Cynthia DeFelice

Cynthia DeFelice, a former librarian and professional storyteller, is the author of many outstanding young adult novels. She ranges from spooky mysteries like her recent book, The Ghost of Fossil Glen, to dramatic historical fiction, including the award winning Weasel, an ALA Notable Book. She has also authored many picturebooks as well, often retelling unique and culturally diverse folktales such as The Dancing Skeleton, illustrated by Robert Andrew Parker, which was named a New York Times Best Illustrated Book.

Cynthia has vivid recollections about her early days as a reader and shares them here:

"My dad, a psychiatrist, often had evening office hours. To fill the hours between dinner and bedtime, my mother gathered up my sister, my two brothers, and me and read to us. Looking back on it, it's hard to say who enjoyed these evenings more, my mother or us. She had a wonderful sense of whimsy and a love of language that she imparted to us through the delightful medium of exciting, well-told stories. Favorites were all the A.A. Milne and E.B. White titles, and the Madeline books, as well as many classics, folk and fairy tales. My mother read with great enjoyment and enthusiasm, giving each character a voice. I can still hear those voices. I know exactly the way Eeyore's voice sounds when he's feeling especially gloomy.

"I have no doubt that those evenings led to my becoming a writer of children's books (although it took me a while to figure out that that was what I wanted to do!) I feel incredibly lucky to be doing what I'm doing. I love the process of turning a glimmer of an idea, a ghost of a character, or a slice of fascinating history into a full fledged story. I love having incredibly talented writers for friends, and being able to share with them thoughts about our work. I love meeting and hearing from readers who tell me that something I wrote mattered to them.

"I try to create the kinds of books that I adored as a child (and continue to seek as an adult reader): books that allow me to slip into the life of another person, to learn what it's like to walk in that person's shoes, and to feel his or her strong emotions. I want to read and to write books that entertain and delight and give the reader a little more understanding of what it means to be a human being. Bruno Bettelheim says that our primary task is to find meaning in our lives, and I believe the best books help us do just that."

BACK