So tired, must crash. Thanks to @kidlitchat.bsky.social hosts @bonnieadamson.com & @gregpincus.bsky.social for another wonderful #kidlitchat. Follow @kidlitchat.bsky.social for upcoming topics! To those new here: Also check out KidLit Mega Feed! Info on how to post here.

#KidLitChat Looking forward to Thursday!

#KidLitChat I keep thinking of other things I'm celebrating. It's nice to have so many wonderful things to be excited about. I'm thrilled that the pitch event I started several years ago is gearing up for another round! I think the real power of this event is in the critique groups beforehand.

#KidLitChat Oh! I'm celebrating setting up a second school visit! Next week I'll be visiting a local highschool's creative writing class. And I'm so excited to talk with teen writers.

I'm celebrating (today, woohoo!!!) the launch of I'M BUSY, a new picture book written by @michaelianblack.bsky.social and illustrated by me, out today from @simonkids.bsky.social. #KidLitChat

#KidLitChat Yesterday I was celebrating this fortuitous happenstance. My mind is still blown. At lunch time I chatted for a good half and hour- forty minutes with my friend's mother-in-law, who had so much insight for me on the historical event I'm researching.

#KidLitChat I'm celebrating finishing revising my verse novel draft from 45k to 35k. What a relief to have trimmed that 10k.

Busy day today. I went to the library to do some research. And then to lunch with a friend. During said lunch, I learned the friend’s husband GREW UP in the town I am researching.

I'm excited to be reading live on Rattle's Curated Prompt Lines after the main interview tonight. If you love poetry, the Rattlecast is great. And it's really fun to be online live on Youtube while the interview is going on. They often respond to questions live from the chat. #Poetry

This was a fascinating read on an author creating book boxes for influencers.

MGHubPitch has a website this year! ❤️ If you write Middle Grade check out the peer to peer feedback groups we run in the lead up to the event! They’re great for honing your work and developing a solid pitch package! mghubpitch.com

Angie reached out to me after finding the list of middle grade verse novels on my website. And I’m so glad she did. She asked such thought provoking questions! #KidLit #Verse #poet #author

New to Bluesky? Get amazing followers with our Library Starter Packs! #LibrarySky #WritingCommunity Starter Kits: A - B Library Champions on Bluesky bsky.app/starter-pack... Active Libraries on Bluesky (37) bsky.app/starter-pack... Library Lovers Starter Pack bsky.app/starter-pack...

Hi all! Excited to be a part of the Book Lovers for Liberation auction to raise money for nonprofit organizations that are providing legal aid for immigrants and protesters, supporting food banks in affected communities, and standing up against the harmful impacts of ICE.

#KidLitChat I have to say, I was the sort of child who collected name books from garage sales. I was obsessed with names. I used to draw whole family trees and have a reason for name choices for everyone on the tree. I still love names.

#KidLitChat I love naming. I love names with meaning, or themes. For the NIV I've been revising the main character's name means "peace" but it's set during a war.

It's been way too long since updating my publications page. I added in recent and upcoming publications. And I'm very proud of figuring out how to embed Youtube clips that start when my portion of the reading begins. #Poetry #Poet

While listening to Rattlecast live I made these tonight. @rattlepoetry.bsky.social

Here’s one place to make a difference.

We know it’s bad. It’s clear ICE is ignoring court orders. Lawlessness is how the current administration works. They just ignore court orders they don’t like.

#KidLitChat Have to note that my daughters book club at school just read Alan Gratz's War Games set during Hilter's Olympics. And it was a great discussion.

#KidLitChat I usually have a few really important plot beats, and other develop as I keep working at my plot. I notice more interpersonal conflict appears when I do my scene and sequel draft where I'm checking internal motivation and watching for where things are flagging in energy.

I hope you'll join us tonight for #kidlitchat here on Bluesky at 9PM Eastern/6PM Pacific. It's an hour of chatting with your #Kidlit community pals and, of course, and a path to Olympic gold! Or at least a fun hour.... See you then!

Happy #KidLitArtPostcard Day! I love creating whimsical worlds and curious characters. I am available for new projects and would love to chat about your illustration needs. You can contact me or my agent @kaitlynleann17.bsky.social @bradfordagents.bsky.social #PictureBookArt #KidLit #Kidlitart

My first school visit is in the books! And it was SO FUN.

#KidLitChat Laura Shovan is one of my agent siblings. And she's excellent! So check this out!

#KidLitChat Happy Book Birthday! How exciting!

#KidLitChat After the initial draft, I reverse outline my work, check it against Save the Cat Write's a Novel to see if any beats are super super short or long, and then I also work through the character arc using K.M. Weiland's creating character arcs to see whether I'm missing anything big.

DiVERSE Conversations with #YoungAdult and #Children's #VerseNovelists. @weneeddiversebooks.bsky.social @librariesconnected.bsky.social @schoolreadinglist.bsky.social @lapubliclibrary.bsky.social @qplnyc.bsky.social @bklynlibrary.bsky.social @elplibrary.bsky.social @bloomsburylit.bsky.social

#KidLitChat But really... I call my first draft my trash draft. So that I can keep writing and finish it and be ok with it feeling... bad. Then I flesh that out. And since I write primarily verse novel, I'm always going back and forth between poetic and story, and balancing the momentum of both.

#KidLitChat Hi friends! Joining you from recently thawed South Carolina where we've just had two more snow days, after two snow days and several late start days last week!

In the past week and a half 4 school days have been snow days. The weekend before those began was an ice storm, and my spouse was out of state, and one child came down with the stomach bug. Then the following week another child dealt with the stomach bug. Starting February with fear and trembling.

This is horrendous. It has to STOP.

I just tried to phone in a book order to DreamHaven & spoke to Greg, he's swamped with orders (book people are THE BEST) but the website's still down. If you're local and web-savvy and available to work with them to address the shop's web woes, give them a call—they could use some help!

Whether I will make it to #KidLitChat is up in the air. I was up with a kindergartner 3-4 times an hour from midnight to 5am as the stomach bug pummeled her. If I manage a nap this afternoon…maybe.

#KidLitChat I am going to have to jump off early. But I'm glad to catch at least part of KidLitChat Live!

In 1 week, I go live online via @boydsmills.bsky.social with all you need to know to get out on submission with a #kidlit or #yalit ms.: preparation, strategies, resources, case studies, query letter basics, myth-busting, handouts. Questions, a recording. $59 boydsmills.org/workshop/suc...

Hi #KidLitChat What an interesting question. The most ME aspect. I'm going to have to think about that.

Yall. I sent a sensitive email meant for my therapist to a school staff member where I am supposed to do a poetry reading. (Same first name.) I didn’t realize for about an hour. I’m hoping I recalled the email properly. But sitting here in dread.

Since last fall I have been interning with @kaitlynleann17.bsky.social, and it has just been the best experience. I am learning so much about publishing. And I just love the opportunity to help stories find their editor homes.

Kind of proud of setting up this year's poetry submissions Google Sheet with a formula that automatically color codes submission responses from the drop down submission response list I created. #GoogleSheets

I’ll be part of this poetry reading at 7pm EST tonight. Registration Link: us02web.zoom.us/meeting/regi...

Well I’ve had two solid cries today. So I should be able to get through the rest of normal responsibilities. We lived on Logan when we lived in North Minneapolis. Just blocks from that second shooting. To see our neighborhood fogged with tear gas. It’s too much.

#KidLitChat Here’s my current first page for WWI NIV

#KidLitChat This is the most recent first page I dove into. (First I had to steal it back from my 10yo!)

#KidLitChat This one that follows a family through the partitioning of India has such a hook on the first page. I immediately want to know more.

#KidLitChat This one ties the elephants in so seamlessly to the school setting. And I’m extremely biased here because Ranjeeta has been my critique partner for almost half a decade and I adore her book.

#KidLitChat @medenkuyatt.bsky.social’s The Girl in the Wall is one I’m live, too. Immediately we know the conflict.

#KidLitChat There are maps and characters casts on earlier pages. But this is such a compelling first page of story.