Lily King always knocks my socks off. She tackles huge subjects (love, grief) in such an intense and immediate manner. Her stories are simultaneously sweeping and specific. HEART THE LOVER, the story of a writer and her early romantic and intellectual life, left me feeling bereft and full of hope.

Me, an elementary educator out in the wild: "Right is polite! Right is polite!"

On Thanksgiving, the immigrant children held at the Dilley detention center gathered in the gym for what they thought was a holiday feast. The kids salivated over a spread of turkey, sandwiches, pastries and pies, a family told me. But the food wasn’t for detainees — it was for the staff.

Today in writing: I wrote more words than I deleted, updated my website to include information about my adult cozy mysteries, and filled out the dreaded questionnaire for my publisher (it wasn’t so bad).

Congratulations Renée Watson on her Newbery Medal!

#MEpolitics Big tip o'the hat to @cuuixsilver.bsky.social for the heads up on the new Maine Tip Line for reporting intimidating or excessive behavior used by federal agents: [email protected] Here's what they need, and what they can't accept:

I love Candace Fleming's books. So exciting to see her recognized with the Margaret A. Edwards award!

Take this seriously

Well played, Google.

Thank you to @authorsguild.org for a really informative webinar on the Anthropic settlement. And shout out to all the agents who are handling emails from clients who are learning their publishers never registered books with the copyright office.

Momix, my favorite dance company, is performing in the next town over on my birthday!

S&S has launched a romance-forward New Adult imprint, and I am one of the many editors across the S&S Children’s division who is now also acquiring for Scarlett Press! In addition to my kids/teen list, I’m seeking high stakes NA romantasy & thrillers with plenty of spice, yearning, and tension.

Psst! I am opening up to unagented children's book submissions *just for the month of October*! This is an exciting experiment. The email to send submissions to is [email protected]. You can find out about what I'm looking for at www.manuscriptwishlist.com/mswl-post/me...

I tell people that the problem is not coming up with ideas, I think of a couple dozen of them a day. The real problem is knowing which of the damn things is any good for writing up. Most of them are junk. I have to let them roll around in my brain a while to find out which is which.

94% of teachers have had to dip into their own pockets to buy school supplies. An estimated 1 in 6 have second jobs during the school year to make ends meet. The average Wall Street employee got a record $244,700 bonus last year. Something has gone terribly wrong.

I'm so excited to share that I am jumping into the world of mysteries for grown-ups with my adult debut: When Harriet Met Homicide. It's a cozy mystery mixed with a rom com about a team of booksellers who try to solve the murder of a reclusive author.

Writers are told to write the story that only they can tell, but what does that mean? I get into it in my latest newsletter. megbmore.substack.com/p/craft-note...

Okay, fellow picture book writers, how are we handling this? Arm wrestling? Rock, paper, scissors? www.nytimes.com/2025/07/17/u...

Just did a search for New Hampshire wedding venues for a book I’m working on. RIP my targeted ads.

In addition to the direct impact on viulnerable students, the dismantling of the DOE is likely to decimate school libraries.

Once, at my annual physical, the doctor complimented the neat way I folded and stacked my clothes and I have been chasing that high ever since.

After college, I bought myself a guitar. I soon realized that I wanted to be someone who could play the guitar more than I wanted to put in the time to learn. If you aren’t excited to put in the work of writing, and instead want to use GenAI, maybe writing just isn’t your thing?

It has been the rainiest spring in the history of rainy springs here in Maine. On the plus side, I've done a lot of reading. If you're looking for some fun, twisty mysteries, try Every Time I go on Vacation, Someone Dies by Catherine Mack and the Finlay Donovan series by Elle Cosimano.

On Wednesday I saw John Proctor is the Villain on Broadway and holy cow it is so good.

This is exactly why we need to be organized in our defense of the freedom to read. The book banners are organized & we'll funded. But they are also unpopular. Our numbers can beat their money

In my latest Substack, I talk about "The Click" -- the feeling I get when I know a story is going to work. What's your word for it? open.substack.com/pub/megbmore...

I’ve moved from “Don’t they realize this will be devastating to our most vulnerable students?” to “That’s the point.”

Sisters in Crime is hosting a terrific set of panels this Saturday. I'm super excited to be joining Elizabeth C. Bunce, Fleur Bradley, Taryn Sounders, Kate B. Jackson, and Janae Marks to talk with Kelly Oliver about writing MG Mystery. Hope to see you there! www.sistersincrime.org/events/Event...

Printing out all my important financial, legal, and business papers used to make me feel old. Now I feel like I was ahead of the curve.

I think I’m going to pull up this thread any time someone asks me, “Do we still need school librarians?”

Hey all, I have a specific request this AM. There's an urgent situation involving this (which Martha references in the original description), and the total needs to be doubled. Martha's OOO so I don't want to bother her to change the amount, but I'm asking for your help. gofund.me/505857f2

I am grateful for this defense of the freedom to read, but I remain frustrated by my professional organization's lack of action on key political issues that impact its members. Lobby! Create ads! Speak up for us! www.ala.org/news/2025/02...

I've mentioned that my writing lately has been light: "good things happening to good people." It's how I am coping. If you are someone who creates, is your work helping you or is it suffering under the weight of the world?

Just called Senator Collins office, which is starting to feel like my duty as a Mainer.

I've started a Substack focused on craft. First post is on the very last stages of revision and it is live now! megbmore.substack.com/p/craft-note...

My thoughts on the use of AI in education are still in flux, but one aspect I really struggle with is the ethics of teaching students to use tools created in a manner we would not accept from them. AI data sets were built by taking work without permission or credit.

Lately I’ve been writing some of the lightest stuff I’ve ever written. My mantra has been, “Good things happening to good people.” Because I have to keep believing that’s possible.

I honestly believe our most powerful position in a toxic time that feeds on cynicism, apathy,& despair is to genuinely care and act for a better world. Cynicism is our enemy. We should check it, incl. on the left. It’s not intellectually superior. It’s the virus they’re trying to infect us with. NO

Today I am writing in a high school cafeteria that smells like pizza in between rounds of my son’s robotics competition.

Whoah! Seems like everyone is finally making their way over here!

Come work with me! We are adding a librarian position in my district, splitting the K-5 into K-2 and 3-5 and are hiring for the 3-5 position. Be my library buddy in a great district! www.applitrack.com/scarborough/...

World Read Aloud Day is coming up on February 7, 2024, and hundreds of authors & illustrators have volunteered to Zoom into classrooms & libraries for virtual read-alouds on that day! Want one to visit your readers? Here's all the info: katemessner.com/zoom-with-an...

This episode was amazing! I am brimming with new ideas.

Tom Hanks brought a typewriter to NCTE!

Here’s my NCTE schedule: signing on Saturday at 12:15 and an AMAZING panel on Sunday at 10:30.

I am so excited to be headed to NCTE tomorrow. I hope to connect with so many authors and educators! One of my goals is to use this conference to start sharing more here, so stay tuned!

Here I am...a little bit late and little bit lost.