#mswl more books that made me feel and think the way these did—books that stay with you long after you read them MG: Last Cuentista, Girl Who Drank the Moon, Inside Out & Back Again YA: Strange the Dreamer, Aristotle & Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe, Last Night at the Telegraph Club

Hooray, The Queen of the Spirit Woods is an Indies Introduce selection! Congratulations @sharonchoe.bsky.social! This is a romantic fantasy based on Korean folklore & history personal to both my family and Sharon’s, and I can’t wait for you all to read it. Lots of wonderful indie love below: 1/4

I am "radically pro-transgender" in that I believe that every human being is entitled to autonomy, agency and self-determination in all aspects of their lives - legal, romantic, personal, medical, and aspirational.

Some thoughts on the word “didactic” from an editor who works on all kinds of kids books. Didactic is defined as “something intended to teach, instruct, or convey moral lessons.” There are many wonderful picture books out in the world that are meant to teach & affirm kids. Didactic =\= bad. 1/6

I’m behind in posting announcements, but in a time when queer books are under attack and AI is a source of dread, I have to talk about this one. This is a gorgeous story that is unapologetically queer and anti-AI, the balm I needed in these times. I can’t wait for the world to meet these survivors 🏳️‍🌈

The world is burning, the future is uncertain, injustice is rampant. And my kitten just recently discovered dandelion floof for the first time (literally touching grass). Beauty and wonder coexisting amidst darkness.

Super specific #MSWL: survival stories (including post-apocalyptic) w/a fresh spin on the survival genre & BIPOC/queer rep. Emotional MG like Alone or Hatchet or humorous and fun like The Last Kids on Earth. YA like Wilder Girls, The 5th Wave, or a grounded ownvoices Island of the Blue Dolphins

Failure is an inevitability, personally, professionally. Authors, this is your sign to keep writing anyways. “How do you get over a failure?”… “You go back to work. You take advantage of the quiet time that a failure allows you. . . You try again. You fail better.” -Tomorrow & Tomorrow & Tomorrow

Hi agents, I’m on the hunt for high-concept layered YA & MG novels! #MSWL For YA: romantic fantasy; dark academia; mystery/thrillers like We Were Liars or Firekeeper’s Daughter; thought-provoking horror or gothic; romantic coming of age like Aristotle & Dante & Last Night at the Telegraph Club 1/3

Want to help keep ICE accountable but can’t go out and protest? Here’s an actionable thing you can do: Call senators urging them to support SB 5, the bill to increase law enforcement accountability by allowing folks to sue federal officers like ICE agents for violations of constitutional rights.

Today, I am matching donations to any org in this list, up to $1000. Reply here or DM me with receipt. www.standwithminnesota.com

So many amazing donations from authors, illustrators, agents & editors to the #PublishingForMinnesota auction! Bidding now open, ends Jan. 30th: www.32auctions.com/publishingfo... #KidLit #BookSky #EduSky #WriterSky

We are not immune to what’s happening in Minnesota — and all across this nation. As 🧊 continues to terrorize and target the most vulnerable among us, we're grateful for the indie bookstores in Minnesota that have shown up for their communities, providing support & resources to Minnesotans in need.

I donated. Publishing for Minnesota. www.32auctions.com/publishingfo... #kidlt #megakidlit #socialjustice #birthrightcitizenship #FreetoLearn @simonandschuster.bsky.social @msmirelle.bsky.social

Drew Beckmeyer’s Stalactite & Stalagmite has won a Caldecott Honor! Every book is a team effort, and I’m so thankful to Drew for trusting me and my team with the most charming little cave nubs you’ll ever meet Art Director: Greg Stadnyk Prod editor: Kaitlyn San Miguel Prod manager: Tatyana Rosalia

I have been actively involved in protest movements for 24 years. I have never seen anything approaching this scale. Minneapolis is not accepting what's happening here. ICE fucking murdered a woman for participating in this, and all that did is bring out more people, from more walks of life.

In July, we added a new member to our family, and what better time than spooky season to introduce our little Fenrir, destroyer of worlds!

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.

Therapy and social-emotional learning is feared by conservatives because it teaches people how to recognize and avoid abusive relationships, and just like any abuser, authoritarian paternalistic regimes love keeping people insecure and afraid—and under control

It’s official—All the Tomorrows After by Joanne Yi is not only an Indies Introduce, it’s also an Indies Next Pick! I am so grateful for all the Indie love for this gorgeous book 🥰

When you’ve edited a manuscript multiple times and you know exactly how the plot is going to go but you still hope every time that the character your author has spent all this time developing isn’t going to die at the end after all and break your heart.

As a former caregiver, I used to be someone who shied away from books that touched upon grief and terminal illness. But Joanne Yi’s prose was so beautiful and compelling, I couldn’t resist. This novel broke my heart and rebuilt it all over again and I’m thrilled it’s a Book of the Month selection 💕

I haven’t watched South Park since I was a an unsupervised latchkey kid, and now I’ve gotta say: the recent episodes are HILARIOUS

People have really weird and idiosyncratic reasons for noping out of a novel. Just goes to show you (as a writer) should pay no attention to any of it and just write the book you want to write

My life was a puzzle that didn’t make sense until I embraced being queer and genderfluid. #mswl more queer books, especially for MG/YA and new adult graphic novels and literary YA/coming-of age like Aristotle & Dante Discover the Sectets of the Universe or Last Night at the Telegraph Club

#Mswl: literary voice-driven middle grade w/a high-concept hook; speculative/fantasy or slice-of-life but I want to see gorgeous, engaging prose or verse; profound coming-of-age themes; and beautifully drawn characters. If it’s a heavier story, there should be love and hope reverberating throughout

You know it’s time for lunch (and a nap) when you type in “hotpot” instead of “hotspot”….mmm hotpot…

hey I am posting this because I didn't know it, and so others might not either: but the BBB has NOT PASSED YET-- it's passed the senate & now it must pass the house. It's time to call reps RIGHT NOW. Johnson is going to push the vote ASAP before backlash can form so the calls need to start NOW.

what a week - I hope everyone is taking care and being extra kind to yourself. A phrase that’s particularly been on my mind these days…

What people generally think I do as an editor all day:

When you pull an all-nighter looking up new recipes for the biscuit factory 🐱

#mswl reminder: I am still on the hunt for standout trans/genderqueer voices, particularly in YA but also MG, from speculative to gorgeously written coming-of-age. My partner is trans/nb, I’m genderfluid, and I will never stop championing genderqueer authors

How is it that every single ABBA song just slaps? They must have had some bell-bottom sorcery going on behind the scenes

To authors I don’t know who somehow have my work email: aside from occasions when I open up my inbox for conferences, I do not accept unagented submissions. Agents are great, and I don’t have the bandwidth to respond to unsolicited emails, so please check submission rules & avoid spamming

I grew up in California never experiencing a real winter, so now, in Colorado, I’m always in awe when the plants in my garden return to life in the spring. Like, this blueberry plant looked dead, was a bunch of dry sticks, and now it’s green and alive again!!! 🤯

Writing “time-sensitive” in an email subject line when the email isn’t actually time-sensitive . . .

It’s been a while now since I finished reading Han Kang’s #TheVegetarian and I still can’t stop thinking about it and the sense of deep compassion underlying its premise

Taco cat wasn’t feeling well the other day, so she had to get an ultrasound from the vet. And now it looks like she has a cool, punk-y undercut

Makes you wonder how from Pope Francis to Jesus Christ, those who actually live out and embody God’s love (particular love for the misfits of society) are always branded as heretics by the conservative zealots of their day

I think everybody should know about the Dunning-Kruger effect, but especially creatives. Basically, it says the incompetent overestimate their abilities whereas the competent tend to underestimate them. Which is why it’s important to believe in yourself AND also to approach one’s craft with humility

Religious freedom is important. All over the world, people experience real persecution and threats to their lives due to their religion. It takes a certain amount of privilege to think religious freedom means the freedom to be a hateful bigot. They don’t fear for their lives. They fear drag queens.

We've been asked this a few times & now have an answer! If you're in publishing, but not author you can join Publishing Professionals Against Book Bans! The group is still in development but you can sign up here: docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1F...

Maybe because these times are so horrifying but for YA, I’m really craving an atmospheric, layered horror mystery with the beautiful and lush but creepy vibes of Midsommar or The Honeys, even better if it’s romantic & queer #mswl

This statement about the transphobic Supreme Court ruling by the UK's Crab Museum (yes a museum about crabs) is better than 99% of the statements I've seen on the topic www.crabmuseum.org/visit 🦀🦀🦀🦀🦀🦀🦀🦀

An in-person event for Colorado writers! And stay tuned for classes I’ll be teaching with COwrite…

Thrilled to introduce COwrite—a Colorado Creative Collective focused on fostering community and connection through writing! COwrite aims to inspire & empower writers through craft classes and workshops. Classes coming soon! Follow for updates on our roster of classes! 🌈-friendly, always. #amwriting

I am sorry to say it, but this is probably one of the most important things you can repost today.

It’s so nice to be a grown-up and swear whenever I want without anybody reprimanding me for it

Behold, the debut of the LONG book trailer for my upcoming #middlegrade #graphicnovel, #themanymisfortunesofeugeniawang youtu.be/cfCTAgUOPX4