Loving the fall temperatures. My cats find it too chilly at night and are now sleeping with me. #Caturday

We’re excited to launch our tool that helps you find out how the candidates running for mayor and city council in Edmonton align with you on the issues that matter most. blog.taprootpublishing.ca/2025/09/26/t... #yegvote #yegcc #yeg

Loved doing a math/LA #virtualvisit with a group of eighth graders. The kids were quiet at first, but by the end, they were shouting their guesses.

I'm getting anxious about upcoming school visits in Alberta. Not sure what's going to happen with the labour negotations. If I'm nervous, I can only imagine how teachers feel right now. Sending positive thoughts to all those in the classrooms.

Today, it's been a month since my cataract surgery. Three things I noticed. 1. I can see well in good light; not so much in dim light. 2. Everyone says I look different. 3. I'm amazed at how much crud my glasses blocked.

If you're waiting for the muse to inspire you, there's a good chance she's stuck in traffic, so you'd better start writing without her. #kidlitchat

Favourite moment of today's #virtualvisit was watching the transformation of eighth and ninth graders from "we're too cool for book talks" to "I want to see that play you wrote!" #schoolvisits

Advice to my younger introverted self who just wanted to stay in my creative hermit-cave & CREATE: Don't wait 'til after you're published to learn how to do presentations / public speaking / self- & book-promotion. Yes, even YOU can learn, even if these things terrify you right now. #KidLitChat

Today's adventure in #virtualvisits. I did four sessions for younger kids at an Edmonton school. My favourite moment was watching one kid's mouth drop open when I "teleported" to the school. I'm pretty sure it was the same kid who asked in the Q and A, "How did you teleport to our school?"

It's Tuesday! Time for another #PromptMyStory to movitate kids to be creative. You can write, draw, or tell the story from this writing prompt. "The room reeked of skunk, but all I could find were roses growing out of the floorboards. What happened here?" #edusky

Well, that was fun. Thanks for the conversation, all. Almost felt like old times on the platform that shall not be mentioned. Have a great week! #KidLitChat

Weirdly, I recharge by taking on a different creative project. I've been obsessed with video editing, which works a different part of my brain and has fed into my creativity as a writer. #kidlitchat

Since it is Tuesday, it is #kidlitchat day! We #kidlit loving folk gather here on Bluesky at 9PM Eastern/6 PM Pacific every Tuesday and chat away. We all think you should join us. No pressure or anything... but give it a try! Hope to see you then....

Upside of cataract surgery: I can see without glasses. Downside: I have to redo all my headshots and video clips with me in glasses.

It's Tuesday! Time for #PromptMyStory, a story starter to help students get creative. Here's this week's prompt: "I woke up to the sound of my dog speaking English. When I tried to ask how this was possible, the only thing that came out of my mouth was 'Woof.'" #edusky

Ready to step up your school visit game? Authors and illustrators, the CCBC is offering webinars to help you level up. Here's what's coming up.

Still room in the Canadian Children's Book Centre webinars. Want to level up your school visit game? Check out one or all of these four webinars. bookcentre.ca/blogs/indust...

Check out this article from the one and only @martychan.bsky.social! Marty was a Forest of Reading nominee last year and shares his behind-the-scenes experience at our incredible annual festival. accessola.com/view-from-a-... @onlibraryassoc.bsky.social @forestofreading.bsky.social

It's Tuesday and the start of the school year. Time for another #PromptMyStory. "You can enhance one of your senses to superhuman levels. What is the sense you want to enhance and how would you use it?"

I live in a province where the premier is more worried about a book getting into schools than measles or Covid. Argh.

Kid 1: Why is your mom so mad about what books go into our library? Kid 2: Dunno. Hey, she's protesting at the school. Let's go to my house and check out what's on the web.

Have webcam, will travel virtually to schools around the world. I'm booking virtual author visits and writing workshops for the new school year. Interested in what I can do? Please give me a shout. #virtualvisit #schoolvisit #edusky

Love that my cats take shifts hanging out with me. Minnie sleeps with me at night and Hugo follows me during the day.

Some stories are feral cats that need a lot of coaxing to warm up to you, but those stories are the ones that are most rewarding.

Noticed trolls are mocking those signing the Forever Canadian petition for being old. I would mock the separatists if they posted pictures of their supporters signing their pet... Oh wait. Never mind.

For Alberta folks, the Forever-Canadian petition has attracted some trolls. Just heard that some creeps are going around with a laptop to con seniors into thinking they can sign online. Please remind folks they must sign the petition in person and doublecheck the canvasser's credentials.

Sometimes, it's easy to slip into the fictional worlds I create and craft a story. But when real world stress invades, my worlds and stories turn to dust. Probably best to call it a week and start fresh on Monday.

Educators! A great way to show young readers that HUMAN creativity still matters: invite a #KidLit book creator for a #SchoolVisit #AuthorVisit #IllustratorVisit. Browse posts here: bsky.app/profile/debb... If you post about a visit & want to help inspire others, include #SchoolVisit tag. #EduSky

@lesliekasza.bsky.social Great to see you today. I didn't realize you were also on BlueSky. Have a great rest of the summer.

You ever get the feeling that in a few years, there'll be a bunch of dudes who will be claiming, "We were just following orders"?

Danielle Smith was elected to a Calgary school board. It had to be dissolved. Smith became the leader of the WRP. It imploded. Smith joined the PC party. It no longer exists. What do you think she's going to do Alberta?

Went to get routine blood work at the lab. Wore a mask and got the dirtiest looks from the patients, who seemed fine with the dude coughing in the waiting area. Thankfully, I had a made an appointment so I was in and out in five minutes, while they kept waiting.

If you thought Elf on a Shelf gave your kids nightmares, just wait until Trump on the Roof hits the stores.

Scratching my head at people who think the tariffs are good for consumers. If you were a domestic manufacturer and knew that your competition charged an extra 15%, why wouldn't you bump up your prices 10% so that you could make a bigger profit and still beat your competitor's prices?

TL posted they will be there on Sunday too - tomorrow 10am to 3pm. #yeg #ForeverCanadian

Talked to the organizer of Forever-Canadian, the petition campaign to put a referendum question to keep Alberta as a part of Canada. Here's a FAQ if you're inclined to sign the petition. #yeg

For those Edmonton Bluesky folks, the Forever Canadian initiative is kicking off their petition campaign tomorrow (Saturday). They'll be gathering signatures at Gazebo Park in Old Strathcona, starting at 10 am. Time to take the narrative back from the separatists and make your voices heard.

Hoping this reaches more than a few Albertans. Thomas Lukasuk's petition to keep Alberta a part of Canada is now eligible to collect signatures. Be mindful of any fake petitions circulating. I suspect there will be shenanigans from the premier's base. www.forever-canadian.ca

Today's corrupt politicians have figured out that their base prefers opinions to facts, conspiracies to reality, and cruelty to community. As long as they can keep their base angry at someone other than them, they never have to worry about being held accountable.

Kind of hoping that a CBS exec gets caught on the Jumbotron at a Coldplay concert.

From the few scattered reports of people attending the Alberta Next Panels, these meetings sound more like time-share sales pitches than town hall forums.

Nothing beats the feeling of holding the warm pages of a freshly printed first draft of your novel.

The dreaded moment in an author visit when a kids asks how old you are. The happy moment when you tell them and they say you look half your age. #virtualvisits

The happy moment when you finish the first draft of a manuscript and check your inbox to find an email from a different editor saying they greenlit your pitch.

Working on my first draft, I always feel like the runner who has sprinted at full blast off the starting line only to remember that I'm competing in marathon.

The line between rabid partisans and sports fans is wafer thin. Every time a partisan second guesses a politician's decisions, all I hear is a dude in a ratty hockey jersey screaming at the TV, "The coach should have told his players to score more!"

Trump calling for tariffs on Canada again? This Groundhog Day reboot is starting to get stale.

After a majority of respondents wrote that they want to keep CPP, Alberta's premier has decided to do another survey to see if Albertans want a provincial pension plan instead of CPP. Alberta's Next Panel is the "Tylenot" of surveys.

Just wrapped my final virtual school visit for this year. Happy to end on a high note with kids crowding the screen to see me. Sad that I have to wait all summer before I can do it all over again. #edusky

When I was a pantser, I hated plot outlines because I thought they limited my freedom to explore. Then I realized I don't have to do what the outline tells me.