I don’t outline because I’m organized. I outline because if I don’t, my plot turns into spaghetti. 🍝

Hi #KidLitArtPostcard day, I’m Mike and I love creating fun, character-driven work, spooky or no. I'm repped by @vickyweberbooks.bsky.social and I'm especially looking for middle grade cover work. See more work at mdashow-kidlitart.carrd.co #kidLitArt #spooky #werewolf #spookyMG #kidLit #MG

There’s one story from my teaching days that still makes me sweat and laugh every time I think about it. Now it’s part of a new anthology from F-flat Books called Classroom Confidential. Preorders are open and trust me, mine’s… unforgettable. 😅

I get asked all the time "why can't you represent yourself?" And it's not a short answer:

Home from SCBWI's Halloweekend conference and had a BLAST! I love virtual events, but there's something about in-person ones that are just...magical. ✨

I cannot explain how much I despise washing dishes. They are my forever enemy.

It’s wild how much of my life is held together by caffeine and stubbornness.

I love my kids more than anything but good lord they’re loud.

I will ALWAYS be the person who overexplains things because I want people to feel like they get it.

I opened my email. I shouldn’t have opened my email. 😂

There is no rage like realizing a brilliant line was written at 3 a.m. and makes zero sense in the daylight.

John Marrs writes endings that make me want to lie face down on the floor for three to five business days.

To say I’m excited would be an understatement. 😭🥳

Every time I say “just one more task,” the universe laughs.

You can have a brilliant manuscript and still not be the right fit for an agent. It’s not about worth, it’s about match.

If you are doing okay right now, give money to food pantries. Pay the difference when somebody comes up short at the checkout. “Accidentally” make too much food and share with your neighbors. Folks are hurting.

I don’t talk about it much, but being a Latina woman in publishing means carrying a weight most people don’t see.

I love horror novels for the same reason some people love roller coasters: if I’m going to feel panic, it better be on my terms.

If you saw what’s happening in my quiet suburb—what my kids & I are witnessing—you’d be horrified. Innocent people who’ve done everything right. No criminal record. Here legally. US citizens. None of it matters to 🧊. I’ve never been so afraid just to exist.

My brain: rest is productive. Also my brain: LET’S REVISE A CHAPTER AND BUILD A NEW SALES STRATEGY WHILE DOING LAUNDRY.

If you’re in the Midwest and love kidlit, come hang out with me at the SCBWI Iowa Halloweekend Conference Oct 31–Nov 2! We’ll talk stories, characters, and maybe swap Halloween candy. 🍬 Who’s in?? (I neeeeeeeeed more YA Horror) #MSWL

Riley Sager writes one plot twist and I’m like “ok I trust no one ever again.”

Can confirm: yes, there’s a costume contest at the SCBWI Iowa Halloweekend Conference. No, I’m not telling you what I’m wearing. 😉 Oct 31–Nov 2, West Des Moines. Come join the spooky fun! 🕷️

i KNOW it doesn’t have to be perfect. i KNOW. …but also…what if it was perfect...

👻Meet me in person at the #SCBWI Iowa Halloweekend Conference! I’ll be doing pitches, critiques & classes all weekend 🎃 (Oct 31–Nov 2) #writingcommunity #pb #kidlit

everyone else: 💤 me: “what’s the exact emotional subtext of this comma”

Work-life balance for me usually means working while thinking about how I should rest.

I draft some of my best ideas when I should absolutely be sleeping. Insomnia is the worst. Also… thanks, insomnia.

I read horror to relax. Yes, I’m aware that’s concerning.

Kate Alice Marshall makes me want to write better and also cry into a blanket.

The dishes and I are in a constant battle for dominance. So far… the dishes are winning.

I have two speeds: aggressively productive or a couch potato who forgot how time works. No in-between.

Balancing writing with parenting is mostly: “I’ll do it after bedtime” and then falling asleep at 8:47.

Sometimes I think my inbox multiplies in the dark.

“Go to bed early” is such a cute idea. I love fiction.

Publishing isn’t perfect. But it’s full of people who believe in books.

You can’t control when trends hit. The only thing you can control is finishing the book.

My hands are FREEZING as I type this. It’s officially blanket-while-working season.

Anyone else get irrationally stressed by trick-or-treat candy math? Like how many bags = enough?

Every time I try to edit, someone in this house needs a snack.

Iiiiiiiii need more audiobook recs. Favorite spooky suspense or horror? ⬇️

I can’t tell if my insomnia is from stress or from staying up thinking about how stressed I am. 🙃

Publishing isn’t perfect. But I stay because I believe in stories, and in the people who fight to tell them.

Every time I see someone say “agents are just in it for the money,” I want to invite them to look at my bank statement.

The publishing industry doesn’t need more people with one kind of perspective. It needs the opposite—different voices shaping what stories get through the door.

There’s a difference between listening to understand and listening to respond. Lately, it feels like the world forgot that.

The hardest part about agenting isn’t the rejections I send. It’s the ones I don’t want to send. The manuscripts I believe in, but can’t take because of time, or list fit, or bandwidth.

Querying is weird. You’re literally sending love letters about your book to strangers and hoping they’ll fall for it.

Some days I feel like I’m wearing 47 hats—mom, agent, author, coach—and not wearing any of them well. Anyone else?

Hi #KidLitArtPostcard day! I’m Mike and drawing fun, colorful characters is my cup of tea! I'm repped by @vickyweberbooks.bsky.social & I'm especially looking for middle grade cover work. See more of my work at mdashow-kidlitart.carrd.co #kidLitArt #childrensIllustration #witch #middleGrade #MG