KID LIT VILLAGE BLOG

I’m very excited to welcome author, friend, and fellow Kids Book Crew teammate Cynthia Mackey to the blog to chat about her wonderful blog Kid Lit Village, in which she not only interviews children’s book authors and illustrators about their journeys, but she also shares book reviews.

Before we jump to our conversation, I’d like to share a description of Cindy’s blog in her own words:

“Kid Lit Village blog has a few regular features. Mondays feature author and or illustrator interviews of newly released picture books, board books or chapter books. Wednesdays feature some of my favorite inspirational quotes paired with my nature photos to get you through the week. Fridays feature book reviews. Interspersed throughout the year are additional posts with updates on my own writing progress, news about my books or poetry or snippets from my writing or education life.”

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Now on to our interview:

M. Cindy, I’m so happy to have this chance to talk about Kid Lit Village Blog. Can you tell us how did you begin this project? What inspired you to start it?

C. In 2018, I started doing a few author/illustrator blog interviews with members of 12×12 as a way get more involved as a kid lit community member. For example, I interviewed Nancy Churnin and featured two of her books, Charlie Takes his Shot and The Queen and The First Christmas Tree. It evolved slowly from there. In 2020, I had three critique partners who released new books. Emma Wood had her debut with Tulip and Doug, Tara J Hannon illustrated a board book, Planes USA, and Sue Macartney had her debut with Benjamin’s Blue Feet. That same year, I self-published a children’s book, The Lullaby Monsters that I wanted to use in my own classroom. It was a tough time to have a book release and I thought blogging was a good way to support my critique partners. I began looking for more authors and illustrators to feature and interviewing more widely. We even did a mass giveaway in 2021!

It was fun to see how many hits my blog interview for Emma Wood received just after her book was gifted by Jacinda Arden, NZ Prime Minister to the Prince of Wales. The interview with Emma about Tulip and Doug had a huge spike in stats.

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M. That’s so nice that you began this project as a way to connect, support, and give back to the writing community. Can you share which are your favorite questions to ask in your interviews? Do you tailor the questions for each guest? Do you read the books before the interviews?

C. I love to ask authors about their inspiration for the book as I always find it interesting to see where the ideas begin. I also love asking about suggestions for improving writing craft. Learning from other authors has helped me with my own writing and I’m sure it helps the followers of my blog who are writers or illustrators. Sometimes I am able to read the books before the interview; it depends whether or not the author sends me a copy. Quite often, they do!

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M. As someone who has read the interviews you post, I can say they are very interesting and full of learning opportunities. I really enjoy them! How do you decide which authors to interview?

C. At first, I didn’t have a lot of connections in the writing world so I interviewed anyone I connected with through 12×12. Then I started getting more requests than I had time to manage. To narrow down the focus, I chose the books I felt most personally connected with – since I’m a nature school educator, I love to find books that connect somehow to nature themes. Because I’m Canadian, books by Canadian authors and illustrators are always close to my heart and naturally, I have personal connections with several Canadian authors and illustrators. I am open to other illustrated books especially ones that I can envision myself reading to my own class.

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M. I love what you mentioned about finding books that connect with nature themes. That’s very YOU! As for reviewing a book, can you share what aspects or elements do you consider and what is your process?

C. Reviewing a book for me is so subjective. Books are like a work of art so I cannot easily define which books will resonate with me. If I don’t feel a strong enough positive connection to the book, I don’t review it. I know it will only hurt the author and it might simply not resonate with me, but others may love it! I can’t review as many books as I’d like but I do think it’s part of being a good kid lit community member so I do what I can. I think the most important thing to recognize is that people reading the reviews need them to be short and to the point in order to help them decide if it’s something they’d like to read. People scan reviews quickly and reach bunches to see the trend. I like to ask myself, how would this picture book work as a read aloud? If it could be read aloud, would it work better for just one child or a group? I guess this is because of my experience reading aloud as a teacher and parent. Also, who would be the perfect reader for this book? Does it belong in a classroom or is it better read at home?

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M. What a great answer, Cindy! I’m sure that the authors whose books you do review are very thankful. Can authors request reviews?

C. Authors can and do request reviews, yes!

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M. Cindy, what has been the most rewarding and the most challenging part of having this project?

C. The most rewarding part has been the connections I’ve been able to make in the writing community. Writing the blog makes me feel more connected with a greater sense of belonging. It helps me appreciate that it really does take a village to make a children’s book.
The most challenging part is that I can never get to as many authors for interviews and reviews as I wish I could. And keeping up with it can be tricky when life throws a little extra at me personally.

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M. I completely understand, but I’m sure you’re making a difference with whatever you get to do. Do you have any plans for Kid Lit Village in the future?

C. I’m excited about a big summer feature I’m planning with all the members of Kids Book Crew. It will feature the people who inspire us and a massive giveaway!

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M. That’s wonderful! I can’t wait! Finally, Cindy can you share about any books or projects you are working on as an author?

C. I’m happy to say that my debut picture book in the traditional publishing world will be released in Spring of 2025. It’s titled, IF A BUMBLEBEE LANDS ON YOUR TOE and is all about how mindfulness and a deeper connection to nature can help us overcome anxiety and face our fears. The book came about as a result of my thinking about how fragile the bumblebee population is, how much we as humans depend on them, and how easy it can be to see them in a negative light, especially after being stung. At the same time, I spent a lot of time thinking about fear and how to overcome the feeling – not how to stop it from happening, because that is part of life, but I had been thinking more about what to do when you feel the fear and how to keep it from getting in the way of doing things you love.

It’s written in a lyrical style with a dash of humor, which comes most naturally to me. The SEL content is something I feel is so important in picture books. As an early years educator, I’ve spent a career supporting children with their social and emotional growth. Picture books are an excellent tool for doing that. I love being a positive influence in the lives of young children. As a writer, a book allows me to reach a much wider audience than the class directly in front of me so I’m thrilled that Yeehoo Press has chosen my project to publish and found illustrator Vikki Zhang to bring her creativity and talent to the story. I love how her drawings bring in an added layer of storytelling, exploring ideas of what might make a person anxious, since it is different for everyone. Her illustration style is absolutely gorgeous; I’ve seen the thumbnails and , I have complete faith that the end product will be amazing.

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Cindy, that cover is absolutely gorgeous and your book sounds wonderful! I remember I got to read a version of it as your critique partner, but I can’t wait to read the final product and see it with the illustrations. I wish you all the best in the coming months leading to release, my friend. May your book be very successful! 🐝 💛 Congratulations!

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CINDY’S BIO

Cynthia Mackey is the author of Katie Shaeffer Pancake Maker and The Lullaby Monsters and her poetry appears in The Toy, The Dirigible Balloon and Little Thoughts Press, Hit the Road magazine. Her debut picture book, If a Bumblebee Lands on Your Toe is set for publication with Yeehoo Press in 2025. She was mentored by highly acclaimed Canadian author, Jean E. Pendziwol. With a Bachelor of Education degree, Cynthia teaches nature-based education for young children. She works to bring elements of joy, playfulness, and social-emotional learning to her writing. For more information, visit her website at www.booksbycindy.com.

Social media:

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/books.by.cindy/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/mackey_cynthia
Linktree: https://linktr.ee/Cynthiamackey

Thanks for reading!

M

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📸 Cover photo by Jonas Von Werne.