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@mandyfletcher
#MG #PB writer Co-RA Southern Breeze @SCBWI #Valentiny '26 (Finalist) #50PreciousWords '25 HM #WTMP '24 mentee #FallWritingFrenzy '24 HM, '25 (F) #Halloweensie '24 (F), '25 HM Susanna Hill Holiday Writing Contest '24 (F) 2024 Terry Kay Prize for Fiction
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OMG, yours was my favorite lauri. I read it to my daughter with extra snark.
Eek, I submitted my first mentee application for PB Rising Stars! Many more to follow, but this first one had me all nervous! π¬
#PBRisingStars #kidlit
Don't miss the chance to share your first page LIVE at our two First Pages Panels happening at WIK 2026 in Birmingham March 28! Submissions are due March 6.
Register for the conference ASAP to get your invitation to submit! www.scbwi.org/events/south...
#scbwi #kidlit
Great news! #Cellphoneitis is 5% off on paperback for a limited time! Order here --> a.co/d/00woTIOQ
Cellphoneitis: A lighthearted children's story about learning to manage cellphone/screentime.
A retweet would be sweet! (It's the perfect picture book to share with your followers!) #KidLit
Ha ha, love the fun, inventive language!
Time for #50preciouswords! Thanks to @viviankirkfield.bsky.social and the wonderful judges and prize-donators for this year's contest. Here is my entry:
viviankirkfield.com/2026/03/02/t...
Going to WIK 2026 and haven't booked your room? Be sure to take advantage of our conference discount at Aloft Hotel in Homewood. The offer has been extended to Thursday, February 26. Book today!
www.scbwi.org/events/south...
#SCBWI #WIK26 #amwriting #amillustrating
Published authors and illustrators, don't miss your chance to sell and autograph your books at WIK 2026. Conference attendees can sign up for a free table at this public event held at the Homewood Library on Friday, March 27.
Deadline for the bookstore: FEBRUARY 23.
www.scbwi.org/events/south...
Thanks, Jenn! Your critique was super helpful. π
Valentiny 2026
When Susanna Hill O'The Kid Lit Contests revealed that, in honor of Friday falling on the thirteenth, the theme for this year's Valentiny would be SUPERSTITIONS, I was stumped. I noodled on several ideas for a couple of weeks, but nothing sparked. And then, as so often happens, Iβ¦
So tickled to see Allie Millington win the Golden Kite for her MG novel Once For Yes. My daughter and I ADORED this book -- we laughed, we cried, we recommended to friends. Well deserved, Allie π
@scbwi-sobreeze.bsky.social
@scbwi.bsky.social
Check out our early intensives for the WIK 2026 conference!! www.scbwi.org/events/south...
One more week until Early Bird Pricing expires for WIK 2026! Register before midnight Thursday, February 12 to take advantage of our special rate: $195 members, $250 non-members.
#scbwi #amwriting #amillustrating #kidlit
www.scbwi.org/events/south...
Another conference success story!
Want a Valentine's gift that has fewer calories than chocolate and lasts WAY longer than flowers?? Check out this fun reminder to gift yourself an investment in your kidlit career! Join us for #WIK26
www.scbwi.org/events/south...
New York SCBWI conferenceΒ 2026
Once again, coincidences abounded at the Annual SCBWI Winter conference. Last year, it was a chance encounter with my friend's editor Wendy Loggia from Delacorte. (Incidentally, I ran into her again at the VIP party, and we talked about how excited we both are forβ¦
So glad we connected at #SCBWIny26 @rachelorr.bsky.social and @ritud4eolit.bsky.social! Looking forward to working with you at the conference π
DON'T MISS the Southern Breeze Writing for Kids Conference in Birmingham, AL, March 27-28! We met some of the faculty in NY last weekend (Rachel, Matt, Sasha, and Ritu), and they are excited to meet YOU! Register now: www.scbwi.org/events/south...
@scbwi-sobreeze.bsky.social
I bet the kids love that!
Omigosh, using my new pens, and lamenting I didn't get more colors. Will remedy that in April when I am next in NY π (and bringing my kiddo along) Thanks for the book store rec!
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I am buying a pen or five....
Made it to McNally Jackson, @mrschureads.bsky.social. I was not disappointed! π I especially love how they shelve middle grade into upper and lower. Wish all stores could do this. And don't get me started on the pens!!!
#scbwiNY26
What a delight to meet @mrschureads.bsky.social at SCBWI NY 2026! I was just listening to his podcast interview with @shannonballoon.bsky.social on her Middle Grade Matters podcast that very same day! Felt like fate π @scbwi.bsky.social @scbwi-sobreeze.bsky.social
I'm off to the Big Apple tomorrow with the Southern Breeze team...so excited! If you're planning on going, let me know and we'll look for you! @scbwi.bsky.social @scbwi-sobreeze.bsky.social #kidlit
You Canβt Win If You DonβtΒ Enter
One thing I've learned on this writing journey is how important it is to put your work out there. This can mean querying agents (or in most cases, querying ENDLESSLY), but it can also mean entering contests and submitting short stories for publication. Sure, withβ¦
Halloweensie 2025
I'm a little late this year posting, but I wanted to share my honorable-mention-winning entry for Susanna Hill's Halloweensie 2025 contest. I've really been leaning into humor, and while I didn't make the finalists this year, I got a ton of support from amused readers. Raspberryβ¦
I am Published!!
That's right, folks, I can consider myself a bonafide author now. My short story CHOOSE YOUR OWN FRIGHT has been published in an anthology! The anthology is called "Where the Mountains Speak" and is the first publication from Gilmer Arts, a non-profit creative arts organizationβ¦