#50PreciousWords is one of my favorite contests 🙂 Thanks to @viviankirkfield.bsky.social and her intrepid crew for reading through 677 entries. Thrilled to make Honorable Mention again this year. And even more thrilled to see my CP @jenngauldingbooks.bsky.social at #12. Woohoo! #kidlit #amwriting

Hoping for a little luck o' the Irish today as I hit "SUBMIT" for this very competitive picture book contest. Fingers and toes crossed that my spunky little hamster will worm his way into the top 50 Showcase. Finalists announced April 27! #PBParty #kidlit #amwriting #SCBWI

Eek, I submitted my first mentee application for PB Rising Stars! Many more to follow, but this first one had me all nervous! 😬 #PBRisingStars #kidlit

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

Made it to McNally Jackson, @mrschureads.bsky.social. I was not disappointed! 😁 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!!!

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 😁 @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

Look who I spied at my daughter's book fair today! @lydialukidis.bsky.social, loved this book! Poetic AND full of interesting facts 🙂 Adding it to our collection... #kidlit #bookfair

Well look at that, BLAME SATAN for the win! So honored to have made it into the winners circle this year. Thanks to @kaitlynleann17.bsky.social @lydialukidis.bsky.social @professoraixa.bsky.social for their hard work judging the contest. #FallWritingFrenzy >>

This year's Halloween pumpkin celebrates my daughter's favorite book this year. (And mine when I was her age!) #kidlit #halloween

How about that? DO NOT TRUST THIS BOUNCY HOUSE is a Chuckle Challenge Champion! Happy to have brought the funny for this contest and looking forward to entering again next year! #kidlitchucklechallenge

Check out my entry into the Second Annual Kidlit Chuckle Challenge hosted by @aprilberrybooks.bsky.social! There's still time to enter if you want to give it a go 🙂 (And thanks to all of the wonderful organizers and judges! You are the best!) mandyfletcherwrites.com/2025/09/15/t...

Just picked up our copy of @mccallhoylebooks.bsky.social's new release FOREVER RIPLEY. Cannot wait to dig into this!!! @scbwi.bsky.social @scbwi-sobreeze.bsky.social #kidlit #middlegrade

Inspired by this delightful graphic novel by @leilaboukarim.bsky.social, Violet and I made hummus just like Zips & Eeloo (but with fewer mishaps 🤣) What a fun read, and great idea for an activity for the kids. Now if only we could get our hands on some Zingerblitz... @stacysjensen.bsky.social

Be sure to check out this writing intensive we're hosting on November 8th in Decatur, GA. Registration is open now! More info here: www.scbwi.org/events/story... @scbwi-sobreeze.bsky.social @scbwi.bsky.social @scbwimidsouth.bsky.social

Just finished this delightful novel, What Fell from the Sky by @adriannacuevas.bsky.social! Fascinating history about a military exercise in the 1950s, and of course fun speculation about a lost little alien and her family. Highly recommend! #kidlit #writingcommunity #bookreview

ROSWELL JOHNSON SAVES THE WORLD x ELIO A sci-fi-obsessed seventh grader proves ADHD can save the world from alien domination. 🤖Pop culture sci-fi galore 🖖Star Trek-style cloaking ⏰A ticking clock 🏛️Caper in the White House 🤯A HUGE twist #questpit #MG #SF #Q #ND

ANIMORPHS x ELIO When neurodivergent 12yo Liam discovers aliens live on Earth, a rebel alien embroils him on a secret mission to reveal their existence. But when an ally betrays them, can Liam’s ADHD superpowers save his family from mind control? #questpit #MG #SF #Q

LILO AND STITCH x ROSWELL JOHNSON SAVES THE WORLD A sci-fi obsessed 12-yo boy and a rebel alien team up to thwart an invasion, but when a trusted ally betrays them, his hidden ADHD superpowers just might save his family—and the rest of the world—from alien mind-control. #questpit #MG #SF #Q

ROSWELL JOHNSON SAVE THE WORLD x RESIDENT ALIEN Tween boy and an alien on a secret mission 👽 ADHD and pre-teen anxiety 💊 Pop culture sci-fi galore 📺 Star Trek-style cloaking 🫥 A ticking clock ⏰ Caper in the White House 🏛️ A HUGE twist 🤯 #questpit #MG #SF #Q

This novel-in-verse spoke to me on so many levels. Many of my daughter's friends are of Indian descent, and this brought a whole world of understanding to us both. I will cherish this book and gift copies to our friends...with a box of tissues. @rajanilarocca.bsky.social @scbwi-sobreeze.bsky.social

Thrilled to enter the PB & Kid picture book writing contest, judged by kids and hosted by @authorkelliebeggs.bsky.social. Thanks so much for the opportunity to share Sir Snacks-A-Lot with your students. I hope they enjoy reading it as much as I enjoyed writing it. #kidlit #writingcommunity

So honored to have made it on the Honorable Mention list for #50PreciousWords. Thanks to @viviankirkfield.bsky.social and all of the judges for donating their time and energy to running this contest! You can read my winning entry on my blog: mandyfletcherwrites.com/2025/03/31/50-precious-words-win/

Happy to share....I feel like our entries are getting a little lost with so many! And I agree about #kidlit writers. Good luck!

This is my first time entering #50preciouswords. I wrote this for a trans kid I love who is feeling maligned and misunderstood...especially now. Thanks to @jenngauldingbooks.bsky.social for her feedback, and thanks to @viviankirkfield.bsky.social for this wonderful contest!

Look who I spied in my daughter's Scholastic flyer today! Right there next to Wimpy Kid and Grumpy Monkey...Way to go, @mccallhoylebooks.bsky.social! @scbwi-sobreeze.bsky.social @scbwi.bsky.social #kidlit #MG #writingcommunity

Just finished reading Midsummer Mayhem to my nine-year-old daughter -- what a delightful, imaginative, culinary tale! So looking forward to meeting and learning from the talented @rajanilarocca.bsky.social at #SpringMingle25 in Decatur next month! @scbwi-sobreeze.bsky.social

Southern Breeze is killing it! @melissajmiles.bsky.social won the WOOP grant and @prettylines.bsky.social won a prestigious illustrator mentorship. So proud of these two! #scbwiNY25 @scbwi-sobreeze.bsky.social

We Dream in Space is one of my favorites, and I cannot wait to read her latest Newbery-award-winner The First State of Being. @erinentrada.bsky.social, I was honored to cry at your keynote, learn from your workshop, and meet you in person 😊 #scbwiNY25 @melissajmiles.bsky.social

Was delighted to meet Wendy Loggia, publisher at Delacorte and, incidentally, the editor of The Curse of the Dead Man's Diamond, whose praises I was just singing a few weeks ago. I swear I didn't plan this! #scbwiNY25 @christynewrites.bsky.social