Hey, #Teachers! #Librarians! If you're in or around #Springfield, MO, I now have open slots for school visits - 10/7 & 8 - leading up to #clfo, which means no travel fees for you. Contact: [email protected] or @hownowbooking.bsky.social. My website for more info: jodyfeldman.com

When, in your WIP, your character's last name might be polarizing, no matter how perfect it is, no matter how much you've grown attached to it, it may be time to change it. #kidlit #mglit #writingtips #writing

No reflections? This is no reflection on you, and it's no reflection on me (unless you have some feelings on one of my approaches to writing). smack-dab-in-the-middle.blogspot.com/2025/08/no-r...

At long last, I have a new website! A shout-out to the wonderful team at Skytemple, who exceeded all my expectations. If you stop by, you can also subscribe to a very infrequent newsletter for updates and giveaways you won’t find here. jodyfeldman.com

Apparently, YouTube now has previews of all 3 Gollywhopper Games audio books should you care to listen. Here's the first. www.youtube.com/watch?v=6o52...

A few thoughts... yaoutsidethelines.blogspot.com/2025/04/esca...

When, after you're off a train in Milan, and you realize you've lost one of your favorite earrings, you track down the jeweler and she not only sends you a new pair for the price of one, but she provides the SASE for the other's return. A shout-out to Laurette! She's amazing! Her work is amazing!

In honor of World Art Day, 10 works inspiring my work-in-progress. Artists (top to bottom, L to R): Edward Hopper, Georges Seurat, Maximillien Luce, Amedeo Modigliani, Pierre-Auguste Renior, Georgia O'Keeffe, Alexander Calder, Marc Chagall, Romare Bearden, George Catlin

Ciao da Roma... and No Way Home's 1st visit to the city that inspired so many scenes. If you have a copy of the book, pull it out so you can visualize what Tess is seeing. First stop, the Pantheon. View from my hotel window. See the oculus in the post below (pp. 43-44) More soon. Saluti!

Can someone tell me who's minding the #usps I know but... Package sent from CT traveled through PA & Chicago area before coming to 3 facilities here in St. Louis including my local P.O. Delivered? No. It's back in Chicago. (BTW, where's my pkg from LA sent 8/1/24?)

In a world where 15 plot beats can be arranged in, literally, 1.3+ trillion way, sometimes you need to write them down, give them a shuffle, rearrange, rearrange, and rearrange and… Voila!

Look what I found in a box inside another box in the shadows of the basement. #cringe #cringeworthy Even so, I’m thinking there will be frequent snippets. Stay tuned 😬

When you're lost in Brainstorming Land, you sometimes forget there's a whole other world out here. Which can be temporarily necessary.

A box of books off to LA. Huge appreciation to Veronica Bane for taking on such a mammoth effort. So much more at @veronicabane.bsky.social

What a great launch! Science experiments and all. Cannot wait to dig into this story. Yay, @stephaniebearce.bsky.social . #mglit #kidlit #stchlibrary #stephaniebearce #moonlightmanor #launchparty #STEM #mystery

Did you know you can now read ebooks and still support local booksellers? @bookshop-org.bsky.social has an app, hooray! So see you later... I have a new book on my phone. To keep me from doomscrolling ;) #booksky bookshop.org/ebooks

Research question: The teens in your life; what are they into? (My brain is stuck on the wrong thing for the plot.)

My newest fan. Start ‘em young, I say! (This little one reportedly chose these from the shelf of kids’ books all by themself.)

A little something about friendship on the YA Outside the Lines blog. yaoutsidethelines.blogspot.com/2025/01/true...

I thought (sadly) I'd need to skip World Read Aloud Day this year. Now I don't! If your class (grades 4-12) still needs a reader, give me a shout! #teachers #librarians #kidlit #wrad #wrad2025

RIP Jules Pfeiffer Years ago, I saw a political cartoon* of his which showed 1) angelic child, 2)adult filling their head with hate speech 3)same child, turned devil. Recently, unable to track it down, I emailed Jules, not expecting anything, but... *Also illustrator of The Phantom Tollbooth

Maybe my favorite and, perhaps, that's because MLK was speaking to some of the people I'm writing for. This, at Barratt Junior High School in Philadelphia on 10/26/1967. The speech: "What Is Your Life's Blueprint?" www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZmtO...

Did your child lose their book collection in the Los Angeles fires? Are you a teacher at a school that lost its library or your classroom library? Whether you need one book or a whole library, we can replace your books. 📚 Everyone else, please boost this post so we can connect with those in need. 🙏

We all know what this means, right? No. Not that. I’m starting something new. Right now, it’s just a kernel of an idea but my main character needs a name. Pronto. So do the others. What do you like?

New year, new workout. (Except I really do jump.)

When a kiddo is told that a new Lemoncello's Library book is coming out and the response: "Ooh, I want to re-read The Gollywhopper Games series first." ...Day maker!!!

I just signed up to donate. Authors, can you donate and share?

Fire & Ice

Wish I could send massive amounts of this to dump onto the L.A. fires. I know too many of you are affected, including close friends and family. Stay safe <3

No, I haven't gone fishing for the past months. Much personal stuff-some fun, some not-so-stole me away. But all is well, and I'm happy to be back. Belated congrats & commiseratons to you all. (The Fishing Lesson by E.B. Lewis, acquired to mark the release of Gollywhopper Games 3, Friend or Foe.)

And not about politics... On a day when I'm trying to write 3,000 words, I'm finding it's impossible with the show in the backyard: four men working to cut down two very tall, very old, very dead trees. Also, using lawn furniture to protect my window. Oy.

All right, high school writers. Come ready and strap in! We'll be doing some high-level, workshop stuff today.

What I'm pondering today (and maybe tomorrow and the day after that and...)

Just when you're certain a word and its spelling exists, but Spellcheck says NO and thesaurus.com backs you up. What words trip you up?

Ten-year-old me wrote a poem once upon a time. Here it is in full. smack-dab-in-the-middle.blogspot.com/2024/05/what...

So much fun at the Franklin County (KS) Book Festival with some really great authors (and students and teachers and volunteers)! Thanks for everything!

Not a terrible place for the @maslonline conference. Can’t wait to meet all you LMSs! (For the curious, that’s Library Media Specialists.) I’ll be hanging out at Booth 29. Come say hi and enter my contest! . #librarians #mediaspecialists #libraries #reading📖 #books #masl2024

Happy World Read Aloud Day 2024! I've already connected with 4th-2th graders; east, west, north, south, and way, way south. Waving to all you in TX, CT, NY, GA, CA, and Argentina(!). About to finish up with Texas and, again, Texas. #WRAD is the best!

Those 3 asterisks? That's The End of a first revision. I may have been silent on the socials for months, but that's what happens when I sit in my cave to finish a 1st draft then, abracadabra, transform it to a critique-able 2nd. On to the 3rd! (but first, a break)

The goal: finish a 1st draft by today. I didn't. I finished it yesterday. Let the holiday season begin!

There are good writing days, then there there's today. At least I'm getting down many words even if they're not the best ones. But that's what revision is for! (Just here to commiserate if your day is like mine 😏 )

You never know how your YA will stack up in a field full of adult lit. Thanks, Missouri Writers Guild!

No, no plans to put Master Pumpkin Carver on my resume, but thanks for asking! Have a safe and fun Halloween!

I was so jealous last night but not b/c an author was visiting to promote their new, acclaimed picture book. No. I was envious of the book's title. Why didn't I think of that? Why? Why? Then I woke from my dream, grabbed my phone, and searched for the book. It doesn't exist. Hmm. Not so jealous now

VICTORY! I've know whodunnit and howdunnit and, finally, suddenly I figured out how whodunnit slipped up. Let's write!

Have you ever watched little kids plan something but have no clue how to pull it off? Feeling that way with my current book... with 23 (and growing) single-spaced pages of brainstorming and just a few inklings of how to make it work. But I always do