Cynthia Mackey.
Thank you for stopping by. I’ve known Cynthia for many years. We met through the kidlit community, and I know you’ll enjoy reading about her.
Where are you from? I’m from Victoria, B.C. which is on the southern tip of Vancouver Island, not too far from Seattle, Washington.
How long have you been writing? I’ve always been a writer and focused on journal writing for most of my life. In 2015, I started writing with intention of writing for children and that’s when I joined SCBWI.
Where do you get your inspiration from? I teach nature preschool and much of my inspiration comes from the children and their interactions with each other and our time outdoors together.
Where is your favorite place to write? I love writing at home on my couch by the fireside. I have a home office and depending on what I’m working on, sometimes I find that’s the best place for me to write. But the truth is, I can write almost anywhere.
Describe your process of writing a children’s book? Do you already know the story line (ending)? Or do you make up the storyline as you go? I tend to write without a clear plan, making it up as I go; however, I do spend a lot of time thinking about my stories. I love it when I think through an obstacle in my writing and have that aha moment when I find a solution.
Tell us about your book(s): My debut picture book in the traditional world of publishing is If a Bumblebee Lands on Your Toe with illustrations by Vikki Zhang. It’s published by Yeehoo Press and will be available April 15, 2025 in both English and Chinese. It’s a lyrical book about how mindfulness and deeper connections with nature can help us cope with anxiety. I’m thrilled with the way this book has come out full of layers of meaning and so re-readable. I can’t wait to share it with readers.
My first self-published picture book, Katie Shaeffer Pancake Maker, features Katie, who loves creating and building things and her new friend, Baxter as they work together to build a pancake machine. What could possibly go wrong in their quest to make golden brown, fluffy as a cloud, perfectly round… pancakes? I worked with a local illustrator, Paula Nasmith to create the book. We had so much fun creating it that we decided to collaborate on a second book, The Lullaby Monsters, featuring Kelsey, a brave sister who must be even MORE courageous as she helps her brother Thomas to retrieve his most prized possession: a lullaby box, stolen by monsters, the one thing she fears most. Could it be that the monsters have fears, just as Kelsey and Thomas do?
Tell us about your poetry: Writing poetry is such a joy as I can create something beautiful with just a few lines. It helps me explore ideas and work through emotions. Some of my poems come out well enough that I submit them to publishers.Here are the poems I have published:
Why Teachers Need Tuna, The Dirigible Balloon
Paint the Sky, The Dirigible Balloon
Two Acrostic Poems: Gingerbread and Reindeer, The Dirigible Balloon
Recipe for Summer Adventures, Hit the Road Issue, Little Thoughts Press
Bugs For Sale, The Toy, Nature Edition
Sandcastle Summer, The Toy, Nature Edition
What has been the most challenging for you as a writer/author? At first, the hardest part was staying with writing even without being published anywhere. I wondered if it was worth it. After staying with it to this point, I’m glad I did and now my biggest challenge is figuring out when my work is polished enough to submit. I try to rely on my critique partners to let me know how they feel about the manuscript. And if I send something out and get no response after a few tries, I will look to see if I can make it better.
Tell us about your blog, and workshops. I loved writing my Kid Lit Village blog and interviewing authors and illustrators. It helped me better understand the world of publishing and to make connections and be part of the community. I have stopped the blog for now and perhaps I will go back to it. In the meantime, I am fiinding other ways to participate in the writing community.
My workshops are typically for early years educators. I’ve spent most of my career working in the child care and education field and it’s great to give back after learning so much from the amazing colleagues I’ve worked with over the years. My workshops have been on the following topics: anxiety, ethics, creativity and natural materials, and nature education. I have plans to create a workshop on supporting literacy in early years settings.
What is next for you? I’m excited to announce that I have a new picture book, Butterfly Sea, forthcoming with Tielmour Press, a small Canadian publisher. It’s wonderful for me, as a Canadian to have an all Canadian project, including the illustrator, Marie-Laure Couet, from Quebec. I’m thrilled that a portion of the proceeds from each book will go to reforestation.
Butterfly Sea features a young child followed by a disruptive, yet loveable younger sibling, who goes out in search of butterflies to photograph. This narrative non-fiction book includes information on butterfly gardening. I’m really proud of the layers I was able to get into this book: science, emotions, relationships, imagination, playfulness, and even mermaids are in this book!
Provide anything else you want your readers to know. I have a newsletter you can sign up for. It’s only 2-4 times/year so I hope you’ll subscribe.
THANK YOU so much for having me on your blog!
If you’d like more information on Cynthia’s new book, below is the link.
Thanks, Cynthia for sharing your story.
https://bookshop.org/p/books/if-a-bumble-bee-lands-on-your-toe-cynthia-mackey/21077572
March Book Giveaway Winner is Katie Badowski-Gigliotti. And Kent McGroaty won a critique – CONGRATS!
Leslie Eva Tayloe 