Cynthia Leitich Smith Signs Three-Book Deal with Candlewick Press

From today's issue of Publishers Marketplace:

"New York Times bestselling author of Tantalize, Eternal, Blessed Cynthia Leitich Smith's YA novel Smolder, to Deborah Wayshak at Candlewick Press, in a three-book deal, for publication in 2013, by Ginger Knowlton at Curtis Brown Ltd. (world English)."

Spooky News & Giveaways

Enter to win Blessed (Candlewick, 2011), an ARC of Tantalize: Kieren's Story, and more from Jen Bigheart at I Read Banned Books. U.S. only; ages 13-up. Deadline: midnight CST, April 25.

Check out the Blessed Readers' Guide.

Check out the previous books in the series, Tantalize and Eternal.

Shop the Sanguini's Store at Cafe Press; images designed by Gene Brenek.

More News & Giveaways

Interview with R.L. La Fevers by Jen Wrote This from The Enchanted Inkpot. Peek: "I approach the merging of history and fiction with the idea that my first job is to tell a great story; the history must serve the story, not the other way around."

Debut Novel Expectations by R.L. LaFevers from Shrinking Violet Promotions. Peek: "Middle grade novels in particular, rarely come out of the gate with the same big splash potential that YA novels can engender."

New Agent Alert: Judith Engracia of Liza Dawson Associates from Chuck Sambuchino at Guide to Literary Agents. Seeking: "literary fiction, urban fantasy, paranormal romance, thrillers, mysteries, YA, and middle grade."

The Whole Novel Retreat, presented by the 9th Pacific Coast Children's Writers Workshop, will take place Oct. 7 to Oct. 9 in Santa Cruz, California. Faculty include agent Joan Slattery of Pippin Properties and Susan Van Metre, senior VP and publisher at Abrams/Amulet and an MFA instructor in Writing for Children at The New School in New York. Application deadline: May 15 (later applications will be accepted until June 25 or until the workshop is filled).

How Authors Get Paid from Cinda Williams Chima. Peek: "The fun begins when I discuss royalties. Royalties are monies authors get for each book sold. I say to the students, 'Let’s say you buy a hardcover book for $18. How much of that do you think the author gets?'"

Congratulations to Tim Crow, winner of the Joan Lowery Nixon Award at this spring's Houston SCBWI conference. Manuscripts are nominated by conference faculty and then a winner is chosen to work on his writing for a year with author Kathi Appelt, in memory of Joan's tradition of mentoring.

Spooky Screening Room

Check out the video for Rotters by Daniel Kraus (Delacorte, 2011). See excerpt.



More Personally

After numerous events, I'm spending the next month deep in the revision cave, working on book 4 in the Tantalize series. Please hold off on any non-critical correspondence until I flash the green light. (By "critical," I mean you're drowning, bleeding or on fire.)

I've already posted my photo report from the Texas Library Association annual conference and the YA A to Z conference, sponsored by the Writers' League of Texas. But here's a couple more fun pics from the festivities!

Joy Preble at Moonshine Restaurant Patio Bar & Grill.

Margo Rabb, Varian Johnson and Mandy Robbins Taylor at the Hyatt Regency.

Thanks again to everyone involved with both conferences! See also Greg's report!

Happy Easter and a belated happy Passover to those who celebrate, and many blessings to everyone!

Spooky News

Interview with Holly Black by Malinda Lo from Diversity in YA Fiction. Peek: "...I think the tricky thing about fantasy is that issues in the magical world should ideally both remind us of issues in our world, but not parallel one thing so closely that it appears to be merely that thing in disguise."

Twelve Tips for Twitterphobes by R.L. LaFevers from Shrinking Violet Promotions. Peek: "Today’s post is for those of you out there who haven’t yet tried Twitter or who have given up on it or who are just plain flummoxed by it."

Skype Authors: Partnering with schools and book clubs through virtual visits to support education worldwide. Suzanne Williams writes: "The authors on the site have pledged to contribute 25% of their fees for any Skype visits booked through the site to a charity that supports education in the developing world. For 2011-2012, that charity is Camfed, and they will be raising money to provide school supplies to elementary students in Malawi. I'm still adding authors to the site and hope to have a group of 20 - 25 participating authors within the next month or two."

What If Your Characters Don't Want Anything? by Charlie Jane Anders from io9. Peek: "If the plot happens in spite of your characters' desires, that makes those desires more important." Source: Gwenda Bond at Shaken & Stirred.

Agents mull change to AAA code of practice by Charlotte Williams and Benedicte Page from TheBookseller.com. Peek: "Literary agents are privately ­discussing removing a clause ­preventing them from acting as publishers in the UK Association of Authors' Agents constitution." Source: Rachelle Gardner, Literary Agent.

As Nike Says: "Just Do It" by Erin Vincent from Crowe's Nest. Peek: "...I understand that you are busy with a million other obligations. But if you want to write – if you want to be published – you have to start. Right now. Don’t put it off any longer, because trust me, it will never be the right time."

Congratulations to Rubin Pfeffer of East West Literary for signing Kari Baumbach, and congratulations to Kari for signing with Rubin! Note: link to Rubin includes a substantial video excerpt of his presentation at a Highlights Foundation workshop; he offers insights on technology-driven changes in publishing as a business.

You Need a Complete Manuscript by Mary Kole from Kidlit.com. Peek: "The only exception to this rule is if you’re writing older non-fiction, like something for the middle grade or teen age rage or a reference book/textbook. And picture books from author/illustrators..."

The Elusive Advanced Reader Copy by Mary Lindsey from QueryTracker. Peek: "If authors say no to requests, it's not because they don't want you to have an ARC, it's because they are expensive and hard to come by, and in today's market, the buzz from that ARC might be the only publicity that author gets."

Social Networking and Your Picture by Jessica from BookEnds, LLC. Peek: "One of the things I’ve been thinking about lately is the use of your book’s cover as your profile picture." Note: your mileage may vary.

Team 'Hunger Games' talks: Author Suzanne Collins and director Gary Ross on their allegiance to each other, and their actors by Karen Valby from Entertainment Weekly.

Making It Through the Middle by Kristi Holl from Writer's First Aid. Peek: "...if you don’t get through middles, you’ll never get to the end–and be published."

More Personally

Interview with Cynthia Leitich Smith by M.G. Buehrlen from Young Adult Books Central. Peek: "Book four is still untitled, but it will feature characters from all of the previous books. Expect more adventure, humor, chilling suspense, and moments that may well inspire Quinice/Kieren and Zachary/Miranda shippers to swoon."

Lost Souls? from Book Moot ("Smith does not focus on any individual religion or faith here but the story reflects a belief that we all possess a spirit that can be imperiled. For teen readers, that is not a bad thing to ponder.").

I'm on a revision deadline and spending the week at the annual Texas Library Association Annual Conference and the YA A to Z Conference, sponsored by the Writers' League of Texas (more on all that to come), but first here's a quick look at my comings and goings around town.

Highlights of late include lunch at the Shoal Creek Saloon with Austin author-illustrator Salima Alikhan. Read a Cynsations interview with Salima.

Last weekend, I had coffee with Vermont College of Fine Arts MFA student Melanie Crowder at BookPeople.

Afterward, we continued upstairs to the children's section for Jo Whittemore's launch party for Odd Girl In (Aladdin, 2011).

Jo give a warm, upbeat, funny PowerPoint presentation and then signed books for her many eager fans.

More Personal Links of the Week:

• Writers and Dinosaurs: P.J. Hoover from Greg Leitich Smith;
• and Do You Read Cynsations? by Debbie Reese from American Indians in Children's Literature.

Spooky News

Folktales and Fairy Tales--for Teens by Chris Eboch from The Spectacle. Peek: "To update a traditional folk or fairytale, she (Natalie M. Rosinsky) suggests setting the story in a new location. You might also change the point of view, for example telling a princess story from the prince’s viewpoint. Humor is another bonus."

7 Rs of Positivity for the Unpublished Novelist by Lydia Sharp from Writer Unboxed. Peek: "Writing fiction is emotionally taxing work. When you’re feeling especially low, remove yourself from everything." Source: An Englishman in New Jersey.

Vermont College of Fine Arts invites published authors with teaching experience to apply for part-time visiting faculty positions in its highly-acclaimed MFA in Writing for Children & Young Adults program. The College seeks a number of prospective faculty members who can be hired in the coming years to meet expected growth. Faculty positions require presence, readings, lectures, and leading workshops on campus for 11-day residencies every six months. Faculty oversee independent study work for the six months between residencies, thus allowing educational work to be interwoven with the activities of home, community, and personal artistic practice. Applications will be reviewed on criteria including publications, teaching experience, literary nominations and awards, and education. An advanced degree is preferred but not required.

5 Tips for a Successful Reading by Marianna Swallow from Chuck Sambuchino at Guide to Literary Agents. Peek: "When presenting, reading from plain paper is easier than reading from a book. And when you do, speak from your gut." Note: with books for young readers (versus adults), I'd say a two-to-three minute reading is long enough--maybe five, if you're theater trained. You can go longer, presenting with illustrations, but it's okay to edit down even a picture book text for length.

Check out the new giveaways at TeensReadToo!

Q&A with Author Carrie Ryan by Cyndi Hughes from the Writers' League of Texas. Peek: "When I first started writing with the goal of making a career out of it I gave myself ten years in which I’d write, revise and submit and then move on to the next project. After ten years, if I still wasn’t published then I could re-evaluate my plan." See also An Original Carrie Ryan Short Story Available as an E-book from Random House via The Compulsive Reader.

Agent Advice: Holly McGhee of Pippin Properties by Ricki Schultz from Chuck Sambuchino at Guide to Literary Agents. Peek: "As a parent and as a writer, it’s our duty to prepare kids for the world. That means telling and talking the truth."

Zen and the Art of Manuscript Submissions by Jeannie Mobley from EMU's Debuts. Peek: "Submission is the part of the process that completely and utterly exposes us all to the most brutal noise and clutter in the world– the voices of self doubt and criticism that come shrieking in like Valkyries onto the bloodied battlefield of our creative minds (because what fruit salad is complete without some Old Norse Paganism?). But here is my point..." Source: Liz Garton Scanlon.

Elements of a Successful Fiction Platform by Christina Katz from Writer's Digest. Peek: "What does a successful platform really look like for a fiction writer?"

Attention Teachers, Librarians, Book Clubs! Randy Russell, author of Dead Rules (HarperTeen, June 2011) have teamed with independent bookstores across North America to giveaway $2,000 in free books to Support Teen Reading. You can participate here to receive a free pinback button for early participation (while supplies last) and be eligible for new books from your nearest indie bookstore (not to mention the iPod nanos and $200 in iTunes credit).

Once Upon a Backstory by Stina Lindenblatt from Query Tracker. Peek: "...figure out what past events made them who they are today or shaped their behavior. Only then will your characters have depth, and their actions will be realistic to who they are."

Readergirlz and Figment will Rock the Drop in honor of Support Teen Lit Day, next Thursday, April 14th. Find out how you can join in here!

Kidlit for Japan Auction

Kidlit4Japan is hosting a children’s-YA literature auction to benefit victims of the earthquake and tsunami in Japan. A daily auction preview appears weekdays at 8 a.m. EDT. New items appear hourly from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Items include signed books, advance reader copies, artwork, critiquing services, book-related swag, author visits, the chance to name a character in an upcoming book, etc." Currently available items include:

• critique, partial middle-grade novel from literary agent Erin Murphy;
• novel synopsis critique from author-teacher Esther Hershenhorn;
• signed copy of Tell Me a Secret by Holly Cupala (HarperCollins, 2010);
• critique query letter/pitch from author Marlene Perez;
• an ARC from the Tu Books' debut list from Stacy Whitman.

Spooky Screening Room

Concubines, Eunuchs, and Fury by Cindy Pon from Diversity in YA Fiction. Peek: "Much of Fury of the Phoenix (HarperTeen, 2011) takes place in the inner court of the Palace of Fragrant Dreams, where the concubines reside, inspired by the actual concubine quarters of ancient China. When I was revising the novel with my editor, she actually crossed out 'thousands' once and wrote 'hundreds?' above it."



More Personally

Thank you to Elizabeth Wrenn-Estes and her Library and Information Science class at San José State University for your hospitality during our online visit on Tuesday night! Special thanks to Mardi Veiluva for tech training and assistance!

So What's It Like to Live with a Writer? from Salima Alikhan. Note: my husband (and sometimes co-author) Greg Leitich Smith and I chime in.

Interview with Cynthia Leitich Smith by Maureen McGowan from Get Lost in a Story. Peek: "My series includes not only werewolves, but also werecats, wereopossums, werebears, weredeer, and werearmadillos. If you could shift to any animal form, which would you choose and why?" Discuss at the link.

Thanks to Debbie Reese for this shelf shot of Blessed (Candlewick, 2011) at the Urbana (Illinois) Free Library! Debbie blogs at American Indians in Children's Literature.

Link of the week: YA Books to Movies List compiled by Naomi Bates from YA Books and More.

Spooky Events

The annual Texas Library Association Annual Conference will be April 12 to April 15 at the convention center in Austin. Check out the list of Austin author signings. Notes: (a) Take a Chance on Art and enter a raffle to win the illustration "Space Age" by Melanie Hope Greenberg to benefit the TLA Disaster Relief Fund; see more information; (b) Cynthia Leitich Smith will be signing Blessed and other titles at 11 a.m. April 13 in the Author Signing Area.

Erin Murphy Literary Agency Wine Social will be at 3 p.m. April 16 at BookPeople in Austin. Peek: "Come meet Erin Murphy as well as some of the authors she represents."

YA A to Z Conference, sponsored by the Writers' League of Texas, will be April 15 and April 16 at the Hyatt Regency Austin (208 Barton Springs Road). Cost: $279 WLT Members, $349 Nonmembers (through March 15). See more information. Note: conference faculty includes Cynthia and Greg Leitich Smith. Cynthia will serve as the interviewer at "Meet the Author: Gail Giles" and as a panelist on "Going Graphic: Writing Graphic Novels" with Hope Larson, moderated by K.A. Holt. Last call! Register today!

Spooky News & Giveaways

Attention Writers! Send a photo of yourself with a dinosaur (a museum skeleton, recreation, gas-station logo, made from Legos, whatever) to Greg Leitich Smith for inclusion in his upcoming blog series, Writers and Dinosaurs. You don't have to be published to participate! See link for details. See also Greg on The University of Michigan Museum of Natural History.

Spooky Blogger Tip: Respect authors' copyright. Keep quotes to under 5o words or ask permission to post a longer excerpt.

Reminder: Teen writers/English teachers! Teen writers are encouraged to enter the Hunger Mountain Young Writers Contest. Three first place winners will receive $250 and publication! Three runners-up will receive $100 each. Note: I'm honored to be this year's judge. See link for more information. Hunger Mountain is the Vermont College of Fine Arts journal of the arts.

Creative Confidence by Mary Kole from Kidlit.com. Peek: "You are the only person on this planet who is going to care the most about your creative output and your career. Sure, you will get people in your corner, like your agent, your editor, your mentors, your friends and family, you cat, and your fans, who will care about your books or whatever else you do, but nobody will care about it half as much as you."

Making the Most of Writer's Conference Critiques by Jennifer Ziegler from Chasing Tales. Includes insights from agent Erin Murphy, editor Stephanie Elliott (formerly with Random House/Delacorte Press, now with Sparknotes), former Austin SCBWI regional advisor Meredith Davis, author Dorothy Love, and Writers' League of Texas executive director Cyndi Hughes. Peek from Erin: "It’s perfectly fine to talk it out with the critiquer to solidify your ideas, or to ask if you can have a moment to make a clear note to yourself so you don’t lose the train of thought and can go on to make use of all the time in your session."

Interview with Translator Laura Watkinson by Sarah Blake Johnson from Through the Tollbooth. Peek: "...if a foreign-language publisher is trying to sell something like a YA novel, it makes little financial sense for them to have the whole book translated and time is also an issue, so they’ll usually have just an excerpt translated to take along to the book fair. An excerpt is typically around twenty pages...may be packaged with extra information about the author, such as a bibliography and perhaps an interview."

Your Platform Equals Opportunity by Greg Pincus from The Happy Accident. Peek: "Every time you create content, every time someone visits your blog while you’re asleep, every time you have an interaction…opportunity is created. You form a relationship, sometimes very brief and sometimes one that builds and builds."

Why Love Matters by Danyelle Leafty from QueryTracker. Peek: "...do you want just any old agent? Someone who might enjoy your story without ever having loved it?"

A comprehensive list of U.S. college- and university-sponsored or -hosted children’s and young adult literature conferences, festivals, and symposia compiled by Chris Barton from Bartography.

Publishing Industry News compiled by Kathy Temean from Writing and Illustrating. Peek: "Abrams will launch its third imprint Appleseed Books, a new imprint geared towards babies, toddlers, and preschoolers, in Spring 2012." Round-up includes recent job appointments/promotions, a new interactive online book club for tweens from Simon & Schuster, and more.

Spooky Giveaways

Last Call: Enter to win a signed copy of Throat by R.A. Nelson (Knopf, 2011). To enter the giveaway, comment here or email me (scroll and click envelope) and type "Throat" in the subject line.

Deadline: midnight CST April 1. Note: Author sponsored; U.S. entries only.

25 Days of Giveaways: Day 20: Tantalize Series by Cynthia Leitich Smith from Bookaholics Book Club. Giveaway includes:

-plush bat toy;

-chubby bat stickers;

-author-autographed postcard for Tantalize: Kieren's Story (featuring not-yet-public cover art for the graphic novel, illustrated by Ming Doyle);

-Sanguini's button;

-Sanguini's magnetic menu wipe board.

Eligibility: U.S. only. Deadline: 7:17 p.m. Friday, April 1. See link for entry form and more information. Note: Sanguini's is the fictional vampire-themed restaurant that appears in Tantalize, Blessed, and Tantalize: Kieren's Story.

Spooky Screening Room

Check out this author video interview with Jennifer Lynn Barnes from RT Book Reviews. I had the pleasure of meeting Jennifer and hearing her speak at the Southwest Florida Reading Festival. Learn more about her novel, Raised by Wolves (Egmont USA, 2010).



At the SCBWI-Wisconsin novel retreat in Madison last weekend (details below), I had the pleasure of connecting with one of my favorite YA authors, Deborah Lynn Jacobs. Check out her trailer for Choices (Roaring Brook, 2007).



More Personally

I've had a few questions of late about traveling to writing/books events with only a backpack for trips under four days.

Here's the scoop: Traveling by air, I've had to deal with missing luggage for up to five days.

If I'm on the road, that leaves me with only the outfit I've got on. (Even if shopping sounds appealing, author-speaker schedules are such that I may not have an opportunity to do so.)

Plus, most airlines are charging fees for checked bags. I'd rather not deduct that from my earnings, and, I'm reluctant to pass that cost onto my hosts.

So, I pack my toiletries in a Ziploc bag (making sure to squeeze the air out), roll up mostly travel-knit garments, and plan to wear no more than two pairs of shoes on the trip. I also tend to take outfits that can be hand-washed and hanger-dried overnight.

From there, I slip in whatever is necessary--printed speeches, schedules, giveaways, manuscript, etc. The pack still fits beneath the seat in front of me, which is key with regional jets. Beyond that, I recommend using both shoulder straps. The pack will be heavy, and you're less likely to pull a muscle.

What else? After a fair number of such long-distance treks, I'm returning to writing (and more events) here in Central Texas for the next few months. Check out the schedule below.

But first, I'd like to offer a huge thanks to everyone at Lee County Library System in Fort Myers, Florida for your hospitality at the Southwest Florida Reading Festival! Thanks also to those folks who turned out for my presentation and/or signing!

Personal highlights included meeting Alice Hoffman, Eric Litwin, and Jennifer Lynn Barnes (see video above) as well as reconnecting with Phil Bildner. I also had the opportunity to catch Sara Shepard and Rosemary Well's talks.

I had such a terrific time at An Evening with the Authors at the Royal Palm Yacht Club, an affiliated event, and staying the Hotel Indigo--lovely with excellent service. Beyond that, Fort Myers is one of the friendliest towns I've ever visited!

Another mega thank you goes out to the coordinators and participants at last weekend's SCBWI-Wisconsin novel retreat at the Bishop O'Connor Center in Madison!

Special thanks to RA Pam Beres, ARA Judy Bryan and Ann Angel for bringing me in to teach the workshop. I'm still wowed by the writers I met, consider myself their forever cheerleader, and came home with warm memories.

School Library Journal says of Blessed (Candlewick, 2010): "Off-handed humor, clever wordplay, and a host of supernatural beings will delight fans of Smith’s Tantalize (2007) and Eternal (2009, both Candlewick), the two novels that precede this one, though Blessed can certainly be enjoyed as a stand-alone novel."



Links of the Week: Fight Multiple Sclerosis with author Lindsey Leavitt, Don't You Need a Gown Made of Golden Books?

Cynsational Events

Erin Murphy Literary Agency Wine Social will be at 3 p.m. April 16 at BookPeople in Austin. Peek: "Come meet Erin Murphy as well as some of the authors she represents."

The annual Texas Library Association Annual Conference will be April 12 to April 15 at the convention center in Austin. Check out the list of Austin author signings. Notes: (a) Take a Chance on Art and enter a raffle to win the illustration "Space Age" by Melanie Hope Greenberg to benefit the TLA Disaster Relief Fund; see more information; (b) Cynthia Leitich Smith will be signing Blessed and other titles at 11 a.m. April 13 in the Author Signing Area.

YA A to Z Conference, sponsored by the Writers' League of Texas, will be April 15 and April 16 at the Hyatt Regency Austin (208 Barton Springs Road). Cost: $279 WLT Members, $349 Nonmembers (through March 15). See more information. Note: conference faculty includes Cynthia and Greg Leitich Smith. Cynthia will serve as the interviewer at "Meet the Author: Gail Giles" and as a panelist on "Going Graphic: Writing Graphic Novels" with Hope Larson, moderated by K.A. Holt. Spaces are still available! Register today!