In case you need this, here's David Dastmalchian with his rescue cat Bubblegum. She is dressed as his character from a movie.

I'll be starting my book tour for LOLLY ON THE ICE this Sunday at TidePool Bookshop in Worcester, MA. Then TEN TREES BOOKS in Natick on December 13 and lots more events in January. I hope to see you at one of these! @randomhousekids.bsky.social

It has been an exciting 24 hours! The first bound copies of MONARCH AND MOURNING CLOAK arrived this morning. Doesn't it look nice? @mstewartscience.bsky.social @simonkids.bsky.social @ssedlib.bsky.social

The winnerS of the figure skating contest are.... Scott Smith and @adamreisinger.com! They tied with ten correct answers each. Because I'm nice I'm going to give them both the prize. Please DM me for details! Thanks to everyone who played along. I'll post the answers. @randomhousekids.bsky.social

In bookstores today!

My new picture book LOLLY ON THE ICE, about an anxious little figure skater, publishes today! #KidLitLaunches www.sarahbrannen.com/lolly #PublicationDay #BookBirthday @randomhousekids.bsky.social

Thank goodness for a piece of good news! apnews.com/article/supr...

Figure skating trivia question 10: How did Michelle Kwan keep up her skating skills while she was the US ambassador to Belize? Answer in comments or DM; contest ends tomorrow night. LOLLY will be published TOMORROW!!!! I really am that excited! @randomhousekids.bsky.social

Figure skating trivia question 9: What figure skater has a song written about them and what is the name of the song? Details in previous posts. Answer in comments or DM. LOLLY will be published in THREE DAYS!!! @randomhousekids.bsky.social

Figure skating trivia question 8: Which current competitor has worked as a well-known underwear model and a police officer? Answer in comments or DM. whoever gets the most questions right wins a copy of LOLLY ON THE ICE signed by me and all my skater bookstore guests. @randomhousekids.bsky.social

Thank you, Kirkus, for honoring our book in this way! It was 16 years in the making, so @sarahsbrannen.bsky.social and I couldn't be more thrilled. @ssedlib.bsky.social @blueslipmedia.bsky.social @steamteambooks.bsky.social @simonkids.bsky.social #TLsky #Skybrarian #edusky #kidlit

MONARCH AND MOURNING CLOAK: A BUTTERFLY JOURNAL has gotten its first review, a star from Kirkus! @mstewartscience.bsky.social and I are delighted. @simonkids.bsky.social www.kirkusreviews.com/book-reviews...

Veronique as LOLLY made it into the roundup! Such a great costume. @randomhousekids.bsky.social

To all who stayed up all night watching #NHKTrophy, I salute you. Figure skating trivia question 7: Who is the first and only man to compete at the world championships wearing a skirt? Answer in comments or DM; see previous posts for contest details.

I'm really looking forward to my first bookstore event for LOLLY, at the Tidepool Bookshop in Worcester November 16 at 2 pm. It's a lovely store - if you're in the area please stop in! @randomhousekids.bsky.social

@tkingfisher.com I just read NINE GOBLINS and from now on I'll be hoping for a full novel about Sings-to-Trees. With lots of trolls. I love them. Thank you!!

Figure skating trivia question 6: Which current competitor won two World medals, including gold, before ever winning a Grand Prix medal? Answer in comments or DM. Winner is whoever gets the most right by midnight Nov. 11. @randomhousekids.bsky.social

Figure skating trivia question 6: What did Midori Ito apologize to immediately after her short program at the 1991 world championships? Answer in comments or DM. Winner gets a copy of LOLLY ON THE ICE, signed by me and some famous skaters. It comes out Nov. 11! @randomhousekids.bsky.social

There are not one, but two picture books about little skaters coming out on November 11! How cool is that? I can't wait to read @brittanyjthurman.bsky.social's COME CATCH A DREAM, it sounds wonderful.

Bonus #figureskating trivia question 4A: Which current competitor is skating to "Jaws" this season, complete with shark fin choreography?

Figure skating trivia question 4: Who is the tallest skater currently competing and how tall are they? Answers in comments or DM. The winner will receive a copy of LOLLY ON THE ICE signed by me and several skaters. It will be published ONE WEEK from today!!! @randomhousekids.bsky.social

The book-banners are organized. This is not trivial.

Figure skating trivia question 3: Who was the first figure skater to appear on Project Runway? Answer in comments or DM. The winner gets a copy of LOLLY ON THE ICE signed by me and all the skaters who will be appearing with me at bookstores in January and February. @randomhousekids.bsky.social

Still processing... Malinin won the event by 76.6 points. I don't remember ever seeing a margin of victory even close to that. #SCI25

Ilia Malinin just set a new world record for the free skate, scoring 228.97 at Skate Canada. And he didn't even do his toughest jump, the quad axel. #figureskating #SCI25

Figure Skating trivia question number 2: What did Elizabeth Manley put on after her 1988 Olympic free skate in Calgary? Answer in the comments or by DM. The winner gets a copy of LOLLY ON THE ICE signed by me and all the skaters joining me for bookstore events!

WAIT A MINUTE!! Is Lara Naki's eye make up forming a picture of a fish/shark?!!?!?!? GIVE HER +500 GOE FOR THAT!!! #SCI25 #GPFigure ⛸️

As I said, these are going to be hard, or they would be too easy to google. If people get them all right I will be very impressed! Question 1: What was the weather like in Portland when Johnny Weir won his second US title?

LOLLY ON THE ICE comes out in 10 days! Trivia contest starts today: whoever gets the most questions right gets a copy of the book signed by me and all the skater guests at my bookstore events. If a tie, I will draw the winner. I'm going to try to make these hard to google... we'll see.

My wonderful local bookstore put out its list of favorite November releases, and two of my wonderful friends are on it, and I am so grateful for my wonderful #kidlit community! @silverunicornbooks.bsky.social @heatherlangbooks.bsky.social @sarahsbrannen.bsky.social

Happy Halloween! Here’s my art director at @randomhousekids.bsky.social, Veronique LeFevre Sweet, dressed as Lolly for the office Halloween party. LOLLY ON THE ICE comes out in just 11 days!! I’ll be at Tidepool Bookshop in Worcester on November 16 at 2. Will I also be dressed as Lolly??

I just can't seem to stay away from the Supreme Court. I'm quoted in an amicus brief filed by PEN America. This is such an important First Amendment case. www.supremecourt.gov/DocketPDF/25...

Happy #bookbirthday to @mstewartscience.bsky.social's FROM BAM TO BURP! This clever book tells the story of all the places a carbon atom has been - inside a dinosaur! - before you breathed it in. And out.

No animal shall sleep in a bed *with sheets.*

Yes, Madi and Evan's Paint It Black toreador program. Her skirt. Everything. I know. But I also think I kind of love it. #2025GPCHN www.instagram.com/reel/DQOhFG1...

Back in the 80s everyone was ending their programs lying on the ice because Torvill and Dean did and then the ISU finally banned it. I bet they're regretting lifting the ban now.

The very best kind of day!! She's here! @randomhousekids.bsky.social

I'm really glad world champion Alysa Liu went back to last year's short program. More people need to see it! There's something about her and Amber Glenn - they both just seem so real. They wear their hearts on their sleeves. #2025GPCHN #GPFigure #figureskating

Thank you @kirstenwlarson.bsky.social for featuring me on your podcast (+video) for a wide-ranging conversation about nonfiction craft & current publishing trends. tinyurl.com/3hye34pz #TLsky #edusky #Skybrarian #kidlt @ssedlib.bsky.social @charlesbridge.bsky.social @randomhousekids.bsky.social

I'm neither a teacher nor a librarian... just amplifying! These books are hilarious. And perfect for Halloween.

A Texas school district has closed ALL secondary school libraries to prevent kids from having access to books about LGBTQ+ people or racism. www.txftrp.org/why_ban_book...

It's getting chilly, we've had a frost, and my book about an anxious little skater comes out in three weeks. I started working on this book about 10 years ago - I thought it was going to be black and white, back then. You never know where a book will go! @randomhousekids.bsky.social

It's "versus," not "verse." That's my current peeve. I'm hearing it everywhere.

I've read two of the books in this case, @sassinsf.com's ANA ON THE EDGE and @kylelukoff.bsky.social's TOO BRIGHT TO SEE, and they are so, so good. Some kids will really relate to them, and other kids will learn what it's like to be a person like the character in the book. All good. Right?

I have a lot to say about the #GPFRA ice dance but you'll have to call me to hear it because I can't put it in writing. However, it sure looks like Guillaume Cizeron is going to win his second Olympic gold medal in February, doesn't it?

Counted 800 people in the teeny town of Maynard. #NoKings Can we do the #SupremeCourt next?

Tomorrow. @authorsabb.bsky.social

The @silverunicornbooks.bsky.social 's Mock Newbery and Mock Caldecott last night was entertaining, insightful and inspiring. @storybreathing.bsky.social and @brianlies.bsky.social had a great discussion with Mary Lee Donovan, and then Winsome Bingham shared her brilliant take Caldecott books.

It's always such a warm feeling when a book you've watched develop from early sketches finally hits the shelves. Happy #bookbirthday to @jnwieder.bsky.social 's THE MOUSE WHO LOVED LATKES!