Melanie Conklin
@MLConklin
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Author and designer Writing coach @thenovelry Creativity obsessed. HOH. She/her Subscribe to my newsletter 👇 Rep'd by @myrrr
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Well, tweeps. It's been amazing. Thank you for enriching my life. I'm here til the end, but here are my other socials:
IG:
Tiktok:
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@MLConklin
Follow my newsletter!
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I would like to (gently) debunk a few myths about authors. We are not all wealthy. We do not get unlimited free copies of our books. We can't mail books for free. Our publishers don't pay us to attend events. We pay for most books/shipping/travel ourselves.
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Queer content is not sexual content. Only being comfortable with M/F crushes/feelings/kisses is heterosexual bias. Let kids know they are loved no matter who they may love one day.
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After a year of staying home I went on vacation and it was an emotional disaster. I'm not okay. I don't even have the perspective to help myself yet, but I can at least say: this pandemic fucked me up. I'm pretty lost. I know I have a lot of company in this.
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My husband is pretty ill and in the hospital for tests. I could use some good vibes. It's hard not to be with him.
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Kidlit authors are champions of kids and reading. We support young readers with our whole hearts, but we already donate a lot of our time to do so. Sometimes we cannot donate more. We are also generally underpaid and overburdened.
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PSA: Authors don't get free books beyond an initial 25 or so. Publishers don't pay for us to mail books. They don't pay for envelopes, tape, or postage. We do. I wish I could send everyone free books but I can't.
Signed,
An author who got 5 requests for book donations today
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Fuck the fact that America expects us to hop right back to work and traveling and eating out and events and giving, giving, giving when we don't have anything left to give. We are not "back to normal." That way of living is gone forever. This requires GRIEVING.
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I feel terrible when I can't donate to every gofundme or amazon wishlist that is sent to me, but I don't want to divulge my finances in order to explain why I can't donate. If you don't know an author personally, don't send donation requests. It kinda just breaks our hearts.
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My whole heart
The teacher asked the students to finish the sentence “I wish my teacher knew...”
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The news is out! I am so lucky to work with Tracey Keeven at Disney-Hyperion on my next middle grade novel, ALL THE MISSING PIECES. Huge thanks to
@elenagiovinazzz
! :D 🎉🎉🎉
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It is on the ENTIRE BACK PAGE??? OF THE SECTION??? I am 😭😭😭 over this. My mom's acting like I won the Presidency
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👀👀👀
“Recent years have seen the industry-wide standardization of certain contract terms—involving payment structure, audio rights, and e-book royalties—in ways that favor publishers over authors, suggesting that the top publishers have engaged in coordinated conduct,"
We are all understandably busy with the midterms but everyone in publishing should be reading this
In Written Opinion, Judge Florence Pan Delivers Knockout Blow to PRH, S&S Merger via
@publisherswkly
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I see we are talking about the need for shorter books again, specifically in middle grade. I agree there is value in shorter books, but there are reasons that books are the size they are, and it's not because writers are being forced to write long books. 🧵
You know what I don’t get? Kids want shorter books. Librarians are begging for shorter books. Parents are desperately looking for shorter books. Writers want to write shorter books. Paper is apparently very expensive. And yet, for some reason, books continue to be very long
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White authors, when you're on a panel, you have to take the time to look up every person on the panel and familiarize yourself to make sure your panel is inclusive. Yes, this takes time. No, it's not easy. This is the WORK.
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A PERFECT MISTAKE is finally out in the world!!!!
I hope you love Max as much as I do. ❤️😭❤️
#middlegradebooks
#adhdbooks
#mysterybooks
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The last time I checked, Angie Thomas is the King of YA.
Bernie Sanders, King of YA Lit: How did his latest political manifesto become a young adult best-seller? |
@Slate
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If every single person who's willing to wear a safety pin calls their representatives, that would exact change.
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I've seen a LOT of threads lately expressing fear/frustration/doubt about pursuing traditional publishing lately and I have some honest thoughts to share about the industry. 🧵
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✨Calling all educators, students, and school employees! Win a signed copy of A PERFECT MISTAKE, the book
@sljournal
called a "first-rate mystery"! Follow & RT this post. Tag friends for extra entries. Winner announced 9/23 ✨
#adhdtwitter
#mysterybooks
#backtoschool
#giveaway
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Harper gave them a 25% pay increase over 3 years and they're still only making $45K??? What?
HarperCollins Addresses Stalled Union Negotiations, Union Responds
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I say this for everyone else out there putting on a happy face who is also not actually feeling happy but just pretending for everyone else: FUCK THIS LOST YEAR. Seriously. Fuck all the loss and the pain and the constant, obliterating pressure.
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...her entire life.
Hillary is unflappable so far. Wonder if she trained for the debate by having a bunch of men just bellow at her.
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Let's talk about how 1/4 payments in a traditional publishing deal are not the same money as 1/2 or 1/3 payments and how that impacts you as an artist 🧵
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I have to tell you all a story about having a really great idea for a book and then realizing I shouldn't write it. What, you say? Well...
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@TimFederle
You don't have to write every day. You also don't have to feel guilty when you don't--you are doing the work by living.
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This is the whole secret right here. JUST WRITE IT. Use placeholders. Write garbage dialogue. Block out action w zero beauty. Drafting builds the scaffold upon which you will write the real book. IN REVISION. :)
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Having an agent who believes in you makes all the difference in the world. I think I've spoken with half a dozen friends recently who are contemplating changes. Go for it. Find the agent you deserve! ❤️
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Y'all, no matter what we authors do on social media it will never be a fraction of the reach/power our publishers have. Publishers decide which books will be best-sellers, with marketing & distribution dollars. Only do social media stuff that you enjoy doing.
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@WilliamShatner
@clfs_uw
@UWMadison
@Penn
You are way, way out of line here,
@WilliamShatner
. As a life-long fan of Star Trek, I am so disappointed to see you attacking women of color just because they disagree with you. Be better than this.
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When the hell are we supposed to process everything that happened? When do we grieve pre-covid life? When do we let out the rage and frustration and pain? When do we get to huge people without feeling a little fearful? I don't know, but I'm not ready yet.
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All I know is, I'm absolutely flattened by the 8 zooms I did today and I don't know how you educators do it every day. You all deserve raises, vacations, all the benefits, and the top level of respect from everyone else.
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Sooooo...I wrote a picture book during quarantine about how hard it is to wait. 🥴😂🥰 I am so utterly thrilled to work with
@leahhongdraws
. Her illustrations are MAGIC, and this project is a dream come true. ✨💫
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The answer for when people ask why we gotta write about such serious topics in middle grade.
5th graders are talking about assumptions. This class in particular went deep.
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All I know is, I have always been a truth teller and the truth is that we have all been majorly traumatized by this pandemic experience. We are still being traumatized now, when we pressure ourselves to "act normal." I'm going to cry at dinner and THAT IS OKAY.
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I'm frustrated today, because I'm having a hard time understanding why white authors struggle so much to accept criticism from POC.
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In case you are not aware:
Writers, you need clauses in your contract forbidding training AI with your work!!! 💥💥💥
Authors: we need to stand up with the actors. AI is ALREADY HERE in our work. I just spoke to a Very Famous Author who has to remain nameless for legal reasons. They are held up in a contract negotiation because a Major Publisher wants to train AI on their work.
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I feel like I should be grateful. I'm healthy. We didn't get ill. We could pay our bills. We ate well. I feel like I should be GOOD, and I am just not. I literally feel like I cannot do life at the moment. Can I even make it through dinner tonight without crying? IDK.
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This story is why we donate to
@RAICESTEXAS
.
Yesterday we received news that a detained immigrant mother of three young children rep'd by
@RAICESTEXAS
was to be released and reunited with her sons in NY. She has been detained over two months despite being an asylum seeker who passed the credible fear interview.
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Looking for an action item? Support Kathie's campaign to oust Chaffetz. I did. ❤
Chaffetz's iPhone gaffe lands him well-funded Utah challenger
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My point here is that six figures isn't a lot of money and more authors should get 6, especially if it's multibook/year. Publishers should pay a minimum of 10K per 10K words, in my earnest opinion.
WRITERS. You are worth a lot of money!!! It shouldn't be shocking to get 6 figures for a book, especially when it's chopped in pieces over 3 years time.
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For 1st-time writers of middle grade, a check list:
1. Read TONS of MG
2. Get crit from MG writers
3. Read more MG
4. Revise
5. Read more MG
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I gotta say...it is not vindictive to want to see laws upheld. It is not cruel to desire consequences for criminal acts. I want to see this administration held responsible for what they've done, because justice matters.
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I want to be out in the world having fun. I am literally in a beautiful hotel room looking at the beach right now and I can't even appreciate it. I'm just a mess. There is so much shit coming out and I don't know when it will stop.
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I'm a little obsessed with this cover 😍🥳🤯
#mglit
#middlegrade
#kidlit
#childrensbooks
#APerfectMistake
#mystery
#friendship
#amreading
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Dear 2021 Debuts,
It's your debut year, a wonderful and stressful time in your life. I may not be able to hold your hand in person (yet), but here are a few things I've learned along the way:
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If you are interested in pursuing traditional publishing, know that even if you are wildly successful, you may not be able to live off of that income through no fault of your own. The industry does not support a living wage. That's the truth. It's not you, it's them.
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“After audiobooks became a significant source of revenue in the industry, publishers uniformly refused to acquire books without audio rights included thereby limiting authors’ ability to maximize their compensation and preventing authors from diversifying their sources of income"
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During
#alaac17
season, a reminder to my white guy friends: If you're on a panel with only people who look like you, you should question it.
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This isn't inflation or avian flu trouble. It's profiteering and price gouging.
High egg prices send profits at largest US producer soaring more than 700%
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I know this: this is the first break I've had from my kids in nine months. I've been working really, really hard to keep it together for them. To put them first. I am all out of energy. Just DONE.
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Good grief. They're trying to end public school in Indiana.
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I woke up to the news that my third middle grade novel, A Perfect Mistake, has been nominated for the South Carolina Children's Book Award. It's also on sale! 🥳
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MARKETING. Read it again: MARKETING creates best-sellers. All creators can do is make books. Sales are on publishers, 100%.
My dissertation examined book sales and literally the only statistically significant predictor of popular books was marketing
Importantly, under-marketed characteristics included gender and race
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CW: suicide
.
My heart is broken. I couldn't protect my child from a terrible thing yesterday. He let me hold him, but today that thing is still true.
.
National Suicide Prevention Lifeline
Hours: Available 24 hours.
Languages: English, Spanish
800-273-8255
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There is no "taking the high road" with abusers. No one owes their abuser sympathy or prayers.
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I had to put on a brave face for my family all this last week, and it nearly killed me. I cannot pretend that things are normal anymore. We will never get back there. This is the new normal, and this shit has to be dealt with. One emotion at a time. Group hug.
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1. Give your book five stars
2. Block people who shame you
3. Live your best life
💃💃💃
Writers, please stop giving your own books 5 star reviews on Goodreads. It's just painful to see.
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@thereadingzone
Good grief. This is wildly inappropriate. If these parents want to control everything their child experiences in school, they need to pay for private education.
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I'm going to text my friends and cry on the phone and rip weeds out of the ground with rage and fling them across my yard. I'm going to tell total strangers that I'm exhausted. I'm going to scream at the sky. Sometimes, I'll cuss it out. I don't expect you to act normal, either.
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Here's the all-out truth about traditional publishing: most of the authors you know are losing money by writing books. Especially in children's. Especially in MG. Most authors are paid well under 20K per book, for 2 years of work. That's not a job. It's a hobby.
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This is the book I've been waiting to talk about!!! I can't wait for you all to meet Sophie Valentine. Thank you to
@liz_adventures
and
@elenagiovinazzz
! I can't wait to share CRUSHED with everyone! 🥳😍😁
New deals announced for
@State_Farmm
(Craig Kofi Farmer),
@MLConklin
,
@ReemFaruqi
,
@sarahlynnereul
+ more
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I had an agent tell me she was "shocked" I would send her my manuscript in the state it was in, and that it made her question my judgement. That book sold at auction.
A freelance editor told me one of my picture books wouldn’t sell. It’s my debut.
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My mom got her first dose of the vaccine today and OMG I might get to see my parents soon 😭😭😭
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Heyyyy my biopsy came back benign, so that's some good news!!! :D
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I'm not saying that a white author CAN'T write the Other. I'm saying that they should really question why they want to do so.
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I support
@hcpunion
. Publishers have the＄to pay employees & authors--they're giving that $ to shareholders instead.
"Did you know HarperCollins made upwards of $2 billion in profit last year?
...for over a year, our union has been asking for less than $1 million in raises"
Today, November 10, 2022, the HarperCollins union is going on an indefinite strike. That means all work has come to a standstill and we will be outside the HarperCollins office at 195 Broadway picketing. For days, possibly weeks.
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@andreagrimes
@theames
@dallasnews
I keep seeing people say things like, "I'm not going anywhere! Just to church and the gym, and seeing the people I'm dating, that's it!"
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I'm working with friends to help put on a virtual Book Festival to support creators, book stores, and publishers during the coming months. There will be things to celebrate and enjoy while we act responsibly. More info to come!
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How do you end up with an all-white panel/festival/event? Because you didn't invite any creators of color. You don't know any black creators. You aren't reaching out. You aren't doing the work.
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Heyyy
#NewLeaf
creatives...I was unceremoniously dumped by my agency last fall, too. It worked out very much in my favor. It's going to be okay. DMs open for pep talks and Qs!
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Y'all, we're getting a puppy!!!!!!!!!!! Here she is!!!!!!!!! <3 :D
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Every time I go off on sexual assault, toxic masculinity, or hate culture, I lose a bunch of followers. All I can say is, brace yourselves, because my next book does not shy from the truth. At all.
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If you love middle grade titles, make sure you show it with your purchases. It's the only way we can stick around and offer the books that our young readers desperately need. MG authors, please share your upcoming release here!
You can add a category without deleting others! It's not pie!
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I've explored other income streams recently to support myself outside of traditional publishing & it seems the majority of creators are working other jobs, even if they write full time. Traditional publishing does not pay a living wage. You aren't failing. The industry is flawed.
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Normalize disappointing people. It's 100% okay for people to be disappointed in you. Your needs are not always compatible with their needs. ✨
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I really, truly wish that our school district would understand that distance learning is NOT the same as in-person learning, and that we should not replicate our regular schedule. 7 hours on screens is not sustainable long term, and much more strenuous than a school day.
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This is how the Big Lie persists: a librarian removing a factually accurate book because she is misinformed herself. So sad.
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The older I get, the more I think that graded work is the wrong way to learn. A child is not their grades. Every child has aptitudes. Why are some more valuable than others? Grading is a self-defeating system.
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I think this is a question white authors are grappling with (or SHOULD be grappling with) these days. Should you write another culture?
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Stand By Me meets RESTART in my next middle grade book,
#APerfectMistake
, coming 7/12 from
@LittleBrownYR
! Enter to win an advance reader copy! Follow & RT this post. Ends 3/31/22 at 11:59pm EST. US shipping addresses only.
#mysterybooks
#adhdstories
#giveaway
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Record sales in publishing, meanwhile author payments are getting chopped up, deals are in holding patterns...the money is NOT trickling down.
authors (especially those of us who debuted 2020/21 but really all authors)have been going through it. Canceled events,loss of income,lower sales which impact future deals all while loved ones are getting sick & we try to survive everything happening around us. Pls be supportive
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What's really bothering me is that I'm seeing a lot of callouts for Jason and what he said/did, when he is not the one who spoke harm. Nancy Pearl did. It is not Jason's job to confront a panelist in real-time in a setting that may not be safe for him.
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Do you add a little water to get the very last drop out of your shampoo/conditioner/lotion or do you not live in fear of your grandma's ghost 😂
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Let's be clear: authors don't want their job to be a hobby. We'd love to get paid a living wage but traditional publishers are always trying to increase their margins, which means they are always trying to pay you less. While the cost of living goes up.
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Today we had a mental health crisis in our family. As I went through the day, minute by minute, I found myself so tremendously grateful for the young adult novels that have prepared me for the kind of challenges I am facing now.
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There are SO MANY stories. We must ask ourselves: why do I want to tell THIS one? Am I taking a seat from a marginalized author to do so?
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@Nancy_Pearl
@JasonReynolds83
@kelseybogan
@sitKonrad
@UABookBans
No, we don't. You're wrong. It is harmful to expose readers to well proven lies and hate speech. All libraries curate. There is no library on earth that can hold ALL of the books. We know better, please do better.
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Today I found out that a very dear friend of mine passed away after a long battle with pancreatic cancer in which she defied the odds and outlived every clinical trial she was accepted to. I named Dr. W (in A PERFECT MISTAKE) after her. May she rest in power ❤️❤️❤️
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I think we need to remember that: what story are we trying to tell? We can still tell wonderful diverse stories without co-opting cultures.
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I once flew with my 3mo-old in a sling & my 4yo in a seat & the 4yo threw up as we landed. I stripped his clothes off & bagged them amid horrified passengers with a baby strapped to my chest. Someone said, "You're a great mom," as they walked off the plane. I'll never forget it.
But almost no one chooses to travel with a very young child solo unless they have to. Bereavement, work, some emergency. Understand I didn’t want to be on that plane any more than some people probably wanted me there and I get it.
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