Spooky News

You Can't Kill the Undead: Or, Paranormal Romance Isn't Going Anywhere by Kiersten White from Kiersten Writes. Peek: "This agony, this feeling that truly connecting with your crush was impossible, stemmed from the idolization of the Other. That person was so foreign, such a mystery, it made you want them even more and terrified you that it was impossible to ever get them." See also Jennifer R. Hubbard on Romance with Friction from AuthorsNow!

Business vs. Art by Mary Kole from Kidlit.com. Peek: "As much as writers and agents and editors want it to be all about the art, they need to make money for themselves, for their agency, for their house. As much as people like paying their rent and putting their kids through school, they also want to create something meaningful and fulfilling…." Read a Cynsations interview with Mary.

20 Tips for Attending SCBWI Conferences by Linda Joy Singleton from The Spectacle. Peek: "After receiving a business card or bookmark, make a note on it to remind you about the person you just met. When I get home after a conference and have a bunch of cards, it’s easier to remember clearer with helpful notes to remind me of new friends." Read a Cynsations interview with Linda.

Seven Power Twitter Tips and Why I Like Them by Michael from IHEARTEdTech. Peek: "Retweet the good stuff from others. Sharing is caring. Somewhat related to the above, you’ll find that retweeting helps you build relationships with those you retweet."

10 Things My Creative Writing MFA Taught Me Not to Do by Kate Monahan from Writer's Digest. Peek: [Don't] "Assume you have to save every piece of work. Some stories are worth letting go. Some stories are 'practice' stories, building blocks. They help us grow as writers." Source: April Henry.

Read-a-Likes: Zombies: a reading round up by Karin from Karin's Book Nook. Note: look for Brains for Lunch: A Zombie Novel in Haiku?! by K.A. Holt, illustrated by Gahan Wilson (Roaring Brook, Aug. 17, 2010).

Life Gets in the Way by Ann Aguirre from Writer Unboxed: About the Craft and Business of Genre Fiction. Peek: "Without fresh experiences, your work withers and becomes frail." Source: Elizabeth Scott.

Cynsational Author Tip: you do not own the copyright to reviews of your book and should not publish them without permission. Keep any quotes short, attribute, and if online, it's gracious to include a link to the review source.

Jane Fitch's 10 Rules for Writers from the Los Angeles Times. Peek: "Try to become stretchy–if you generally write 8 words, throw a 20 word sentence in there, and a few three-word shorties. If you’re generally a 20 word writer, make sure you throw in some threes, fivers and sevens, just to keep the reader from going crosseyed." Source: Lisa Schroeder.

Marriage for Writers by Peni R. Griffin from Idea Garage Sale. Peek: "For better, for worse, for richer, for poorer - who you marry will affect what you write, when you write, how you write. I recommend that every writer who is contemplating marriage read a few biographies with that in mind, and consider how this person fits in with your writing life." Read a Cynsations interview with Peni.

Cover Stories: The Blood Coven Series by Mari Mancusi from Melissa Walker. Peek: "They even changed the original jokey back cover copy to something darker and more mysterious to emphasize the angsty romance in the books, rather than the humor." See Mari on "Kids Don't Read Like They Used To...And That's a Good Thing."

What are Your Favorite Blogs? by Alice Pope from SCBWI Children's Market Blog. Peek: "There are just so many good industry blogs to choose from, and the task of creating the lists is a tad on the tedious side. It's kind of like cleaning out my closet. It's not awesome while I'm doing it, but I'm always very happy with the results when it's finished."

An Interview with Literary Agent Lauren MacLeod by Jeff Rivera from GalleyCat. Peek: "In addition to a great voice, I'm always looking for funny books in any of the YA or MG sub-genres. Funny is very hard to pull off, but it is a real sweet spot for me. I'd also love to see more YA or MG horror in my slush pile."

Tweet Roundup by Alice Pope from Alice's SCBWI Children's Market Blog. Peek: "Today's tweet soup: a stock of tips and advice, heaping spoonfuls of craft and vampire, a dash of this, a dash of that, topped off with a couple crispy conference croutons."

A Novelist's Storyboard by Tami Lewis Brown from Through the Tollbooth. Peek: "There's a block for an image, and underneath, lines for text. So how do you fill it in--- what goes in those blocks? I have some recommendations, but ultimately it's up to you."

In the Harry Potter Era, An American Fantasy by Rebecca Serle from The Huffington Post. Peek: "Both The Underneath (2008) and Keeper (2010) [by Kathi Appelt (both Atheneum)] are fantasies but they are also deeply rooted in America. Just when we think we're in some faraway land you remind us--nope, still Texas!"

Eight Ways to Enrich Your Character by Darcy Pattison from Fiction Notes. Peek: "What would your character never say or do? Of course, they must say or do this very thing. And do it with memorable lines. One of my characters knows his place in his world and it’s a humble place. So, when he says he’d be Emperor some day, it enlarges his characterization."

Cynsational Screening Room

Tenner Debuts for July to December:

Tenner Trailer Group 3 from tye murphy on Vimeo.

Check out the book trailer for Shadow Hills by Anastasia Hopcus (Egmont, 2010), and see an interview with Anastasia from Denise Jaden.



More Personally

Much of this week was spent working on the Eternal graphic novel in the dining room. The gray-and-white blanket on the chair beside mine was knitted by one of my very favorite people, Rita Williams-Garcia. I'd resolved to keep the cats off of it. I did. However, Mercury has his own opinion on the matter. In fairness, he has been quite respectful. I've never seen him demonstrate such a love of natural fibers.

Thanks to editor Alvina Ling and co-anthologists Holly Black and Cecil Castellucci for organizing Monday night's twitter chat in honor of the paperback release of Geektastic: Stories from the Nerd (Little, Brown, 2010). Thanks also to everyone who tweeted by!

Spooky Events

The launch party for Brains for Lunch: A Zombie Novel in Haiku?! by K.A. Holt, illustrated by Gahan Wilson (Roaring Brook, Aug. 2010) will be at 2 p.m. Sept. 12 at BookPeople in Austin.

Southwest Texas SCBWI Fall Editor Day will be from 8:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. Sept. 18 at the University of the Incarnate Word in San Antonio. Featured speakers are Sarah Shumway, HarperCollins editor; Julie Ham, Charlesbridge associate editor, and Carmen Tafolla, award-winning author. See more information.

"Send Down the Angels"

Remember Shayne Leighton, who created my book trailers for Tantalize (Candlewick, 2007, 2008) and Eternal (Candlewick, 2009, 2010)? Here she is (in white), singing "Send Down the Angels" from "The Incubus."

See the movie trailer below:

The Incubus - Film Trailer from Full Service Films on Vimeo.

Wherein I Proudly Embrace My "Star Wars" Geekdom

Check out Steampunk Star Wars by Greg Peltz from Alan Gratz at Gratz Industries.

See also "Star Wars Subway Car" edited by Matt Adams, music by Gustav Holst, arranged by Tyler Walker from Improv Everywhere.

Join the Nerd Herd at Tonight's Geektastic Twitter Chat

Join anthologists Holly Black @hollyblack and Cecil Castellucci @cecilseaskull, along with authors Libba Bray @LIBBABRAY, Cassandra Clare @cassieclare, Barry Lyga, Tracy Lynn @TracyLynntastic, Wendy Mass, and Cynthia and Greg Leitich Smith @CynLeitichSmith for a #GEEKTASTIC tweet chat in celebration of the paperback release of Geektastic: Stories from the Nerd Herd (Little, Brown, 2010).

The chat is scheduled for 5 p.m. PST, 6 p.m. MST, 7 p.m. CST, and 8 p.m. EST on July 12.

My contribution is "The Wrath of Dawn," co-authored by Greg, which is a love letter of sorts to little sisters as well as fans of "Buffy: The Vampire Slayer" and (to a lesser extent) "Star Trek: The Next Generation."

But more than that, it's a tribute to the long-standing tradition of bringing in a teen character to add more youth to a show and, in the depiction/execution, somehow vexing a fair portion of the fan base.

As YA authors, it occurred to us that maybe we should be on the side of the awkward teen rather than those scorning him/her. And maybe everybody else be should, too.

Since Geektastic was first released last year in hard cover, it's been a treat to discuss it with YA readers, many of whom have first come to "Buffy" through syndication, DVD releases, graphic novels, or the "Buffy: Season Eight" comic from Dark Horse.


I must admit, I envy them.

Imagine seeing "Buffy" from season one, episode one for the first time!

"The earth is doomed!" -- Giles

From the promotional copy:

Acclaimed authors Holly Black and Cecil Castellucci have united in geekdom to edit short stories from some of the best-selling and most promising geeks in young adult literature: M.T. Anderson, Libba Bray, Cassandra Clare, John Green, Tracy Lynn, Cynthia and Greg Leitich Smith, David Levithan, Kelly Link, Barry Lyga, Wendy Mass, Garth Nix, Scott Westerfield, Lisa Yee, and Sara Zarr.

With illustrated interstitials from comic book artists Hope Larson and Bryan Lee O'Malley, Geektastic covers all things geeky, from Klingons and Jedi Knights to fan fiction, theater geeks, and cosplayers.

Whether you're a former, current, or future geek, or if you just want to get in touch with your inner geek, Geektastic will help you get your geek on!

Spooky News

The Pals in Peril Tourists' Guide to Deepest, Darkest Delaware from M.T. Anderson. A fantasy tour guide of the state of Delaware--complete with sing-alongs and an interactive fantasy map on parchment. Read a Cynsations interview with Tobin.

So, Names... by Amaris from The Enchanted Inkpot. Fourteen authors chime in on their thought process in choosing character names.

Publishing Isn't Perfect by Mary Kole from Kidlit.com. I've retitled this post, which is part of a series in which Mary discusses self-publishing. Peek: "...the old days of the recluse genius sitting in some attic, who only writes and doesn’t do a lick of outreach or publicity, are gone." Read a Cynsations interview with Mary.

Necessary Agent by by Jofie Ferrari-Adler from Poets & Writers. Peek: "An agent who understands that at a time when there is an industry-wide blockbuster mentality that makes it harder than it’s ever been for editors to find the institutional support it takes to publish serious work well, it is more important than ever for agents to be fearless, savvy, and relentless advocates for their clients after their books are under contract." Source: Elizabeth Scott.

The Inner Editor Versus the Inner Critic and How to Ignore Them by Malinda Lo. Peek: "You have to face these fears head-on. I suggest writing them down in black and white. Write them down by hand, so that they come out of a pen held by your own fingers. Look at them there on the page."

Interview with Simon Pulse Executive Editor Anica Rissi by Carolee Dean from Crowe's Nest. Peek: "The Internet isn't a place to market to readers, it’s a place to connect with readers, and like with successful face-to-face human interactions, those connections don’t happen through monologues."

Making Up Stuff for a Living: newly redesigned official site of author Saundra Mitchell. Saundra's debut novel, Shadowed Summer (Delacorte, 2010), is now available in paperback. Read a Cynsations interview with Saundra.

A Tip About Doing Author Events by Cynthia Lord. Peek: "It's not unusual for me to find that what's been promised is slightly different than what the event asked me to do." Read a Cynsations interview with Cynthia.

Darth Vader is My Daddy by Cecil Castellucci from Red Room. Peek: "I was born the day I saw Star Wars, and Darth Vader made me. Sure, he's a jerk. And an emotional nightmare. And he's made some really unhealthy choices in his life. But he's my muse. And I do want to own his helmet." Read a Cynsations interview with Cecil.

Put Clothes on Him. But Not Too Many. by Lois Lowry from Lowry Updates. Peek: "It's important, I think, for a reader to be able to visualize a fictional character or scene. But each reader will see something—or someone—differently, and that's as it should be, because it's what makes reading such a personal and individual act."

Sex Education Through "Buffy: The Vampire Slayer" by Laura Sibson from Serendipity. Peek: "Later, we walked up to 29th Street for ice cream at Sundae Best and Tom asked the boys if they felt uncomfortable watching the episode. Our younger son (age 10) said he felt uncomfortable only because we were uncomfortable. 'I mean,' he said, 'there’s no point in watching if you’re going to fast-forward through every scene.'"

Congratulations to fellow Austinite Sean Petrie for signing with agent Marcy Posner of Folio Literary Management, and congratulations to Marcy for signing Sean!

Death By Ham: Playing the Odds of Getting Published by Maggie Stiefvater from Words on Words. Peek: "I didn't get published before I wrote Lament (Flux, 2008), though I wrote 30 other novels from the time I was in my teens (why no, I had no social life apart from bagpiping, why do you ask?) And this is why: those novels weren't ready." Read a Cynsations interview with Maggie.

Congratulations to Anna Staniszewski on the sale of her debut book, My Un-Fairy Tale Life, to Sourcebooks Jabberwocky. Note: Anna's agent is Ammi-Joan Paquette of Erin Murphy Literary Agency; don't miss Anna's LJ.

New Film on Children's Book Authors and Illustrators by Judith Rosen from Publishers Weekly. See the trailer for "Library of the Early Mind: A Documentary Film Exploring Children's Literature." Source: Julie Larios.

Evolution of the Strange Case of Origami Yoda Book Cover by Chad W. Beckerman from Mishaps and Adventures: Dedicated to the Process and Exploration of Children's and Young Adult Book Design. Peek: "How do you treat the text? Now that we settled on a chalkboard for the backdrop the font and how the text would be rendered must blend into the environment seamlessly." Read a guest post by author Tom Angleberger on The Strange Case of Origami Yoda (Amulet, 2010).

Cynsational Screening Room

Check out the book trailer for Mostly Monsterly by Tammi Sauer, illustrated by Scott Magoon (Paula Wiseman/Simon & Schuster, Aug. 31, 2010).



Marketing: an Inteview with Bree Despain by Cherylynne from The View from Above and Beyond. Peek: "...the nail polish. It has been a great give-away because, unlike a book mark or a business card, it is something that people will keep and use. And I've found its an incredible talking piece. People constantly ask me about where I got the great color, giving me a chance to talk about The Dark Divine (Egmont, 2009)." Check out the book trailer for The Dark Divine by Bree Despain (Egmont, 2009).



More Personally

Normally, Cynsations would be going on hiatus right now as I'd be off to teach at the Vermont College of Fine Arts MFA program in Writing for Children and Young Adults. However, I'm taking a leave of absence instead to focus on my own writing, specifically the Eternal graphic novel and the fourth prose novel in my Gothic fantasy series.

I'm already missing my colleagues, students, and the VCFA community at large. My thoughts are especially with the incoming first semester class, the outgoing graduates, and the new visiting faculty members. To any of y'all reading this, have a wonderful summer residency!

What else? Greg and I celebrated the 4th of July with Chicago-style hot dogs...

and a visit to the Bob Bullock Texas State History Museum, where--among other things--I was wowed by Ann Richard's boots. The late governor's motorcycle also was on display. Notes: (1) some of you may remember Governor Richards from her Democratic National Convention Keynote Address in 1988 in Atlanta; (2) I love cowboy boots!

Get your geek on! Join anthologists Holly Black @hollyblack and Cecil Castellucci @cecilseaskull, along with authors Libba Bray @LIBBABRAY, Cassandra Clare @cassieclare, Barry Lyga, Tracy Lynn @TracyLynntastic, Wendy Mass, and Cynthia and Greg Leitich Smith @CynLeitichSmith for a #GEEKTASTIC tweet chat in celebration of the paperback release of Geektastic: Stories from the Nerd Herd (Little, Brown, 2009, 2010). The chat is scheduled for 5 p.m. PST, 6 p.m. MST, 7 p.m. CST, and 8 p.m. EST on July 12.

Increasing Website Traffic: an interview with Cynthia Leitich Smith by Darcy Pattison from PR Notes at Fiction Notes. Peek: "My top recommendation is to keep one’s site updated. I’m forever going to author sites, looking to link to information about new releases, and that content is nowhere to be found."

Cynsational Events

The launch party for Brains for Lunch: A Zombie Novel in Haiku?! by K.A. Holt, illustrated by Gahan Wilson (Roaring Brook, Aug. 2010) will be at 2 p.m. Sept. 12 at BookPeople in Austin.

The Suburb Beyond the Stars: A Short (Smart, Funny, Mysterious, Scary) Movie

From author M.T. Anderson's official website:

This book trailer, stitched together out of pieces filmed before M. T. Anderson’s unfortunate disappearance, discusses his new book The Suburb Beyond the Stars.

It is part of a larger set of documents about the strange and mysterious sightings and deaths in the area of Mount Norumbega — all of which will be released soon on Scholastic’s website. We’re working to make them available to a waiting public.

We hope you can make more sense of this film than we can.

The Suburb Beyond the Stars from Sang Lee on Vimeo.

Cynsational Notes

The Suburb Beyond the Stars by M.T. Anderson (Scholastic, 2010). From the promotional copy: "Something very strange is happening in Vermont. It's not The Game of Sunken Places--but when Brian and Gregory go to visit a relative in the woods, they find many things are . . . off."

Author Interview: Ellen Schreiber on Vampire Kisses

Learn about Ellen Schreiber.

What were you like as a YA reader?

I was what you would call a “reluctant” reader. I didn’t enjoy reading because, unfortunately, I didn’t find many books that I could relate to. There wasn’t the fun YA market there is today.

Who were your favorite authors? What were your favorite titles?

I did like A Wrinkle in Time by Madeleine L’Engle (Crosswicks, 1962).

What first inspired you to write for teens?

I read a YA book that was flip, fast and fun, and I thought, “I could do this.” I’d started a novel that never went beyond 30 pages. I changed the characters to teens and finished it in six and a half weeks.

Could you tell us about your path to publication--any sprints or stumbles along the way?

I was very lucky. When I finished my first book, Johnny Lightning, my brother sent it to his Belgium publisher, Facet. They published it, and I was ecstatic!

It took a few years before I got published here in the U.S. An editor had just moved to HarperCollins and was taking unsolicited, unagented manuscripts. I sent my book Teenage Mermaid (2003) to her, and she published that along with Vampire Kisses (2003) and Comedy Girl (2004).


Congratulations on the rock-star success of the Vampire Kisses series (HarperCollins, 2003-)! Could you tell us a little about the books?

You are too kind! Wow. I wrote Vampire Kisses in 1998. I never dreamed it would become a series. After it was published, my editor asked for two more books. I’m currently writing VK 8.

What was your initial inspiration for the series?

Three things. An image, a character, and an obsession.

I wanted to write a book about a girl who was feisty, headstrong, fearless, and confident. I saw two goth girls swinging on swings in my neighborhood and loved the image. I thought maybe I’d write a poem and call it “Dark Angels.”

Instead, I decided to marry the character with the image and the girl would be a goth. Then I needed something else. I wanted her to be obsessed with something, and vampires popped into my head.

But I wanted to write about a vampire without the blood and gore. I wanted to focus on the romance of vampires. What made a vampire need a girl for all of eternity.

What was the timeline between spark and first publication, and what were the major events along the way?

I wrote it in 1998, and it was published in Belgium in 2000. I got the HarperCollins contract in 2001. Their 2002 fall list was filled, so it was published in 2003.

What were the challenges (literary, research, psychological, and logistical) in bringing it to life?

Not too many. I just sat down and wrote it. I asked my dad about some vampire lore--as he’s really into the Universal Monster movies. Other than that, it just wrote itself.

What inspired you to branch into graphic novels?

I was lucky. Tokyopop (a leading manga publisher) and HarperCollins were joining for a manga imprint. A TP editor was looking through the HC catalogue and spotted Vampire Kisses and thought it would be a good manga. I still thank him to this day for that moment!

What is the writing process like for the graphics?

I write the whole story in an outline form and as much dialogue and anything else I can. Then a scriptwriter transforms it into a script. We tweak it as we go, and once the art is finished, we still have to make sure the language matches.

What advice do you have for fellow series writers?

I write the stories as I go--since I didn’t think about a series when I wrote the first book. I imagine if you know you are writing a series ahead of time, you can write an outline of the whole series. But for me, I write more organically and things happen as I’m writing. So I guess it just depends on your style.

Why spooky stories? Are you a spooky person?

I love scary movies. My mom didn’t let me watch them when I was growing up. So I’m making up for that in my adult years.

What other stories/books do you want to tell us about?

Vampire Kisses 7 - Love Bites was out May 18th. It is about what happens when Alexander’s best friend, Sebastian, comes to Dullsville.

Also, Once In A Full Moon. It is a new series that will debut in January 2011 about a hot and heroic romantic werewolf.

So far, as a reader, what is your favorite tween/YA novel of 2010 and why?

I don’t read when I am writing--which is most of the time. I like my thoughts to remain my own, and I don’t want anything influencing them. Sometimes I do read manga as it is a different genre.

What books by other authors would you recommend to your own fans and why?

Starcrossed by Mark Schreiber (Flux, 2007) It is hip, edgy, and a great story, and I’m not just saying that because he’s my bro.


What do you do outside the world of books?

I love to shop for funky stuff, Hello Kitty, and I gossip about celebrities with my best friend. I’m always searching online for new and fun stuff to add to my vampire and quirky collection. I also like to make amigurumis (Japanese crocheted cuties) and watch cool movies with my husband.

The Healing Spell by Kimberley Griffiths Little

Check out the book trailer for The Healing Spell by Kimberley Griffiths Little (Scholastic, 2010). See teacher's guide (PDF). Read a Cynsations interview with Kimberley.



More Personally

Thank you to host librarian Mary Ann Tsosie and all those who attended one of my workshops and/or lecture this weekend at The University of New Mexico in Albuquerque! Note: "The Summer Sunset lecture series is co-sponsored by University Libraries and the Vice Provost for Academic Affairs." Here's a peek inside UNM:


Highlights of the trip included a visit to the Indian Pueblo Cultural Center (especially the exhibit, "Celebrating Native Legacies: Works in Clay by Kathleen Wall") and seeing New Mexico youth lit authors Alexandra Diaz and Carolee Dean.


As much fun as I've had of late, traveling and visiting book lovers from around the country, I'm pleased to say that I'll be home for the next several months, working hard on the Eternal graphic novel and a new prose novel that will be set in the same universe.

My best takeaway insight, having sampled much of what the U.S. airlines industry has to offer is: fly Southwest!


Beyond that, Austin is in Central Texas, so we're in no danger from Hurricane Alex. But we are seeing our share of rain and rainbows. This shot was taken from West Seventh Street.

CynthiaLeitichSmith's Channel at YouTube is now online. At this point, I'm just getting to know the system and adding favorites for your viewing pleasure--so far, my official book trailers and several by readers. Note: once I get a chance, I'll add the trailers of some of my own favorite reads.

See also Greg's report on last weekend's annual Writers' League of Texas Agents Conference.

New Voice: Dia Reeves on Bleeding Violet

Dia Reeves is the first-time author of Bleeding Violet (Simon Pulse, 2010). From the promotional copy:

Love can be a dangerous thing….

Hanna simply wants to be loved. With a head plagued by hallucinations, a medicine cabinet full of pills, and a closet stuffed with frilly, violet dresses, Hanna’s tired of being the outcast, the weird girl, the freak. So she runs away to Portero, Texas in search of a new home.

But Portero is a stranger town than Hanna expects. As she tries to make a place for herself, she discovers dark secrets that would terrify any normal soul.

Good thing for Hanna, she’s far from normal. As this crazy girl meets an even crazier town, only two things are certain: Anything can happen and no one is safe.

In writing your story, did you ever find yourself concerned with how to best approach "edgy" behavior on the part of your characters? If so, what were your thoughts, and what did you conclude? Why do you think your decision was the right one?

Before I ever sat down to write Bleeding Violet, I knew that the main character hallucinated, but I didn't know what mental illness caused hallucinations, and so I had to do some research.

When I discovered that people with bipolar can hallucinate (especially during manic episodes), that's the illness I went with. It was the illness itself that shaped most of Hanna's personality: recklessness, impaired judgment, hypersexuality, delusions, and thoughts of suicide.

I know a lot of people are offended by Hanna's behavior and don't feel that she's an appropriate role model or simply can't relate to her because her experiences and point of view are so out of the norm.

When I wrote her character, I never intended that Hanna should be the guiding example of what a teenager should be. I'm not interested in writing about saintly paragons of virtue, nor am I interested in writing about "normal" teenagers. I prefer abnormal teenagers, the ones on the fringe, the ones who don't think or operate the way "normal" people do.

That's why I had so much fun writing Bleeding Violet; with Hanna being an unusual type of character (certainly an underrepresented character), what built up around her was, correspondingly, an unusual story.

I wish everyone could experience the creative freedom that comes with upsetting the status quo; there are no words for it.

As a paranormal writer, how did you go about building your world?

I knew I wanted to write about East Texas; there's something romantic and fairytale-ish about huge forests.

Also, when people think of Texas, they tend to imagine flat, dusty plains and tumbleweeds. I wanted people to know that the geography of Texas is much more varied than that.

But what gives the imaginary town of Portero its otherwordly vibe is less the town itself but rather its townspeople: their matter-of-fact outlook on death, how they value bravery above almost anything else, their high tolerance for weirdness.

Porterenes have their own rituals and styles of dress and modes of behavior all centered around the fact that they live side by side with monsters. So the world building grew out of character; for me, characters inform everything.

Spooky Notes

Dia Reeves is a librarian and lives in a suburb of Dallas, Texas. Her family, however, hails from East Texas. Bleeding Violet is her first novel.

New Voice: Alyxandra Harvey on Hearts at Stake (The Drake Chronicles)

Alyxandra Harvey is the first-time author of The Drake Chronicles--Hearts At Stake (My Love Lies Bleeding in UK)(Dec., 2009-Jan., 2010); Blood Feud (June, 2010) and Out for Blood (Nov. 2010), all from Bloomsbury Walker Books. From the promotional copy:

On Solange’s sixteenth birthday, she is going to wake up dead. As if that’s not bad enough, she also has to outwit her seven overprotective older brothers, avoid the politics involved with being the only daughter born to an ancient vampire dynasty, and elude Kieran Black—agent of an anti-vampire league who is searching for his father’s killer and is intent on staking Solange and her entire family.

Luckily, she has her own secret weapon—her human best friend Lucy—who is willing to defend Solange’s right to a normal life, whether she’s being smothered by her well-intentioned brothers or abducted by a power-hungry queen.

Two unlikely alliances are formed in a race to save Solange’s eternal life—Lucy and Solange’s brother Nicholas, and Solange and Kieran Black—in a dual romance that is guaranteed to jump start any romance-lover’s heart.

How did you discover and get to know your protagonist? How about your secondary characters?

Quite often, my characters just pop into my head. They have a basic shape and voice, but it's like I need glasses to really focus on their individual details.

First, I find a name. I have lots of baby name books, and I keep lists of names I like as I come across them. I've also been known to out and out steal from movie credits!

I also keep a notebook for each novel I write, and it's filled with lists of characters' eye colour, hair colour, favourite band, book and food... I don't necessarily know all of this information when I first start, it is revealed to me as I go along.

But my favourite way of getting to know a book and a character is through collage. You don't need any particular artistic talent, just a few magazines and a glue stick. And I find it frees me up and gives me a different viewpoint. Imagery and certain colours, or bits of poetry all contribute to the "feel" of any given character. There's something instinctive and subconscious about this process which appeals to me.

Sometimes characters also have a "theme song." For Hearts At Stake and the main protagonist Solange Drake, this song was "Killing Moon" by Echo and the Bunnymen.

Hearts at Stake started with an image I had of a girl and a car full of her many brothers driving up to whisk her away. I knew she was in danger, but now how or why.

So I wrote the story to find out.

Eventually, I realized I wanted to loosely retell the Snow White fairy tale but in the vampire YA genre. I had Solange's basic details that way: black hair, pale skin and red lips. But I didn't really get to know her until I got to know her family. She is so overprotected because of vampire politics that she feels smothered and beloved all at the same time. She is just discovering who she is as a person when she is forced through the bloodchange into a vampire...if she can survive long enough, that is.

Another defining aspect for the characters in this book is their friendships with others. The family you make for yourself is just as important as the family you're born with. And for Solange Drake, that's Lucy Hamilton.

Lucy was fun to write because she's reckless and snarky. She doesn't really have a mute button, and she tends to act before she thinks. Her parents are pacifists, but she definitely has a violent streak!

Since both characters spoke to me so strongly that I chose to use both of their perspectives, in alternating chapters. I didn't want to be limited to one part of the story. I wanted to explore both the vampires and the humans and the way they interact. And often they hijacked the plot for their own purposes!

As a paranormal writer, what first attracted you to that literary tradition? Have you been a long-time paranormal reader? Did a particular book or books inspire you?

I have always been a reader. When everyone else was in love with actors and musicians, I was in love with literary characters or dead poets. I've cultivated very satisfying crushes on Robin Hood, John Keats, Mr. Rochester and, of course, Mr. Darcy.

In high school, I started to read fantasy novels which eventually led me to paranormal and urban fantasy. But at first I was a terrible snob. I refused to read any modern fantasy. If it didn't happen in some crumbling castle, I wanted nothing to do with it!

Tanya Huff's Blood Ties series whet my appetite in high school as my first literary introduction to vampires and werewolves and supernatural creatures. I adored her books; they were snarky and fun and took place in Toronto, where I lived. My best friend and I used to trade them back and forth, writing each other notes about the characters in the margins.

And then in university I discovered Charles de Lint. That was it. He finalized my conversion with a single book: Memory and Dream (1994).

Keep in mind that urban fantasy meant something different back in the 90s. It was more magical folkloric realism (Charles de Lint, Emma Bull, Terri Windling...) than the detective/action/horror type books that make up the genre now. In fact, Terri Windling's The Wood Wife (2003) remains my favourite book to this day. Some other favourites now also include Solstice Wood by Patricia A. McKillip (2006) and Guy Gavriel Kay's Ysabel (2007).

What I love about this genre is the braiding together of myth and history and magic. It has the flavour of old fairy tales but with more modern sensibilities. It's the beauty of the rose, the blood on a thorn and the girl passed out in the castle behind the briars. It has so many layers. The mystery of it helps us to look beneath the surface, which is always a valuable tool. And (especially now) the girls almost always kick butt!

And never forget, it's only fairly recently that paranormal creatures are shelved in the fantasy section. They used to be a real concern, as real as choosing which crops to plant, how to avoid the plague, and who you were going to marry.

Spooky Notes

Alyxandra "studied creative writing and literature at York University and has had her poetry published in several magazines. When not writing, she is a belly dancer and jewelrymaker. She lives in Ontario, with her husband, hawk, and two dogs."

Spooky News

Fresh Hell: What’s behind the boom in dystopian fiction for young readers? by Laura Miller from The New Yorker. Peek: "There are, or will soon be, books about teen-agers slotted into governmentally arranged professions and marriages or harvested for spare parts or genetically engineered for particular skills or brainwashed by subliminal messages embedded in music or outfitted with Internet connections in their brains. Then, there are the post-apocalyptic scenarios in which humanity...." Note: Great article, but I respectfully disagree with the latter assertion that you don't have to offer a fresh twist, but rather just be "harrowing." YAs may be young, but those who are avid fans of a particular literary tradition may well trump us grizzled types in expertise. Source: Nathan Bransford.

How to Grab An Agent's Attention in a Query: Tips from Twenty Agents to Make Your Query Shine by Suzette Saxton from QueryTracker.

What It Takes to Be An Agent by Jessica and Kim at BookEnds, LLC. Peek: "So often I hear people say that they love to read, therefore they want to be agents. Oh, if only it were that simple. As any of you who have followed agents on Twitter or through blogs have probably come to realize, being an agent is not a 9-5 job. It’s a 9-9 job and then some, and the truth is the reading is such a small part of what we do."

Agents Are Not Just Gatekeepers by Nathan Bransford - Literary Agent. Peek: "For an aspiring author, the gatekeeping function is basically all they think about when they think about agents. But in actuality, agents spend most of their time on their existing clients, who happen to be the ones that have already made it through the hoop." Read a Cynsations interview with Nathan.

What Does Fantasy Teach Us? by Deva Fagan from The Enchanted Inkpot. Peek: "I believe that the fantastical can teach us just as much about life and the world as gritty realism. That it can help us learn to be better people, allow us to explore injustice and cruelty and beauty and hope. That fantasy can teach us about the real world." Read a Cynsations interview with Deva.

Author An Na will join fellow visiting faculty Coe Booth and Franny Billingsley at this July's residency of the Vermont College of Fine Arts MFA program in Writing for Children and Young Adults. See the entire list of VCFA faculty.

Fighting Fatigue by Lynn Viehl from Paperback Writer. Peek: "Publishing loses so many great writers every year. The stress of trying to be-all and do-all as a professional writer inevitably and negatively affects the writer as well as the quality of their work, which tips over the seven dominoes of writer self-destruction via creative fatigue: exhaustion, paranoia, burn-out, depression, isolation, renunciation and, finally, tossing in the towel." Source: Elizabeth Scott.

What Kind of Fantasy is Tu Looking For? And what kind of synopsis? by Stacy Whitman from Tu Publishing. Peek: "I just want to be sure that you’re also familiar with what’s out there right now for children and teens, and not just what was published in the 70s and 80s by some of the best authors on the adult side. If you haven’t already, I suggest going to your local bookstore (or library, but the bookstore is better for seeing more current books all in one place) and looking at the middle grade and YA shelves to get a good idea of how broad the definition of SF/fantasy is in that section." Read a Cynsations interview with Stacy.

Cynsational Screening Room

Write On Con: "We’d all heard so many writers tell us they wished they could attend a conference, but simply didn’t have the time or money. So we decided to bring a conference to them—a free online conference that anyone could attend in the convenience of their own homes. And so, WriteOnCon was born. (Rated MC-18: for main characters 18 and under.)" The online event is scheduled for Aug. 10 to Aug. 12; see roster of presenters and more information. Source: the Texas Sweethearts.



The Vampire Hunters hosts give you the inside scoop on how to tell the if your friend is just a regular teen or a vampire! Need more tips? Check out the book Fat Vampire: A Never Coming Of Age Story by Adam Rex (HarperCollins, June 27, 2010).



More Personally

Summer seems to have already arrived in Texas. At least according to the sunflower blooming in my yard. (It's less fuzzy in real-life).

Authors That Inspire by Kristine Carlson Asselin from My Writing Journey. Kristine offers her reaction to my recent keynote at the New England SCBWI Conference. Peek: "First of all, Cyn's speech was funny. And that's important for a Saturday morning conference presentation. She talked about her adorable husband, her life as a law student, and the epiphany that came when she decided to start writing for children (as I recall, it had something to do with ducks.) And I loved her immediately." Note: Kristine's Taurus, Virgo & Capricorn: All About the Earth Signs was published by Capstone Press in January 2010.

Enter to Win Signed Copies of Eternal by Smith, The Wild One by Farley, and Chicken Dance by Sauer

Larissa's World is giving away signed copies of:

Eternal by Cynthia Leitich Smith;

The Wild One (Phantom Stallion #1) by Terri Farley;

and

Chicken Dance by Tammi Sauer, illustrated by Dan Santat (signed by both)!

Deadline midnight EST today! See more information how to enter.

Cynsational Notes

From Larissa's bio: "I'm a wife, mother of three, preschool teacher, writer, handbell choir director, Creative Memories Consultant...so, yeah, not much going on around here. I am also the 2010 Silent Auction Chairperson for the Florida Writers Association. If you would like to donate, please contact me."

Check out Sterling Publishing Loves Chicken Dance; enter to win.



And for those who haven't already seen it, the Eternal trailer by Shayne Leighton; enter to win.

Immortal: Love Stories with Bite (Various Language Editions)

I'm pleased to announce new and forthcoming editions of Immortal: Love Stories with Bite, edited by P.C. Cast, which includes my short story, "Haunted Love." Language rights sold and the respective publishers to date include:

Russian: Eksmo Licence Limited;

Portuguese: Editora Planeta do Brasil;

Polish: Pravada | Prevodi;

Turkish: Pegasus Yayinlari;

French: Editions AdA Inc.

Cynsational Notes

The U.S./English language publisher is Ben Bella Books.

Thanks to Laís for sending these shots of the Portuguese language edition!

Spooky News

Cover Stories: Forgive My Fins by Tara Lyn Childs from Melissa Walker. Peek: "I sent it immediately to my friends at Blue Willow Bookshop for their bookseller perspective and then sent on their suggestions with mine. The art department at Harper absolutely took those suggestions to heart. They were extremely committed to making the cover as perfect as possible and worked on every little detail."

Dealing with Flash Point, Difficult Topics by Darcy Pattison from Fiction Notes. A discussion of how to approach hot-button topics, using The Adoration of Jenna Fox by Mary E. Pearson (Henry Holt, 2008) as a case study.

Austin Avant-Grande Mentoring Program: "a network of successful kid-lit artists and writers offering support, providing guidance, and sharing expertise in a highly professional manner. AAMP amplifies a sense of community through a concentrated focus on craft."

Attention Gothic fantasy, horror, paranormal romance, and urban fantasy authors! Please swing by spookycyn and my related bibliography to make sure your blog/author site links are included. If not, please contact me with the URLs and where they should go.

PR Notes: Book Publicity by Darcy Pattison from Fiction Notes. Peek: "For some time, I’ve been very interested in the ins and outs of marketing, public relations, social media, etc. I’ve thought about doing a separate website; instead, I’ve decided to write a PR Notes column on Wednesdays. I’d love to include your PR story in a guest post or I’d be glad to send you a Q&A."

Margaret Bechard: new official author site. Learn about Margaret and her books, read her journal, and find out about her teaching. Peek: "Writing is hard and frustrating and sometimes I just want to be a barista at Starbucks. But then there are those moments where everything comes together, when my fingers are typing just a little bit faster than my brain is working, and then I know why I always wanted to do this."

Selling Yourself by Parker Peevyhouse from The Spectacle. Peek: "Is all this talk about post-its and Halloween drowning out the carefully crafted noise of a well-written story?" See also What It Means to Say "Brand Me" by Colleen Mondor from Chasing Ray, which springs from Maureen Johnson's Anti-branding Manifesto.

Critiques: Guidelines and Tips by Donna Bowman Bratton from Simply Donna. Peek: "As a critique group member, you will at times be a partner, a therapist, a sounding board, an impartial reader, an editor, and a cheerleader."

Dystopian and the Apocalypse: What's the Difference? by Kaitlin Ward from YA Highway. Peek: "These terms sometimes have that same confusion factor (for me, at least) as 'urban fantasy' vs. 'paranormal romance.' So much potential for overlap, but really, they are their own unique snowflakes." Note: includes model books for reference.

Excerpts of The Complete Idiot's Guide to Children's Book Publishing (3rd and latest edition) are being tweeted by author Harold Underdown (@HUnderdown), beginning June 8. See hash tag: #cigpcb

The Elephant in the Room by Elizabeth Bluemle from PW Shelf Talker. Peek: "What I’d like to do is open the conversation by offering some positive, creative steps we can all take to make the world of children’s books—behind the scenes, in addition to between the covers—catch up to the amazing, diverse, infinitely rich world those books are meant to reflect and celebrate." Note: features original, tie-in art by Kevan Atteberry, Addie Boswell, Jerry Craft, Katie Davis, Nancy Devard, Elizabeth O. Dulemba, Laura Freeman, Erin Eitter Kono, Grace Lin, Nicole Tadgell, and Sharon Vargo. See also Is My Character Black Enough? from Stacy Whitman's Grimoire.

The Thrill of Harry Potter Rides On by Neil Genzlinger from The New York Times. Peek: "...rides aren’t really the point; workmanship is. This attraction was made for the kind of people who have more or less memorized Ms. Rowling’s books, and it shows in all sorts of details. The weathering of the stone to make it look indefinably old. The way the snow sits on the rooftops, just on the verge of melting." Note: don't miss the video.

Reminder: the deadline for the Katherine Paterson Prize for Young Adult and Children's Writing is June 30. Peek: "One overall first place winner receives $1,000 and publication! Three runners-up receive $100 each." This year's judge is Holly Black.

Cynsational Screening Room

Check out the book trailer for Susan Beth Pfeffer's post-apocalypse trilogy (Houghton Mifflin Harcourt).



Celebrating Ming Doyle

Rumor has it that the delightful folks at Candlewick are starting to talk about the spring 2011 list, which is a big list for me because it'll include both Blessed and Tantalize: Kieren's Story, a graphic novel, illustrated by Ming Doyle. This strikes me as another call to celebrate the awesomeness of Ming, so here's a Lois & Clark video snapshot from her LJ.



On a related note, Ming now has a journal of her art available for purchase. Note: this would be a lovely gift to give one's wife for her anniversary. This is a hint to my husband.




More Personally

Geektastic: Stories from the Nerd Herd, edited by Holly Black and Cecil Castellucci is being released in paperback this month by Little, Brown. The anthology includes "The Wrath of Dawn" by Cynthia and Greg Leitich Smith.

Thanks to Shveta for hosting my latest interview--Dancing and jingling and tantalizing: Interview with Cynthia Leitich Smith--at A desi faerie spins stories of stars, jasmine in her hair.... I talk about the inspirations for Tantalize, Eternal, and even Cynsations as well as what I've learned from teaching, a few recommended multicultural novels, what I'd like to see more of in children's-YA books, my upcoming releases, and fictional role models.

Interview with Cynthia Leitich Smith: Author of Eternal by J.E. from Fresh Dawgs' Book Blog. Peek: "My reading tastes have expanded over the years. When I was in high school, I enjoyed spooky stories, and I still do. But I also love great creative nonfiction, historical novels, novels in verse, and many more genres and formats. Writing has made me appreciate more what I can learn from embracing a wide variety of books."

Reminder: any ARC/book blurb queries should be emailed to me by editors/agents, not from authors directly. Please also note that I have been swamped of late with such requests, so it's not an ideal time. Thanks!

Austin Area Events

"The Metaphor: So Much More Than a Simple Comparison," a lecture by Varian Johnson at 11 a.m. June 12 at BookPeople.