This might be an unpopular opinion, but if your dog doesn't have perfect recall you have no business taking them off leash in a public space. It doesn't matter how friendly they are, other dogs and other humans might not be.

If there are any #literaryagents out there enjoying #Wednesday season 2 and wanting more boarding school mysteries on your MSWL... I might have what you're looking for 👀

Fresh mood board for A SYLLABUS OF SECRETS: my teacher-led boarding school mystery with 🍁 A husband and wife dynamic duo 🍁 M/F platonic besties 🍁 School secrets 🍁 A hidden laboratory 🍁 Cozy fall vibes #amquerying now!

Make no mistake: Alligator Alcatraz IS a concentration camp, and they absolutely ARE planning genocide and ‘ethnic cleansing.’ As a white person, i don’t know what I can do to help, but if all I have is my voice, I will make sure it’s heard.

Happy pub day @katemckean.bsky.social! I can't wait to get your book in my hands, and I'm so grateful for all the knowledge you've shared through your newsletter over the years.

Just a reminder not to re-share any AI "art," even if it's funny or contains a message you agree with. You can find things you'll like that were made by real human beings ❤️

Watching mass adoption of AI is like watching the entire world failing the marshmallow test.

Friendly reminder to support your local independent bookstore this weekend! A slightly less friendly reminder to just not buy books from Am*zon at all.

Question for the #writingcommunity especially any #litagents or folks with #amquerying experience: how many rejections should I receive before I need to revisit my query package and/or re-edit my manuscript?

The cuts to IMLS will affect every library system in the nation. Use the 5Calls app script to call in support of library services! @amlibraryassoc.bsky.social @penamerica.bsky.social @everylibrary.bsky.social

Just a reminder that if you love libraries, you should call and write to your reps to protect their funding!

Four years out of college and I somehow have more stress dreams about not finding a seat in the cafeteria or forgetting a class now than I did then.

I'm sorry to all my friends who are not part of the writing community, that you have to hear about my book again and again whenever I decide to participate in a pitch event. But not sorry enough to stop 😬

"Elsie Milton was not in the mood for pomp and circumstance. Then again, she rarely was." #1stlinepit #Q #A #Mystery #Boardingschoolmystery

THE SECRET ADVERSARY X GAUDY NIGHT It's unfair that kids are always the ones who get to solve boarding school mysteries...so this one is for the adults. Featuring a goofy husband and logical wife teacher duo 🔍 #unhingedpit #Q #A #M #writingcommunity

Wait, why am I in a group chat called HEIST PLANNING?! #unhingedpit #romcom #agented

This is illegal: Musk announced in an overnight post on X that he’ll hand out million-dollar checks at a Sunday night event in Wisconsin—but only to those who voted in the state’s Supreme Court election. Why is Elon so invested in this race? Tesla is facing legal challenges in Wisconsin.

We've reached the point where I call my senators more often than my best friends or family. Might as well just add them to my speed dial at this point.

Do you think Jeffrey Goldberg would like to be invited to my book club chat? 🤔

Doing research about dealing with AI issues in libraries, and it seems like a bad sign that it's almost impossible to find articles that don't acknowledge using AI in their creation... 🤔

Wondering what to do about the executive order eliminating the Institute of Museum and Library Services? My latest Substack has 10 concrete actions you can take.

I am working out of a public library and there are a good number of people who seem to be on hard times using the facilities for various reasons like job searching, entertainment, charging peripherals, using the bathroom, etc., and I am struck by how important it is that libraries continue to exist

LEGENDS & LATTES x ASSISTANT TO THE VILLAIN The Reluctant Mentor: Athragast the Wizard is sick of mentoring heroes, but the world needs saving and he needs money to fund his retirement, so he takes on one last mission and recruits a band of misfits to help. #PopUpPitE #LuckyPit

17-yr-old Emmie has the coolest job ever at the indie bookstore with her crush, but when a patron dies during her mom’s book signing, all eyes are turned towards her. She needs to get her life back & not get killed in the process. #PopUpPitA #LuckyPit

WEDNESDAY X THE LAST EQUATION OF ISAAC SEVERY Husband and wife duo Elsie and Giles race to find a long lost laboratory at the boarding school where they teach, before a mysterious figure can uncover the lab's secrets or put their students in danger. #PopUpPitA #LuckyPit #A #M

You know where you can go and not worry about breaking the economic blackout today? Your local library! All those books and you won’t spend a penny!

I made this the other night while procrastinating, mainly because I thought all the posts about the blackout were boring. It feels like there is momentum bringing people together!

Tonight my husband spent OVER TWO AND A HALF HOURS helping me edit my novel synopsis, so when I say make sure you have a partner who supports your dreams, I mean this specifically.

One of the things I love about being vegetarian is how relaxing it is. 🧵 1/?

Writer friends, you'll want to keep an eye out for this upcoming book! I've been following Kate McKean's newsletter for a while and it has so much helpful info and encouragement for writers!

ONE OF US IS LYING X AGGTM A teen girl is determined to solve the murders occurring at her father's traveling New England Circus Arts Academy when her new friend/roommate is suspected of murdering a girl. 🎪 My currently querying YA Mystery-Thriller: The Show Must Go On #Miserypit #YA #CM #Q

WEDNESDAY X THE SECRET ADVERSARY Husband and wife duo Elsie and Giles race to find a long lost laboratory at the boarding school where they teach, before a mysterious figure can uncover the lab's secrets or put their students in danger. #Miserypit #A #CM #Q

Help. I can't stop listening to Sheena Easton's 1981 hit Morning Train (Nine to Five). I've listened to it 7 times. I can't stop. I love public transportation.

I hated zucchini as a kid, but have come to enjoy it as an adult. The secret to making it actually good? WORCESTERSHIRE SAUCE. And, you know, a matured palate, I guess. But mostly Worcestershire sauce.

Husband and I had a writing marathon today, and I succeeded in writing 2,000 words and editing 34 pages in only 3.5 hours. So we might be doing this every weekend now...

#YouDeservepIt Toad hoarders, teleporting cat colonies, and sketchy reptile conventions are just a Tuesday in "Heidi's House of Rescued Familiars." Normal days end, though, when Heidi vows to rescue a human familiar from the richest wizard in Louisiana, Oberon Hexwalker. #Q #A #F

LEGENDS AND LATTES X CAN'T SPELL TREASON WITHOUT TEA The orc Javelin expected a job at the dragon library to be a dream, but she ended up as their barbarian, traveling, updating maps, meeting a witch, and chasing whoever is replacing the books with mimics. #YouDeservepIt #WIP #A #F #CozyFantasy

A Crossroad of Lilies #WIP #YA #Spec #R #YouDeservepIt 🌻A retired childhood actor, now sixteen, invites a secretly poor scholarship student on a luxury weekend train ride to discover why mushrooms grow up their bodies and fall in love along the way.

GAUDY NIGHT X WEDNESDAY Husband and wife duo Elsie and Giles race to find a long lost laboratory at the boarding school where they teach, before a mysterious figure can uncover the lab's secrets or put their students in danger. #YouDeservePit #Q #A #M

Just a reminder as we approach the end of January that New Year's resolutions are about building new habits, not perfectly meeting legalistic rules. If you have already failed on some aspect(s) of your resolution, that's okay. That doesn't mean you can't keep working on it.

Finally bought the long, thick, down winter coat of my dreams and it has already made my life so much better. Timing couldn't be better since it was 1° (one degree) out when I walked to work this morning.

Not sure if I want to go into today as a ray of light and positivity or a complete hag. I'm taking suggestions.

Here's what I'm doing on one of the worst days for America that I can remember: -Recovering from a cold -Cuddling my husband -Seeing therapy pigs at a nearby library -Playing D&D with friends -Writing my story about a girl who becomes a pirate caption and takes down an oligarch -Tea

Whatever happens, never forget: READING FOR PLEASURE has the biggest positive impact of any factor on children's life chances. So always make time to share books with kids, and help them find books to love. Make reading central to everything you do. It will change their lives forever! #literacy

For Booksky 📚 ✅ Bookshop.org: every purchase supports local independent bookstores. ❌ Kindle: owned by Amazon. ✅ Public Libraries: (cannot recommend this enough!!) free audiobooks, apps, media (like NYT), books, ebooks, and more.

On a mission to write at least 1500 words today while I am sick and can't really go anywhere/do much. So far: 557. Is this a good way to rest and let my body recover? ...Uncertain.

Does anything go together better than #tea and #books? Check out my most recent Substack for the best tea to go with each genre.

*Me taking a little break from writing to give my husband a hug* My husband: I will not be a ~ tool ~ for your procrastination! Write, woman, write! 🎭