Veronica Bartles

Strongly encourage all academics, novelists, reporters, bloggers, whatever to just email this account and state that you want to opt out of this idiocy.

Overload them with emails and make them regret they ever tried this shit.

expertoptout@superhuman.com

An open letter to Grammarly and other plagiarists, thieves and slop merchants To everyone at Grammarly, I am writing a book right now, a really challenging endeavor that no doubt someone in Silicon Valley will think it’s fine to steal the day it’s published. I’ve been a profes...

I finally lost my shit about so-called AIs, LLMs, enshittification & everything fucking evil that @officialgrammarly.bsky.social is doing. I'm fucking furious, and not just about what 1 company has done. An open letter to Grammarly & the rest of the LLM hype machine www.moryan.com/an-open-lett...

Of course!

I've binged every single episode since I discovered it a couple of years ago. Now, I have to actually wait until new episodes drop. ... But I have dreams of getting my li'l mystery middle grade published and getting myself invited to be a guest player on one of their episodes. #KidLitChat

Consume This Media

They have a few bonus episodes (I think mostly on their other podcast: Escape this Podcast, which is an escape room theme) where they give tips about writing your own puzzles. Makes me feel like I can totally do this! #KidLitChat www.consumethismedia.com

Do you listen to podcasts? I love the Solve This Murder podcast! It's a cross between table-top roleplaying and a murder mystery dinner party vibe, where they alternate between writing their own mysteries and turning old Agatha Christie stories into podcasts. It's really fun! #KidLitChat

... Actually, come to think of it... a few years ago, for a just-for-fun writing challenge, I took a story I wrote when I was in 2nd grade and expanded it out to be a middle grade novel. And it was a mystery/fairy tale with several puzzles. I should dig that one out and revise it! #KidLitChat

I totally want to write a middle grade mystery! I have ideas floating around in my brain, but the idea of writing puzzles that actually work is quite daunting... so I haven't yet. But every day I get closer to taking the plunge! #KidLitChat

So true! This is exactly why I set my scary & bold goal for 2026 to write a messy picture book manuscript every day! (Actually, my goal was just to do it in January. My therapist noticed how it was helping me & said she wanted me to continue for the rest of the year... & maybe forever.) #KidLitChat

Dangit! Now I want a thunderstorm! #KidLitChat

Good plan! I see no downsides. #KidLitChat

YES!! Thank you!! That is the one! I think it's wonderful and clever... and when I heard it announced, I was so sad because it felt like I had missed my window for something I'd been trying to make happen. But mine is a much different approach, so I think there's still room for me. #KidLitChat

I love watching cheesy Hallmark Channel RomComs... & I've written YA RomComs (my novel TWELVE STEPS is one), but I've never written anything for grown-ups. I read adult RomComs (as long as they're not too spicy!), but my creative brain does not live in the world of grown-ups! #KidLitChat

Yeah, I started out with the chocolate version and expanded from there. I do love experimenting with different flavors in desserts that I already enjoy making. #KidLitChat #KidLitConfections

It really is! Bonus: the crust is gluten-free, so my daughter with celiac can have it!

@boringstorybook.com - It's delicious with just the chocolate and whipped cream layers too, so you can avoid the peanut allergy issue! ;) #KidLitChat

I'm totally blanking on the title now... It was by an extremely-well-published picture book author, and it was nothing like what I have pictured... (That book was extra-long for a picture book, with lots of extra pages to accommodate the choices!) I need to find it again... #KidLitChat

My first ever published "writing credit" was when I was maybe 4 or 5 years old. My parents/grandparents/aunt were writing a suite of software for early Apple computers. They wanted to include a game for kids, so they let me help write a choose-your-own-adventure story game. :) So fun! #KidLitChat

In case you want it, here's the recipe for the Chocolate and Peanut Butter Mousse pie: i-am-so-grateful.blogspot.com/2025/12/pean... #KidLitChat #KidLitConfections

Chocolate & Peanut Butter Mousse pie - chocolate crust with peanut butter mousse, chocolate mousse, and whipped cream

One of the boldest things I've done in my writing life (not specifically in writing the actual manuscripts)... was joining #KidLitChat and declaring myself the Official Refreshments Chair for the chat until everyone just accepted it and let me share #KidLitConfections every week. :)

I don't blame you!!

I can't wait for the day when I get this one published. The school visits, when I show the kids the way I researched this whole book just peeking through my fingers, trying to learn about spider anatomy without looking at spiders... It's going to be so fun! #KidLitChat

I have not. I'll have to add it to my TBR! #KidLitChat

One of these days, I'm going to do it! #KidLitChat

I love this! A good epistolary story is one of my favorite things to read. #KidLitChat

I agree! The editing process where I get to figure out all the details and piece the blocks together is the absolute best part of writing novels! (Even though sometimes it makes me want to rip every single one of my hairs out.) #KidLitChat

I'm thinking a combination of split pages, lift-the-flap... and illustrations that would go with both story options. I have a lot of the story figured out, but I would have to closely coordinate with the illustrator to make my idea truly come together. #KidLitChat

Something I *want* to do: I've been wanting to write a choose-your-own-adventure in picture book form for years! I suggested it to my previous agent & she advised against it because no one would acquire such a book. Then, someone did it a couple of years later! (I still want to do it) #KidLitChat

Nice! I think that almost always happens when you make bold cuts like this. It makes you have to look deeper into the parts that you keep. #KidLitChat

Not nearly as bold, but I've also faced fears in order to write a manuscript. I recently wrote a Little Miss Muffet retelling which required me to learn a lot about spiders. I'm terrified of spiders. So I was researching with one hand over my eyes, trying not to look at the pictures! #KidLitChat

I always think that any kind of writing, whether it ends up in the final manuscript or not, is absolutely not wasted. Sometimes, a lot of writing has to happen "behind the scenes" just so that you know all the details for your story's background. #KidLitChat

Giant Brownie Sundae on a red plate - with 6 scoops of cookies & cream ice cream, caramel, hot fudge, whipped cream, and nuts

Another bold move I make when writing my manuscripts: I create delicious recipes so that I can eat the things my characters are eating in the story. :) This Giant Brownie Sundae was featured in my YA novel, TWELVE STEPS. i-am-so-grateful.blogspot.com/2014/03/twel... #KidLitChat #KidLitConfections