Here’s your morning mood, courtesy of Pil Hwa.

I really appreciate the fact that to her the “gift” and the “blessing” isn’t a special talent, but rather an all consuming desire to create. I think that might actually be the thing that ultimately drives all writers

Because it's Sincerecember (Sincere December, obvs), I'm not afraid to admit that Taylor Alison Swift got me through 2024.

My heart is a Christmas tree (especially this one).

Tonight's December full moon is the Cold Moon. The final full lunation of the year, this is one for deep reflection: what were the struggles and the successes of the past 12 months? How can you rest? What will you let go of, in order to make space for new things to come? 🌕

We need a picture book of Cookie's story, starting with this inciting incident.

Which ghosts are haunting you this December? Read Through Lines here! open.substack.com/pub/throughlin…

I know what all the buzzy book lists are saying, but what is YOUR most anticipated read of 2025?

"2024 was not a year of going lightly. It was a tempest year, a year of traversing through a fairy tale forest at night, a year that Taylor Swift could write a banger about." Going lightly, and with care, into 2025—from Through Lines. bit.ly/4a61jpW

In 2025, I will finish writing my first horror novel.

How to write: Stop not writing. Keep your butt in the chair. Write really bad small sections of the whole—passages, moments, episodes, memories—til you have an incredibly shitty 1st draft. Then take out the boring parts, the lies and pretensions. Then write a better 2nd draft.

Your monthly reminder: Keep writing. When no one cares, persist. When things appear to be crumbling, keep at it. When it's difficult, push through. When you feel alone, listen to the stories in your blood. Just write. The world needs you to tell your stories.

I'm choosing a "short and sweet" book club pick for February and I'm wondering if anyone has a novella they lovella, to recommend?

One of my favorite books on how to raise a reader, and why literacy learning is so important. throughlines.substack.com/p/raising-a-re…

Here's the list of 55 participating agents, editors & ADs for the 2025 #PBParty contest. Wahoooooo! I'll shout out as more yeses come in. To help you prepare, this post has a link to the 2025 Ranking Party (thanks for running it Becca McMurdie) & a participant badge/banner.

Very excited to celebrate this new picture book out in the world: MIXED FEELINGS by Liana Finck, with a great write-up in Cup of Jo: cupofjo.com/2025/01/21/how…

Celebrate the darkness known only as LaRocca. Queen of the night Rachel Harrison and myself shall herald the arrival of another shadow cast across our bookshelves, At Dark, I Become Loathsome, at none other than the darkest of dark towers… The Strand: bit.ly/3W5cQzX

Meet this month's #12x12PB Featured Agents, Christie Megill of The CAT Agency and Charlotte Wenger of Prospect Agency! Head to the blog to learn more about these fantastic #agents and what they're looking for in #picturebooks: buff.ly/4gsSAzu

Fragments of Brooklyn