Absolutely... Stories help us understand, learn and grow into our potential, and to develop our capacity to imagine.

Oh yeah - MY LOCAL PUBLIC LIBRARY! (Which is conveniently within a couple of blocks of one of the best independent kids bookstores in the world). #kidlitchat

So much to be grateful for..... the inspiration from all the kids who I helped with learning to read; kid and husband who are first and best critique group, actual critique group... and most of all, the joy and privilege of having the space in my life to enjoy writing creatively. #kidlitchat

I do try to stay tuned; I think it helps with getting clear in my head (and queries) about what and why I am writing and where it fits in the market. I am seeing a trend of author/illustrators (bad news for me!) #kidlitchat

I got connected through my local SCBWI group.

I am finding Bluesky a friendly and informative kidlit community. Instagram is honestly just getting too overwhelming- it's all just noise. My critique group recently started a chat on WhatsApp to share resources, ideas and creativity, and that's an inspiring connection. #kidlitchat

🤣 ....but solid observation #kidlitchat

How to recharge when you are stuck? For me, that's a different question. Taking a break from writing, or setting the stuck piece aside (often for a long time) is actually helpful for me. Hope you can find a way to recharge and sneak back to it all inspired after some downtime #kidlitchat

My best creative charge is from volunteering to help kids learn to read. That's what inspired me to start writing. Second: hanging out with kids, and third (this is when a lot of editing and revising happens): time in nature #kidlitchat