Veronica Bartles

One tip that really helps end the cycle of everyone taking turns getting sick: Run everyone's toothbrushes through the dishwasher every day to sanitize them! (With my weak immune system, I personally only use a toothbrush once before running it through the dishwasher w/ the silverware.) #KidLitChat

Thanks again for an amazing #KidLitChat @bonnieadamson.com & @gregpincus.bsky.social ... and everyone else who participated! Put in your requests now for what treats you want me to share next week! *fingers crossed* I'm going to try to get an actual #KidLitConfections post written & posted by then!

I'm enjoying it more than the Wordle. It tickles the word-loving part of my brain as well as the puzzle-solving, spatial-awareness part. #KidLitChat

We've been hit with multiple rounds of everyone taking turns being sick as well. No fun. And my immune system didn't get the memo that it's supposed to keep the bugs out. Instead, it sets out plates of cookies and invites the germs in to stay a while! #KidLitChat (I hope y'all are better soon!)

Yes! It definitely puts me in a #KidLit headspace. But even more, the choice to claim time for me, even when everyone else demands so much time/energy, has been extremely freeing and healing. I'm abandoning the "supposed to" narrative and claiming the things that are most fully ME. #KidLitChat

But ironically, even on the days when I'm running on 2-3 hours of sleep after staying up to fill my creative well, I do better physically than when I skip the "me" time and just go to sleep like I'm "supposed to." One day, I will have more time. But I'm not waiting for one day anymore! #KidLitChat

Yeah... I was spiraling in that never-enough-time feeling with being full-time grandma while my daughter is at school/work, since they moved back in with us in December 2024. Sometimes, my daily story is written at 2am in bed with a flashlight while the rest of the house sleeps. #KidLitChat

Screenshot of the Merriam-Webster.com word game “Reunions” with a grid of letters that have to be rearranged to make valid words across and down, while ultimately bringing the adorable illustrated hedgehog and fox together.

Currently, I am having fun with the @merriam-webster.com “Reunions” word game. I play a round of the game and then the first 3 words that catch my attention from the solved grid become my story prompt 😊 bonus: I feel like the cute hedgehog & fox are cheering me on! #KidLitChat

My daughter gifted me with a jar full of 52 scraps of paper, each with 3 random words on it, to use as story prompts for 2026. Enough to do one each week all year long. I've used up most of them by now, so I'm adopting other ways to get my random words for daily story prompts. #KidLitChat

Yeah, I think the key for me was that I *finally* gave myself permission to lean into writing the way my own creative brain works best. I've scrapped the idea of keeping a list of story ideas and challenged myself to just start writing with no thought or plan to see what comes out! #KidLitChat

Thanks! :) If anyone is interested, I have most of the Selling Yourself Without Selling Yourself Short series updated and I'm in the process of getting my The Magic of "What If?" series up as well. vbartles.com/courses.htm #KidLitChat #KidLitMarketing

I was struggling to complete 1 draft a YEAR for a while. I joined @12x12challenge.bsky.social last year to "force" myself to get at least 1 a month drafted... and it was a STRUGGLE!! But this personal daily story challenge? Easier than I thought it would be! #KidLitChat

It always seems to take longer than planned, doesn't it? But the important thing is not giving up partway through the journey. And remembering that we're probably closer to the goal than we think we are! #KidLitChat

... So it's taking me longer than I thought it would to update some of these courses, but I've been working on it since December, and I'm on track to complete many of the updates within the next week or two! (Yay!!) #KidLitChat

Oh!! I'm also in the process of updating all of my on-demand writing courses! I'd been thinking for a while about adding an addendum to my "Wonderful Websites that Work" course with illustrator-specific considerations. My 10-minute addendum has bloomed into over an hour of added content! #KidLitChat

Congrats! Sounds like you've accomplished a lot! #KidLitChat

That's awesome! Good for you! #KidLitChat

It started with sheer determination and a desire to prove to myself that I can. Now, it's my daily self-care. This body runs on the power of the imagination!! #KidLitChat

Oooh! That reminds me!! I have a cookie recipe that I haven't shared yet that is titled "M-M-M-M Cookies" (brown sugar cookie w/ toffee & chocolate) both because they're delicious and because they were created for a group of friends who all share the first initial M :) #KidLitChat #KidLitConfections

That sounds like fun! I've missed doing school visits. (I stopped all but virtual events when COVID hit...) I should start reaching out again and opening my schedule. I feel so much more like myself when I get to share my love of books with young readers! #KidLitChat

I have 3 different books to pair the Happy Cookies with. I was trying to decide which one to highlight for the #KidLitConfections post... but this morning at the gym, I remembered that I started this series with 3 different books all related to one recipe. Why can't I do that again? :) #KidLitChat

Yes! I didn't know if I could do it... but my therapist pointed out that I struggled both mentally AND physically (huge flare-ups for just about all of my chronic health issues) in February when I gave myself slack and didn't write a new story every day. Turns out I need this! #KidLitChat

white plate with a pink and green floral border, holding three S'mores Cookies - a graham-inspired gluten free cookie base filled with melted chocolate and toasted marshmallows

3 rows of Happy Face Sugar Cookies on a white plate with a multi-colored floral border. The two outer rows of cookies are dusted with a cocoa powder and powdered sugar mixture, while the middle row contains plain, unadorned smiley-face sugar cookies.

Dark Chocolate Cream Pie with a Rice Krispies Treat crust, in a glass pie plate on a granite countertop

Boston Cream Pie Cookies - a soft shortbread cookie, topped with a rich, vanilla custard and a drizzle of dark chocolate - on a parchment-lined baking sheet

I haven't been great about keeping up with my #KidLitConfections posts in all this, but I do have several recipes on tap to share, and I've promised myself that I'm getting back into the rhythm with that this month. Here are some of the treats I'm prepping to share soon!! #KidLitChat

I've already started revising some of them and sending them off to critique partners. Next step is to start sending some of the polished drafts I have in the back of my metaphorical drawer out into the world and into the query trenches... #KidLitChat

So far in 2026, I have written 45 messy first picture book drafts (30 in January, only 12 in February because I was trying to figure out if I was really going to keep up the one-a-day challenge for the whole year...& I'm back on track with 3 so far in March)!! #KidLitChat

Middle Grade Hub Pitch Event Small Peer-to-Peer polishing groups.

Hey #KidLitChat!
If you're working on getting a submission package ready for pitching, @middlegradehub.bsky.social has a great series of critique events coming up you should definitely check out.

They're going to be doing workshops for pitches, queries, first pages, and more!

I'm getting virtual treats ready for #KidLitChat tonight (in 2 minutes!!) Who else will be there? #KidLitConfections

She made it a goal to one day be able to fold cranes that tiny, so she's been practicing for many, many years with smaller and smaller bits of paper as a starting point. :) #KidLitChat

My daughter folds origami cranes out of any scrap of paper she finds. When she was 8, we had a layover in the Tokyo airport, which had an amazing little origami museum inside it... and she was fascinated by the display of micro origami with cranes so tiny you need a magnifying glass. #KidLitChat

Thank you all for another amazing #KidLitChat full of reasons to celebrate! See y'all next week! I'll bring some new #KidLitConfections treats!