into shaping one's identity.

What was your experience working with Printfection and CafePress? Why did you select those companies?

I went with these two companies because they offer so much flexibility. They print on demand, meaning that rather than doing a run of say 100 shirts in every size that I then had to store and ship, when someone places an order then it gets printed and shipped. They take care of it all. And I like the quality of their merchandise.

What advice would you give to folks trying to design and produce book tie-in promotions?

Think outside the box. Why not create items for a fictional vampire themed restaurant? But know that your reader is smart. Just because a tie-in isn't physically in the book, it's a part of the book. Initially I had envisioned staying away from a gothic typeface. I was leaning toward something more modern. Then I read a passage about the gothic lettering on the menu and it guided me away from something slick and contemporary. I needed to remain faithful to the book. It wasn't an entirely blank canvas.

Restaurant items made sense; to me Sanguini's was a prominent character in Tantalize. Designing items based around where the protagonist had gone to school would've made no sense what so ever.

More personally, do you count yourself among fans of the fanged ones? If so, what do you think is the appeal?

Of course I'm a fan. Vampires seem to have all the smarts. They also have big personalities, charisma. You want to hang out with them. Imagine a book where someone opens a tax-attorney-themed restaurant. Yawn.

What do you do when you're not working for the undead?

What do you mean? I'm an art director for an ad agency. I'm always working for the undead.

Actually, I'm writing and illustrating a couple of ideas of my own in the picture book arena. Depending on who you talk to that particular market is either dead or undead. For my sake, I'm hoping it's undead.

Cynsational Notes

Shop Sanguini's at Printfection and CafePress; see the other Sanguini's logo option.

Sanguini's Shops

Austin illustrator Gene Brenek has designed two logos to celebrate Sanguini's, the fictional vampire restaurant featured in my upcoming YA gothic fantasy novel, Tantalize (Candlewick, 2007).

The logos are now available on T-shirts, a mousepad, and a cutting board for sale at Printfection and on more T-shirts, a mug, a magnet, and a sticker at CafePress.

Cynsational Notes

Shop Sanguini's at Printfection and CafePress.

Read a story-behind-the-logos interview with Gene and see the other Sanguini's logo option.

More News & Links

A couple of bloggers have commented on my recent interview with Not Your Mother's Book Club, specifically about my revision process. Check out Justine Larbalestier's "Different Strokes" and Stephanie Gunn's "suddenly my writing methodology doesn't seem so strange."

Thanks also to Elizabeth Garton Scanlon and Lara Zeises for cheering my new release, Tantalize (Candlewick, 2007), and return to blogging.

Spookycyn Returns, Redesign

It's great to be back!

After some tech angst during the Blogger upgrade, I'm delighted to be back on Spookycyn again. Regular visitors will note that both Spookycyn and Cynsations have been redesigned. I also have launched a mirror site to Cynsations on LiveJournal.

Today, I'm going to sit down in the sunroom (ironic, I know) and read Eternal with whichever cat graces me with his company. I enjoyed integrating the setting notes from Chicago into the mss, and I feel that it gives the story more grounding. GLS took a look for me this weekend and had fairly minor comments. I need to beef up Z's epiphany, which I've already drafted. It's difficult because he and M, who're alternating POV protagonists, essentially come to their realizations simultaneously. It's more important to stay in the moment with her, so his right now follows. I'm not sure that's effective. It's definitely breaking a guidelines, though I'm totally willing to do that if it works. The question: does it? I'll find out today.

Tantalize by Cynthia Leitich Smith is Now Available

Tantalize by Cynthia Leitich Smith (Candlewick, Feb. 13, 2007) is now available. Here's a peek:

Classified Ads: Restaurants
Sanguini's: A Very Rare Restaurant is hiring a chef de cuisine. Dinners only. Apply in person between 2 and 4 P.M.

Quincie Morris has never felt more alone. Her hybrid-werewolf first love threatens to embark on a rite of passage that will separate them forever. And just as she and her uncle are about to debut Austin's red hot vampire-themed restaurant, a brutal murder leaves them scrambling for a chef.

Can Quincie transform the new hire into a culinary dark lord before opening night? Will Henry Johnson be able to wow the crowd in fake fangs, a cheap cape, and red contact lenses? Or is there more to this earnest fresh face than meets the eye?

As human and preternatural forces clash, a deadly love triangle forms and the line between predator and prey begins to blur. Who’s playing whom? And how long can Quincie play along before she loses everything?

Tantalize marks Cynthia Leitich Smith's delicious debut as an author of dark fantasy.

Here are the official blurbs:

"Looking for something to read that will make your TV jealous? Cynthia Leitich Smith's Tantalize has it all—hot vampires and wolf-boys, a super-cool heroine in cowboy boots, nail-biting suspense, romance, chills 'n' thrills, and Austin, Texas. What more could you want?"

--Libba Bray, author of A Great and Terrible Beauty and Rebel Angels

"Full of unexpected, delicious delights that kept me guessing and turning the pages, Tantalize creates a froth of danger, suspense, and wit. This original book tantalizes the senses indeed, as it explores the border between attraction and disgust, and makes us question our perceptions. Who are you? Predator or prey?"

--Annette Curtis Klause, author of Blood and Chocolate, The Silver Kiss, and Freaks! Alive on the Inside

In breaking news, we have new reviews:

"If Joan Bauer took a crack at dark fantasy, the result would probably be something like this gothic-horror comedy..." and goes on "...the immersion in food culture--including an overhauled menu, as grisly as it is gourmet--successfully builds on the sensual aspects of vampire mythology."

--Booklist

"An intoxicating romantic thriller... Quincie's longing for a physical relationship with her boy-wolf is as palpable as the taste of the food... Smith adds a light touch of humor to the soup, but the main course is a dark romance with all the gory trimmings."

--The Horn Book Magazine

"Quincie must make a terrifying choice in a heart-pounding climax that will have teen readers weeping with both lust and sorrow."

--Kirkus Reviews

And we have new interviews:

The YA Authors Cafe offers its first interview at a new location. Cynthia Leitich Smith (that would be me) is the featured author, and I'm talking about Tantalize (Candlewick, 2007).

Here's a sneak peek: "My world is eclectic, and (also unlike most genre fiction) reflects the diversity of our real one. Peel back the scary romp, and there's depth there--thematic treatments of alcholism, feminism, race and class relations, all through analogy. But many YAs will just enjoy the marinara-baked chills, and that's just fine." Read the whole interview. Leave a question in the comments today.

Then read the latest interview with Cynthia Leitich Smith (me again) at Not Your Mother's Bookclub. The topic is my new YA gothic fantasy title, Tantalize (Candlewick, 2007), and the Q&As are fangfully fantastic. Here's a sneak peek:

"As for the long answer... It hardly seems possible, but I first began looking through magazines for photos to inspire characters and asking them to write letters to me in late 2001. I don't know though that I did more than just flirt with the story in that first year. I was essentially gathering courage. In the couple of years that followed, I wrote short stories for a number of anthologies, taking full advantage of the opportunity to stretch my skills. Write stronger. Braver. Fangs out. Eventually, I sank in with a vengeance." Read the whole interview.

Check out all the buzz!

Windy City Predators

I'm a sense-of-place writer, and so far, my fiction has been set in places I've lived (Kansas, Oklahoma, Illinois, Texas) or visited regularly (Colorado).

My current WIP, E, is a YA gothic fantasy set in Austin, Dallas, and Chicago. I've lived in all three cities, but it's been some seven-and-a-half years or so since I felt the Windy City's chill for myself (though I have visited at other times of the year).

As I was reading my draft, it was clear that the Chicago scenes of the story weren't sufficiently grounded yet. That's a particular problem in a fantasy set in the real world where such foundation is essential for the leap of faith.

With that in mind, GLS and I made reservations for four nights at the Hilton and Towers. At this point, a certain amount of groveling, apology, and explanation to my much beloved Chicago pals is in order as I had zero time for socializing on this trip. I actually spent most meals ignoring my husband as I scribbled in my notebook, so I'm not sure how great of company I would've been anyway. But next time, I'm all yours, I promise!

It was an otherwise excellent writing weekend.

Last Thursday, we flew Delta through Atlanta, and I enjoyed reading Ebony, Newsweek, Time, and Monk: The Blue Flu by Lee Goldberg (Penguin, 2007), which was hilarious, on the plane.

We got in at about 3 p.m. and took a cab to Italian Village where I gobbled down the chicken marsala with a side of spaghetti marinara and an outstanding calamari appetizer. Then we went back to the hotel where I slept from 7:30 p.m. Thursday to 7:30 a.m. on Friday--probably as a result of exhaustion, my wicked cold, jet lag, the Dramamine, the Advil Cold meds, and the antihistamine.

On the upside, I felt a thousand times better that Friday morning than I had in weeks. By then, I'd also taken notes on the cab, Lake Michigan, and downtown. After a buffet breakfast (decent omlette) at the hotel, we took a cab to the Field Museum (see Sue the T. rex above) where I jotted down some sixteen pages of notes. We also spied Jane Yolen and Mark Teague's How Do Dinosaurs Say Goodnight? (Blue Sky, 2000) and How Do Dinosaurs Get Well Soon? (Blue Sky, 2003) in one of the gift shops.

Afterward, we had lunch at The Big Downtown Chicago (the restaurant at the Palmer House), at a bar-height table looking out on El tracks and Wabash. I recommend the turkey panini.

Our next stop was the Hancock Building and then Bloomingdale's, where GLS picked up a pair of earmuffs. Did I mention that half of the reason for the trip was to remember what real cold felt like? The temperature had graciously fluctuated between 20 and 8 degrees, so by now I had all the reminder I needed. Pages of notes on my frozen nose hairs.

We also stopped into the Border's on Michigan Ave where face-out titles included: A Great and Terrible Beauty (Delacorte, 2003) and Rebel Angels (Delacorte, 2005), both by Libba Bray (author interview); The Truth About Forever by Sarah Dessen (Viking, 2004)(author interview); TTYL by Lauren Myracle (Abrams, 2004)(author interview); Pretties by Scott Westerfeld (Simon Pulse, 2005)(author interview); and Looking for Alaska by John Green (Dutton)(author interview).

We also swung by Children in Paradise where we spotted face-out: Walter the Giant Storyteller's Giant Book of Giant Stories by Walter M. Mayes, illustrated by Kevin O'Malley (Walker, 2005)(author-illustrator interview); Valiant by Holly Black (Simon & Schuster, 2002)(author interview); Liftoff: A Photobiography of John Glenn by Don Mitchell (National Geographic, 2006)(author interview); and Cracker! The Best Dog in Vietnam by Cynthia Kadohata (Atheneum, 2007)(author interview).

At this point, we ducked into the Four Seasons for cocoa (me) and Irish coffee (GLS) and spent some time just chatting and warming up. Afterward, we continued onto Stetson's Chop House for dinner, where I had a wedge salad, followed by twin lobsters and a side of mushrooms.

On Saturday morning, we arrived at the Chicago History Museum for ever more notetaking. From there, we continued to Cantonesia (wonton soup and chicken chow mein with pan-fried noodles) for lunch in Chinatown and then to Navy Pier for--you guessed it--even more research. Whew.

We finished out the trip with one of my favorite meals ever--a traditional price fix menu from the Parthenon Restaurant in Greek Town (think: "My Big, Fat, Greek Wedding"--only the real deal). Absolutely fantastic! I'll definitely be back.

And then it was over! Whoosh! On Sunday, I enjoyed Dead and Dateless by Kimberly Raye (Random House, 2007)(a light, humorous gothic fantasy for the grown-up market) on the plane, and now, I'm back in sunny Austin--70 degrees and emerging tulips--with 41 pages of scribbled notes. Hm, best snap to it! Revision calls! You know, loudly.

In the KOOP

Tonight, GLS and I joined Austin illustrator Christy Stallop at KOOP 91.7 FM "Community Radio for Austin" on "Writing on the Air" in discussing live the subject of writing and illustrating books for young readers. Christy is the debut illustrator of There's A Yak In My Bed by K. Pluta (Blooming Tree, 2007). She offered many insights on the role of illustration in picture books and graphic novels. Afterward, we had a divine dinner at Maru on Burnet, which offers some of the best sushi in town and is highly recommended.

Blogger Transition

Spookycyn is caught in some kind of limbo between Blogger 1 and Blogger 2 (on the off-chance that someone can help, my dashboard is on 2, but, after a few days, the blogs themselves still haven't been moved over).

Following the troubleshooting directions has been hit or miss. I have managed to log in at least once daily, but I'm not sure that will continue to be the case. Apparently larger blogs are being moved over latter in the queue.

All of this is to say, if Spookycyn goes quiet for a while, please don't think I'm abandoning the blog. I'm simply waiting for it to be sprung from purgatory by the Google gods. I'm hopeful that everything is resolved in a somewhat timely manner so I don't have to re-evaluate where I blog.

Cross fingers though that my luck holds, and I'll do my best to keep posting.

Gender Speak

You'll remember a few days ago, I was researching tips on gender-specific voice. This inspired the following conversation with GLS.

Me: "So, I'm reading that men tend to express themselves using shorter sentences as opposed to women using longer ones, and I'm really not sure that's true because, you know, men have just as complex of thought processes, it would vary by individual anyway, and it's not like you think men speak more succintly, do you?"

GLS: "Sure we do."

Cough. I'm revising accordingly.

APL Sponsors Tantalize ARC Giveaway

APL (Austin Public Library) Teens is sponsoring a giveaway of ARCs of my upcoming gothic fantasy novel, Tantalize (Candlewick, Feb. 13, 2007).

The word is: "A few of us have read it and we can say with confidence that if vampire novels are your thing, THIS is one book you must read." Find out more.

Because I'm so much a sense-of-place writer, it's especially exciting to me when folks from my settings like my books.

In researching Tantalize, I dined in virtually every Italian restaurant in the city (a real hardship, I tell you), put together outfits for my characters at local boutiques, and spent days shooting photos of the Bouldin Creek, South Congress, Fairview, and Old Enfield neighborhoods.

I also walked up to more than one local and said something like, "Do you mind I take your picture? You'd make a great model for a werewolf!"

Nobody minded. And a remarkable number of human beings here can pass for shapeshifters and/or the undead. At least I think they're human beings...

I love this town!

More News & Links

"Memories of a Writer's Summertime Reading" by Cynthia Leitich Smith from The Bridge, Austin Public Library Programs for Youth (p. 2)(2002)(PDF).

I dropped about 650 Tantalize announcement postcards in the mail this week--cover art on the front, blurbs by Libba Bray and Annette Curtis Klause on the back. They went out to speculative/horror fiction bookstores, members of the American Booksellers for Children, and YA librarians in the Texas Library Association.

Thanks to Sterling's Print & Copying and AB for your assistance! If you're a Spookycyn reader who just loves snail mail, feel free to send me your snail, and I'll pop one off your way.

Visit Patricia's Vampire Notes: "musings on vampires and various other fictional, paranormal critters."

Spooky Sneak Peeks for 2007

Picture books: Mucumber McGee and the Half-Eaten Hot Dog by Patrick Loehr (HarperCollins).

Middle grade: Bearwalker by Joseph Bruchac (HarperCollins)(author interview); The Chaos King by Laura Ruby (HarperCollins)(author interview); Monsters and Water Beasts by Karen Miller, illustrated by Sergio Ruzzier (Henry Holt); Skulduggery Pleasant by Derek Landy (HarperCollins); Vampyre: The Terrifying Lost Journal of Dr. Cornelius Van Helsing by Dr. Cornelius Van Helsing and Gustav de Wolff (HarperCollins).

Young adult: Daemon Hall by Andrew Nance (Henry Holt), Hauntings and Other Tales of Danger, Love, and Sometimes Loss by Betsy Hearne (Greenwillow); Repossessed by A.M. Jenkins (HarperCollins); The Restless Dead edited by Deborah Noyes (Candlewick)(author interview); and Vampire Kisses 4: Dance with a Vampire by Ellen Schreiber (HarperCollins).

Fiction First Aid

Today I printed a copy of E, the manuscript due to Candlewick on March 1.

I'm going to hand it off for GLS to read this weekend and once again begin flipping through Fiction First Aid: Instant Remedies for Novels by Raymond Obstfeld (Writer's Digest, 2001). It's an excellent resource for revision; great for both global rewrites and spot fixing.

I want to take a look at the sections on "overly evil antagonist" and "inaccurate gender-specific details."

I'm guessing the answer to the former is to further ground my big baddie, offer a less stereotyped personality, though my archetypal treatment is intentional. On the latter, this will be my first novel at least partially written from a male POV, so I'm feeling a tad nervous.

That said, I have published two previous short stories written in a first person, male voice: "A Real-Live Blond Cherokee and His Equally Annoyed Soul Mate" from Moccasin Thunder: American Indian Stories for Today, compiled by Lori M. Carlson (HarperCollins, 2005)(interview) and "Riding with Rosa" from Cicada literary magazine (Vol. 7, No. 4, March/April 2005).

Short story writing for me has always been a venue for growth and experimentation, but sustaining convincing cross-gender voice over the course of a novel is a bigger beast.

A Book Is Born

I received my first copy of Tantalize (Candlewick, Feb. 13, 2007) in book form last week, and I'm absolutely wowed by its production.

The cover art is produced in a softer, more romantic light than the image posted here, and the title has a sheen. There's a black page at the front and back and three more plain ones at the back. The new interior art element, the bio of Bradley Sanguini, looks great on page 208. We're looking at 336 pages all together. The size is 5 1/4 x 7 3/4. The total weight is exactly one pound. Look for the double page spread on pages 26-27 of the Candlewick spring-summer 2007 catalog.

In other news, I have a fully signed contract for a second YA gothic fantasy to be published by Candlewick, and I'm working with great enthusiasm to meet my March deadline.

Spooky News & Links

Author Interview: Deborah Wilson Overstreet on Not Your Mother's Vampire: Vampires in Young Adult Fiction from Cynsations. See also Gothic Fantasy for Teens and Tweens.

Remember my post on the mysterious dead birds found on Congress Ave.? This being Austin, some folks had a little fun with the still unexplained incident.

Trendy Titles from ravelda. Fun! My motivation? Having typed Rain Is Not My Indian Name a billion times, my titles have been two words or less (Indian Shoes, Santa Knows, Tantalize) ever since. I only wish I'd had the foresight to shorten my byline. You know...Cher, Avi, Cyn!

So Few of Me

So Few of Me by Peter H. Reynolds (Candlewick, 2006) is about To Do list pressures. It seems like if there were more than one Leo, he'd have a better shot at getting his tasks done. But no matter how many Leos there are, the more responsibilities pile up. In the end, Leo does less, but offers it his best effort. A simple solution, yet one so many of us struggle to employ. The text and illustrations are airy, flow well. Recommended for ages 4-up; at least as well suited to overscheduled teens and adults as younger children. Maybe even better.

My Thoughts

It seems "balance" ranks high on many working writers' lists of new year's resolutions. Leo's answer: Do less, but give it your all. This makes perfect sense in theory, but still we struggle. What do we cut? How?

I'm a writer. Therefore, I write. I love to craft short stories, but I found myself turning down a couple of invitations last year from anthologists I admire--one because my muse had temporarily abandoned me, the other because of a tight deadline and competing family responsibilities. Yet I know that my other fiction is stronger because of the chances I've taken, the lessons I've learned as a short story writer. I also imagine someday publishing a collection of my contemporary Native American YA short stories. I know that when the next invitation comes, my answer may well be "yes."

I'm a writer. Therefore, I read. A shocking number of writers underestimate the importance of reading, especially beginners. They do so at their own peril. It is through reading (and listening to stories told aloud) that we develop an "ear," a feeling for story structure, a sense of each market, and, ultimately, that we discover what we want to say in the conversation among books. Publishers, publicists, authors, and illustrators send me titles for review consideration, and I've studied them with great enthusiasm. Yet due to time constraints and consistent quality concerns, I'm considering changing my policy to exclude self-published titles. On the other hand, Debbie Leland, a self-published author whose work I'm featuring on Cynsations this week, is among the finest I know.

I'm a writer. Therefore, I'm part of a community of writers and a larger community of readers, including editors, teachers, librarians, and booksellers. Over the years, I've taught, spoken, mentored beginners, talked shop over lunch, hosted workshops and parties. It's these people who understand and share my passion for books, for the writing life. It's with them that I belong, not exclusively but at least enough that I don't feel alone and that I can bolster them in return. I especially enjoy supporting new voices. But at this time, I can't actively mentor any additional beginners, not with my teaching commitments.

I'm an author. Therefore, I'm an ambassador of my own children's and young adult literature. Most authors are the best point people to connect their books to others. I'm comfortable that I can represent my work in a positive and productive way. But more than that, I enjoy it. I have a lot to say about my process and the stories I write. I'm honored when readers are interested in learning more. Yet I say "no" to more than half of the invitations in my IN box, usually--but not always--because I'm already booked. Even promoting at home can be too much for one person, especially one who is supposed to be a writer first. This past fall, I hired publicist Rebecca Grose and web designer Lisa Firke to help me navigate through the narrow marketing window for Santa Knows (Dutton, 2006). It's okay, I've learned, to get help when you need it.

Along with folks like Esme Raji Codell, Chris Barton, and the collective of author bloggers, it's also my pleasure to highlight and cheer the work of my colleagues. I find inspiration in the stories of my peers. I love being able to help introduce a debut author or a departure from a quality mid-lister or the latest news from the famed and acclaimed. It also feeds my inner journalist. Much of what I do is online, but when Netscape "improved" its web design program, I was in over my head and offering an amaturish-looking site. Again, it was designer Lisa Firke, who brought me into the 21rst century. Now, much of my daily efforts are through blogging, which is so much quicker and easier. Better yet, I finally have high-speed Internet.

So what's my strategy?

It's fluid. Sometimes, I have to say "no" or ask for help or embrace the latest technology. I try different approaches, mix it up, realize the writing and promotion of each book brings with them specific demands. Rather than feeling trapped in a certain way of doing things, I continue to experiment, seeking the balance that suits my life at a particular time.

Rather than angsting over what I can't control, I jump on the treadmill and pound out an hour to soundtracks to "The Blues Brothers," "Xanadu," or "Buffy: The Musical." Maybe you're thinking, isn't working out another To Do? And the answer is "yes," but it gives me more energy for the rest of them.

Most of all, though, I keep in mind that it is a priviledge to write for young readers and those who connect books to them. That if the mix isn't working, it can always be changed. That I have as much control of my life as I'm willing to take. That I'm living my dream.

Castle Bran for Sale

According to the Austin American-Statesman, Castle Bran--famous for its connections to Vlad, the Impaler (widely believed to have inspired Bram Stoker's Dracula), is being offered for sale by the Hapsburg family for $78 million.

Candlewick's 2004 edition of Dracula, originally published in 1897, is illustrated--magnificient, compelling, and creepy--by Gary Blythe. It's edited by Jan Needle, and gorgeously produced with type big enough to read comfortably (unlike most re-releases of classic novels). Read an excerpt and view an inside spread.

Blood and Chocolate Movie Trailer

Did you know about the movie based on Blood and Chocolate by Annette Curtis Klause (Delacorte, 1999)? Check out a new, online trailer.

In our December 2001 interview, Annette said: "The Amoeba, Aiden's friends in Blood and Chocolate were based on my group of friends known as The Blob. We used to go to free rock concerts in the park, and some of us would talk our way in free to pay concerts by flirting with the bouncers."

Annette's latest book is Freaks! Alive on the Inside (Delacorte, 2006). Read a recent Cynsations interview with Annette.