Melanie Pendleton

I taught a student 5 years ago. We're still in contact. He's my biggest cheerleader. He emailed me today and said, "I have my fingers crossed that you will get at least one of your books published. You are a great writer and I loved reading all of your books." ❤️ #amwriting #amteaching

The Eaton fires destroyed a youth care facility my friend worked at. They had no time to pack, and everything is lost.

Please help support them if you can. These children and teen were ALREADY vulnerable before the fires.

www.gofundme.com/f/provide-ai...

#BluePit A STORYTELLING HYPE/PITCH EVENT What is it? An event designed to uplift and encourage members of the writing, game development, TTRPG, and comic communities. All works are welcome, regardless of the stage they are in (e.g. Work In Progress, Querying, On Submission, or Published in any form) When: Jan 13, 2025 12-12 EST Rules -Limit 3 posts per work; multiple works allowed. -Use appropriate tags (see below). -Be sure to include the correct emoji for your post to end up in the proper feed. -All images/moodboards must include alt text. Use of AI images is prohibited. -Likes, reposts, and comments are encouraged. -This is a Bluesky-only event; no cross-posting -Pin the #BLUEPIT feeds to easily find and support others. -Agents, editors, and publishers are welcome to participate. Emojis: Comics 💥 Game Dev 🎮 TTRPGS 🎲 Writers 📖 Additional info: BLUEPIT.CARRD.CO @BLUEPIT.BSKY.SOCIAL (BlueSky) @BLUEPIT (Twitter/x) Hosts: @voicesofvalhoon (writer) @ZProspero (writer) @jadeblack21 (gamedev) @feyearth (TTRPG) Status of work #W (WIP) #Q (QUERYING) #OS (ON SUB) #P (PUBLISHED) Audience #PB (Picture Book) #MG (Middle Grade) #YA (Young Adult) #A (Adult) Genre/System/Representation #F (Fantasy) #H (Horror) #M (Mystery) #T (Thriller) #R (Romance) #Hs (Historical) #P (Paranormal) #D (Dark) #SF (SciFi) #NF (Non-Fic) #Me (Memoir) #C (Crime) #Po (Poetry) #LGBT (LGBTQ+) #WF (Women’s Fiction) #Dis (disabled creators) #OV (Own Voices) #Hu (Humor/comedy) #d20 (d20 based system) #d6 (d6 based system) #d100 (d100 based system) #Dun (Dungeon Crawl) #N (Narrative based system) #I (Indie) #Tr (Traditionally published/developed)

Exciting news, #BluePit is opening up to the wider storytelling community! Creators in the #gamedev, #ttrpg, and #comic communities are now welcome to pitch their projects during our first pitch event. With this announcement comes two new cohosts @jadeblack21.bsky.social and @feyearth.bsky.social🧵

My students enjoy mystery thrillers like the Truly Devious and One of Us is Lying series. They like dystopians, too. I read The Giver every fall with my 7th graders and they love it! Except for the ending. They don't like the ambiguity. It's always fun to see their reactions. :)

Thread of pitch events with a brief explanation and direct links to accounts and rules for these upcoming pitch events! 🧵

Just got home from seeing Wicked. Wow! It was amazing!

I literally almost hit a chicken crossing the road this morning. He darted out in front of my car. I feel like there's a joke in there somewhere.

I asked over on IG if there would be interest in an expanded version of my Friday MG Book Recs with book pairings and teacher resources. It got a big positive response so here’s the newsletter sign up!
eepurl.com/i4OpR2
First one will go out at the end of December.
#kidlit #middlegrade

The creative process can be frustrating at times. It helps me to to read similar stories when I'm stuck. Give yourself the time you need and trust the process. The words will come.

Yes!

I love that question! It was because of teaching that I became a writer. Long story short... I start writing to inspire students to want to read. And I agree - middle grade is a fun, magical age!

Hello! It's nice to meet you. I'm a middle school English teacher and middle grade writer of fantasy, mystery and contemporary stories.

Travis has been my critique partner for half a decade. And he's a great teacher. His school was devastated by #HurricaneHelene.

If you're looking for a place to give this holiday season, please consider his classroom! He's currently working out of a school kitchen so storage for art supplies needed

I'm querying a MG fantasy.

a penguin is reading a comics magazine on a chimney ALT: a penguin is reading a comics magazine on a chimney

To celebrate the writing community here, I'm offering a free critique to unagented children's writers. I was helped by kind @amysparkes.bsky.social who mentored me. Like, share & follow with a gif that represents your ms. I'll crit a PB or chapter one of CB or MG. #kidsbooks
kate-walker.co.uk/about/

a hourglass filled with gold sand is on a table with a cloudy sky in the background ALT: a hourglass filled with gold sand is on a table with a cloudy sky in the background

Thank you for the offer! This represents my MG fantasy.

Building a Rejection-Proof Mindset Virtual Tuesday, December 3, 7 p.m. Author and editor Swati Hegde will reveal psychologically proven tips to build a rejection-proof mindset, so querying authors can learn how to persevere, take rejection in their stride and keep going. The Writing Life: Tips and Techniques for Managing Life as a Working Writer Virtual Saturday, December 7, 11 a.m. New York Times bestselling author Ginny Myers Sain will discuss navigating the writing life, including setting up a schedule, when (if) to quit your day job, navigating writer’s block and more. Recognizing and Combating Imposter Syndrome for Writers Virtual Thursday, December 12, 7 p.m. Literary agent Daniel Cramer will highlight signs and symptoms of imposter syndrome, its impact on creative individuals and strategies for overcoming imposter syndrome. Stretch & Movement Breaks for Writers Virtual Tuesday, December 17, 7 p.m. Many writers develop muscle pain and joint stiffness after sessions at the keyboard. Learn how to take breaks to stretch and move your body with author and yoga teacher Deana Lisenby.

For our (FREE) December writing classes, I kinda felt like we'd need some self care themed ones for December... Find them all at www.ocls.org/writerscorner and remember that the library card field can be left blank. @pageturnerlit.bsky.social @ginnymyerssain.bsky.social @deanalisenby.bsky.social

The cover of the book called The Incorruptibles by Lauren Magaziner. In the foreground, two girls are sparring—as they both stare at camera with triumphant grins. One of them is harnessing lightning, while the other holds a sword. Behind the girls, one boy is shooting a glowing beam from the gloves on his hand at another boy, who blocks with an electro-magnetic shield. Behind them sits an academy on a mountain, glowing blueish purple in the twilight. All four kids are wearing capes, though the girl holding the lightning is wearing a brown one, while the other three don purple ones. At the top, The Incorruptibles is in yellow energetic font, surrounded by lightning.

During my hiatus from BlueSky, I had a cover reveal… so I just want to share it here too!

TA-DA! *jazz hands*

Gorgeous art from @devinellekurtz.bsky.social, who perfectly captured the vibe of The Incorruptibles with this vibrant, electrifying, badass cover!!

Releasing June 10, 2025
Ages 10-14 🌱🌈⚔️

I co-host this podcast and would love for the @bsky.app #WritingCommunity to join us! It's FREE. We discuss all things publishing, and have had some amazing guests and topics this year!

I know we haven't posted much on Blue Sky, but we will be from now on!

A great read!

A copy of THE INCORRUPTIBLES and a copy of THE MYTHICS: EMBER AND THE PHOENIX against a wood tray

The dedications from both author and illustrator, Lauren dedicated the final MYTHICS book to me 💗

It’s a @laurenmagaziner.bsky.social book mail kind of day over here! One with an extra special surprise for me 😭😭😭

Today I overheard one of my students talking to a friend about relationships. She said she hopes she'll find someone who respects her and is her equal. My student is 12. I see good things in her future. #teachinglife

Book mail: ISLE OF EVER by Jen Calonita. Thanks, Sourcebooks Kids!

“Remember not to put all your writing eggs in one basket. An author isn't made up of just one story or one novel. Authors are made up of many stories and many novels.” - Wrtr #amwriting ..Be Writing. #author #writing #writer ~ Write till you find your stories.

"What Happened Then tells the story of cousins Jax and Avery, whose large, estranged family is summoned to their family’s long-forgotten island for an unexpected gathering that dredges up a decades-old mystery." — @erindowning.bsky.social mrschureads.blogspot.com/2024/11/what...

@jamesponti.bsky.social is here!

Ok here is a starter pack of many of the authors and participants of #MGBookChat. I know I am missing many and some have not transitioned here YET. Let me know who needs to be added or wants to be added.
go.bsky.app/4aiDvMC

Y’all. E-Train and I will be sharing our favorite books of 2024 on 12/9 and I CAN’T WAIT! (The list is sooooo loooooong!) Big thanks to @bookelicious.bsky.social for hosting this FREE event - which will be recorded. I hope to see you there! 💙📚
www.bookelicious.com/events/

PART TWO of the For the Love of Middle Grade starter pack. For the Love of Middle Grade is a FB group that's about connecting educators, librarians, authors/illustrators, and MG enthusiasts. go.bsky.app/2kymhkp

#skypitch on Bluesky bubble letters banner

I’m working on getting a viable #kidlit pitch party going here. We had a trial run here last month w/ hundreds participating. All of the functions are in place to hold the events, we need to get more agents & editors on board. Follow @skypitch.bsky.social & the #skypitch hashtag to find out more.