My elderly mom was getting routine medical care today when a tech asked her age. When Mom told her, she said, "Well, damn, girl!" And now Mom's having a happy day. We can still make a difference for each other. Little things help, too.

My targeted ads are all whiskey right now. At first I thought, That's weird--I don't drink whiskey. Then I realized the algorithm has seen the news.

Iowa has feels.

Had fun at Iowa City's Sidekick Coffee and Books today! It's a little gem--if you're in the area, go see what I mean.

I found a photo of the elusive leader of #antifa.

I lost half my hearing to measles as an infant and it has been a pain in my ass every day of my life. This is cruel. #vaccines

Madison's watching.

If you have questions about the First Amendment, THE CONSTITUTION DECODED can help. Adults are allowed to read, too. www.barnesandnoble.com/w/the-consti...

When we write the list of cowards unequal to this moment, #ABC will be at the top. The alphabet has spoken. #Kimmel

Amendment I Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances. #Kimmel

oh my fucking god

OK, not even getting into the ethics or the existential issues around AI: Have some goddamn self-respect. If you're a writer and you do this I don't know how you look at yourself, but I know exactly how I look at you.

Just wrote an epically convoluted margin note. Torn between revising for clarity (and human decency) and leaving it so my editor has something to pin by the water cooler and garner sympathy. Editors probably have contests about this kind of stuff, right? She could win something. #Writing

if you’re an isolated, angsty, strange young man, please know that you can become a Kierkegaard scholar instead of joining fringe online communities

Tried to get takeout in my parents' town bc they're not very mobile, but the restaurant didn't offer takeout. I apologized, explained why I tried. The woman said, "Oh, for the elderly? We can do that." And they boxed up meals for us. #kindness

I wrote a book to help you navigate the strange and wonderful world of writing and publishing books. It covers everything from how to write a query letter to how to write your next book. Get it wherever books are sold! bookshop.org/p/books/writ...

Hey, I left substack and moved to ghost. Find me here! www.agentsandbooks.com/oh-hello/

Word wants me to change "gored by a mammoth" to "bored by a mammoth" and it has a level of sangfroid I'll never achieve. #writing

The lights flashed in our library tonight. Little girl: Why did that happen? Her mom: They're going to be closing. Little girl: (gasps, then gestures grandly at the stacks) But why would they DO that? #Library

My grandmother grew up on the hill below a cemetery. They used a black team to pull the carriage holding an adult's coffin and a white team to carry a child to their grave. She said you saw the white team most often. Get ready to see the pale horse. #RFKJr

I spent the weekend working in a chair, but checked my pedometer at one point and--it had died. Seems unnecessarily sarcastic. #writing

I bought three packages of paper yard bags this summer, anticipating prices rising, but they sent me three INDIVIDUAL bags. I just went to reorder (they sent a refund, not replacement) and the package that was $2.50 six weeks ago is $8.00 now. #economy

Happy Pub Day @katiewritesbks.bsky.social!!!! CC @cherylklein.bsky.social

DID YOU HEAR WHAT HAPPENED IN SALEM releases today. My parents inform me they've purchased two copies so they can read it at the same time. #Writing

A box of books showed up at my door so I finally got to see these in person! You can get your hands on this today! I’m smitten with how this turned out. “Did You Hear What Happened in Salem?” By Katie Kennedy. @katiewritesbks.bsky.social

I'm finishing a revision, surrounded by 26 books and know exactly which one to reach for in response to any given query. Love this stage.

These are my patients. Kids dying of brain cancer. Kids and families desperate for treatment and hoping to find a cure through experimental therapies. Trump is dismantling science and children with brain tumor are the victims. www.nytimes.com/2025/08/28/w...

Why are people so cranked up about a male cheerleader?? You know who was a cheerleader at West Point? This guy.

The National Guard is coming to Iowa. I can only presume that's in response to our library's chaotic sticker situation. Beyond that it's sunny skies and ripening corn.

The back and forth of a writer putting in em-dashes and an editor deleting them feels like some 17th century court dance. #Writing

Detroit's farther east than Atlanta.

A terrorist targeted federal workers last week. There wasn’t much reporting on it. But I’m not finished thinking about it! 🧵 An anti-vaxxer fired more than 500 gunshots into CDC Atlanta, shattering 150 “blast-proof” windows on 6 buildings. Employees were pinned down in terror.

This administration doesn't mind if you beat a police officer with a club--unless it's a club sandwich. #SeanDunn

Important for writers whose books have been used without permission for AI training--this is the class action lawsuit against Anthropic. Find your books in the LibGen database, and fill out the form on the law firm's website.

Saw an old friend today. He's an historian; his wife's a neurologist. He told about carrying 14 cadaver heads in boxes for her and let me tell you that's a solid marriage.

If that dude didn’t want to get in trouble for throwing something at that officer maybe he should have thrown a dildo instead

6 days after Soviet troops invaded Czechoslovakia in 1968, a Prague paper published these “10 Commandments”: ‘When a Soviet soldier comes to you, YOU: 1. Don’t know 2. Don’t care 3. Don’t tell 4. Don’t have 5. Don’t know how to 6. Don’t give 7. Can’t do 8. Don’t sell 9. Don’t show 10. Do nothing’

Yesterday a young woman came into our #library bc she'd just had a wreck and needed a safe place where she could call her people and decide whether to go to the hospital. Libraries are vital community resources.

I thought this had to be a bit, so I asked GPT-5 to do the same thing and...

Here we go, romance people! Careful if you take the survey, though--the ground is still scorched and the air acrid from my responses.

they know what they did

A friend of mine had Grok attempt this and it was somehow way way worse? Remarkable dogshit.

Scientists! @skypeascientist.bsky.social matches scientists with classrooms, libraries, & more for virtual Q&As! It's easy and fun! We are looking for 750 more volunteers by 8/15 If you're down to chat with 1-5 classrooms this semester, sign up here www.skypeascientist.com/sign-up.html

Called my credit card company about possible fraudulent activity and they wanted to know my residency status. The hell? (Didn't tell them.)

kennedy is going to kill a lot of people

The real deal right here!

So excited to hear that the delightful @enajones.bsky.social 's SIX FEET BELOW ZERO is making a splash in Hong Kong! If you haven't read yet, what are you waiting for?

When our daughter was ten I had her practice screaming, "My mother will come after you!" until she could do it with utter, piercing conviction. That's my parenting tip. Be crazy. Let your kid know you're crazy and you have their back. #Parenting