Mean Girls meets Plus One by John Hare in When FairiesComes to Tea. Rosie invites the delicate flying fairies to tea, but when the class dragon gets there first, Rosie fears Duke’s fire breathing will wreck everything. #PB #JoyPit

Finding publicizing difficult? Stratira can help. Last day to get a discount: stratira.ai/what-do-you-writ…

Congratulations, Virginia! Republicans are trying to tilt the midterm elections in their favor, but they haven’t done it yet. Thanks for showing us what it looks like to stand up for our democracy and fight back.

Editors I respect are leaving. Books sections are closing. I'm watching this industry shrink in real time, and I don't have a neat answer for what comes next—but I think pretending everything is fine is worse than talking about it.

Don't miss your chance to be a part of the Unicorn Biz Academy! yay.leoniedawson.com/a/21475…

There’s this never-ending debate about whether em dashes, semicolons, and colons have become signs of AI writing. As a result, many of us writers have stopped using them—swapping them for commas or reshaping sharp, effective sentences into something blander—to avoid suspicion. But AI was trained on the best of us. On millions of published works by real authors. It learned from our voices, our rhythms, our punctuation. And now we’re acting as if those marks somehow belong to machines. They don’t. Those tools were ours long before AI existed. Our teachers taught us how and when to use them, years before anyone imagined generative AI. So let’s take them back. Let’s use the full range of language with confidence. The em dash, the semicolon, the colon—they’re not signals of artificiality. They’re signs of craft. #WritingCommunity #writerslife

Are you ready for the 100-day project writers? Check out my post for tipsL writenowcoach.com/how-to-spa… #writingcommunity

🍽️ Your social media content is served! With Author Social Assistant, all your images and captions are crafted and delivered on a silver platter—no more guesswork, just confident posting every day. 🖋️✨ #AuthorLife #SocialMediaMadeEasy authorsocialassistant.com/sp…

You don't have to sit in your fear. You can discover your fearless self with this simple exercise: writenowcoach.com/move-from-… #writingcommunity #NEWYEAR

As 2025 comes to a close, I'm continuing a tradition that I started during my time in the White House: sharing my annual lists of favorite books, movies, and music. I hope you find something new to enjoy—and please send any recommendations for me to check out!

If you're looking for gifts to support yourself or others during this chaotic time, I have ideas! Check out: Gifts to Cope with Challenging Times substack.com/@writenowcoach/… #writingcommunity

What do you do first thing in the morning? Does it help or hurt your day? Check out my post: writenowcoach.com/is-your-mo…

Attenborough's Life of Birds meets Jennifer Killick's Flock Horror in the NF PB, THE BATTLE OF THE BIRDS: SEVEN TRUE TALES OF MURDER AND MAYHEM. In cases plucked from the nest, readers encounter spine-tingling accounts of birds who stalk and kill other birds. #QuestPit #STEM

Dancing with the Stars meets Our Planet in the picture book Dancing with the Animals. Presented like a television show, host Zelda introduces readers to the moves of 14 dancing creatures, including waggling bees, swirling sea dragons, and promenading flamingoes. #QuestPit #STEM

Got a story that almost works? Chances are the missing piece isn’t your creativity, but your story’s structure. Learn how to connect every beat from start to finish with the Structuring Your Novel Workbook. kmweilandstore.com/b/structu… #AmWriting #WritingTips #StoryStructure

When two animals meet, which ones cooperate? Will the Colombian lesserblack tarantula gobble up the tiny frog? In the picture book Predator or Partner, readers meet 10 unlikely animal pairs and guess who plays predator and who plays partner. #QuestPit #NF

Our children are struggling. SEL helps. The Book of Me: Write Your Story, Draw Your World features profiles of writing mentors and interactive writing exercises that invite children to identify their strengths, values, and beliefs and dream up new adventures. #QuestPit #MG

For weekly encouragement to always write, sign up for my tips: rochellemelander.substack.co… #writingcommunity

Personality shapes everything—how characters see the world, face conflict, and grow. Here are 10 tips for weaving personality into your storytelling: wp.me/p3QOd2-9rO #CharacterDevelopment #CharacterPersonality #WritingTips #AmWriting #WritersLife

Subscribe to Sarah Malm to get great creativity tips and see her amazing art: creativewonderings.substack.…

What a lovely review of our book Dancing in the Aisle fullofyears.org/book-review-… #writingcommunity #spirituality