I said goodbye to my sweet cat today and came home to a rejection from an editor. I’ve had better days. Still - life goes on. Dusting myself off. Tomorrow is another day. #resilient

Just hit send.

Star light, star bright…

Love this mayor. #Boston

Tried to leave a book review on Amazon (I’m an ARC reader for the book), but it wouldn’t let me because I haven’t spent enough money on Amazon this year! So obnoxious!!

What a fabulous SCWBI Summer Virtual Conference. Many thanks to organizers, panel leaders, presenters, tech wizards who connected us all, and participants for inspiring, teaching, guiding, sharing, and community building. #scbwiSummer25 #scbwi #kidlit

HAPPENING TODAY! This event is free and open to the public. Join top creators and industry leaders for a bold conversation on book bans, legal fights, and the power of stories that must be heard. Invite your friends and community members! Register at scbwi.org #scbwisummer2025

I went sea kayaking with friends early this morning in Maine. The fog lifted as we paddled toward a rocky ledge, where 70+ seals were sunning. We kept back, but many slid into the water and swam out, bobbing up and around us. Very cool. Thanks to a friend for sharing this photo of one of them.

A couple months ago, I sent my first query in 3 years. Yesterday saw my first rejection in 3 years. I already have my next round of queries ready to go. Onward!

Love is love at #BostonPride

Whew! Submitted three picture book manuscripts today, and two weeks ago I submitted a romance manuscript. I really hope luck is in the air.

For a few glorious weeks, lilacs fill the air from one end of town to the other.

I've updated my listing of children's literary statues available in the United States. Take a deep dive into characters old and new. #kidlit afuse8production.slj.com/2025/05/14/a...

I’m thrilled to learn that my PB, One Special Word, is an Honorable Mention for #PBParty. Thank you to @mindyalyseweiss.bsky.social for organizing this event and to you and @sylviaichen.bsky.social and all the judges for their hard work. Congratulations to the winners and honorable mentions! 🎉

To Our Readers | From the Editor (Nov 2024) bit.ly/4iKx4bn

It's teacher gift time. What if, instead of spending $10 on a mug or chocolates, you spent $10 on a gift card to your teacher's local indie bookstore?

When you cut the arts, you cut out the heart and soul of a people.

Look what I got at my local indie bookstore! WHEN THE AIR SANG by @laurabontje.bsky.social with illustrations by @anderkaya.bsky.social is a sweet multigenerational story with many layers. It’s about cicadas and curiosity, family and patience - all wrapped up in love. Wonderful new picture book!

If you'd like to see and hear @hcrichardson.bsky.social deliver her blow-by-blow account of the lighting of the lamps in the Old North Church – where she gave this address – and the Ride of Paul Revere 250 years ago, someone did us the service of recording it. www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bv5l...

The queen of the house enjoying her new spring bed. #SkyDogs

This reminds me to have a conversation with our new librarian on what plans our library has to fight book bans. Seems like a good idea to be prepared - including lining up allies in the community.

Woke up still feeling hope after standing with thousands in the rain in Boston. Now we have to keep the momentum going. #HandsOff #HandsOffBoston

WITNESS Hope laced up her boots this morning, grabbed her sign and marched down Main Streets from coast to coast, to drown out every vestige of despair, distress, and fear by shouting louder than loud: I. AM. HERE. April 5, 2025 Nikki Grimes.

Time for a #KidLitCritiqueDay giveaway! Leah Moser is offering a critique on a picture book that is under 800 words. Fiction or nonfiction, rhyming or non-rhyming. Like, comment, and repost to enter. Must do all 3. Good luck!

Creative expression - in any form - seems particularly vital at this moment in time. Hope you’re finding time and energy for it! #writing #art #creativity

Here’s another #KidLitCritiqueDay giveaway! Laura Bontje is offering a critique on a picture book that is in prose or rhyme and up to 1,000 words long. To enter like, comment, and repost. Must do all three. Good luck! @LauraBontje

March came in like a lion…and decided to stay a lion 🦁

Such a great opportunity!

#RightToReadDay is April 7! SCBWI is proud to collaborate with Unite Against Book Bans, Authors Against Book Bans, and Macmillan Publishers to support this cause!

Support your library in any way you can - check out books, go to programs, volunteer, support the Friends of the Library.

Should I be angry or honored that I found a research paper I co-authored on LibGen? 🤨

I wasn’t a finalist for #PBParty, but it motivated me to take a deep dive into my manuscripts. That, plus workshops in February, gave me lots of ideas for revision. Thanks to the judges for thoughtfully considering so many entries. Congratulations to the finalists! And ONWARD for the rest of us!

Went back into a SEL PB manuscript to add a STEM layer. After pouring through research, I changed two characters to make it more accurate. I’m liking the direction it’s going in.

I’d add to this list: ✅Volunteer at the library ✅Support the Friends of the Library, if your library has one.

Monster icicles

It’s a #kidlit focused day. Just submitted to #PBParty. And tonight I’m participating in a workshop with Karen Boss through @writersloftma.bsky.social So nice feeling the motivation to create these days. ✍️

Noticing a surge of new Bluesky users (should hit 30M soon!). For those who need it, my Quickstart Guide: publish.obsidian.md/debbieohi/qu... With the help of the community, I have answers to MANY questions in my Unofficial Guide To Bluesky. Pls see my pinned post for #BlueSkyTips links.

Cuddles #skydogs

I hosted 10 friends for dinner last night. We mostly avoided the gloom of politics (we all needed a break!). However there were several conversations about things we’re doing - supporting nonprofits, letter writing, volunteering, etc - all tiny actions. But a dozen tiny actions start to add up.

Chilly, but gorgeous, evening in Maine

Storystorm 2025 is halfway over. I’m behind by a couple days but generally managing to eke out ideas. I’m finding it harder this year. Fires, wars, oligarchy - you know, little things like that seem to be crowding out creative space. How’s everyone else doing? #Storystorm

Fe-line edits #CatAssistant

Librarians and Allies Must Act to Secure the Future of Libraries and Intellectual Freedom

I reached the cliffhanger ending of the first book in a series and realized it’s a new release…🙀 (Note to self: Read from the backlists)

56 small tasks to be proactive against book censorship in 2025. Choose one per week to help ensure that public goods like schools & libraries remain viable democratic institutions & to protect our most vulnerable populations. Book censorship is about more than books. bookriot.com/56-small-tas...

When posting images, add alt text! Why? - Helps visually impaired & neurodivergent. - Helps your post gets discovered. - If Internet is slow, people see alt-text instead of images. - If text in image hard to read, alt-text can help. More tips: publish.obsidian.md/debbieohi/al... #BlueSkyTips

Happy New Year! I made resolutions at the end of 2024 so I could jump into action in 2025. Will it translate into writing “success”? Who knows, but I’ll be learning, and that’s the bottom line. My wish for all is a year of growth and satisfaction. #writers #writing #goals

Whether it's volunteering at a local school or taking soup to a sick neighbor, improving the welfare of others can also improve our own physical and mental health, a sizable body of research shows.

Hope you have a warm and cozy day.