If your cat were to speak ONE line from The Princess Bride, which quote would it most likely be? A. "As you wish." B. "Inconceivable!" C. "Hello, my name is ______. You neutered my mother. Prepare to die!" (slightly edited) D. "Good night. Sleep well. I'll most likely kill you in the morning."

I'm currently obsessed with the song "Sundown on Mars" by Shinyribs. 🎵🎶🎵

Did you hear the news? I'm writing my sixth Spooky America book for @arcadiapublishing.bsky.social! The Ghostly Tales of Bar Harbor will be published in 2026. 👻📘❤️ #SpookyAmerica #MiddleGrade #GhostStories #GhostlyTales #BarHarbor For more announcements, check out my latest author newsletter:

I love the leaves. 🍂

This is the time of year when gray foxes reunite with their partners & start preparing for mating season. My trail cam caught a cute moment when Finley, the fox who has lived on our property since she was a kit, sees her mate Frisky approaching. They're so adorable. They had 7 kits last year. 😍

This decoration from the wedding I went to last night sums up what I want out of my November: a small, safe, quiet bubble of nature where I can rest and read and write and compose myself and my words after a happy, busy, loud October.

Happy Halloween! 🎃 (And birthday to me 😊)

There's a water bowl on the ground, but apparently he wants to know what's in the bird bath. 😂🦝

On my way to sell books at the Halloween Bash in Rockwall! 1-5pm 5242 Medical Drive, Rockwall, TX Scan the QR code on the flyer for more info.

It's a lovely morning for reading on the porch with a friend. #OctoberVibes 📖☕💀

In case you missed it, here's my latest author newsletter, including a discount on school visits!

If you heard a small scream around 8AM, it's because we got a cold front last night, and the wind played with my Halloween decorations. 🌬🕷😅

I'm hanging out at Rosalind Coffee in Garland today, enjoying a cardamom maple latte and getting some work done. I love this sign. 👻☕❤ #amwriting

#witchywednesday #amreading #horror

The only thing you can control in the publishing world is whether or not you keep #writing. Learning that the hard way.

Butter the squirrel is busy planting pecans in my fake cemetery. "Oh, is dis where we bury things? Ok!" 😂🐿️❤️ She's so cute, I can't stand it. #wildlife #ButterTheSquirrel #Halloween

This post is from 2021, but the advice holds up. I've got pumpkins ready to be carved, I still stray off the path on walks in the woods, & I'm listening to Simone St. James' latest novel "Murder Road" this week. Now, if only the weather would cooperate for a campfire... #October #Halloween #Spooky

photos from my morning walk #nature #poeticinspiration #gooutside

Big thanks to Parkwood Hill Intermediate School for inviting me to present at their Reflections Arts Contest event! I love talking to young poets about where writing inspiration comes from. For info about school visits & writing workshops, see the link in comments. #SchoolVisit #PoetryWorkshop

Great article about North Texas Wildlife Center & president Rebecca Hamlin. NTXWC holds a special place in my heart. I've been volunteering w/ them for 2 yrs & have so much admiration for the work they do. ❤️ #Wildlife #Rescue #NTXWC #BeKindToWildlife lakehighlands.advocatemag.com/2025/10/01/n...

Zoom in to see Butter the squirrel hanging out of her nest. 🥰 She lined it with stuffing from my pillow because, like the rest of us, she thought it would be cool by October. I imagine she just needs a breath of fresh air. Her babies should be pretty big by now, so I'm sure it's smelly in there! 🐿😁

Do you like reading short horror stories? Are you opinionated and judgey? Do you have a god complex? Tales to Terrify is looking for new volunteer first readers! If you think you got what it takes, fill out our application: tinyurl.com/TtTSlushReader (Remember: this is a strictly volunteer role.)

#amwriting #amquerying

This looks fun. 😂🙃

Hey everyone! I'll be selling and signing my Spooky America books at the Halloween Bash in Rockwall, TX on Saturday, October 25th. Bring the family for some spooky fun! 🎃👻📘

Well, it's definitely October... Something left a bone on my front porch. The question is, WHO? My money is on the crows. 😲☠️🐦‍⬛

Look at this cutie hanging out in the cat bed on my parents' porch. 🥰 #BeKindToWildlife #AwesomeOpossum

My OCD brain loves tracking my queries to see when/how often/to what end agents respond. But that moment when an agent skips your query (possibly b/c they're savoring it longer before making a decision) is so full of exciting, curious hope that I dissolve into a puddle of goo every time. #amquerying

Spooky Season is upon us! If you have a ghost-loving kid in your life, consider making their Halloween special by ordering a signed copy of one of my Spooky America books. Perfect for campfires and sleepovers. Link in comments. 🎃📘👻 #ghoststories #Halloween #SpookyAmerica #amreading #GhostlyTales

Hubby: "Why do you need more than one desk?" Me:

Happy October! 🎃👻🦝🐾😁 This new t-shirt pretty much sums me up.

Me trying to finish all the things I said I would accomplish in September... #goals #multitasking

Staycation will be missed by many here in Richardson, TX. Here's a found poem to commemorate its closing. ☕🏠💔

"Instructions for living a life: Pay attention. Be astonished. Tell about it." -from "Sometimes" by Mary Oliver

Look what I saw in the checkout line at the HEB in Frisco! I love running into my books in the wild. 😍

A middle grade retelling of REBECCA but with cats?!?! 🤯🤩😻 I'm in. I want to read this right meow.

Someone bring this guy a cup of coffee and a book. 🥰

I stole the baby Jesus from the chocolate nativity scene in the faculty lounge during winter break of my first year teaching. I believe in the separation of church and state. And in chocolate. It tasted stale and a little sacrilegious. I have no regrets. -from Teacher Haiku #Memoir #UnhingedPit

✅ kid sticks a paperclip in his eye ✅ kid puts on clown makeup during my lesson ✅ the mascot has ringworm ✅ crazy parents, covid, weird lost & found All this and more in... Twenty Years in the 7th Grade: A Memoir Told in Haiku (Mostly) #haiku #memoir #teachers #humor #nonfiction #UnhingedPit #Q

twenty-year teaching career condensed down into five hundred haiku a bite-sized memoir about the world’s weirdest (and most important) job #haiku #memoir #teachers #humor #nonfiction #giftbook #Q #UnhingedPit

And now for something completely different... Because I contain (and write) multitudes. #UnhingedPit

“Keys.” Hands tossed them to her. “Cane.” I passed her the stick for reaching the pedals. “Chaos.” Ringo lifted his paws & yelled, “Woo hoo!” Roxy turned the key in the ignition, & the golf cart hummed to life. “Buckle up, bandits.” -Sisters in Crime #Q #MG #Humor #Heist #Raccoons #UnhingedPit

Mitzie is a leucistic raccoon who wants to give up crime but her sister says thieving is in their blood. -Moral dilemmas -Humor+heart -Heist gone wrong -Clever dialogue -Opossums, coyotes, & crows…oh my! (Call them "trash pandas" & the scat will hit the fan!) #SistersInCrime #Funny #MG #UnhingedPit

SISTERS IN CRIME is a #MG novel about a raccoon with no mask trying to stop being a thief without losing her sister. It's hilarious & NONE OF THE ANIMALS DIE because your children should not have to live through the same Old Yeller hell and Where the Red Fern Grows trauma that we did. #UnhingedPit

*me reading the #unhingedpit posts while eating breakfast and waiting for 8am central time*

Help me settle this debate. 🎃☕🤷😊 cariejuettner.com/2025/09/15/g...

I'm all over the place with my reading right now. These are the four books I'm currently in the middle of. They couldn't be more different, but I'm loving them all. #amreading #mg #poetry #scifi #thriller

Endless possibilities this Saturday morning...

"I had never heard her so passionate. Her anger made me feel good. I can't explain it. It's like she took the fire inside me, put it in a torch, and then set it between us. It was no longer just mine." ❤️ - from THE EYES AND THE IMPOSSIBLE by Dave Eggers