Mai Zai Robbs (Mayah) 🌈♾️✊🏽

Slowly and surely, Veronica Roth's dystopian world is closer than we think...

I'm alive.
I'm dead.
I'm alive.
I'm dead again.

When I tell you BSP is the hardest, most arduous piece in the world, I am telling you it is ARDUOUS.

Writing this is like birthing out a large baby while thorns are poking at your feet. It isn't all fun and games in writing middle grade.

Keep this in mind if you write in MG. It will be hard.

I should stop using exclamation points. I don't speak like that.

In other news... @ellipsus.com is officially the home for my new projects. To a new, AI-free writing landscape we go!

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If you see this, you probably either follow me or you just found out I write for some reason. Let me break your current feed:

I'm writing some stories. If you are a parent, I need to get your feedback on my ideas since I am writing for children. HMU if you got a chance.

#amwriting

Your reminder? Read Killers of The Flower Moon. Great story. You'll learn a lot.

❗UPDATE ❗

MG standalone with series potential rework is going well! Keeping it clear and concise.

Drake releasing an all-purpose diss track was NOT on my Bingo this year.

"Hard Times require furious dancing"

🕺💃

You should fight for disabled people because it’s the right thing to do. Ableism feeds eugenics. No one is expendable. Our value should never be tied to economic contributions.

Failing that, do it because one day you will become disabled. Given enough time, almost everyone joins our minority group.

Upon starting all over again, my middle grade sci-fi fantasy world set in video game antagonist academy might have a LGBTQ+ side character.

I don't know if upper middle grade is the kind of category that these kinds of stories would be targeted to, however.

Interesting…

#booksky

I try to be in with the kids and all I get is my bad social skills in conversation.

The Songbird and the Rambutan Tree 2024 Foreword INDIES Book of the Year Awards Gold Winner Juvenile Fiction

We are delighted to share that THE SONGBIRD AND THE RAMBUTAN TREE by Lucille Abendanon is the Gold Winner in the 2024 Foreword INDIES Book of the Year Awards! ❤️

This middle grade historical fiction novel is available now!

northstareditions.com/jolly-fish-p...

We The People ✊
LA, CA

Informational graphic about rights under HB 264 and protection strategies. Transcribed Text: What are my rights under HB 264 and how do I protect myself? Request Accommodation If you're uncomfortable using restrooms based on natal sex, you can request alternatives like single-use restrooms. Submit the request in writing to your school or employer. Protect Your Privacy You still have the right to feel safe and protect your privacy, at school, work, and in public, even under this new law. Keep Records Document any accommodation requests, responses, and incidents. Written records can support you if you need legal help.

Text on a blue background about rights under HB 264 and protection measures. Transcribed Text: What are my rights under HB 264 and how do I protect myself? Be Aware of Risk With no clear enforcement rules, the law may lead to unsafe or uncomfortable restroom encounters. Learn your rights—ACLU has helpful resources Tell Someone If you experience discrimination, report it to your school or groups like the ACLU of Idaho or Lambda Legal. Be In Community Join community groups that support trans people and allies. They offer resources, support, and guidance.

It's crucial to know your rights and how to protect yourself under this new law.

Bluesky has added my thread to the world feed. So, I guess I'll get some more help there?

But maybe I'm writing for the wrong audience?

I know children are smart, but how smart can one be?

I just need some support, preferably from a middle grade author.

That's all. I'm most likely hopping off.

But right now, in a world where grown ass adults are overtaking YA, I'm not sure how deep or shallow I want to go to make it work. And all this stresses me out because I am a perfectionist with a fear of not being prepared.

The whole inciting incident I have right now is that she gets severely hurt, and now has to deal with the disability while finding her voice both in community and herself. The speculative aspect is a spoiler.

She's relatively precocious, think like Willow Chance from Counting By 7s, and she finds herself between a rock and a hard place trying to be a kid when the adults in this world are using her youth for their own use.

My current plan for my MG speculative fiction story is for the character to be 13. She's near the end of seventh grade and most likely going into eighth, and every day her voice sings out to me. HOWEVER, it seems like most MG novels I'd read have sixth to seventh graders.

It's been a difficult few days. My MG projects have yet to be redone, I might lose my Medi-Cal under Trump, and I'm not sure exactly if all hope is lost, but I also really don't know if MG is the genre I want to pursue if all I do is sacrifice my characters to "fit" trends.

Context below:

Does she do middle grade? If yes, what exactly?

Some of you would truly fit this.

Not great with sites like these, but I'm thinking of gathering book recs from LGBTQ+ indie middle grade authors. I'm planning on being traditionally published, mid-list or not, and I'd like to support you all.

Any volunteers?

#kidlit #indieauthors #readingcommunity #middlegradebooks