First off, congrats! We adored Every Last Word. Can you tell us a bit about how you came up with the idea for the book?Thank you so much! What an honor to have been nominated in the YA fiction category this year—and in such impressive company. I’m incredibly grateful to the Cybils judges for reading and supporting Every Last Word. …
Interview with Abby Hanlon
First off, congrats! We adored Dory and the Real True Friend. Can you tell us a bit about how you came up with the idea for the book? Did it flow naturally from Dory Fantasmagory? Thank you! I was thrilled to hear that Dory and The Real True Friend was recognized in this very meaningful way. I am a big fan of the …
Interview with Steve Sheinkin
First off, congrats! We loved Most Dangerous. Can you tell us a bit about how you came up with the idea for the book?Thanks so much! The idea came from a photo of a file cabinet. Seriously. A photo in Smithsonian Magazine. What got me was the dent in the top, where someone had obviously tried to break in. Then …
Interview with Grace Lin
First off, congrats! We adored Ling and Ting: Twice as Silly. Can you tell us a bit about how you came up with the idea for the book? Thanks! I was so thrilled that Ling and Ting received a Cybil! Ling and Ting started as a picture book originally titled Ling, Ting and Ming (sorry, Ming, you got axed). In …
Interview with Bridget Heos
First off, congrats! We adored I, Fly. Can you tell us a bit about how you came up with the idea for the book?Thank you! I’m so honored that CYBILS voters chose I, FLY among all the great nonfiction finalists! I got the idea for the story when I was walking through my kids’ school and saw that one of …
Interivew with Nova Ren Suma
First off, congrats! We loved The Walls Around Us. Can you tell us a bit about how you came up with the idea for the book?Thank you so much! I just want to say how incredibly honored I am that The Walls Around Us was chosen for a Cybil this year. Knowing these awards are selected by bloggers who read and support …
Interview with Joel Ross
First off, congrats! We adored The Fog Diver. Can you tell us a bit about how you came up with the idea for the book?It’s the same old story you’ve heard a hundred times: I was trying to write about pirate raccoons. I wasn’t making much progress though, until I went for a walk one morning in a misty field. The fog …
Interview with Julie Paschkis
First off, congrats! We adored Flutter and Hum. Can you tell us a bit about how you came up with the idea for the book?I started to learn Spanish when I was illustrating Pablo Neruda: Poet of the People which was written by Monica Brown. I illustrated that book with words and pictures and I fell in love with Spanish. …
Interview with MiniLab, Creators of Professor Astro Cat’s Solar System
First off, congrats! We adored Professor Astro Cat’s Solar System. Can you tell us a bit about how you came up with the idea for the app? Did one person take the lead, or was this a team effort? Thank you, we were so delighted to win a Cybils! The whole Professor Astro Cat story began with the book, Professor Astro Cat’s Frontiers …
Would You Like to Help Contribute to the Cybils Blog?
You would? Terrific! We had such a good time with the book lists that were submitted last year, that we would like to run the feature again. We will begin in March, running posts once a week through the summer. What we need from you is a themed list (you can always follow the link to last year’s posts to …