Thank you for being a Cynsations reader!

Effective immediately, the Cynsations digital magazine is on hiatus. We’ll return in December with more inspiration, insights and information on children’s-YA writing, illustration, literature and publishing.

At Cynsations, we celebrate Native authors and illustrators all year long, but we know more teachers and child-caregivers may be searching for titles with supplemental educational and/or entertaining resources during Native Heritage Month.

Check out We Need Diverse Books‘ resource Indigenous Reads Rising, which offers articles about best practices, along with book lists by age category and topic, plus resources for educators, librarians, booksellers, families and writers. Cynthia Leitich Smith has also assembled an extensive list of related literary resources.

For those celebrating fall by diving into a manuscript, visit Cynthia’s Writing Craft Resources for insights on an array of topics from backstory to voice and everything in between.

Cynthia also discusses those topics on Facebook, Instagram, and LinkedIn.

You can also meet Cynthia at upcoming book festivals and events, including:

The Texas Book Festival on Nov. 14 and Nov. 15 in Austin.

Catch the posts from Cynsations Fall Series here:

• Author Interview: Emily Young Explores Humanity Through Paranormal Mischief
• Author Interview: Leslie Adame on Writing MG Fantasy that Mirrors Reality
• In Memory: Author Jane Yolen
• Author Interview: Shifa Saltagi Safadi On Being a Vulnerable & Persistent Poet

• Author Interview: Rebecca Bendheim on Author-Agent Relationships & Being Brave
• Throwback Thursday: Author Andrea M. Page on Creating Education Guides
• Author Interview: Khushboo Patel on Writing Stories of Courage & Complexity
• Authors Interview: Rebecca Gardyn Levington & Naomi M. Gruer Share Insights on Picture Book Craft & Marketing
• Authors Interview: Rebecca Gardyn Levington & Naomi M. Gruer Discuss Building Writerly Resilience
• In Memory: Author Benjamin Alire Sáenz
• Author/Illustrator Interview: Susan K. Holt on Collage Illustration, TCU Press & NF Fest

• Author Interview: Ann Broyles Discusses Weaving Historical Fact into YA Fiction
• Author Interview: Kevin Maillard On Identity, Belonging & Bears in New Picture Book
• Author Interview: Lakshmi Iyer on Writing Hard Stories of Adoption, Race & Raising Kids Across Cultures

The post Cynsations Fall Hiatus appeared first on Cynthia Leitich Smith.

By Cynthia Leitich Smith, Gayleen Rabakukk, Suma Subramaniam, A.J. Eversole, Mitu Malhotra, and Gail Vannelli for Cynsations

Spotlight Image: Free to Fly by Karina Iceberg, illustrated by Steph Littlebird (Heartdrum, 2026).

Author/Illustrator Insights

Fast Five Interview: Libba Bray by Amanda MacGregor from Teen Librarian Toolbox. Peek: “I took my then ten-year-old son to see ‘Where the Wild Things Are.’ During the movie, he broke down sobbing….[H]e looked at me and said, ‘It’s just so hard to grow up.’… We grow. Change. Evolve….[T]hat is great but it also hurts….I realized that what I wanted to write was a love song to growing up.”

Mexikid Dreams….I’m Just Excited To Talk to Pedro Martín by Betsy Bird from School Library Journal. Peek: “I’m…hyper aware about bringing up unfamiliar concepts to young readers…[I]t’s gonna take a moment to get the idea into a place where it will make sense for them. You hate to slam on the brakes of a good story to explain an old goof-ball concept. Luckily, I love a good ‘explanatory story.’ An ‘explanastory’ if you will.”

Curiouser and Curiouser: PW Talks With Maggie Tokuda-Hall by Amanda Ramirez from Publishers Weekly. Peek: “[T]he way you instill a love of reading in kids is to let them read the books they love, even if those books don’t make sense to you or you don’t like them. Allowing kids to have fun when they read is important…[Y]ou can do that by giving them books about things they’re curious about.”

Let Them Make Mistakes, a Guest Post by Christine Hartman Derr by Amanda MacGregor from Teen Librarian Toolbox. Peek: “Mistakes, and how we respond to them, teaches us who we are and allows us to choose who we want to become. This is why it’s so important to let kids make mistakes. In real life, and in the books they read….[y]oung readers need to see that they can make mistakes and recover from them.”

MacKids Spotlight: H. D. Hunter from MacKids School and Library. Peek: “I love using speculative fiction to imagine a better world for people who have been wronged; a world where we can all do a little better and pull a little closer to one another. If you can imagine anything, why not a miraculously earned happy ending for all?”

Cynthia Leitich Smith on the Formidable and Necessary Power of Aunties and Grandmas by Cynthia Leitich Smith from Uma Krishnaswami. Peek: “[S]tudies show that reading creates a vicarious experience with real-life impacts on the mind and mental health. I’m hopeful that young readers feel these positive role models reinforced or introduced…[C]reating these books has reminded me that there is heroism in daily life, and no magic is more powerful than loved ones showing up for one another.”

Equity & Inclusion

Caldecott Winner Andrea L. Rogers on “Death in the Tallgrass” by Kyle Kellams from KAUF Radio Ozarks at Large. Peek: “I wanted to touch on…Cherokee history….[I]nterstitials include some Cherokee history, some Cherokee culture, some Cherokee stories and an actual history. Things that have happened. But I didn’t want to do it in a way that was didactic….[I]t’s not nonfiction. Reading historical fiction is not the way you learn history.”

Forty Great Indigenous Stories To Read and Share With Your Kids by Selena Mills from Today’s Parents. Peek: “From beautiful board books to compelling tales to trenchant reads, here are great stories about Indigenous culture and issues to add to your bookshelf….No matter your child’s age, there’s a book here they’ll love. These stories offer a way to teach children about Indigenous culture through beautiful narratives and illustrations.”

Indigenous Reads Rising. Peek: “Indigenous Reads Rising is a celebration of Indigenous children’s literature of Native Nations…within the United States and Canada. We created Indigenous Reads Rising…to provide a resource where teachers, librarians, and readers can embrace the diversity of Indigenous children’s and teen literature. This site includes [best practices] articles,…[and] book lists arranged by age category and topic….”

Celebrating Culture: PW Talks With Ana Siqueira by Patricia J. Murphy from Publishers Weekly. Peek: “I want Latinx kids to see themselves and to feel proud of their heritage, to learn about their cultures…To help increase Latinx representation in children’s books, a number of Latinx book creators and I started Latinx Pitch…about five years ago. Our goal was to get editors and agents interested in the Latinx population and book creators.”

Johanna Peyton on Books To Welcome and Reflect Dyslexic Readers by Johanna Peyton from Publishers Weekly. Peek: “[I]t is books (and the authors who write them) that hold the unique opportunity to fling their covers open wide and welcome in dyslexic readers (and nonreaders). The pages of a book are the best place for these children to see stories that honor their striving, validate their fight, and offer compassion for their struggle.”

“Care and Intention”: PW Talks With Renée Watson by Erika Hardison from Publishers Weekly. Peek: “I grew up in Portland and always felt that Black folks were erased from Pacific Northwest history. We talk about the Great Migration to the North and the Midwest, but not about the folks who came West. In…my books, I try to make sure Black life in Oregon and Washington is present on the page.”

Writing Craft

Fast Five Interview: Shifa Saltagi Safadi by Amanda MacGregor from Teen Librarian Toolbox. Peek: “I had to rip apart the book multiple times and almost fully rewrote it each time I got an edit letter from my editor. After lots and lots…of revision, I finally figured out the characters’ personalities and quirks and scars, and then their voices just flowed out of me….Magic is often found in the revision process….”

Writing Can Be Fun, Actually! With Trinity Nguyen by Emily Charlotte from Emily Charlotte Books. Peek: “If I’m stuck on a specific scene, I…jump around and keep writing other scenes. Even if I end up cutting out scenes I really liked writing, at least the actual writing process brought me joy. For the scenes or characters I can’t quite figure out, I usually consume other media to figure out exactly what I’m missing.”

Take Five With Delano Brown from Becky Walker Books. Peek: “[W]rite for yourself first. If you start out writing for others, those same people may not like what you wrote. But when you write for yourself, you get the true you being poured out on those pages. Then you can share it, revise it, share it again, and just maybe, move on to publishing….”

Q&A: Sabaa Tahir, Author of “Empire” by Elise Dumpleton from The Nerd Daily. Peek: “I rewrote my outline multiple times. Then I rewrote the beginning many times, because I kept trying to work in a character whose arc I couldn’t quite figure out. One character had to be completely reworked from the ground up after I’d already written about 10 chapters for her. Fortunately I’m stubborn…and got through it.”

All That Glitters: Ayana Gray and John Stephens on Their Gilded Age–Set YA by Ayana Gray and John Stephens from Publishers Weekly. Peek: “I have a habit, when I’m researching an era of history, of making it my whole personality for a while. I read, I listen to podcasts, I follow historical social media accounts…. I like reading about the families and power players of the era. So it’s a very multimedia approach for me.”

Interview With Richard Mercado, Creator of Coming Out Perfect by Michele Kirichanskaya from Geeks Out. Peek: “I write a whole outline first which details the beginning-middle-end of the story. Then, I make a loose script of mostly dialogue….I have to write out the dialogue…to really be able to imagine the scene. I then work my way to creating thumbnails,…a rough visual outline of the comic. After…[that] I can finally focus on drawing the comic!”

Libraries

Banned Books Week 2026: Two Immigrant Stories Reveal the Power of the Public Library by Allison Matulli from Publishers Weekly. Peek: “When a young reader pulls a book from a shelf, they are exercising a fundamental right: the freedom to read, inquire, imagine, ask questions, form their own thoughts, and disagree….Protecting the freedom to read guarantees access to…public libraries in which every child, everywhere, has an equal right to find their voice….”

LJ Movers & Shakers 2027. Peek: “The editors of Library Journal need your help in identifying emerging talents in the library world—both great leaders and behind-the-scenes contributors who are providing inspiration and model programs for others. Our 26th annual round of Movers & Shakers…will profile up-and-coming individuals…who are innovative, creative, making a difference fighting against censorship, and helping improve their workplace.” Nominate here. The nomination deadline is Oct. 31.

Could Libraries Become Bastions for Local News? by Nathalie op de Beeck from Publishers Weekly. Peek: “A new program wants to reinvent public libraries as centers for community journalism…[Terry Parris Jr.] founded the Library Newsroom Project [that] ‘uses journalism…to help people ask questions about where they live, share what they learn, and build connections…’ Daniel Jones, a youth services librarian…and LNP are…recruiting student participants to collaborate with [an] affiliate of National Public Radio….”

Publishing

Scholastic Agrees To Buy Cottage Door Press for $71 Million by Jim Milliot from Publishers Weekly. Peek: “Scholastic has significantly added to its early childhood offerings, reaching an agreement to acquire Cottage Door Press for approximately $71 million….Cottage Door was founded in 2014…[and] specializes in board and novelty books, many of which have interactive elements. Since its launch,…[it] has been active in the licensing market…Cottage Door will continue to operate with complete freedom.”

As Publishers Ramp Up AI Implementation, Employees Slow Down by Ed Nawotka from Publishers Weekly. Peek: “Institutional use of artificial intelligence across the North American book industry rose sharply over the past year, even as individual adoption declined, according to the second annual AI report from the Book Industry Study Group and BookNet Canada….AI use at the organizational level at publishers jumped to 63%, from 48%…while individual use dropped from 46%…to 38%….”

Norton Waverly Imprint Expands Publisher’s Children’s Book Reach by Sally Lodge from Publishers Weekly. Peek: “W.W. Norton & Company, the oldest and largest independent, employee-owned book publisher in the U.S., has announced the spring 2027 launch of a new trade imprint, Norton Waverly….The plan is to grow the imprint’s list to approximately six new titles annually, with a commitment to ‘creating single, spectacular reading experiences.’”

At People of Publishing, Agents Grapple With the Ethics of Making a Living by Natalie Chandler from Publishers Weekly. Peek: The Association of American Literary Agents (AALA) recently “revised its ethics framework for members who offer paid editorial, marketing and web services to authors they do not represent.” This prompted the Dystel, Goderich & Bourret agency to resign from AALA, stating, “the arrangement creates an inherent conflict of interest and an imbalance of power.” It “also objected to revisions that allow agents to retain their editorial fees if they decide to sign the authors as agency clients.”

Marketing

Media Source Launches Open Shelf Reviews from Shelf Awareness. Peek: “Media Source, the parent company of the review magazines Library Journal, School Library Journal, and The Horn Book…launched its first new publication in 75 years: Open Shelf Reviews. The paid service gives independent authors and small presses access to a community of professional reviewers, most with backgrounds in education and libraries.”

Booksellers

The Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators’ BookStop is open for members to design a custom promotional page to showcase their books and sell them directly to readers, parents, educators, and librarians. Eligible books are those traditionally published, self-published/author-published, and children’s book apps that have been published, or will be published, between January 1, 2024, and December 31, 2026. Bookstop will be open to the public to purchase books from Oct. 13 to Dec. 30.

Education/Other Resources/Events

The free 2026 Texas Book Festival takes place Nov. 14 to Nov. 15 in downtown Austin, in and around the State Capitol. The festival lineup features over 250 authors  of the year’s best books. Some of the many children’s/YA authors and illustrators include Cynthia Leitich Smith, Christina Soontornvat, Don Tate, Cindy Pham, Jashar Awan, and Renée Watson.

Library Journal’s free virtual Day of Dialog Fall 2026 takes place Oct. 22 from 6 a.m. to 3 p.m. pacific, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. central, 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. eastern. “Spanning a variety of genres, this day-long program will offer an in-depth look at the biggest forthcoming books for fall 2026/winter 2027. You’ll hear directly from top authors as they discuss their new titles, inspiration, process, and more.” Sessions will be available for on-demand viewing within 24 hours, and the entire event will be accessible for three months from the event date.

Penguin Random House, Library Journal, and School Library Journal present their free virtual Winter Book & Author Festival 2026. “Enjoy a day packed with author panels and interviews, virtual shelf browsing, audiobook discovery, and adding to your TBR pile. You’ll hear from many of your favorite authors, whose work runs the gamut from Kids to Young Adult titles to the best new Fiction and Nonfiction for adults.” The event takes place Dec. 3 from 7 a.m. to 2 p.m. pacific, 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. central, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. eastern. Register here.

Children’s Book Week, a beloved program that continues to grow and adapt each year with new resources and ideas, takes place Nov. 9 to Nov. 15. Find free resources, public event listings, participation ideas, and FAQ here.

Belmont Books presents an evening with children’s authors Rhonda DeChambeau and Elaine Dimopoulos in conversation about DeChambeau’s new middle grade novel Stained (Holiday House, 2026). The in-person event takes place Nov. 17 at 7 p.m. at Belmont Books, 79 Leonard St., Belmont, MA. Stained will be released the day of this event.

Join Library Journal and School Library Journal for LibraryCon Live! 2026 that celebrates “fandom, [and] spotlight[s] genre fiction for adults and teens with panels devoted to comics and graphic novels, horror, sf/fantasy, and more.” This free virtual event takes place Nov. 12 from 7 a.m. to 2 p.m. pacific, 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. central, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. eastern. Register here.

Nikki Grimes Appointed Young People’s Poet Laureate 2027-2028. “For nearly 50 years, Nikki Grimes has been writing transformative books for young people. She has been an inspiration to countless readers and a guiding beacon for many of today’s acclaimed authors. In emotionally resonant novels in verse and playful, highly imaginative picture books, her poetry centers the lived experiences of young people with honesty and empathy.”

First Book, Kwame Alexander’s One Word at a Time Partner on “Story Showdown” from Publishers Weekly. Peek: “National literacy nonprofits First Book and…Kwame Alexander’s One Word at a Time are teaming up on a free virtual game show, Story Showdown, to promote the joy of reading among young people. Hosted on the First Book Community Platform, the events are open to classrooms, educators, librarians, and…professionals working with youth in grades four through eight.” Upcoming shows take place Oct. 13 and Nov. 12.

YALLFest Adds Adult Romance Programming by Sam Spratford from Publishers Weekly. Peek: “YALLFest, the nation’s largest YA book festival, is launching ROMFest, a dedicated romance programming track geared toward adult attendees. ROMFest will run during YALLFest’s regular festival hours on Nov. 13–14 in Charleston, S.C., and will feature panels with YA crossover romance authors, including Sarah Beth Durst, Tricia Levenseller, and Mary E. Pearson.”

Awards

2026 Finalists for the National Book Award for Young People’s Literature Announced. Peek: The National Book Foundation named five finalists for the 2026 National Book Award for Young People’s Literature: Holloway by Elana K. Arnold (Clarion Books, 2026), When Tomorrow Burns by Tae Keller (Random House Books for Young Readers, 2026), That Which Feeds Us: A Hawaiian Gothic by Keala Kendall (Random House Books for Young Readers, 2026), The Fight of Our Lives: AIDS in America by David Levithan and Gabriel Duckels (Knopf Books for Young Readers, 2026), and Shook by Julian Randall, illustrated by Nathan Walker (Henry Holt and Co. (BYR), 2026). The winner will be announced on Nov. 18, at the NBA’s awards ceremony.

Congratulations to the finalists of the 2026 CCBC Book Awards, which include the Marilyn Baillie Picture Book Award, Sharon Fitzhenry Award for Canadian Children’s Non-Fiction, Geoffrey Bilson Award for Historical Fiction for Young People, Amy Mathers Teen Book Award, David Booth Children’s and Youth Poetry Award, and Richard Allen Chase Memorial Award. The awards ceremony will take place Oct. 26.

Congratulations to the winners of the Waterstones’ 2026 Children’s Book Prize, which is awarded in the categories of Overall Winner, Illustrated Book, Older Readers, and Younger Readers: Sleep Tight, Disgusting Blob by Huw Aaron (Viking Books for Young Readers, 2025)(Overall Winner and Illustrated Book), A Language of Dragons by S. F. Williamson (HarperCollins, 2025)(Older Readers) and Evie and Maryam’s Family Tree by Janeen Hayat (Guppy Publishing Ltd, 2025)(Younger Readers).

Congratulations to the winners and honorees of the Massachusetts Center for the Book’s 26th Annual Massachusetts Book Awards. The Middle Grade/Young Adult Literature winner is Imposter by Cait Levin (Charlesbridge Teen, 2025). The Picture Book/Early Reader winner is Flora and the Jazzers by Astrid Sheckels (Waxwing Books, 2025).

Congratulations to the winners of the Heartland Booksellers Awards, and especially to the two winners for children’s books: Angelica and the Bear Prince by Trung Le Nguyen (Random House Graphic, 2025)(MG/YA) and Loops by Jashar Awan (Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers, 2026)(Picture Book). The awards were presented at the Heartland Fall Forum 2026.

Congratulations to the authors and illustrators whose books made the shortlists for the Goddard Riverside CBC Youth Book Prize for Social Justice and Goddard Riverside Stephan Russo Book Prize for Social Justice. Goddard Riverside strives toward a fair and just society where all people can make choices that lead to better lives for themselves and their families.

Scholarships & Grants

Penguin Random House, in partnership with We Need Diverse Books, is presenting Creative Writing Awards in the form of college scholarships of up to $10,000 each to seven public U.S. high school seniors, nationwide. The program is administered by Scholarship America. Apply here by Jan. 15 at 1 p.m. pacific, 3 p.m. central, 4 p.m. eastern, or when 1,000 applications have been received.

We Need Diverse Books is now accepting applications for its Walter Dean Myers Grant. The grant program was established to provide grants of $2,000 each to promising diverse writers and illustrators who are currently unpublished. Since 2015, 80 grants have been awarded. Current and former grantees have now published more than 60 books for children and teens. Apply here by Oct. 31.

The Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators’ Russell Freedman Award for Nonfiction for a Better World is given to a work of nonfiction (children’s or YA book) published in 2026 that contributes to our understanding of how to make our world and society better. The submission window will open Nov. 16.

In Memory – Authors Mildred Pitts Walter & Una Belle Townsend

“Pioneering children’s author, educator, and stalwart civil rights activist Mildred Pitts Walter…died May 19 in Redwood City, Calif. She was 103,” reported Publishers Weekly. She won the Coretta Scott King award for Justin and the Best Biscuits in the World (Harper, 1986) and three more Coretta Scott King Honor Awards. Walter published more than 20 books, taught school and lectured internationally on cultural diversity. Learn more in Walter’s 2015 Brown Bookshelf interview.

Author Una Belle Townsend died Sept. 20, 2026 in Oklahoma. She published 14 children’s books, including Grady’s in the Silo, illustrated by Bob Artley (Pelican, 2003) winner of the Oklahoma Center for the Book Award.

From This Cynsations Series

• Author Interview: Emily Young Explores Humanity Through Paranormal Mischief
• Author Interview: Leslie Adame on Writing MG Fantasy that Mirrors Reality
• In Memory: Author Jane Yolen
• Author Interview: Shifa Saltagi Safadi On Being a Vulnerable & Persistent Poet
• Author Interview: Rebecca Bendheim on Author-Agent Relationships & Being Brave
• Throwback Thursday: Author Andrea M. Page on Creating Education Guides
• Author Interview: Khushboo Patel on Writing Stories of Courage & Complexity
• Authors Interview: Rebecca Gardyn Levington & Naomi M. Gruer Share Insights on Picture Book Craft & Marketing
• Authors Interview: Rebecca Gardyn Levington & Naomi M. Gruer Discuss Building Writerly Resilience
• In Memory: Author Benjamin Alire Sáenz
• Author/Illustrator Interview: Susan K. Holt on Collage Illustration, TCU Press & NF Fest
• Author Interview: Ann Broyles Discusses Weaving Historical Fact into YA Fiction
• Author Interview: Kevin Maillard On Identity, Belonging & Bears in New Picture Book
• Author Interview: Lakshmi Iyer on Writing Hard Stories of Adoption, Race & Raising Kids Across Cultures

More Personally—Cynthia

Hello, friends! Mvto/thank you for your ongoing interest and support of books for young readers and the world that supports them. This fall, I’m celebrating the release of HERE COME THE GRANDMAS!, illustrated by Aphelandra (Heartdrum, 2026), and looking forward to speaking with readers in Montana, Denton, Minneapolis, Massachusetts, Austin, Missouri, and Iowa.

More Personally—Gayleen

We recently held a small book festival at the Lago Vista Public Library, and I was very excited to host a few Austin children’s authors: Samantha Clark, Meredith Davis, Mari Mancusi and Vanessa Roeder.

More Personally—Suma

I’m teaching a virtual workshop on picture book revision Oct. 24 at Peerbagh stories. The link to register is here: bit.ly/bentostorylab

I’m also doing the following in-person events in the fall. Hope to see new and old friends at any of these venues.

More Personally—A.J.

My last few months have been spent editing my debut middle grade novel. I’m learning so much about editing and revisions and I am always being humbled. I am learning new skills every day and am grateful for the process. I’ve been working on doing preschool with my four year old at home, and that has also been challenging, it seems in every area of my life I’m learning and growing more and more every day. I’m grateful that Texas has cooled down. That is, we’ve gone from 100+ degrees to 80+ degrees, which means at least I can take my kids to the park.

I’ll be at the Hay Festival Oct. 18 in Dallas!

More Personally—Mitu

For the last few months, as a caregiver for my 87-year-old, terminally ill Mum, I have been pondering over legacy—and lucky for me writers can fill that bucket with stories. Despite the chores, I have been stealing moments to write and read. And recently, I picked up Martine Leavitt’s Buffalo Flats and could not put it down…Now I picture a quiet spot and a sitting rock in my mind’s eye (Thanks, Martine) when the hullabaloo of daily life spins me around.

I have been finding joy in spreading the word about stories via Cynsations and my work with Kirkus Reviews. On the publishing front, there is a board book of mine in the pipeline, It’s Diwali, Curious George is scheduled to publish in 2027.

The post Cynsational News appeared first on Cynthia Leitich Smith.

By Suma Subramaniam

Your newest picture book, Why Is My Skin Brown? (Red Panda Books, 2026), is a chapter book about colorism, belonging, and a girl who learns to love the skin she is in. What was your inspiration for this story?

I wrote Why Is My Hair Curly? (Westland Books) in 2020. It was a commissioned book, so I had time to think through what I wanted to say. Adoption was front and center of my life then, so that book used adoption as an underlying theme.

But once I was done with that book, and I had mentally prepared myself to write for children, when I was thinking about the next book, I naturally fell back to my childhood. One of the things that I always struggled with is my weight, and the other is my skin color, especially as a child growing up in a joint family where my cousin was significantly lighter than I was, and there was this constant comparison. It was overt in some cases, but it simmered in the back of every interaction I had. So it became a recurring theme in my life that I was hyperaware of how I looked.

That ended up with me having severe body image issues, which I didn’t know then. Now, as a fifty-year-old, I can look back on my life and say, hey, this was the problem, or this is why I did what I did in my twenties. When you have body image issues, you end up becoming a people pleaser. You do things just for acceptance. You want to belong, therefore you reduce yourself.

All of that was at the back of my mind, and when this question about the second book came about, I knew I wanted it to be about one of the two things that impacted my body image. One was the skin color and the other was my weight. I wasn’t ready to delve into the weight part because that had a far greater bearing on my image issues, and I needed more space and time to think through what I wanted to say when that eventual book happened. So skin color it was.

Then I thought, okay, if I want to write about skin color, what else do I want to think about? I live in America, I raise three kids, and race is something that we grapple with every day. Two of my children are light-skinned, one is darker-skinned. And I wrote an essay about it too. When my child was born, one of the first things that came up was, “Oh, she’s dark.” It wasn’t malicious, it just was. And I felt like nothing had changed in the forty-odd years since I was a baby. So that again became a thread I wanted to weave in.

Then, racism. We have multiple terms for racism in this country. If you can label it, you can talk about it. In India, though, colorism is the closest I could get to, but it is far more than just topical color. It informs every aspect of the Indian way of life, at least as I remember it. Again, granted, I understand I’ve moved away from the country. The country has moved on.

Maybe I’m stuck in a bubble, but even now, when I go back to India with my three kids, it is obvious. People look you up and down, they rate you, they grade you on color. So it’s very much an issue in my opinion. I’m happy to be challenged on that notion.

All of those went into how this book came to be. Once I had those threads, I had the colorism thread, I had the racism thread, I had the India, the Indian-American child. I wanted this to be an amalgamation of my lived experience, plus it was a book that I wanted my child to pick up and read and say, “I see myself in Sarayu.”

Publishing in India has grown by leaps and bounds. We have tons of amazing books written by Indian authors for kids growing up in India. The diaspora is largely still neglected, I feel. It’s not that we don’t have Indian-American authors or authors catering to the diaspora, but I haven’t seen this niche being explored, so that was another reason I wanted to write this book.

You’ve written powerful essays about transracial adoption. How did your path lead you into children’s literature, and what drew you to create stories for young readers?

That’s a good question. My comfort space is writing about my lived experience. To give a little bit of background, I’ve always been a writer, meaning I used to write in journals. When emails became a thing in the late nineties in India, I used to write long, rambling emails to friends. It would just be a snapshot of my day: what I did, what was important to me that day. But I would fill it with details about my drive to work. I would write about the little annoyances, the momentary guilty pleasures of eating something that I know I should be staying away from. And I realized all of these little details were what made my emails relatable to the people who read them.

When I moved to the U.S. in 2001, I discovered Sulekha. It was a place where you could post your personal thoughts and people would comment, so some of it was validating, some of it challenged my views. But I discovered a love for the written word, and I also enjoyed the community that I was building. It became my go-to space to process for whatever I was going through.

Initially it was about being an immigrant woman, then it was about my job. I was looking for jobs, and right after 2001, it was very difficult to get back into IT, so I wrote my way through it. Then my husband and I grappled with infertility, so my blog became a place where I found community. Then as I navigated the process of losing my dad and turning to adoption to build my family, through all those years, I wrote my way through every single one of them. So the idea of a memoir was, I guess, in some corner of my mind, a living, breathing thing. I never acted on it, though.

Then in 2014, after my child was born and I made the decision to stay home to raise my kids, I signed up for creative writing lessons at Simon Fraser University. The whole idea of writer groups and being able to share your work and get feedback, that honed my writing process. I also got into Indian soaps. I was watching this show called “Iss Pyaar Ko Kya Naam Doon?”, and I ended up writing fan fiction. So my writing evolved with time. It started with nonfiction, then veered into fiction.

Then Why Is My Hair Curly? was a commissioned work, meaning somebody who read all the work that I’d been putting out into the world said, “Hey, I’m starting a children’s imprint. Would you like to write a book for me?” That’s how my foray into kidlit began.

The essays helped me figure out how to say what I wanted to say in a way that made it relatable for people who were reading, and I think the same philosophy extends to my children’s books. As a child, I was a voracious reader, and I always enjoyed reading books where the protagonist was a good few years older than I was. It made me feel like I knew more than I should. There was something about reaching for something that’s a little above your age grade. And I bring that into my books too.

Why Is My Skin Brown is labeled for kids eight to ten, but it features a child who is a tween, and the topics that I handle in there include online grooming. It happened in our house. One of my children was solicited on a message board of a chess app, of all things. And while some people might think it’s too much for a children’s book, these are real for some kids. So I want my books to take on uncomfortable topics.

And I also want it to be grounded in what the average, or when I say average, I can’t speak for everyone, I understand that. I can speak to my experience and the sliver of this planet that I occupy. Having said that, I also think that if you go hyperlocal, you go global. The more grounded you keep your experiences to a particular segment, the more widely accepted it will be, because then everybody’s relating to their corner of the world. I know I’m rambling, but that’s how I started writing for children.

You and your family were subjects of the feature documentary Love Chaos Kin by Chithra Jeyaram. The documentary gives the world a window into your family’s adoption journey and traces what it means to build a family the world cannot easily read as well as the search for belonging.  How does that lived experience inform and influence you about the stories you choose to tell children?

Like I said, I’ve always worked through things in words, and Love Chaos Kin was born from that habit of putting my emotions, my vulnerability, online.

An essay that I wrote for Adoptive Families was picked up by Huffington Post, and it went viral. Then Chithra, who at that time was navigating her own path to parenthood, reached out to me. As we got talking, she said that she was a filmmaker and there was a story in here that needed to be heard by a lot more people.

And as someone who struggled to find relatable stories about infertility or about Indians adopting in the U.S., there were none, or next to none, online. I felt like, yes, this is a need, this is a space where my story can help people like me who are navigating these situations in isolation.

The filming started in 2017. It was supposed to be a short film. It then grew into an eight-year period of intense filming followed by lulls, and then the film hit the screen in May 2025 as part of CAAMFest. And over the past year, I’ve watched the film screen across the world and touch people in ways that I had not foreseen.

After most screenings where I’m present and people come up to me for the Q&A, sometimes it’s the adopted people, but mostly it is family members of people who have adopted, or the community or the village around people impacted by adoption. And they come up to me and say, “I had never thought of adoption this way,” or “I never thought it could be this complex or this deep.”

I think what touches people is that there is no good or bad. It is a complex process, and it’s not easy on any of the people impacted by it: the person giving up their children, the person who is adopted. They have no agency, they don’t have a say in what their parent decides for them or the people who end up being their parents decide for them. It is not easy on the adoptive parents, especially if they have not done their due diligence in processing their grief or being ready for the adoptive parenting experience.

There’s a lot of nuance, and what it reinforced for me was that while this is a hard decision, and a decision that I will be questioned upon, and a decision that I might at some point wonder if it was the right one, I feel I made it the right way at the time, and I still stand by it.

It also drives home the importance of these complex stories, and in mediums that are not just words. Not everybody’s a writer, not everybody is able to read. Stories are compelling, and real-life stories especially have that capacity to create lasting change. They help people feel seen. And I guess all of that is what I put into my books.

Why Is My Skin Brown? has lovely, food‑filled scenes that feel inviting. From a craft standpoint, what made food such an effective way for you to explore identity and connection for young readers?

Okay, I have to take a step back to delve into it because I’ve never thought of the food in my books as an intentional plot device.

But food is an integral part of how I process emotions, just like writing. When my dad died, I processed grief through food. During COVID, I processed anxiety through baking. And I enjoy the tactile feel of food in my hands as I make it. I am not a recipe follower. I cook by instinct, and I rarely ever taste food as I’m making it. All of these come into play when I’m creating my books. And after reading this question, I realized every book I’ve written features food prominently, so it must be a subconscious choice I’m making.

For this book, though, because I was writing about an Indian American kid, I was thinking of my children. One of the ways that we talk about culture in our home is food. I’m not religious, so I don’t talk much about religion as a practice. But in Hinduism, food is intricately tied to rituals. We celebrate festivals as much for the food as for anything else; at least in my case, I do.

For me, Navaratri is my go-to festival. And food is at the center of it, and my children relate to “Indian culture,” I say within quotes, as it applies to food. The only things they know about being Indian are what they eat at home, what I pack in their lunchboxes, and that becomes their barometer of where they fall on that Indian American spectrum.

In this case, Sarayu moves from Malvern to Bangalore, just for a short while. But she finds it an opportunity to brush up on her cooking skills because Anita akka clearly is a good cook and is a good teacher as well. Coming to think of it, it makes sense, right? Food is a part of our lives. Food holds memories. Food is culture.

How long did it take for you to make this book, and how did you find joy in the process?

Getting from premise to an outline, I’d say, took about a week. Once I had the chapters outlined and a rough idea of, okay, Sarayu is going from here to India around Thanksgiving and she’s back by spring, once I had the logistics of the trip planned out, I had time to focus on what would go into each of the chapters.

Once I had the outline nailed, I think it took me about a month to get all the words down, what I call my vomit draft. Then I let the book sit. I think it sat for almost a year or a year and a half before I picked it up and finished it.

The joy is in reliving or trying to recreate the kind of book that I want my child to read. Each time I’m thinking about, okay, Sarayu is flying, what would Sahana see when she’s sitting in Sarayu’s seat? Or, okay, we are in Bangalore, and we are in this apartment complex, what would Sahana see? How would she react to something? Or how would she respond to a particular circumstance?

I tried to situate the events in the book and the experiences in the book from the eyes of my twelve-year-old. And I find great joy in it because, for a moment, it also takes me back to being the twelve-year-old Lakshmi and seeing how the world that twelve-year-old Lakshmi navigated is so different from the one that twelve-year-old Sahana is navigating. I’m a writer, right? Reflection itself is the fun part for me.

This book is published by Red Panda Books in India while you’re living here in the U.S. On the logistical side, how do you manage the distance from connecting with readers to staying involved in launch activities, and supporting a book that has physically come to life halfway across the world?

That’s a very good question, and something that I’m struggling with currently. When Why Is My Hair Curly? came out, again, it’s by the same publisher, but at that point it was part of Amazon India. The marketing felt completely different. There were tons of school visits, like virtual school visits, there was a lot of press, and I felt like everybody was talking about the book. But the book came out during COVID, so all that marketing had no place to land. Literally, people couldn’t come out to buy the book.

But I had a lot of fun interacting with young readers over Zoom, and there were a lot of kids who wrote to me saying they enjoyed the book. For me, it was very validating as an author. The second time around, like six years later, around the same time as Why Is My Hair Curly? came out, Why Is My Skin Brown? also released in summer. And this time around, I was hoping for a similar kind of marketing and outreach, but I’d say it didn’t work out that way. The publisher has changed hands, and I guess that’s also impacted how their PR works.

The paperback is not yet available in the North American markets like Canada and the U.S. However, it’s available in the rest of the world. So that puts a lid on how much I can do within the U.S., because I can’t reach out to schools or libraries and ask them to stock my book if it’s not available through global distribution channels.

Having said that, the publisher’s been great about having me be part of literary festivals in India. So I’m headed to India this November and December. I’ll be at the Orange City Literature Festival in Nagpur, where I’m doing a thirty-minute session. Then I’ll be at the Bangalore Literature Festival in December, doing a similar session for kids. I was at the Bangalore Lit Fest a few years ago for Why Is My Hair Curly?, and I enjoyed that experience. So I’m really looking forward to the India trip.

And while in India, typically I also do school visits. Those are some of my most favorite memories of book promotion, because I find children are extremely articulate, they are engaging, they ask the most beautiful questions, and it literally makes me feel young at heart to be interacting with the young readers.

But my ultimate hope is that the book will be received the same way in the U.S., and that whenever I reach out to schools and libraries, they will welcome it. So I’m hoping my publisher will make it available for the North American audience soon. And when that happens, I’m going to literally manifest a U.S. school visit itinerary, I guess.

To coordinate marketing in India, we have a WhatsApp group with my publisher and my PR person, and it’s pretty informal, actually. I reach out to them when I have questions, and they message me when they have anything to share. We rarely get on the phone. And I think with every passing book, it feels like communication is just on an as-needed basis.

What were some craft decisions you made in the story to help young readers understand identity in a way that feels both honest and accessible?

I’d say the primary decision was to include what I call contemporary music. K-pop is something that I’ve gotten into in the past four years, and I notice my children are as much into it as I am. I felt like that would be the great unifier.

This book features Taylor Swift as an artist that the protagonist likes and listens to, but her friends in the U.S. listen to Stray Kids, and her cousin and her cousin’s friends in India listen to BTS. So music is what connects Sarayu’s American life and her Indian experience.

BTS also then forms part of a mystery thread, so to speak, in the book, which I had fun writing. Food is obviously the other craft decision.

What do you want readers to take away from Why Is My Skin Brown?

I would like for my readers to know that they don’t need to look into a mirror to know that they’re beautiful. They are enough just the way they are. Whether it is skin color, body shape, neurodiversity, there are a lot of things that set people apart from others, and what we consider the norm is really not a norm.

For every bucket we find ourselves in, there are plenty of other people navigating those same challenges, going through life, encountering the same kinds of situations. It’s up to us to find our community and our tribe, and we will thrive. We have to believe it, and it will happen.

What do you love most about the creative life/being an author? Why?

For me, it is about being myself. The other parts of my life, when I’m not writing, I am in a way role-playing certain identities. I’m a partner, I’m a mother, I’m a daughter. At work, I’m an analyst. Every public-facing role is defined by others, but the author hat is one I define for myself. And over the years, I’ve found that’s why I love it.

I don’t sit down with an intention saying, hey, I have a timer set for twenty minutes, and I write. That’s a legitimate way to practice writing, but for me, writing comes from a place of spontaneity. I’m usually in the shower, I have an idea, I either come down and type it out or I use my phone to dictate my notes. Then these ideas coalesce into something more coherent, something more tangible, and then find expression in an essay or as a seed for a book, things like that.

For instance, a few weeks ago, I literally woke up at four a.m. thinking about a story I had written a long time ago. And I felt like that story, its core elements, could be transmuted into a place that feels more familiar. And I could incorporate a lot of other elements that I couldn’t the first time around. And, Pearls on Marble was the result. From idea to execution, it probably took me less than a month, because the story was already there fully formed in my head.

So, yeah, the creative process is a thing of joy. And putting constraints on it, like thinking that I must have X number of books by this year, or I must make this much money, or I must be agented, I feel robs the joy out of the process. Which is why I’m actively avoiding anything that would make it feel like a chore. I write when I feel like it, and I don’t write when I don’t feel like it, and that’s it.

What are you working on next?

I have two children’s books that I’m hoping will find a contract soon. One is called Why Is My Body Changing? And the other is called Why Is My Brain Fuzzy? Or at least these are working titles.

Why Is My Body Changing? has to do with body image, but it is also something that is deeply rooted in my experience as a child, and it was probably the most vulnerable piece of writing I’ve ever done.

Then Why Is My Brain Fuzzy? is about neurodiversity, and it’s something that I deal with on a daily basis, and I feel like we don’t talk about it enough in the South Asian community. I want this book to help young readers feel that it’s okay to be whoever they are. I guess, in a way, all of my children’s books are centered around identity and being comfortable in your own skin, whatever it takes.

And then for the adults, I am working on a book about this middle-aged woman who goes on a train trip around America and in the process finds herself and, in a way, finds freedom. It’s a book that is still a premise, and I really want to go on the train trip before I write the book. So I don’t know when that book will be done.

Then there’s a graphic memoir. I’m still playing around with the outline, trying to find out what this book is about or what I want to tell in this story. Yeah, I have a lot of fun projects that I’m concurrently working on. I don’t know which one of these will see the light of day first, but as I said before, this is a project of joy, and there’s no deadline on it.

Cynsational Notes

Lakshmi G. Iyer is a Tamil American children’s book author, novelist, and essayist writing about open transracial adoption from the Indian American adoptive-parent side, motherhood, identity, and belonging. Her books include the middle-grade Why Is My Hair Curly? (Westland/Red Panda, 2020) and its companion Why Is My Skin Brown? (Red Panda/Westland, 2026), the essay collection The Smudged Hyphen (2026), and the novels Hindsight (2024), A Star Keeps Its Distance (2026) and Pearls on Marble (2026).

Her essays and reporting have appeared in The Hindu, Huffington Post, Motherwell Magazine, Adoptive Families, The Week India, Verve India, and Mutha Magazine, among others. She has spoken on transracial adoption and South Asian American life on NPR’s The Takeaway, BBC Asia Big Debate, and BBC Radio UK, and at CAAMFest, the Prabha Khaitan Foundation, and Oxford Book Stores. She lives in Exton, Pennsylvania, with her husband and three children. Find her at lgiyer.com and on Substack at lgiyer.substack.com.

Suma Subramaniam is a recruiter by day and children’s book author by night. She writes picture books, middle grade, chapter books, and poetry. Her works include Crystal Kite Award winner: Namaste Is A Greeting, New York Public Library Vibrant Voices Selection: She Sang For India, ILA Notable: My Name Is Long As A River, and the V. Malar series. When she’s not recruiting or writing, Suma volunteers with SCBWI and We Need Diverse Books or blogs about children’s literature. Learn more at https://sumasubramaniam.com.

The post Author Interview: Lakshmi Iyer on Writing Hard Stories of Adoption, Race & Raising Kids Across Cultures appeared first on Cynthia Leitich Smith.

By AJ Eversole

We’re excited to welcome award-winning author Kevin Maillard to Cynsations to share the vacation story that became a picture book, The Ones Who Came Before, illustrated by Sibu TP (Roaring Brook Press, 2026). From the publisher website:

A Native American “city kid” explores the idea of belonging and “who came first” after a surprising encounter with a country bear, from the award-winning author of Fry Bread.

Every year, Aabanya visits her grandfather Big Jimmy at his cottage on Early Mountain.

During the day, they gather corn, beans, and squash to make stew. In the evenings, Aabanya listens to her grandfather’s tales of the mountain and of Turtle Island.

When they venture into town, Aabanya feels out of place. The Earlies, a family who named Early Mountain generations ago, seem to look at her with questions in their eyes.

Who are you? Where are you from? Why are you here?

Her grandfather tells Aabanya that these are the very same questions her family and their people asked when the Earlies first came.

One night, Aabanya wakes to a scratch at her window and discovers… a bear! Fearful, she runs to her grandfather, who helps her remember that the bears… are the ones who came before.

Fry Bread was about food and family, and They Walk On answered questions of grief and hope. Now The Ones Who Came Before centers on the question “who came first?” What pulled you toward that question?

During Covid, I started spending summers in Vermont with my family. At that time, there was a lot of suspicion about outsiders—New Yorkers, in particular—moving to rural areas and changing the culture of the towns. We stuck out like sore thumbs in Vermont: we looked different, our car screamed “flatlander”, and we did not have the telltale green Vermont license plate.

Even within the state, there is vigorous debate on who counts as a “Vermonter,” with some believing that it is a multigenerational designation. By this definition, Bernie Sanders is from Brooklyn.

How much of Aabanya’s story is inspired by your own experience moving between Oklahoma, Manhattan, and Vermont?

Our first summer there, we had a family of bears that went through our trash, and being city people, we were quite alarmed. So scared, in fact, that we didn’t leave the house at night or wander in the field.

After the first animal visit, I called the local game warden to come and take care of “the terrifying black things in the yard.” He came to our house and very patiently explained that the bears had been there long before any people, and that we were actually in its yard. The best we could do was keep the trash cans in the barn and learn to coexist.

It was then that I realized that I had Karen-ed the bear! I had called law enforcement to remove something from its own environment, where it had every right to be. I had been struggling with a new idea for a picture book that summer, and after that encounter, I knew I had the book.

Big Jimmy and his stories of Turtle Island come alive in the book. Is his character drawn from a specific person or blend of people in your own family?

Big Jimmy is my great-great grandfather, the improbably named Jimmy Carter, a mixblood Creek citizen who enrolled as a Seminole Freedman.

He died long before I was born, but I wanted to honor him in the same way that I honored my grandmother (from a different line) in Fry Bread. I spent so many summers with relatives in the Seminole Nation as a child, leaving the city for the country just like Aabanya.

What do you hope young readers take away from this story?

I think that everyone understands the feeling of being the newest person to arrive, whether it is being the new kid at school, or starting a new job as an adult.

Over time, when we get used to a place, it becomes easy to forget that there are always people that came before you, and there will always be people after. The most important thing we can do is to listen, learn, and understand those experiences of the ones who came before, so we can make a better place for those that will come after.

How did the collaboration process work with your illustrator?

Sibu was great to work with. I gave him lots of pictures of our house, of my family, and of Seminole patchwork.

Working with an illustrator is a dialectical process. First, I write the words, then he comes up with the pictures. Although we each had our own contributions to bring this story to life, the final product is something in between.

I was floored by his spreads. He came up with entirely creative depictions that I would have never thought of.

He creatively uses reflective surfaces in the artwork every time a character is asked a series of questions: who are you/where did you come from/why are you here. It allows the characters to see themselves as others see them, as if the questions are being turned right back around, whether though the reflective surfaces of glass, plastic, or water.

“Who came first?” is a loaded question in a lot of Native contexts, dispossession, sovereignty, erasure. How did you make that theme accessible for young readers without flattening its importance?

I think almost everyone can relate to the feeling of being “new.” Whether this being the new kid in school or being the newest hire at a job. We all know those feelings of not knowing what to do, where to go, and so importantly, who to sit with at lunch.

It always feels like there is someone else that knows more, and we spend so much time thinking about our place in these new environments. Thinking about “who came first” is a question of perspective, because we sit on a continuum of existence in relation to our predecessors.

In Aabanya’s case, she visits her grandfather in his village in the mountains, and as the newest person in town, she feels like everyone is staring at her. The townspeople ask

Who are you?

Where are you from?

Why are you here?

These are the same questions that the Ancestors asked when the settlers first arrived.

Who are you?

Where are you from?

Why are you here?

And then when Aabanya encounters a bear at her bedroom window, she asks those same questions, only to discover that wherever we go, there will always be someone else that came before.

As an academic, do you see this book in conversation with your scholarly work, or do you keep the two professions separate?

They’re actually quite the same. I am a law professor, and my research has always focused on membership, identity, and the boundaries drawn to separate groups. I have studied antimiscegenation law and the rights of children, usually from an Indigenous perspective.

I have also covered these same topics as a reporter for the New York Times for over fifteen years in the Opinion, Arts, and Food sections of the paper. The topics are all the same—only the audiences are different.

You have written award-winning backmatter, what do you most want an adult reading aloud to know before they start?

Backmatter is an invitation to ask more questions. I always like to write books with several layers, and the backmatter provides an opportunity to explain them.

This book is about a girl, a bear, and a summer in the country. These are all classic tropes, most famously depicted in Robert McCloskey books like Blueberries for Sal and One Morning in Maine. I always loved those books, and they epitomized the wonders and freedoms of summer for me.

Books, films, and visual art give us all shared reference points for recognizing and confirming the reality of our experiences. We like to visit famous film locations and say, “this block looks like a Spike Lee movie” or “this field looks like Christina’s World.” And for Aabanya and Big Jimmy, their glorious summer in the mountains can become a shared experience, too.

You’re now three picture books into your author career. How has your approach or perspective shifted since the beginning?

The text is only part of the book. I’m always amazed at the number of people it takes to produce these things, like at the end of a movie when you watch the credits and there are hundreds of people involved.

There’s me, the illustrator, several editors, a typesetter, a designer, outside readers, publicists, school and library coordinators, reviewers, and kind people like the ones at Cynsations! It’s an entire team, and I enjoy how each of these contributors adds something different to the book, so that it becomes something much bigger and better than when I first wrote the words on a wooden desk in my studio.

What’s next?

Humor! I’d like to try some funny books with a dramatic child at the center.

Cynsational Notes

Kevin Maillard is Professor of Law at Syracuse University, a regular contributor to the New York Times and an author of children’s literature. He has written for The Atlantic and has provided on-air commentary to ABC News and MSNBC.

He is the author of Fry Bread: A Native American Family Story, a picture book illustrated by Juana Martinez-Neal, which won the Sibert Medal and the American Indian Youth Literature Honor, and the forthcoming And They Walked On (2025) and The Ones Who Came Before (2026). He serves on the boards of the Impact and Legacy Fund and the Institute for the Recruitment of Teachers at Phillips Academy. A fifth-generation enrolled member of the Seminole Nation of Oklahoma, he is based in Manhattan, New York.

A.J. Eversole is an enrolled member of the Cherokee Nation and a writer of adult and children’s literature. Her work appears in Legendary Frybread Drive-In (Heartdrum/HarperCollins), a Michael L. Printz Award–winning anthology, Beyond the Glittering World, and Never Whistle at Night Part II (Vintage, 2026). She also reports on Native voices in literature for Cynsations. Find her online @ajeversole.

The post Author Interview: Kevin Maillard On Identity, Belonging & Bears in New Picture Book appeared first on Cynthia Leitich Smith.

By AJ Eversole

Today we’re welcoming author Anne Broyles (Cherokee) to Cynsations to discuss her new young adult novel, Words Spoken True (Scholastic, Nov. 3, 2026). From the publishers’ website:

Award-winning author Anne Broyles weaves the lyrical story of fourteen-year-old Jane Bushyhead and her family’s forced removal, upon threat of death, from their home in the ancestral Cherokee Nation. Based on a true story, this evocative, compelling account of the pain and hardships endured, as well as the love and courage summoned by the Cherokees on the Trail of Tears, is equal measures heartbreaking and hopeful.

Jane Bushyhead dreams of one day becoming a teacher. But everything changes when she and her family are forced from their ancestral Cherokee homeland by US soldiers at gunpoint. After months of imprisonment and uncertainty, Jane and her people are then ordered to march eight hundred miles to “Indian Territory” (modern-day Oklahoma) during one of the worst winters of the 19th century.

It’s a grueling journey–many of the Cherokee people are barefoot and unprepared for the freezing weather–and all go hungry as supplies dwindle and sickness abounds. Yet, Jane finds romance with a young man who has been adopted by the Cherokees and comfort within the loving embrace of her family.

As the dangerous journey unfolds, and Jane finds purpose in teaching and recording the stories of her people, she will be forced to bear witness as they perish from starvation, disease, and deadly hazards of the Trail. Soon, Jane will have to face an impossible choice between love and her own family.

Award-winning author and enrolled member of the Cherokee Nation, Anne Broyles brings the Trail of Tears to desperate, vivid life in this beautiful story about courage, community, memory, and love.

Jane Bushyhead shares a name with Jesse Bushyhead, the real minister who led one of the historical Trail of Tears detachments. How closely is Jane’s story tied to the documented Bushyhead detachment, and where did you take deliberate liberties?

Jane was the eldest daughter of Rev. Jesse Bushyhead, the first Cherokee Baptist minister and a tribal leader who often went to Washington to advocate for Cherokee Nation. There is a lot of information about Jesse—his work on behalf of the tribe in the 1830s, his ministry before and after the Trail, his life after the forced removal to present-day Oklahoma. Because he led a detachment of almost 1,000 people, I was able to track Jesse’s geographical and chronological Trail of Tears journey, which is well documented. I discovered many details of compelling events I would never have thought to make up.

Jesse Bushyhead was a much-admired tribal leader. He was also a slaveholder, something that even in that era was somewhat controversial. The Baptist Mission Board challenged Jesse and other church leaders to let them go, but nevertheless, several enslaved people were forced to walk the Trail with the Bushyheads, and even at the time of Jesse’s death six years after he arrived in Indian Territory, those enslaved persons had not been freed.

Which brings me to Jane. All that is documented of her are birth and death dates, the fact that she married and had a child, and the genealogy of her son and subsequent generations. Plus the wonderful letter she wrote to a white friend in March of 1838 that inspired my book. I use that letter in Words Spoken True, and it is in the back matter in her own handwriting.

Jane was only thirteen when she wrote the letter, but she obviously had a good grasp on the political realities for Cherokee Nation. She used phrases like,

“If we Cherokees are to be driven by the cruel hand of oppression to seek a home in the west….” and “It is thus our rights are invaded.”

I imagined the inner life of a young person in 1838. Given how Jane expressed herself in that one letter what might her dreams have been? I chose to give Jane the gift of storytelling and the dream of becoming a teacher. While imprisoned before the Trail, she creates a way to tell tribal stories and teach younger children tribal history.

I also had Jane meet Muskrat, a fiery white boy who had been adopted by Cherokees and chose to go west with his adopted family. Because he sees that the Bushyheads enslave people, Muskrat challenges Jane:

“If Negroes weren’t owned by Cherokees, they wouldn’t be prisoners here. If they were free, they wouldn’t have to walk to the Indian Territory. Dilsey is punished twice, first to be a slave, then to be an Indian landowner’s slave.”

Jane admires her father but tries to engage him in conversation about slavery. As with many teens, then or now, Jane vacillates between admiration for her father and frustration that he doesn’t listen to her ideas.

Jane died at the age of 20, but the rest of her siblings led long and fruitful lives in which they made great contributions to Cherokee Nation. Her brother Dennis Wolf Bushyhead even served as Principal Chief from 1879 to 1887. Given all that her siblings contributed, I felt sure that Jane as the oldest child would have also been a thoughtful, intelligent compassionate person.

I wrote Words Spoken True as historical fiction, sticking to the researched facts as much as possible but filtering everything through Jane’s perspective. The back matter includes complete details of what was true and what I imagined with source notes substantiating everything. The Cherokee Trail of Tears is the backdrop for a mostly imagined journey of a real-life girl who survived the forced walk from Tennessee to present-day Oklahoma.

You’ve written about the Trail of Tears before, in Priscilla and the Hollyhocks, but from the perspective of a girl enslaved by a Cherokee family. What made you want to return to this history now from inside a Cherokee family’s own experience?

I began research on Words Spoken True over 35 years ago. I worked on the manuscript off and on, at times discouraged by editors who said things like, “Nobody wants to read about Indians.”

In my early research, I found the story of Priscilla and the hollyhocks but thought it should be written by someone related to the story. No one else did tell Priscilla’s story. One morning fifteen years after I first read about Priscilla, I woke up with her words in my head and decided to write down what she dictated, which became the picture book, Priscilla and the Hollyhocks.

I had always wanted to tell the Trail of Tears story from the Cherokee experience. Even in writing the picture book, I tried to explain the Cherokees who enslaved people in a way that didn’t demonize our tribe but also told the truth.

In Words Spoken True, I found a different way to confront the fact that some Cherokees were slaveowners. I thought contemporary readers deserved to know that reality but would relate to how Jane might have come to believe slavery was wrong. We’ll never know whether Jane had feelings about slavery one way or the other, but as her life was turned upside down by unjust oppression, it felt right for her to consider her own family’s participation in oppressing others.

As an enrolled Cherokee Nation citizen writing this, how did your own family or tribal history shape which details made it onto the page versus what you found in the archival record?

Unfortunately, I don’t know my family’s exact history with the Trail of Tears. My great-great-grandmother was born in 1838, the year of our Trail of Tears and died in Oklahoma. Her address on her application to register herself and her seven children on the Dawes Roll states they were living in “Chelsea, Indian Territory.”

My grandfather died when I was two and all others of his or earlier generations died before I was old enough to know the right questions to ask to get a firm hold on family history. So I had to rely on tribal archives, records and books and articles published about the Trail of Tears for details of what that journey might have been like for Jane Bushyhead.

The book is aimed at a YA readership and doesn’t look away from starvation, disease, and death on the Trail. How did you think about pacing that reality against the joyful and family scenes so the book didn’t become unbearable, or conversely, too soft?

Many of the situations in which Jane finds herself in the book were dictated by chronology and geography: the day of her family’s arrest, their departure date to begin walking west, when they were served food by church folks in Hopkinsville, Kentucky, the month their detachment spent stuck on the shores of the Mississippi River. I also had a list of events that most people on the Trail encountered and spread those out across the book.

Jane’s relationship with her siblings sometimes provided humor, and her developing relationship with Muskrat Adair added lightness for much of the book. There was never a conscious “It’s time for something less painful,” just a pacing that came naturally as I told the story. Hopefully, I found a balance between the joy Jane found with her family and Muskrat and the realities of absolutely unbearable sorrow.

What sources anchored your research, and how did you go about finding them?

When I began my research around 1990, I visited our national archives in Tahlequah, Oklahoma; and a wonderful librarian piled books and articles on a table for me to sort through. This was before cell phones, and since there wasn’t a photocopier, I typed out entire articles on my laptop to print out at home. Most of these resources are now online, so I was able to double-check all my original notes for accuracy.

In 1990, I also wrote a letter to our tribal newspaper, The Cherokee Phoenix, asking for family stories or any information about other people’s family’s Trail of Tears stories and received many handwritten letters from Elders who had heard of their ancestors’ experiences. I traveled to important Trail of Tears sites in seven states and did research at several universities. I read dozens of books on our Trail, consulted with numerous historians, and consulted with several Cherokee readers who are knowledgeable in this era. I have three 3-inch binders filled with details on the Trail and several shelves of books on the subject.

The title Words Spoken True foregrounds testimony and truth telling. What does that phrase mean to you in the context of a forced removal story that’s still contested when taught in American classrooms?

As a documentarian and historian, I find it hard to understand anyone who contests history that is well documented in primary and secondary sources. Genocide against Native peoples is fact. The resiliency of Native peoples over the centuries and the vibrant cultures that still exist in Native communities is also fact.

Jane Bushyhead sees herself as the keeper of her people’s stories and wonders, “When someone dies do they disappear? Will they be forgotten? Who tells their stories?” Even though the 16,000 Cherokees who were forced out of their homelands were too focused on survival to keep journals as I have Jane do, there were many other witnesses to what happened.

Elected officials, journalists, non-Cherokee Christian ministers who accompanied the detachments on the Trail and Cherokee survivors who later told their stories offer substantial proof that the Cherokee Trail of Tears and the relocations many other tribes experienced are proven reality.

You’ve written picture books and now this YA novel, tell me about your approach to each one and what different skillsets you brought to each.

It’s interesting that reviews of both my picture books and this novel have been called “lyrical writing” but they needed such different skills. Picture books require the fewest possible words and are paired with illustrations that bring stories alive. So in Priscilla and the Hollyhocks, I could say a lot with “When I was young and still wore slavery’s yoke I was saved by hollyhocks and a stranger’s kindness” and know that illustrator Anna Alter’s painting would beautifully convey this.

A novel gives room to go deeper into character and plot. I was happy to be able to not only have Jane tell her story but also, to include a poem she wrote at the beginning of each chapter to summarize her emotions. All my books, whatever the length, are heavily researched. I enjoy both the precision of language needed in picture books and the ability to expand in novels.

What are you hoping Native teens take away from the story?

I hope contemporary Native youth will learn not only how hard the journey was for the Cherokees in 1838 (and for basically every other tribe at some point in American history) but also will take pride in the resiliency of their people despite injustice, oppression and attempted genocide.

I hope they will agree with the Publishers Weekly starred review that said the book is “a triple threat: an illuminating historical telling, a vulnerable portrait of adolescence, and a harrowing call to action against the country’s inhumane treatment of Indigenous people.”

What’s next?

“And now for something completely different,” I am co-authoring a humorous middle grade series.

Cynsational Notes

Anne Broyles is the award-winning author of children’s picture books, I’m Gonna Paint: Ralph Fasanella, Artist of the People, Priscilla and the Hollyhocks, Arturo and the Bienvenido Feast, Arturo and the Navidad Birds and Shy Mama’s Halloween.

Anne’s recent book, Eating to Save the Planet: How Veganism Helps Fight Climate Change is a middle grade nonfiction book in the “Books for a Better Earth” series. In November, Scholastic will publish Words Spoken True, a young adult historical novel based on a Cherokee girl’s real-life experience on the Trail of Tears in 1838.

Anne is available for school visits, writing workshops, author residencies and speaking engagements. She supports equity and inclusion in the world of books and beyond. She will not participate in any event that excludes or discriminates against people who are marginalized or underrepresented on the page or off.

A.J. Eversole is an enrolled member of the Cherokee Nation and a writer of adult and children’s literature. Her work appears in Legendary Frybread Drive-In (Heartdrum/HarperCollins), a Michael L. Printz Award–winning anthology, Beyond the Glittering World, and Never Whistle at Night Part II (Vintage, 2026). She also reports on Native voices in literature for Cynsations. Find her online @ajeversole.

The post Author Interview: Ann Broyles Discusses Weaving Historical Fact into YA Fiction appeared first on Cynthia Leitich Smith.

By Gayleen Rabakukk

Today we’re chatting with Susan K. Holt, author, former school librarian and Nonfiction Ninja. She’s also one of my critique group buddies.

Your new book, There Once Was a Cowgirl (TCU Press, 2026), marks a couple of milestones in your career. Tell us about that.

I feel as though I’ve come full circle! My first fiction picture book, There Was a Tall Texan Who Swallowed a Flea, was illustrated by the talented Deb Kadair Thomas. Now, 20 picture books later, I’m both the author and illustrator of There Once Was a Cowgirl (Who Swallowed a Cake) (TCU Press, 2026). Both books put a Texas twist on the familiar cumulative tale, There Was an Old Lady Who Swallowed a Fly.

It’s especially exciting to celebrate this milestone with a book I’ve illustrated, using paper-and-fabric collage to bring my spunky little cowgirl and her Texas-sized appetite to life!

How did you connect with TCU Press?

My friend and fellow children’s author, Patricia Vermillion, published two wonderful picture books with TCU Press: A Reading Partner for Emerald [illustrated by Lily Thompson (TCU Press, 2023)] and Hound Dawg [illustrated by Cheryl Pilgrim (TCU Press, 2015)] . I loved both books, and Patricia always spoke so highly of her experience working with TCU Press that they became my dream publisher. When I began looking for a home for There Once Was a Cowgirl, TCU Press was at the top of my list. I was thrilled when they offered to publish it!

How would you describe your collaboration with your editor? Was there an editorial moment that helped you see your manuscript – or your own voice – more clearly?

I had an amazing experience working with TCU Press! They let me work with a wonderful editor and art director and collaborate with students who went over my manuscript and illustrations with a fine-tooth comb. They asked thoughtful questions and offered suggestions that helped make the story even better.

One of my favorite suggestions involved a root beer float. I was asked, “Since Big Red soda originated in Waco, Texas, why not make it a Big Red Float instead?”

What a great idea! It was such a simple change, but it added another layer of Texas flavor to the story.

You’ve illustrated most of your books. Can you give us a peek inside your illustration process and reflect on the ways your illustration style has changed over the years? (thinking in particular the cowgirl’s vest, scarf, etc.). Would you walk us through the process?

When I first began illustrating, I cut every piece of paper and fabric by hand, no matter how tiny or how many I needed. While illustrating Twelve Cowboys Ropin’ (Arcadia, 2015), I struggled to place 32 tiny armadillo feet. One sneeze sent them flying! I’d find myself crawling under the couch or a chair, searching for missing feet before giving up and cutting more. Even now, years later, I occasionally discover a miniature hand, cowboy boot, or pair of jeans hiding in a corner!

Once I learned to use Photoshop, everything changed. I can work with paper and fabric, but now I can scan my materials and manipulate them digitally without worrying about losing those tiny pieces!

My illustration process begins long before the manuscript is finished. I’m always collecting fabrics, textures, and objects that might find their way into a future book. For There Once Was a Cowgirl, I came across the barbecue-print fabric and knew it would be perfect for her shirt long before I’d finished writing her story.

I also love incorporating personal touches. My brother-in-law is a reining competitor, and I photographed his championship belt buckle. It was just what my cowgirl needed. I picked up the vest in a thrift shop and found the buttons in my mother’s button collection.

As I gather my materials, I sketch, experiment with different paper and fabric combinations, and bring the characters to life. And then, I revise, revise, revise!

Back in 2020 you visited Cynsations to talk about Nonfiction Fest, an annual online celebration of nonfiction where a different nonfiction author shares a craft-focused post filled with writing insight and strategies each day. Tell us how that project has grown and expanded over the years.

NF Fest has grown into so much more than a month-long celebration of nonfiction! Organized by the Nonfiction Ninjas, NF Fest offers a free crash course in writing nonfiction for children, featuring daily craft-focused posts from more than 20 authors and illustrators. Each post provides writing insights, strategies, and activities to get participants researching and writing.

Our NF Fest Facebook community has also become a wonderful year-round gathering place where writers ask questions, share resources, celebrate successes, and support one another. The conversations don’t stop when February ends!

NF Fest was the brainchild of our dear friend and fellow Ninja, Pat Miller, who dedicated her life to children, books, and learning. Pat believed in sharing what she learned with others. Recognizing the need for a more comprehensive online resource, she created NF Fest.

To honor Pat’s legacy and continue her mission of helping writers, the Nonfiction Ninjas have begun an in-person Revision Retreat. The retreat gives writers a chance to receive feedback, strengthen their manuscripts, and connect with fellow children’s authors. Unlike traditional writing conferences, our retreat focuses on small-group critiques, individual manuscript revision, and the opportunity to put what we’ve learned into practice while surrounded by fellow writers.

The response has been so encouraging that we’re already planning our 2027 Revision Retreat, which will include opportunities to work with both an editor and a literary agent!

Pat always believed in helping other writers succeed, and we’re delighted to continue sharing her generous spirit with the children’s writing community.

Readers can learn more about NF Fest and the Revision Retreat and join our free, year-round NF Fest Facebook community.

Have you participated in any fun events lately?

One highlight of my year was the chance to attend an event at Taylor Sheridan’s Bosque Ranch in Weatherford, Texas, with TCU Press!

I spent most of my time in the TCU Press tent, meeting people, talking about There Once Was a Cowgirl, and a few of my other favorite children’s books. Although I missed a few rodeo events, including the calf roping, I couldn’t have imagined a more fitting place to celebrate my spunky little cowgirl!

What are you working on next?

I’m currently working on The Power of Kindness: How Ten Women Changed the World. This is a collective picture-book biography celebrating ten remarkable women who used their time and talents to make a difference in others’ lives. From Clara Brown, known as the Angel of the Rockies, to Dolly Parton and her Imagination Library, these women remind us that philanthropy isn’t just about money. It’s about seeing a need and asking, “How can I help?”

Cynsational Notes

Susan K. Holt is the award-winning author of 20 picture books, including There Was a Tall Texan Who Swallowed a Flea and the bilingual The Book That Jake Borrowed. A former librarian and popular presenter at schools and conferences, she’s passionate about promoting reading and writing for children. Susan lives in Georgetown, Texas, where she spends her time writing, illustrating, and occasionally indulging in salted=almond chocolate bars.

Find printable activity sheets for There Once Was a Cowgirl here.

Gayleen Rabakukk holds an MFA in Writing for Children and Young Adults from Vermont College of Fine Arts and recently completed a Master’s in Library Science at the University of North Texas. She also has an undergraduate degree in Journalism from the University of Central Oklahoma. She has published numerous newspaper and magazine articles, and two regional interest books for adults. She is represented by Terrie Wolf of AKA Literary Management.

She’s a Librarian at the Lago Vista Public Library, where she leads a book club for young readers. She also teaches creative writing workshops and loves inspiring curiosity in young readers through stories of hope and adventure. Follow her on Instagram and Bluesky.

The post Author/Illustrator Interview: Susan K. Holt on Collage Illustration, TCU Press & NF Fest appeared first on Cynthia Leitich Smith.

By Gayleen Rabakukk

Spotlight image: Author Benjamin Alire Sáenz at the Texas Book Festival in 2009, from the Cynsations archives.

Author and poet Benjamin Alire Sáenz died July 28 in El Paso. He was 71, reported Shannon Maughan for Publishers Weekly.

He has two books out this fall. The first is a picture book, Grandma Fina’s Wonderful Umbrella, illustrated by Raúl the Third and Elaine Bay (Allida/HarperCollins, 2026).

Both illustrators are also from El Paso, and Raúl the Third credits Sáenz for a critical moment in his creative life when he was age 20 and his dad insisted he attend an author event at Barnes & Noble.

“…I was immediately inspired by his presentation, by the way he spoke of the characters he had created… He was writing about where we lived, and that was something that I had never tried—or even thought to do—in my own work,” he told Publishers Weekly. He went on. “Ben was our hero. He was a mythical father figure who had made it… Seeing our towns and people in his work showed me that we deserved to have our stories told.”

Sáenz’ other book is a young adult novel, When the World Was Happy (Simon & Schuster, 2026). From the publisher website:

CheChe knows that he and his twin sister Emma lead an unusual life. They enjoy spending time with their parents and grandparents, love to read, and don’t have a huge circle of friends—and they’re happy. Then, just a few months after they turn seventeen, three gunmen show up one morning at their El Paso, Texas, high school, and everything changes.

CheChe loses a leg, and both he and Emma have friends who die. Suddenly, the world feels like a very different place. But what they find hasn’t changed—or has only gotten deeper—is their love for their family, their close friends, and one another, and as they begin to heal, they create their own little community, one that wields the power of humor, kindness, and hope.

CheChe finds himself doing all kinds of things he never expected from his junior year: relearning to walk, falling in love with the boy he’s nursed a longtime crush on, making friends with a kid he always found intimidating. By the end of this life-changing school year, none of them will be the same, and many of them will have found their voices in ways they never imagined.

In a May 2026 interview with Joanne O’Sullivan for Publishers Weekly, Sáenz’ discussed his personal connection to the story: the fatal shooting of his 13-year-old niece Amy and three other people in a bowling alley, and his belief in the power of stories.

“Fiction is safe. The world around young people is not. Whatever the novel is about, it’s just a novel, and that creates a distance—but at the same time, reading is an incredibly intimate experience…reading contemporary novels does indeed touch young adults, and it sometimes helps create change in them.”

Sáenz’s most widely known YA work is Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe (Simon & Schuster, 2012), winner of the Pura Belpre Award, a LAMBDA Literary Award, and a Michael L. Printz Award Honor Book. The book was produced as a motion picture in 2023. A sequel, Aristotle and Dante Dive in the Waters of the World, was published in 2021.

Sáenz held a BA in humanities and philosophy, a master’s in theology, an MA in creative writing and spent a year at the University of Iowa working on a PhD in American literature. He was also a Wallace Stegner Fellow at Stanford University, where he wrote first book of poetry, Calendar of Dust (Broken Moon Press, 1991), which won the American Book Award. He taught in the University of Texas at El Paso’s MFA program from 1992 to 2016. He published more poetry and two adult novels before embracing children’s literature in addition to writing for adults.

He published bilingual picture books with El Paso-based Cinco Puntos Press, an imprint of Lee & Low since 2021. Those titles include A Gift from Papa Diego/Un regalo de Papá Diego (1998/2022), A Perfect Season for Dreaming/Un tiempo perfecto para soñar (1999/2022), and The Dog Who Loved Tortillas / La perrita que le encantaban las tortillas (2009), all illustrated by Geronimo Garcia, as well as the young adult novels Sammy and Juliana in Hollywood (2004) and Last Night I Sang to the Monster. (2009).

Cynsational Notes

Gayleen Rabakukk holds an MFA in Writing for Children and Young Adults from Vermont College of Fine Arts and recently completed a Master’s in Library Science at the University of North Texas. She also has an undergraduate degree in Journalism from the University of Central Oklahoma. She has published numerous newspaper and magazine articles, and two regional interest books for adults. She is represented by Terrie Wolf of AKA Literary Management.

She’s a librarian at the Lago Vista Public Library, where she leads a book club for young readers. She also teaches creative writing workshops and loves inspiring curiosity in young readers through stories of hope and adventure. Follow her on Instagram and Bluesky.

The post In Memory: Author Benjamin Alire Sáenz appeared first on Cynthia Leitich Smith.

By Mitu Malhotra

My conversation with Rebecca Gardyn Levington and Naomi M. Gruer, authors I’ve known for over a decade as part of a New Jersey SCBWI writers support group, continues.

Rebecca’s 10th book, I Wish that You Knew, illustrated by Alyssa Russell (Little Bee Books, 2026) came out in August, and Naomi’s debut Hear Me Roar I’m a Hanukkahsaur, illustrated by Mel Zohar (Kalaniot Books, 2026) was published earlier this week. Their inspiring dedication to storytelling and writing, along with their belief in the uplifting power of stories for young children made me want to share their strategies for practicing a writerly life.

When you face a mental block, in the middle of a project, how do you shift the energy to move forward? Did you ever totally subvert a manuscript and get surprising results?

Rebecca: This is an interesting question. I actually rarely have mental blocks in the middle of a project. I really love revising once I have something to play with. So, my mental blocks usually come at the start of a project. I absolutely despise sitting down to write a first draft. In fact, you can generally find me procrastinating by doing pretty much anything else to avoid a blank page. I’m currently going through a season where I haven’t written anything new in months because of this fear of not knowing how to start.

Often what pulls me out of the funk (and something I really need to start doing again) is to tell myself I’m only writing a poem. Not a first draft. Not a start to a new picture book. Just a poem. Many (if not most) of my picture book drafts have started as poems that I came back to later to expand, realizing I had more to say on the subject.

Naomi: The best way for me to deal with a mental block is to take my dog for a walk. I turn over the problem, be it characterization, plotting or wording, in my head. Oftentimes, I’ll get a new idea, but if I don’t, I’ll put the work away for a day or so. Other strategies are to brainstorm or ask my critique partners for help by weighing in on sticky issues.

Do you have a dream illustrator or illustrators that you would want your words paired up with in a book, and why? Let’s send this wish out into the universe!

Rebecca: There are so many incredible illustrators who I’d be so grateful to create books with, but I will mention two. The first is Selina Alko, whose use of collage and mixed media is so gorgeous, energetic, and emotional, full of interesting textures and hidden meaning. I especially love her work on The Keeper of Stories written by Caroline Kusin Prichard (Simon & Schuster, 2025), and also her latest, Otherwise Known as Judy the Great (Hachette, 2026) a biography of Judy Blume told in a series of poems that she both wrote and illustrated.

I’ve also had the pleasure of getting to know Selina over the last few years, and we’ve sat on a few panels together at conferences because her book with Alison Goldberg, The Remembering Candle (Barefoot Books, 2025), touches on similar themes as I Wish That You Knew, about loss and grief through the lens of Jewish ritual. Selina happens to be one of the kindest and most thoughtful people and I’d absolutely love for us to find a book to do together.

The second dream illustrator I’ll mention is Gillian Eilidh O’Mara whose lyrical, poetic style I’ve admired for years. She would often post bits of her work on social media and I became obsessed with her ability to capture light. I’ll admit I am cheating a bit because Gillian is actually signed on to illustrate one of my upcoming books, Apples All Around, coming out in the fall of 2028 with Farrar, Straus & Giroux/Macmillan. I recommended her to my editor and I’m so grateful my editor loved her style as well. So, you see, dreams really can come true!

Naomi: The answers to this interesting question depend on the text. For a book similar to Hear Me Roar! I’d be happy to work with Mel Zohar again.

I admire how Suzanne Kaufman places expressive groups of children in a lush, colorful world in author Alexandra Penfold’s All are Welcome, (Knopf Books, 2018). I have a lyrical picture book that I’d love to collaborate on with Aimee Sicuro—her illustrations combining real elements like leaves and shells are beautiful.

And how cool would it be if Peter Brown illustrated my humorous-and-sort-of-scary picture book?

Any book, other than your own picture books, that you hold close to your heart, one that you may have read as a child or have found inspirational?

Rebecca: Again, this is tough because there are just so many. I think I probably first found my love of rhyme, humor, and poetry in Shel Silverstein’s Where the Sidewalk Ends (Harper Collins, 1974). I remember reading, re-reading and memorizing those poems a lot as a kid.

When I first got started in writing myself, I’d say the most influential to me were Julia Donaldson’s Room on the Broom (Penguin Random House, 2001) and Snail on the Whale [both illustrated by Axel Scheffler] (Penguin Random House, 2004), and Chris Van Dusen’s If I Built A Car (Dutton Books, PRH, 2005) and If I Built a House (Dutton Books, PRH, 2012).

I used to read these books to my kids all the time and was always amazed by how those authors managed to tell their stories so masterfully with interesting and intricate meter and rhymes that felt so natural and unforced. Those books were so fun to read aloud and I aspired to be able to write like them someday. I’m still working on it!

Naomi: The books my own children wanted to hear again-and-again, such as Kitten’s First Full Moon by Kevin Henkes (HarperCollins, 2004) and the Max and Ruby books by Rosemary Wells, are close to my heart. As a teacher, I learn what makes kids laugh and, though they aren’t picture books, the Elephant & Piggie series by Mo Willems (Penguin Random House, 2007-2016) cracks them up! I love the humor and heart in Kate DiCamillo’s Mercy Watson and middle grade books.

What are your favorite time management hacks, tips to stay focused and for goalsetting?

Rebecca: The downside to having lots of books published (and I promise, I am not complaining at all!) is that now there are a lot of things, other than writing, that take up my time, such as looking over contracts, social media promotion, writing blog posts like this, putting together my newsletter, looking at art for upcoming books, emailing editors back about various questions, presenting at schools, doing professional critiques, etc.

So, in terms of staying focused on the actual writing, what has worked for me the last few years is to set aside funds for writing retreats where I can get away from my usual surroundings and obligations.

I’m lucky enough that I live within a two-hour drive of the amazing Boyd’s Mills Retreat Center (formerly Highlights). I try to get there for a Personal Retreat at least 3-4 times per year and stay for 3-4 days each visit. When I’m there, I put an out-of-office alert on my email, only allow myself to check my phone at night before bed, and I just immerse myself every day in brainstorming and Writing new poems and picture book drafts.

Usually, this results in me walking away with at least a few completed poems and, if I’m lucky, a picture book draft or two. As I mentioned before, revision is the fun part for me, so when I’m back home I can work on polishing up those drafts – when I find the time!

Naomi: My “office” is a desk by a window in an unused bedroom, and I recently moved a bookshelf nearby to make it feel more official. The first things I do when I start working are take my watch off and silence my phone. Then I figure out my priorities. Do I have to a deadline to meet? Do I need to do research?

I allow myself an hour to do research before writing. Research may mean preparing to write a freelance article, looking up habitats of animals, reading several versions of a holiday story, typing up a mentor text, or looking up facts for a glossary.

How do you care for yourself around feedback—both praise and critique?

Rebecca: Oh, I think I shared a bit of this… In regards to how I absorb and respond to critique partner feedback on my projects. I actually really thrive on being pushed and questioned about my work. I’d much rather hear constructive criticism than “This is great! I love it!” To me, that isn’t useful at all.

That said, when it comes to post-publication feedback, of course it’s really nice to receive praise and starred reviews, but I always remember how subjective it all is. I certainly don’t love every book I read, so I can’t expect every reader to love my books.

My favorite feedback comes not from the professional reviewers, but when I’m tagged by folks I’ve never met who discovered my books, and the personal emails from teachers, librarians, and readers who write me and tell me how my book touched them in some way. I print all those emails and keep them in a folder so I can look at them anytime I’m feeling discouraged.

Naomi: The very first time I was critiqued in a writer’s group, I cried on the way home. Many years and critiques later, along with just as much time spent critiquing other writers’ work, I’m able to receive feedback without taking it personally.

Now, I try to listen to each person’s comments with an ear towards what aspects that writer brings to the table. One person might be great at characterization, another knows plot, and yet another has an ear for meter. Overall, I temper any praise with the reality—even if my agent and I love a manuscript and it’s sent out on submission, there’s no guarantee I’ll get an offer. I’m always looking for ways to balance disappointment with hope since the ideas keep coming.

Have you experienced mentorship—giving or receiving—and what impact did that have on your writing?

Rebecca: Yes! My very first book, Brainstorm! happened as a direct result of a mentorship I had with author Lori Degman in 2019 through the PBChat Mentorship program (now defunct). At the end of our three months together, Lori graciously offered to introduce me to some of the editors she’d worked with, one of whom was Sarah Rockett at Sleeping Bear Press.

I was un-agented at the time, so having a direct connection to an editor was huge! Sarah was willing to consider a manuscript from me and while she passed on that one (and three others!), she eventually took Brainstorm! to acquisitions and ultimately published it! It was all very exciting (hence all the exclamation points!).

Now I’m very grateful to be able help others through my newsletter and by offering professional critiques and one-on-one consultations, and am considering creating a sort of longer-term mentorship offering as well. It’s in the works, so stay tuned!

Naomi: A bunch of years ago, before I was agented and after many rejections, I decided to hire a mentor, Emma Dryden. I didn’t know if I should continue down this path, and asked Emma to be brutally honest. Did she think my writing had what it took to be published? Her mentorship was crucial and she encouraged me to forge ahead.

Signing with and working on manuscripts with my agent has meant the world to me. And I’ve been a freelance writer since high school, so my other “mentors” are the editors who’ve hired me to write a column, essays, leveled text for NYC’s Department of Education, articles and more. Improving my journalistic skills has positively impacted my Kidlit writing.

And finally, how do you stay grounded in the value of writing during our current politically, socially, and economically challenging time?

Rebecca: Indeed, it has been a very difficult time we’re living in, especially with the increase in antisemitic attacks everywhere I look. It is devastating and frankly, frightening – both for the state of humanity, but also on a personal level. I worry every day.

How do I stay grounded? Well, I try my best to focus on what I can control. I can’t change the horrors of the world, but I can choose to not add to them, I can write the stories I needed to read as a child, and I can find strength and support in the amazing children’s book community I’m so proud to be a part of.

Naomi: I think about our challenging times, but then I enter my classroom and am immediately in-the-moment with my preschool kiddos. Working with young children and their families shows me the value of engaging curious minds. Just like kids look to grown-ups to make sense of the world, they listen to books to learn about emotions, humor, serious topics, the natural and fantastical, new vocabulary, and how artists depict language.

One of my goals as a teacher and a writer is to show kids the wonder of the world, and books help me do that.

Cynsational Notes

Read part 1 of Mitu’s interview with Rebecca Gardyn Levington and Naomi Gruer here.

Rebecca Gardyn Levington is an award-winning children’s book author, poet, and journalist with a particular penchant for penning both playful and poignant picture books and poems – primarily in rhyme. She is the author of 18 books for children, including Finding Forgiveness (a Sydney Taylor Book Award Notable and PJ Library selection), Whatever Comes Tomorrow (a SCBWI Crystal Kite Honor winner and Northern Lights Book Award winner, which has been translated into 11 languages), Afikoman, Where’d You Go? A Passover Hide-And-Seek Adventure (a PJ Library selection which was named one of the best holiday books of the year by both School Library Journal and the Association of Jewish Libraries), Some Days I’m The Wind (a 2026 Children’s Book Council Librarian Favorite and a 2026 Children’s Literature Assembly Notable), and Brainstorm! (a Pennsylvania Readers’ Choice Award winner). Rebecca’s poems and articles have appeared in numerous anthologies, newspapers, and magazines. She lives with her family in Summit, NJ, where she enjoys bouncing on a mini-trampoline, playing Mah Jongg, and eating chocolate-peanut butter ice cream (although not usually at the same time!). Find out more and sign up for Rebecca’s monthly newsletter at www.RebeccaGardynLevington.com.

Naomi Gruer is a freelance writer who has published articles, essays, a column, and a blog. She’s written leveled test texts for NYC’s Department of Education and, as a Microsoft Guest Educator, has participated in World Read Aloud Day by Skyping with schools in Spain, Canada and the U.S. She’s a preschool teacher in New Jersey where she’s raised triplets and a younger daughter. She’s represented by Rena Rossner. Hear Me Roar! I’m a Hanukkahsaur is her first picture book. Find her on Instagram: @naomimgruer and Facebook: Naomi Milsten Gruer

Mitu Malhotra holds an MFA in Writing for Children and Young Adults from the Vermont College of Fine Arts. She has been recognized as a Lee & Low New Visions Award finalist, winner of the Katherine Paterson Prize for Literature, and with scholarships from Boyds Mills/Highlights Foundation, Tin House, and a Djerassi Program writing residency. Her short story “Toxins” is part of ELA curriculum and her writing has appeared in Hunger Mountain, Thin Air Magazine and elsewhere. In previous avatars, Mitu was a textile and fashion designer, and has taught in India, the Middle East and the US. Mitu is a member of CBIG (Children’s Book Illustrators Group, NYC) and SCBWI, New Jersey. When not writing or drawing, Mitu can be found cooking, upcycling clothes and sewing memory kimonos or building miniature doll houses from salvaged materials. Website: www.mitumalhotra.com Instagram: @mituart Bluesky: @mitumalhotra.bsky.social

The post Authors Interview: Rebecca Gardyn Levington & Naomi M. Gruer Discuss Building Writerly Resilience appeared first on Cynthia Leitich Smith.

By Mitu Malhotra

Spotlight photo: Authors Rebecca Gardyn Levington and Naomi Gruer with editor Lili Rosenstreich from Kalaniot Books.

Today we welcome two picture book authors to talk about their new releases. Rebecca Gardyn Levington’s I Wish that You Knew, illustrated by Alyssa Russell (Little Bee Books, 2026) was released Aug. 25 and Naomi M. Gruer’s debut Hear Me Roar I’m a Hanukkahsaur, illustrated by Mel Zohar (Kalaniot Books, 2026) was published Sept. 29.

I have known Rebecca and Naomi for over a decade as part of a New Jersey SCBWI writers support group. What has struck me, as I have watched their journey to publication, is their inspiring dedication to storytelling and writing, and how much of this journey is unpredictable. Yet, writers persist because they believe in the uplifting power of stories for young children. Rebecca and Naomi share their precious resources and strategies for practicing a writerly life.

Congratulations Rebecca and Naomi! And how does it feel to finally hold this particular picture book?

Rebecca: I Wish That You Knew is particularly special to me for two reasons. First, because it is probably the most personal book I’ve ever written, based upon my own feelings of loss and memories of my grandmother. And second, because this is my tenth published picture book, published exactly 10 years after I started to write picture books in 2016!

It feels pretty incredible to look back and see how far I’ve come. When I started, I had no idea if I’d ever publish even one book, so to now have 10 of my book babies out in the world is just amazing.

Naomi: It’s surreal to hold my debut picture book—it’s a moment I visualized for years! Before I held the actual book, there were other exciting moments such as viewing the editor’s digital dummy, approving pages before the book went to print, and leafing through the Advanced Review Copy.

Both your books are thematically connected, with the threads of tradition and rituals observed in families. What inspired you to pick this specific topic for your book?

Rebecca: For those who haven’t yet read I Wish That You Knew, it is about a little girl who is remembering the special relationship she shared with her grandmother, who passed away one year prior. It takes place during the grandmother’s unveiling ceremony, with is a Jewish ritual that occurs on the yahrzeit, or one-year anniversary, of a loved one’s passing, and is the time when the permanent grave marker is placed and “unveiled” at the burial site.

As I mentioned, this was a deeply personal book, with the primary inspiration being my Grandma Charlotte, my gram. She was just 46 years old when I was born, so I had her in my life for almost 40 years and she was truly my best friend. So much of who I am is a result of my relationship with her. In 2023, around the 10-year anniversary of her death, I was thinking about how much has happened in my life since she died. She never got to see my two sons grow up or see me reinvent myself as a children’s book author and poet. She never got to read any of my books.

And so, I did what I do when I need help grappling with my strong emotions. I wrote a poem. I never initially intended this poem to become anything other than a way for me to process my grief, but as I continued to write and revise, I felt like there was a more universal story coming through me that might help others cope with their own losses. But when I did a search for comp titles, I found so many beautiful books on grief already, so I put the manuscript away, thinking it wasn’t special enough.

Then, after attending a friend’s father’s funeral, I started to think about Jewish traditions when someone dies. Since the book is about a child reminiscing about moments her grandmother missed, it would make sense to have the story take place a year after the grandmother’s passing, at her unveiling ceremony. Maybe the incorporation of this tradition could give my story the angle it needed to stand out in the market.

As it turned out, when my editor, Jaime Gelman at Little Bee Books, expressed interest in the book, she said: “I’ve been looking for an unveiling book” which shocked me (in the best way, of course!). So obviously, this book found its exact right home with the exact right editor at the exact right time. I’m very fortunate.

Naomi: Usually, I come up with ideas and decide which I’m most passionate about, but the topic of dinosaurs and Hanukkah picked me! I’m a preschool teacher, and the same year my kids pretended to be dinosaurs, one of the preschoolers wore a “Menorah-saur” sweatshirt featuring a dinosaur with Hanukkah candles instead of spikes. The seed was planted. Though there are many Hanukkah books, and some with dinosaurs, I haven’t read any with Hanukkah-inspired dino names that also capture the big energy exhibited by my students every day.

For this particular book, would you share with us the process of gestation, from idea to execution, and if there were any hiccups along the way to publication?

Rebecca: As I mentioned, this manuscript started as an ode to my own grandmother, so my initial draft was pretty melancholy and sentimental, so my challenge was figuring out a way to turn this poem into a story that would resonate with kids, rather than a personal lament.

Thankfully, Jaime, my incredible editor, helped me. She asked me to revise with two pieces of feedback in mind. First, she asked me to step back emotionally, to separate myself from the protagonist to “center the joy of the relationship, instead of just the sadness of her being gone.” This was super helpful because I began to think of the child as separate from myself, freeing me to create more scenes of joy and humor, making the book more child-friendly.

Second, in the initial draft, I included the unveiling ceremony simply as a backdrop. But Jaime, brilliantly, asked me: “How specifically does the unveiling ritual help the character process her grief?” She wanted me to include more ceremony details and address how participating in this ritual helps the child begin to heal from her grief.

While I’d attended several unveilings, I’d never thought through why the ritual exists. One of the reasons I uncovered in my research is that it offers us time to get used to life without our loved one before we make the goodbye more permanent with a grave marker. With this in mind, I revised so the child is both missing her grandmother while also recognizing that the passage of time has been a gift that has given her distance from her loss, so now (a year later) she is finally ready to start moving forward. As she says: “It’s time to let go of some of the sad/and celebrate moments of joy that we had.”

This, too, made the topic more child-friendly by offering a more hopeful ending in which the character feels she has permission to simultaneously miss her grandmother and to feel immense gratitude for having had her in her life.

Naomi: Once the seed was planted, I submitted several versions of the manuscript to my critique group. I’d mentioned the manuscript to my agent before she attended the Bologna Children’s Book Fair, so when an editor asked if she had a client with Hanukkah book, she brought up mine. There weren’t hiccups to publication; rather a honing of the focus while making sure the manuscript didn’t sound didactic. My character’s dino-sized energy was causing him to get carried away, and my agent suggested he clean up, also. Once I signed a contract, the editor and I worked together to ensure the story represented the main character’s enthusiasm while poring over illustrations to take out extraneous text.

What is your favorite revision strategy with picture book texts?

Rebecca: Sharing my picture texts with my trusted critique partners is crucial to my revision process and my favorite revision strategy. I know some people like to share their stories very early on in their process to determine if their idea has legs or if they are the right track, but I don’t ever do that.

What works best for me is to get my story into the absolute best shape I can before sharing with anyone. My feeling is that you only get one chance with that fresh set of eyes, so I don’t want to waste it on drafts I know in my heart aren’t yet ready. I don’t need my crit partners pointing out things I already know aren’t working. Instead, I get my drafts super polished to the point they are ready to submit, and Then I send them.

In what I believe is a “polished ready-to-go” story, these amazing writers will point out plot issues I can’t see because I am too close to the story, word choices that can be more descriptive, or places in the meter that have them stumbling. Once I gather all their feedback, I sit down and soak it all in. I don’t always take all their advice, of course, particularly since some of it may be conflicting. Instead I remind myself of my intentions for the story, and choose to revise those parts that will be elevated by the changes they’ve recommended.

I know a lot of people enjoy having critique partners who only praise their work and find zero flaws, but I actually love it when my crit partners push me and question my choices. It always makes my work better.

Naomi: At some point during the revision process, I paginate the text by sitting with a physical picture book in my lap. I turn the pages of the book while typing my manuscript and thinking about the layout of text and illustrations. I sometimes take this a step further by making a physical dummy of the manuscript. I print out my manuscript, cut up the lines, and glue them onto the pages.

“To Rhyme or Not to Rhyme” this is the eternal dilemma of a picture book writer. Please share your personal take on this. Rebecca you have been part of Renée M. LaTulippe’s Lyrical Language Lab in the past, are there any other resources that can help writers attempting rhyme?

Rebecca: The Lyrical Language Lab is honestly the gold standard and I 100% credit that course with teaching me everything I now know. If you really want to learn the craft and science behind writing in rhyme and perfect meter (because it is a science, as well as an art!), as well as how to insert more lyrical language into your prose, I really can’t recommend that class enough.

In a strange twist of fate, ten years after I took the course, I will be co-teaching the class with Renée in January 2027! This is a 10-week intensive where students receive personalized video feedback on assignments every week from us. So, for anyone who is interested, go to Renée’s website and sign up for her newsletter. That’s the only way to find out when registration will open (should be sometime in November or December). The class always fills up very quickly because she only offers it once or twice per year.

In the meantime, I would recommend folks check out Renée’s free YouTube channel where she has a ton of videos about the craft. I also recommend you read as many picture books in rhyme that you can get your hands on, and to type out those you love the most so you can study their structure.

Naomi: Some of my manuscripts rhyme and others don’t, but for some reason I love writing rhyming onomatopoeias! It may even be a signature of mine. I love the expressive, energetic, and show-rather-than-tell characteristics of onomatopoeias. Three resources I rely on are The Scholastic Rhyming Dictionary by Sue Young (Scholastic, 1994), The Penguin Rhyming Dictionary by Rosalind Fergusson (Viking PRH, 1985), and merriam-webster.com.

I fill pages with rhyming words, and when I pair them, I try to do it in a way that moves the plot forward. An example from Hear Me Roar! is when Miles imagines he’s a Ve-latke-raptor and wants to help make potato pancakes, what happens? “Glop! Drop!” In two words, readers understand his dino energy and how the batter ends up on the floor.

Do you have any recommendations of craft books or resources for aspiring PB writers?

Rebecca: Yes! Rules For The Dance: A Handbook for Writing and Reading Metrical Verse by Mary Oliver (HarperCollins, 1998), Writing the Life Poetic: An Invitation to Read and Write Poetry by Sage Cohen (Queen of Wands Press, 2019), Poem-Making: Ways to Begin Writing Poetry by Myra Cohn Livingston (HarperCollins, 1991), and How To Write Poetry by Paul B. Janeczko (Scholastic, 1999).

Naomi: I’ve taken dozens of workshops and classes at just as many conferences and retreats, so for me the learning is cumulative and constant. Several sources are Boyds Mills, The Writing Barn, and SCBWI. For SCBWI, I suggest looking outside of your region. You never know what another state is offering.

What’s worked for you in terms of book promotion, and how do you balance visibility with boundaries?

Rebecca: When my first book, Brainstorm! illustrated by Kate Kronreif (Sleeping Bear Press, 2022), came out, I tried to do all the things: tons of blog posts, giveaways, social media, book festivals, school visits, bookstore readings, library events, etc.

But the longer I’ve been at this and the more books I have out, the more I realize there isn’t much I can do to move the needle when it comes to sales — a difficult reality to come to grips with because I really dislike feeling like I have no control (I’m very Type A!), but also a bit freeing because now I can focus on the things I actually enjoy doing, rather than feeling pressure to do it all.

So now I try (emphasis on try) to only say “Yes!” to those things that I really want to do and will help boost my own personal goals. For instance, this year, I decided I wanted to do more presenting and teaching because I enjoy helping other writers and sharing the lessons I’ve learned along the way (with the hope of saving others from making the same mistakes!). Since I write mostly in rhyme and all 18 of the books I’ve sold so far are in rhyme, I’ve decided that I want rhyming to be a big part of my “brand,” and want to help fellow writers in this way.

So, I said “Yes!” to teaching a session on rhyme at the local NJ SCBWI conference, “Yes!” to doing a webinar for the 12×12 Writing Challenge community called “Rhyme is NOT a Crime: Writing Rhyming Picture Books That Sell,” and “Yes!” to writing an article for Writer’s Digest with tips on rhyme.

I also said “Yes!” to presenting I Wish That You Knew at the Association for Jewish Libraries conference in Chicago, and “Yes!” to book signings at both ALA and NCTE, and “Yes!” to doing a webinar called “Should I Say Something: Leaving Room for the Illustrator Without Losing Your Vision” for the Writing Barn on October 20.

I don’t particularly enjoy social media, so I don’t spend a lot of energy there. But I do want to remain connected to the online kidlit community, so I post occasionally (and respond/post about others’ works), just to let people know I still exist!

I also do in-person book festivals, but I’m very picky and only do a few per year. Book festivals take up an entire day of my life and, at most, I sell maybe 30 books, and while I love reconnecting with fellow authors and meeting readers, time is very precious!

In terms of finding balance, I’m still working on that, but when an opportunity is presented, I try to pause and force myself to take a day or two before responding. I really think through the time commitment and the pros/cons.

One thing I do really love, is writing my newsletter. I’ve been sending it out every month for almost 4 years. In each issue I answer a reader question, often about craft or a publishing subject, share book recommendations, something that has inspired me, and tell folks about what I’ve been up to writing-wise. I’ve gotten a lot of great feedback from my subscribers which helps keep me going!

Naomi: Since Hear Me Roar! is my debut, I’m new at book promotion, but decided on a three-pronged approach. The first goal was to give my social media a facelift by continuously adding content related to writing, parenting-and-teaching, and book promotion. Focusing on only two social media channels, Instagram and Facebook, made this doable.

The second goal was to expand the reach of the book, so I hired a children’s book PR professional to send out a press release and line up a Blog Tour that includes reviews and interviews. The third aspect entailed me reaching out to over a dozen bookstores to schedule events.

I’ve ordered swag: stickers, dreidels, gelt and tiny dinos for mini goodie bags, and also sewed adorable pillows for Blog Tour giveaway winners. My publisher, Kalaniot Books, has supported me by handing out mini-ARC’s along with dino eggs at ALA, printed bookmarks, and posted promotional graphics online.

Cynsational Notes

Watch for part 2 of Mitu’s conversation with Rebecca Gardyn Levington and Naomi Gruer tomorrow on Cynsations.

Rebecca Gardyn Levington is an award-winning children’s book author, poet, and journalist with a particular penchant for penning both playful and poignant picture books and poems – primarily in rhyme. She is the author of 18 books for children, including Finding Forgiveness (a Sydney Taylor Book Award Notable and PJ Library selection), Whatever Comes Tomorrow (a SCBWI Crystal Kite Honor winner and Northern Lights Book Award winner, which has been translated into 11 languages), Afikoman, Where’d You Go? A Passover Hide-And-Seek Adventure (a PJ Library selection which was named one of the best holiday books of the year by both School Library Journal and the Association of Jewish Libraries), Some Days I’m The Wind (a 2026 Children’s Book Council Librarian Favorite and a 2026 Children’s Literature Assembly Notable), and Brainstorm! (a Pennsylvania Readers’ Choice Award winner). Rebecca’s poems and articles have appeared in numerous anthologies, newspapers, and magazines. She lives with her family in Summit, NJ, where she enjoys bouncing on a mini-trampoline, playing Mah Jongg, and eating chocolate-peanut butter ice cream (although not usually at the same time!). Find out more and sign up for Rebecca’s monthly newsletter at www.RebeccaGardynLevington.com.

Naomi Gruer is a freelance writer who has published articles, essays, a column, and a blog. She’s written leveled test texts for NYC’s Department of Education and, as a Microsoft Guest Educator, has participated in World Read Aloud Day by Skyping with schools in Spain, Canada and the U.S. She’s a preschool teacher in New Jersey where she’s raised triplets and a younger daughter. She’s represented by Rena Rossner. Hear Me Roar! I’m a Hanukkahsaur is her first picture book. Find her on Instagram: @naomimgruer and Facebook: Naomi Milsten Gruer

Mitu Malhotra holds an MFA in Writing for Children and Young Adults from the Vermont College of Fine Arts. She has been recognized as a Lee & Low New Visions Award finalist, winner of the Katherine Paterson Prize for Literature, and with scholarships from Boyds Mills/Highlights Foundation, Tin House, and a Djerassi Program writing residency. Her short story “Toxins” is part of ELA curriculum and her writing has appeared in Hunger Mountain, Thin Air Magazine and elsewhere. In previous avatars, Mitu was a textile and fashion designer, and has taught in India, the Middle East and the US. Mitu is a member of CBIG (Children’s Book Illustrators Group, NYC) and SCBWI, New Jersey. When not writing or drawing, Mitu can be found cooking, upcycling clothes and sewing memory kimonos or building miniature doll houses from salvaged materials. Website: www.mitumalhotra.com Instagram: @mituart Bluesky: @mitumalhotra.bsky.social

The post Authors Interview: Rebecca Gardyn Levington & Naomi M. Gruer Share Insights on Picture Book Craft & Marketing appeared first on Cynthia Leitich Smith.

By Suma Subramaniam

I first met Khushboo Patel through her books. When I read the announcements for Stolen Colors and All That Chandni Knows in Publishers Weekly, I was immediately drawn to both premises. After reading the books, I was even more impressed by the depth she brings to her characters. I’m delighted to welcome Khushboo to Cynsations.

Your new middle-grade book, All That Chandni Knows (G.P. Putnam’s Sons, 2026), is a coming-of-age verse novel set in India that follows a twelve-year-old girl as she navigates new beginnings, difficult family secrets, and a crush, while Stolen Colors: A Story About Body Safety and Consent, illustrated by Tara Anand (Levine Querido, 2026) is a picture book about body safety and consent that every family needs. Both books deal with powerful, sensitive issues. What was the inspiration for these stories?

My inspiration had a lot to do with my own interests. In literature, I am drawn to works with complexity and deep emotions that explore things that people don’t talk about and questions where there are no easy answers. While both stories have that in common, I came to them a bit differently.

Stolen Colors: I was looking for books about body safety to read to my kids, and while I found some good ones that talked about consent, good touch/bad touch, and good secret/bad secret, and how important it was to say No! and tell a trusted grown-up, it made me immediately think about how tough it is to actually do that in the moment, especially when, so often, it is actually a trusted grown-up that crosses a line.

I had this overwhelming urge to tell a kid in that situation that if you can’t do what’s being asked of you, it’s not your fault. That the freeze reaction and all the complex emotions one may feel are actually normal.

So, for me, Stolen Colors started out with that urge and this question of: How can I tell an honest story about abuse for children? Realistic characters, plot, and layers are very important to me, so I also spent a lot of time thinking about how I could do it in a way where the subject matter doesn’t overwhelm everything else.

All That Chandni Knows: This also started for me with some questions that I was interested in exploring: When the world as we know it is upended, what do we fear, what carries us, and where do we find relief? How do we tread this push-pull between ambition and protection and acceptance and agency, and perfection and freedom?

Some of these are my personal struggles and while it is a story of pain, I also wanted the work to be a celebration of the things I am interested in and love: coming-of-age stories, mother-daughter stories, intimate lyrical storytelling, music, lesser-known settings, languages, food, and culture. I especially loved getting to show kids today school life before the internet.

The references to FLAMES, Bata shoes, Gold Spot, and P‑language in All That Chandni Knows beautifully evoked the 1999 era and reminded me of my own middle school and teenage years. How did your research into that time period and place influence your approach to writing the story?

That is so lovely to know! Thank you for sharing that with me.

World-building for this book was a bit challenging because the story is in first person so weaving in descriptions seamlessly felt tricky, especially it being Chandni’s own world. But it helped to have Chandni as a character who, in part because of the situation she’s in, is hyper aware and notices those little things. So when she mentions small details, it feels natural to who she is, rather than othering or taking you out of the story.

I’ve also always loved how small details can evoke things more deeply sometimes perhaps more than big descriptions can, and I wanted the book to feel immersive in that minute way. Most of my research was centered around mining my own memories and those of friends and family.

I had the good problem of “a lot of rich material,” and the challenge was to weave it in a way that didn’t feel forced, and have a reason for including other than sentimental value. There were so many cultural/ school references I would have loved to add but had to leave out!

I think for many of us new diverse authors, we feel like we have just one chance at setting something in a particular place/culture/time, and so one feels the pressure and temptation of including all that one holds dear. The mindset of – ‘does this actually serve the story?’ – helped a lot.

The illustrations by Tara Anand in Stolen Colors are evocative and deepen the emotional tone of the book. What was it like seeing your story interpreted through her art? Did your text change with the passes?

I was (and still am) in total awe of Tara’s extraordinary work on this book. The first time I saw the full art, I didn’t even look at the text, and experienced it as a wordless book.

Tara brought in so much beauty, power, and subtlety while still being direct, and the result took my breath away. The bold vibrant colors (and how they change through the book), and the addition of the flowers and the tiger (both of which were not in the text) added layers and depth.

I didn’t know the book would have artwork on the case cover too, so that was a lovely surprise, and Tara and the team at LQ put so much thought into every single aspect of this book. The beauty and the production quality make the book truly irresistible, and it is art that you cannot pull yourself away from, which feels pivotal for a book of this kind.

I also love how unafraid and beautiful the cover is, full of meaning. The last line in the book has the words “fresh blank page,” and it was so incredible to see the blank page portrayed on the cover of the book in this way, showcasing what was taken away, and then on the final page, we see the possibility again.

The actual story went through minimal changes once the book was acquired, though we did spend some time making minor edits to the text.

I had it originally written in more of a poem format with more line breaks, which impeded the space for pictures, so we had to adjust that a bit. We also changed the setting from India to the U.S. and the title.

I struggle with titles and the story was initially called ‘I Love to Paint,’ which the team at LQ rightly felt was misleadingly cheerful for such a serious book. They suggested ‘Stolen Colors’ and it was brilliant and perfect – bold yet subtle, and more specific to the act of creation and how creativity can be crushed by trauma.

Your books take readers through complex experiences across different stages of girlhood. What did writing these stories reveal to you about your own growth, both as a writer and as a human being?

You go through so much of your life dealing with and pursuing things, that there is often very little time or even maturity to reflect on things as they happen.

Real life can be chaotic, sometimes more cruel, sometimes more boring, and often just random, whereas in stories, we look for meaning. Writing is an extraordinary exercise where you are forced to sit with and dwell on emotional experiences and mold things in a compelling way and cull some meaning out of it. It’s a very uncomfortable process and I learned that I don’t think I would have undertaken it if I wasn’t writing for young people.

Writing these books revealed for me, how resilient children are, and at the same time, how much young people need to know that they are not alone, and need to see others’ honest struggles through things, however imperfect or unlike their own.

And I also learned, as a writer and as a human being, that growth is not linear and perfection is a myth and if you do X, Y will happen is bonkers, and I think I feel like I need some years away from being in the thick of writing each story to truly reflect!

Your author’s notes for All That Chandni Knows and Stolen Colors are quite distinct. All That Chandni Knows feels deeply personal, while Stolen Colors blends guidance with lived experience. How did you decide what each book needed from its author’s note?

I struggle with writing author’s notes and in general, speaking outside of the story itself, and I am so grateful to have had direction and insight on how to approach this from my brilliant editors for both books.

The note in Stolen Colors is for parents and caregivers, so it made sense to have a list of resources and a note from an expert in the field.

For All That Chandni Knows, it was an opportunity to speak directly to a young reader, so I opened up a bit more because I know what it would have meant to me as a young person to see that kind of honesty and vulnerability.

Having worked as both an attorney and an entrepreneur before writing for young readers, what skills or insights from those professions have carried into your creative practice?

Is it odd that I haven’t thought about this until now? Sometimes I forget that I used to be a lawyer and an entrepreneur, and when I had those careers, I never thought that one day, I would write books for children.

I think studying law taught me the importance of words and also a lot about society and how to think critically.

The decision to become an entrepreneur was a big leap and a huge risk at that time for me, and while that worked out for me, I guess it was practice for being okay with ‘uncertainty’ and ‘failing,’ which is key to pursuing publishing. And I learned a lot about problem-solving, which is also what writing is.

I will say that writing is also very different from those professions, because it requires operating from the heart as well as the mind, and requires courage in a very different way.

What do you want readers to take away from All That Chandni Knows and Stolen Colors?

Both books are my attempts to make the unsayable sayable. I share them with the world in the hopes that they will reach the kid(s) who may really need them, but these (and all) books are for everyone.

I also hope that they can offer readers something more than the obvious. So while Stolen Colors is a book about abuse, it is also about losing passion for something because of something extraneous and finding one’s way back to it, about jealousy and friendship and connection, about how secrets can weigh so heavily on the heart (whether it’s abuse or bullying or anything really), and how hard it is to speak up and the regret and guilt that follows when you can’t, and how sometimes one needs to see courage in action to find courage of our own (courage is contagious), and how courage can also look different for everyone, and the role that love plays and what that looks like in action.

And All That Chandni Knows, for me, at its core, is a mother-daughter love story that explores themes of growing up and navigating complex relationships and situations and those questions I mentioned above, but it’s also a study of society and how that shapes the individual. So I hope it will also offer an opportunity to reflect on biases, norms, and power structures.

What do you love most about the creative life/being an author? Why?

Grappling with the story problem/ the hard questions is what I love about writing. It is never easy for me, but the act of creating something and watching it grow through the many attempts/revisions/passes/failures is such a rewarding process, regardless of the ‘results.’

I also love that I get to work with such amazing editors and artists and be in community with so many wonderful creators. It has opened up my mind and life in the best way and I am so grateful for the deep friendships this work has led me to.

It’s also really nice when I get a message from a reader and get to hear about how the books spoke to them. And I’ve only done one school visit so far, but interacting directly with young readers was such a special experience. Young people give me so much hope.

Can you tell us about any forthcoming books? What are you working on next?

My House is a Muddy River, illustrated by the amazing Lavanya Naidu, will be out from Putnam in Spring 2027. It is a flood story set in India that explores the meaning of home in the wake of hard times and the courage we need to carry on. It was actually my first book deal, so it’s very special to me, and I can’t wait for everyone to see Lavanya’s stunning work on this book.

In terms of what’s next, I am trying to write more picture books and I’m also working my way through this YA idea I have, and I truly don’t know if anything will come of it. It’s all going very slow, but that’s okay. Stories take time.

Cynsational Notes

Khushboo Patel is the author of the picture book Stolen Colors and the middle-grade novel in verse All That Chandni Knows. She was born and raised in Vadodara, India, and currently lives in Florida with her husband and two children.

Suma Subramaniam is a recruiter by day and children’s book author by night. She writes picture books, middle grade, chapter books, and poetry. Her works include Crystal Kite Award winner: Namaste Is A Greeting, New York Public Library Vibrant Voices Selection: She Sang For India, ILA Notable: My Name Is Long As A River, and the V. Malar series. When she’s not recruiting or writing, Suma volunteers with SCBWI and We Need Diverse Books or blogs about children’s literature. Learn more at https://sumasubramaniam.com.

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