The #1 movie when you were 10 years old is how your 2026 is going to go.

My past 3 mos? I came alive again after a soul-questioning hiatus. Decided to go the indie route. Began writing book 2 in a series. Started posting on socials regularly. Applied for an SCBWI grant. And my unpublished MG novel won the highest award in a (deliberately) low-tier contest. #kidlitchat

TOPIC: It's quarterly check-in time! Time to bask in the accomplishments of the last three months--or breathe a sigh of relief that you've managed to *get through* the past three months. Either way, share what's been going, career-wise, since September! #kidlitchat

You guys! I don’t suck!

Few things are more frustrating than breezing along with the outline, then reaching a point in it where I'm like, "Okay, that makes story sense, but from a practical standpoint how/when/where does this stuff actually happen?" #kidlitchat

I want to get better at including chapters in the outline. They may change in the draft, but the blueprint helps immensely. #kidlitchat

So far I have been a Save the Cat person as far as structure, which probably makes sense with my formative professional writing experience in film/TV. Nothing will teach you story faster than writing a screenplay, because there's not room for much else... if you do it well. #kidlitchat

Last week I got to interview R.A. Consell, author of the MG/YA fantasy series Stealing from Wizards, about his books and writing life. Check it out at the comment link. #AuthorInterview #YAFantasy #MiddleGradeBooks #WritingCommunity #TeacherReads #LibrarianLife #BookRecommendation

Whether it's finding people on social or wherever, I'm just trying to figure out how to build a mailing list when I don't (yet) have anything to sell. I JUST started giving away a free short, but I'm basically getting hundreds of people going to the form... and have had 2 friends sign up #kidlitchat

Oh, man. Trying to post on IG and TikTok for followers and (the holy grail) NL signups, but it has been tough sledding. Actually had a huddle with a writer the other day who does AMAZINGLY well on IG and she has me ?ing if I should restart with a new account I haven't "trained" poorly. #kidlitchat

And... I'm going to have to take off, because our 13-year-old actually just asked to watch TV with us, which never happens. 😍 #kidlitchat

I do have to say, as a Central Texas resident who loves running outside, one huge benefit of the lump of time that is fallwinter is not feeling like I'm going to pass out after a few miles. There were times this past summer when starting a run at 6am wasn't enough to escape the heat. #kidlitchat

I'm actually often really bad at this. I blame years of screenwriting for my "white room" syndrome, and I think this kind of falls into the same camp. Only the absolute essential details. The production will figure out everything else. #kidlitchat

I THINK I'm pretty decent at queries, pitches, and log lines... but synopses are exhausting and comps are the bane of my existence. #kidlitchat

Okay, our dog is very insistent that I need to stop chatting because it's walk time, and delaying never wins that argument. Night all! #kidlitchat

Ooh, did anyone else have Read Magazine in school? I remember loving the short stories and sometimes they would have plays the teacher would have us read aloud. I was THAT kid who was really into it that everyone else thought was embarassingly hilarious. Good times. #kidlitchat

As I got a LITTLE older I remember being pretty into horror. Fear Street in the... lets say 8-10 range. And the Scary Stories books. Then pretty quickly into Stephen King, Dean Koontz, Clive Barker from 11 plus. Def read some things I probably shouldn't have. #kidlitchat

Oh, as a REALLY little kid, hands down There's a Monster at the End of This Book. It doesn't need explanation, does it? #kidlitchat

Perhaps oddly, I also have a pretty strong love of Terry Brooks' The Sword of Shannara, which I also read in that 7-9 age range (and still kind of like it more than Lord of the Rings -- sorry, Tolkien people). #kidlitchat

Oof. I read A LOT. But I have a distinct memory of FINALLY finishing my beloved Chronicles of Narnia at age 7 and being pissed that it was all a Christian allegory. I mean, the least Lewis could have done was make it less explicit in book 7 for all of us who just wanted fantasy. Jeez. #kidlitchat

so we partner with our local library on an all-queer, all-kidlit little free library... and for the second weekend in a row, somebody has stolen all the brand new books. we are working on a plan, but if you are a queer kidlit author with some books or swag you'd like to donate, can you message me? 🌈

I have retreated. #writingcommunity #writerlife #amwriting #wip #amtired

Ooh, you know what I find fun? Looking at prompts from magazines and anthologies when they're looking for works with a certain theme. Sometimes it sparks something really interesting -- often not even to submit to them. #kidlitchat

I find reading fiction helpful. Also critiquing others' work for some reason. And running. Maybe not exactly "creative" energy, but I find myself more ready and focused after a run. #kidlitchat

Ooh, there are quite a few, but…

This. I’m no publisher or agent. I pay attention to the industry, but to some degree also ignore it. I have a 13- and 10yo and see what they like. And I have my instincts as a writer. In the end, all you can do is make work that matters to you, put it out there, and let the world decide.

Paraphrasing this as kick-in-the-butt advice for myself: If you aren’t active because you don’t have fans, maybe become active so that you get fans. Harsh, but okay. #WritingCommunity #kidlit #sff #kidlitchat

The gap between MG and YA books isn't a new problem... so I'm proposing a not-new solution: More book series that grow with their readers. What do I mean by that? tinyurl.com/49xb5dkw #MiddleGradeBooks #RaisingReaders

How it started // How it’s going My debut Too Cursed To Kiss is out Oct 1st 2025 Urban fantasy romance Standalone Fast paced. Addictive. 💋 www.goodreads.com/book/show/23...

This is too real.

Great chatting with you all! And good luck in all your endeavors. #kidlitchat

Okay, speaking of history -- anyone know good books, podcasts, shows, etc. about Japanese history/culture? My 13yo son who never wants to do anything got excited about a school-affiliated trip to Japan, and grandma says she'll pay if he shows he took some time to learn about the country. #kidlitchat

Until recently I was hiding under a rock, singing 🎵Where do we go from here? 🎵 But after lots of thinking and planning and researching and other things ending in ing, I said screw it and started writing (well, plotting) the 2nd book in my upper-middle sci-fi series cuz I can't quit it #kidlitchat

But… but Canada is supposed to be the safe dove we can escape to. The TV show lied!!!

Is it weird that I sometimes go back and read something I wrote a few years ago and think, "I like myself"? It's weird, right? #writingcommunity #conceited

Our account has been suspended on Threads! Please can you share this far and wide! :)

Not that King needs me reposting him, but....

What I like to explore is the realization that life is a lot more complicated than my characters "know" it is and how they come to terms with that and keep going. Hopeful, because I do want them to successfully come to terms with that, but ideally nuanced and difficult because life. #kidlitchat

I started writing MG half for my kids (now 13 and 10) and half for me (okay, probably more than half) because many of the books I read around that age are the ones that really stuck with me. ...but it's always a bit interesting because by that age I was reading Dune and Stephen King 🤷‍♂️ #kidlitchat

Gosling being nominated and Robbie not being is basically the America Ferrera speech come to life.

Hot off the heels of getting exactly ONE of my son's friends to read the first few chapters of my #mg #scifi, just learned I'm in the March Futurescapes with @jmorgynwhite.bsky.social and lots of other super-talented people. Congrats everyone who got in!

#kidlitchat Time to put daughter to bed. Be back if I can. 😬

#kidlitchat I’ve realized talking to other writers that my outlines are closer to “zero drafts” when they get really in depth. It’s a lot of me going, “this happens, then this happens,” naturally figuring out scenes and action beats and even some dialogue without the added weight of “really” writing

#kidlitchat Our daughter found a recipe for popcorn pie and insisted that we make it last Thanksgiving. Pretty sure I’m the only one who finished a piece.

#kidlitchat I outline like crazy. I start with the beginning, middle, and end. Then important beats. But no matter how micro I get, there’s always stuff I discover along the way. Usually that I’ve royally screwed something up.

Hey, #writingcommunity! I just submitted my entry to Kaitlyn Leanne Sanchez's Fall Writing Frenzy for #kidlit writers! You can read my entry here: tinyurl.com/y5nsv9z2. They're all 200 words or less and based on one of several images she chose. Excited to read everyone else's pieces! :)

Anyone querying right now? #kidlitchat

I use the note app on my phone, but I'm HORRIBLE at naming the note files, so I always have to search around through random lists of innocuous things to find writing notes. Seems pretty simple how to fix that problem... and yet... #kidlitchat

That's my problem with notes. I'll write them down and then forget where I wrote them. #kidlitchat

"Just keep swimming." - one of the 29(!) credited writers on Finding Nemo