Dawn Simon

Dawn Simon

@dawnsimon.bsky.social

MG and PB writer. VCFA WCYA. Dog and chicken lover. I'm represented by @jenniekendrick.bsky.social at Red Fox Literary. https://www.dawnsimon.com/

508 followers364 following292 posts

Dawn Simon reposted

Kelly Clasen, PhD
@kellyclasenwriter.bsky.social

There are so many fun giveaways happening over at seasonsofkidlit.com in celebration of the most wonderful time of year! #kidlit #amwriting #amquerying 🎃 www.seasonsofkidlit.com/post/double-...

seasonsofkidlit.comDouble Feature! Trick or Treat with Agent Lynnette Novak + Treat Inside!Hi, all you fall and spooky book lovers—and especially all you querying authors out there! We have a hex-traordinary treat in store for you today. 👻We’re thrilled to welcome literary agent Lynnette Novak of The Seymour Agency! Lynnette is here to share tons of writing tips, publishing insights, and a peek at a side project she's working on now.So, without further ado, want to learn more about Lynnette and her work as a literary agent PLUS see what boo-riffic treat she’s brought along with her?

Dawn Simon reposted

Jennifer Laughran
@literaticat.bsky.social

Heads up, Bookworms: There will likely be💀supply chain issues💀 this holiday season. So if there are specific books you have your heart set on for holiday gifting, I strongly suggest you buy/order them ahead of time (✨like now✨) rather than waiting until November/December.

Dawn Simon
@dawnsimon.bsky.social

We had a fun @scbwi.bsky.social-Western Washington coffee this morning on Bainbridge Island. Kitsap County (and beyond) kidlit folks, keep your eyes peeled for future get-togethers.

Dawn Simon reposted

Julia Métraux
@juliametraux.bsky.social

An ICE agent directed Emilio, a Venezuelan Deaf man, to get onto a bus. He asked for an interpreter and didn’t get one. When he saw a Mexican flag, he realized he was being deported to Mexico, sans passport. My latest for @motherjones.com. www.motherjones.com/politics/202...

motherjones.comHow Trump’s deportation machine deprives Deaf people of their humanityAn extra layer of cruelty is added by limiting communication access for Deaf people.
Dawn Simon
@dawnsimon.bsky.social

I love Martine Leavitt's writing. Martine is faculty emerita in @vcfa.bsky.social's WCYA MFA program, and I was lucky to get to learn from her when I was there. Her newest book, WHENEVER YOU ARE, is a contemporary YA with a speculative element. The story is told mostly in verse, and it's so good!

Dawn Simon reposted

Maureen Johnson
@maureenjohnsonbooks.com

It's important to learn from your mistakes and then just repeat them over and over because there's a good idea under there somewhere you just have to find it.

Dawn Simon reposted

jessamyn
@librarian.bsky.social

I work at a public library. People who want to use AI seem to have no trouble doing so. People who don't want to use AI have a harder time. I crowdsourced and then finalized this document "How to disable or avoid intrusive AI" and then gave it a short URL: notoai.org Please pass along if it's useful

Dawn Simon
@dawnsimon.bsky.social

Ooh, I want to try this! Thank you, @thoggatt.bsky.social!

Tina Hoggatt@thoggatt.bsky.social

It's zucchini season and this is a delicious recipe. Add lots of walnuts. And a dash of vanilla. cooking.nytimes.com/recipes/1017...

cooking.nytimes.comOlive Oil Zucchini Bread Recipe • 5★This moist loaf, made with olive oil and yogurt, is less sweet and more complexly flavored than most zucchini breads. Grated lemon zest gives a gentle brightness, while brown sugar adds a caramel swee...

Dawn Simon reposted

SCBWI
@scbwi.bsky.social

Are you attending the SCBWI Virtual Summer Conference? Join Jolie Stekly @cuppajolie.bsky.social as she guides you through what to expect at this conference! Whether you are a newcomer or longtime attendee she will help answer all of your questions! Not registered yet? Register at scbwi.org

Dawn Simon reposted

Farah Shah
@fawa.bsky.social

Saturdays Strawberry garden. Speak soon 💚🐸 • #kidlitart #summerdays #frogillustration #picturebooks #ladybird

Dawn Simon reposted

WeRateDogs
@weratedogs.com

This is Benji. He just sent this selfie to the family group chat with no explanation. Just waiting for compliments. 12/10

Dawn Simon reposted

Alison Weiss
@alioop7.bsky.social

#AskKidLit is open if anyone has pressing publishing questions. I'm happy to offer insight as best I can! If you'd rather DM, just let me know!

Dawn Simon reposted

12 x 12 Picture Book Writing Challenge
@12x12challenge.bsky.social

Heather Beaumont, 12 x 12 member and author of WHEN WE GO HOME, discusses the difference sensory details make in the short word count of a picture book. #amwriting #picturebook #kidlit #12x12pb #booksky #writingcommunity #amwriting #picturebook #kidlit #12x12pb #booksky #writingcommunity

Dawn Simon
@dawnsimon.bsky.social

I recommend RATTY by Suzanne Selfors! It's a MG tale with lots of humor & heart. There's a family curse, a 4-foot boy who looks like a rat, a girl who despises rats--& the possibility of the two kids forming an unlikely friendship! How can you resist? You cannot, I tell you! It's squeaking awesome!

Dawn Simon
@dawnsimon.bsky.social

Brianna Jett's debut, UNDER A CARNIVORE SKY, came out this week! My copy arrived, and I can hardly wait to read it! I heard Brianna read an excerpt at a @vcfa.bsky.social residency, and it was so good! It's a YA novel in verse, the writing is beautiful, and it has a swamp monster.💚 And the cover!😍

Dawn Simon
@dawnsimon.bsky.social

❤️ Kidlit friends, I recommend following @alioop7.bsky.social. Alison frequently posts opportunities to ask questions about kidlit, and her posts will add a bright spot to your feed.🌼

Alison Weiss@alioop7.bsky.social

That project you’re working on right now could become a kid’s favorite. It could set off a series of thoughts that redirects their life or changes the whole way they view the world. If it’s just one kid, that’s pretty marvelous. Now think of the waves of kids your story will leave its mark on.

Dawn Simon reposted

American Library Association
@amlibraryassoc.bsky.social

School libraries are the heart of learning 💙 a place where every student belongs, every question is welcome, and every story matters. Celebrate your school librarian this April! #SchoolLibraryMonth - Amanda Kordeliski, AASL President #AASLslm #AASL

Dawn Simon
@dawnsimon.bsky.social

THE NOT SO QUIET LIFE OF MARCEL MARCEAU - written by @jennbailey.bsky.social & Sherry Bushue, illustrated by Pamela Zagarenski During WWII, Marceau joined the French Resistance & forged life-saving ID cards. Later, he led Jewish orphans to safety. What an important, timely PB! Beautiful, too!

Dawn Simon
@dawnsimon.bsky.social

After reading and leading games and art-making, @faithpray7.bsky.social signed books. Friends who are fans and fans who are friends gathered while nibbling sweet treats. And since Pooh, who's 100 this year, loves honey so much, I think it's more than okay to go back to the sweet treats... 🧵

Dawn Simon
@dawnsimon.bsky.social

Cookies! Aren't they amazing? They were delicious, too. You'll have to trust me on that! Congrats, Faith and Annette! And happy 100th birthday, Pooh! You're a silly old bear, and we love you.💛

Dawn Simon
@dawnsimon.bsky.social

Yes!

Alison Weiss@alioop7.bsky.social

When you're creating, you're not meant to get it right on the first try. Revision is magic. That's when you stumble upon an idea that's infinitely better than you started with. When you discover connections you didn't even know were there. When you find that absolutely essential line is irrelevant.

Dawn Simon reposted

Victoria Strauss
@victoriastrauss.com

If you do a lot of searching on the internet (as I do), this is a really useful article. Multiple things I didn’t know and will use going forward.

Laura Helmuth@laurahelmuth.bsky.social

This is a great list of techniques for getting real information out of a Google search and avoiding AI slop and paid results. (One thing not included is that if you add "-ai" to a search, you block the AI summary) cardcatalogforlife.substack.com/p/google-has...

cardcatalogforlife.substack.comGoogle Has a Secret Reference Desk. Here's How to Use It.40 Google features to find exactly what you need, the alternative search engines that do things Google won't, and the reference desk framework underneath all of it.