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Veronica Bartles @vbartles.com · 14h

Also speaking of adding things to calendars... I'm teaching another "Selling Yourself (without selling yourself short)" webinar! This one is about websites: What you should definitely have on your site as a #KidLit creator. How to get started or make sure your site is up to date, etc. #KidLitChat

Veronica Bartles @vbartles.com · 18h

Still time to register for my "Selling Yourself (without selling yourself short): Wonderful Websites that really Work" virtual workshop on 27 Oct 2025 (1 pm EDT) - tinyurl.com/wonderful-we... You don't need a degree in web design to make your own author website. I'll help you get started!

illustration of an open laptop against a green square - the laptop screen is open to Veronica Bartles' website (https://vbartles.com) - Text surrounding the laptop says:
Selling Yourself (without selling yourself short):
Wonderful Websites that really Work
Create or update your own author website!
Monday, Oct 27, 2025
1:00pm EDT
https://tinyurl.com/wonderful-websites with author Veronica Bartles

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Veronica Bartles @vbartles.com · 14h

Ick. I do not like this one bit. #KidLitChat

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Veronica Bartles @vbartles.com · 14h

Yes! And sometimes it's right for the story... but sometimes it's accidental because I just forgot to let my characters sleep! #KidLitChat

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Veronica Bartles @vbartles.com · 14h

Thanks again for another wonderful #KidLitChat! I need to go check on the pie that I've got chilling in the fridge and see if it needs to be in my belly instead... (the answer is yes, it definitely does!)

slice of "3.14 Ultimate Pi(e)" -- a multilayered cream pie with a cheesecake base topped with caramel, salted caramel mousse, chocolate mousse, and whipped cream -- on a white plate with a green and blue floral motif around the edges, and with a bite already taken out of the pie

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Veronica Bartles @vbartles.com · 14h

Speaking of putting things on calendars... I have decided that May 2026 is when I'm DEFINITELY going to do the #KidLitChat #KidLitConfections retreat I've been threatening for months! Who's interested in joining me?

Veronica Bartles @vbartles.com · 7d

I missed a great #KidLitChat discussion tonight! But I was creating an interest form (forms.gle/zopdQFcsNdnL...) for the #KidLitConfections Writing Retreat I have been threatening/promising! Who wants to join me next May for #KidLit creation and fabulous treats? :)

How to Write a Cake #KidLitConfections Writing Retreat

Where: Tennessee, USA (Nashville area)
When: May 22-24, 2026
Cost: $525-650 (tentative pricing awaiting final numbers)

What is Included:
•Lodging for 3 nights (private or shared bedrooms)
•3-Day (Fri-Sun) Writing Retreat, with optional check-in the night before (Thurs) and/or check-out the morning after (Mon)
•Breakfast, Lunch, & Dinner: Friday-Sunday
•Snacks (including freshly-baked cookies & other #KidLitConfections treats)
•"How to Write a Cake" hands-on Writing Workshop (with real cake!!)
•Ample time to write, share ideas, and just relax
•Custom-created #KidLitConfections recipe for YOUR manuscript
•Copies of all signature dessert recipes created for the retreat

What is NOT included:
•Alcohol
•One-on-one critiques
•Anything else not specifically listed in the "what is included" section

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Veronica Bartles @vbartles.com · 14h

Yep. And not in a cool/fun way. #KidLitChat

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Veronica Bartles @vbartles.com · 14h

Basically, it makes me think about how and when everything happens in the story, so I'm more intentional about my choices about what needs to be on the page, what I might have forgotten to include, & what needed to be something I just know about my characters' backstories. #KidLitChat

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Veronica Bartles @vbartles.com · 14h

I put my scenes onto the calendar: Do I have 6 scenes on Monday, then nothing for a week and a half? Hmmm... maybe not everything has to happen on Monday. Or maybe the story *needs* that breather before another flurry of activity! Does my MC go to bed Thurs night & wake up Tues? Oops! #KidLitChat

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Veronica Bartles @vbartles.com · 14h

I'm not sure if it's guaranteed to get better. The AI is feeding the AI more and more, which leads to further degrading of the aesthetic. But I agree that it's not going away, and a lot of people see nothing wrong with using it. #KidLitChat

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Veronica Bartles @vbartles.com · 14h

Yikes! I would hate to pick up a picture book and discover pages of AI "art" instead of rich, human-created illustrations! #KidLitChat

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Veronica Bartles @vbartles.com · 14h

Gorgeous!! #KidLitChat

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Veronica Bartles @vbartles.com · 15h

Yes! I love the crunch of the leaves under my feet when I walk! #KidLitChat

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Veronica Bartles @vbartles.com · 15h

I love summer IN THEORY. I want to go to the beach and swim in the ocean and have picnics in the park and go for all the walks... but sunshine is draining and there aren't as many grey/drizzly days in the summer here, so I spend way more time indoors. I write about summer a lot, though! #KidLitChat

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Veronica Bartles @vbartles.com · 15h

I'm also one of those weird folks who prefers dark, overcast days to sunshine and blue skies... so maybe that contributes to my love of shorter days... #KidLitChat

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Veronica Bartles @vbartles.com · 15h

I think it's so important to be conscious of it all. I once made my critique partner do my putting-scenes-on-a-calendar trick because it felt like the available moonlight for the night scenes in her story wasn't lining up with what the phases of the moon would actually give! #KidLitChat

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Veronica Bartles @vbartles.com · 15h

I'm the total opposite! I like the short days, when I can stargaze and watch the phases of the moon ... and everyone else tends to go to bed just a bit earlier, leaving me with more quiet time to create without interruptions! #KidLitChat

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Veronica Bartles @vbartles.com · 15h

Changing of kitchen smells is something I think of instinctively! Always! It's one of the few things I remember to really incorporate into my stories setting-wise. (I am sure you are all super-surprised to hear this fun fact about me) Everything else I have to remind myself about. #KidLitChat

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Veronica Bartles @vbartles.com · 15h

And when I read... I tend to choose books that inspire recipes appropriate to the season for my #KidLitConfections (or maybe the season just inspires me to think of specific types of recipes for the books I'm reading?) For instance, fall is definitely PIE season! #KidLitChat

Slice of “3.14 Ultimate Pi(e)”—a multi-layer cream pie with a chocolate crust, then a cheesecake base topped with a layer of caramel, then salted caramel mousse, chocolate mousse, and whipped cream—on a white plate with a blue and green floral border atop a wooden table in front of the book MY PERFECT FAMILY by Khadijah VanBrakle and a 3-story LEGO building

slice of Apple Walnut Pie with caramel swirl ice cream on a white plate with pink flowers around the border, sitting on a wooden table, with the rest of the pie and a copy of THE 14 FIBS OF GREGORY K. by Greg Pincus in the background

cropped image of a Chocolate Walnut Pie on the left, with three book covers in a column on the right: FATIMA TATE TAKES THE CAKE by Khadijah VanBrakle, PIE IN THE SKY by Remy Lai, and PORCUPINE'S PIE by Laura Renauld and Jennie Poh

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Veronica Bartles @vbartles.com · 15h

I am always pretty aware of the seasons and passage of time in my novel-length manuscripts. After I have a solid 2nd (or 3rd) draft, I "outline" by putting the scenes onto a real calendar. This helps with pacing, but also helps me think about the weather, light, etc. for each scene. #KidLitChat

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Veronica Bartles @vbartles.com · 18h

Still time to register for my "Selling Yourself (without selling yourself short): Wonderful Websites that really Work" virtual workshop on 27 Oct 2025 (1 pm EDT) - tinyurl.com/wonderful-we... You don't need a degree in web design to make your own author website. I'll help you get started!

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Reposted by Veronica Bartles

Sophia Babai @swingingstorm.bsky.social · 1d

So far TODAY Israel has:

- bombed Gaza City
- bombed Khan Younis
- shot and killed five Palestinians in Gaza City
- refused to open the Rafah border crossing
- announced they would once more block aid

This is what a "ceasefire" with Israel looks like. This is what it has always looked like.

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Veronica Bartles @vbartles.com · 1d

Updated my most complex pie recipe to make a gluten free version! I am so excited to share this #KidLitConfections recipe—a multi-layered treat that pairs wonderfully with the complex layers in the amazing YA novel MY PERFECT FAMILY by @khadijahvanbrakle.bsky.social (recipe post to come soon!!)

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Reposted by Veronica Bartles

Kelly @broadwaybabyto.bsky.social · 1d

ICE agents blocked ambulance from transferring an injured protester to the hospital, even going as far as to threaten to arrest and shoot the driver.

This crosses so many lines.

EMS and first responders need to be free to help whoever needs it.

Delays cost lives.

Documents Allege a Federal Agent at Portland ICE Threatened to Shoot an Ambulance Driver

Feds delayed medics who had come to pick up an injured protester. Then, according to confidential incident reports, the agents became aggressive.

www.wweek.com

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Reposted by Veronica Bartles

Laurel Snyder @laurelsnyder.bsky.social · 1d

Hey! You! Please help circulate this petition?

Our reading bowl in GA has (very selectively) eliminated titles from the list this year, despite the fact that they were on the state awards list.

Including, ironically, @samiraahmed.bsky.social's THIS BOOK WON'T BURN.

Sign/repost the petition?

Image of books locked in a chain. Image reads, "Ensure transparency and change in Georgia High School HRRB book banning process."

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Reposted by Veronica Bartles

Heather Dean Brewer @hdeanbrewer.bsky.social · 1d

"Instead of waiting for the movement to come, just start showing up. Locally. In your community. Do what makes the most sense there, in your own place. Find your people. Know your rights. Defend the vulnerable, in whatever ways that looks like. Then, let’s see what happens next."

Heather Dean Brewer @hdeanbrewer.bsky.social · 1d

Everyone is saying we need someone to step up, but that isn't happening. Every small and local act of love, solidarity, and justice-seeking is valuable, and you never know what impact it might have.
open.substack.com/pub/kristind...

No one is coming

Getting scrappy

open.substack.com

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