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K. S. Niels

@ksniels.bsky.social
71 followers 68 following 74 posts

ksniels.substack.com • BLM • Indigenous Lives Matter • #Writer • #GLP1 super responder • #vss365 • #WritingCommunity • RWA finalist • she/her 🌻

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K. S. Niels @ksniels.bsky.social · 16/03/2026
#revpit Hi @miranda-darrow.bsky.social Hope it's okay if I ask this :) Are you a charts person? 📊 💜 You up for sharing the genres & age categories submitted to you?
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K. S. Niels @ksniels.bsky.social · 15/03/2026
#RevPit #RevPit2026 Submitted! Woo!
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Lauren Sparks @wingedelfgirl.bsky.social · 03/03/2026
Tiny panel inking!! Otis has noticed something... This art is for the kids fantasy graphic novel "Otis and the Sylva Beast" by @notsosuper.pub!! Pointy brush, nib, tired brush, next panel 🎉 #OtisAndTheSylvaBeast #makingcomics
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Yong-Ju Valérie Barthélémy @yongjudancinglight.bsky.social · 18/06/2025
meditative vision of land the place called home #Art #abstract #painting #meditation #vision #home #poetry
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Allison Alexander @aealexander.bsky.social · 02/03/2026
It's time for my #MeetTheEditor session! Reply to this thread to ask about my MSWL, editing style, genre preferences, likes/dislikes, or anything else. If I don't get to your question today, I'll answer tomorrow. #RevPit @reviseresub.bsky.social
A black cat peeking out behind a couch. Photo by Hexandcube / Unsplash.
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K. S. Niels @ksniels.bsky.social · 05/09/2025
Hey #writingcommunity #amwriting #PB #MG #YA writers & artists I subbed to #WNDB 2026 Mentorship program this week. Anyone else sub too? I’d love to connect & hear about your projects! Mine’s an #MG adventure/mystery novel
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We Need Diverse Books @weneeddiversebooks.bsky.social · 02/09/2025
🔔 Now accepting 2026 Mentorship applications! Want to participate in our annual Mentorship Program, where we pair emerging writers & illustrators from diverse backgrounds with experienced professionals in the field? Visit the link below (🔗 also in bio) to apply today! 💻 bit.ly/2026Mentorships
Light yellow graphic titled “2026 Mentorship Applications Now Open!” Beneath the title text is an illustration of a light-skinned person with shoulder-length brown hair sitting at a desk with a notebook open in their lap and their desktop computer showing screens full of emails and word documents. At the bottom is a search bar graphic containing the shortened URL “bit.ly/2026Mentorship”, which will redirect folks to the 2026 Mentorship application.Light yellow graphic titled “About the Mentorship Program.” Beneath the title text is a mock-up internet browser window, with the search bar at the top containing the shortened URL “bit.ly/2026Mentorship”, which will redirect folks to the 2026 Mentorship application. The program description in the browser says, “The WNDB Mentorship Program aims to support writers and illustrators by pairing them with an experienced professional in the field. Our mentors work one-on-one with a mentee and their completed draft of a manuscript over the course of a calendar year, offering advice to improve craft and to better understand the publishing industry. For 2026, WNDB is offering fifteen mentorships split amongst the following categories: Picture Book Text (PB), Middle Grade (MG), Young Adult (YA); and Illustration (IL).”
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We Need Diverse Books @weneeddiversebooks.bsky.social · 25/08/2025
Meet our 2026 Mentors! Through our annual Mentorship Program, we pair aspiring creators with published authors to hone their craft, learn about publishing, and launch their careers. Applications for our 2026 Mentorship Program will open soon in early September, so get ready to apply 📝
Collage graphic styled after a scrapbook and showing twelve close-up book cover illustrations. At the center of the graphic is a scrap of paper that says, “Meet the 2026 Mentors”. The illustrations are from “Queen of Tejano Music: Selena,” “The Borrow a Boyfriend Club,” “Salvación” “The Truth About Triangles,” “Mapmaker,” “The House Next Door,” “My Little Golden Book About Frida Kahlo,” “Hana Hsu and the Ghost Crab Nation,” “She is a Haunting,” “Curry Means more,” “Hanukkah,” and “It’s You Every Time.”Graphic styled to look like an open spiral-bound notebook. Title text at the top says, “About WNDB’s Mentorship Program,” followed by two polaroid-style photo frames displaying illustrations from “Ramadan on Rahma Road” by Razeena Omar Gutta and “José and Feliz Play Fútbol” by Susan Rose and Silvia López. The program description reads as follows: “Since 2016, WNDB has welcomed over 100 writers and illustrators into our Mentorship Program. Over the course of a calendar year, our mentees work one-on-one with their mentors to edit their manuscripts and learn about the publishing process, preparing them to navigate this competitive industry. Applications for the 2026 Mentorship cycle will open in early September!”
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Aurumsella @aurumsella.bsky.social · 20/08/2025
"This is the strangest #vigil I've ever taken part in. Why are there a hundred thousand people praying naked in the street tonight? I thought it would be just the two of us." "Oh, right. Word got out. Evidently a lot of people liked the idea." "People are so weird." "Yep. They are." #vss365
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Author GRF @mythoversal.bsky.social · 20/08/2025
#VIGIL A vigil for humanity, striving for our place, toward the fated destination of the human race; will we spread ourselves to Mars, will we float among the stars, will that future soon be ours, or will we be replaced? 323rd #vss365
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K. S. Niels @ksniels.bsky.social · 20/08/2025
#vss365 It had been years since her last #vigil. She hadn't meant to. Too much coffee, it led her mind to spin, and she ended up here, at the edge of the canyon. Waiting. Again. As if he could come back. As if leaping was something that could be undone. He'd let go. She had to too.
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K. S. Niels @ksniels.bsky.social · 12/06/2025
Running left me exhausted and hungry. After hitting a 2-month plateau, I realized walking was actually faster for me. Here are 4 reasons why walking beats running for fat loss: ksniels.medium.com/walking-migh... #health #wellness #weightloss #writingcommunity #amwriting
ksniels.medium.com
Walking Might Be Better for You Than Running
Running can cause weight loss stalls. Walking can improve insulin responses and help you lose weight faster.
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K. S. Niels @ksniels.bsky.social · 05/06/2025
Pre-diabetes… Your body’s “we need to talk” text Not a breakup — more of a warning before it starts throwing jeans and old books out the window Here's what happened, and how I'm turning it around: ksniels.substack.com/p/pre-diabet... #health #humor #amwriting #WritingCommunity
media.tenor.com
a cartoon drawing of a person sitting next to a cell phone
ALT: a cartoon drawing of a person sitting next to a cell phone
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K. S. Niels @ksniels.bsky.social · 04/06/2025
Feel like you’re always hungry, exhausted, and gaining weight just by looking at bread? 🍞 🥯 🥧 It might be your hormones Insulin and leptin resistance explained (with jokes): medium.com/@ksniels/ins... #MetabolicHealth #InsulinResistance #amwriting #writingcommunity #weightloss #health
medium.com
Insulin Resistance, Leptin Resistance: When Your Fuel Gauge is Empty and the Zombie Apocalypse Has…
Hormones. Life is amazing when they all work well, and absolute torture when they go rogue.
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K. S. Niels @ksniels.bsky.social · 28/05/2025
Are you on #Ozempic or #Mounjaro? A lower dose might work better—if you make these lifestyle tweaks. Here’s why: substack.com/home/post/p-... #GLP1 #health #wellness
substack.com
Why a Lower Dose of Ozempic or Mounjaro Might Be Better
Six months ago, when I was diagnosed with pre-diabetes and fatty liver disease, my doctor suggested I try Ozempic, and I refused.
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K. S. Niels @ksniels.bsky.social · 21/05/2025
Have you ever eaten less and still gained weight? That used to be me. Here’s what finally worked: open.substack.com/pub/ksniels/... #weightloss #healthylifestyle #healthandwellness #wellness #amwriting #reversediet
open.substack.com
Reverse Diet: Be Crazy, Be Brave, Eat More!
If you’re on a weight loss journey, like me, reverse dieting sounds like a scam.
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K. S. Niels @ksniels.bsky.social · 14/05/2025
Weight loss stalled on GLP-1s? You’re definitely not alone Before you crank up the dose, try these 3 things: 👣 More movement 😴 Better sleep 🪷 Less stress Want more tips? Here's how I turned things around: substack.com/home/post/p-... #ozempic #mounjaro #weightloss #health #wellness
substack.com
When GLP-1 Meds Lose Their Magic: Try This Before Upping Your Dose
When I first started Ozempic, it was like a fairy godmother flitted down and flipped a secret switch, one I didn’t even know existed.
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K. S. Niels @ksniels.bsky.social · 11/05/2025
I'd like a Mother's Month You know how Boxing Day spread out to be a weeklong thing and now it's a whole month? I want 31 days of breakfasts in bed and flowers 😁 I've got the other 234 days of the year covered #writingcommunity #amwriting #momlife #momhumor
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Author GRF @mythoversal.bsky.social · 10/05/2025
#SCAR The invisible scar runs deep, a secret ache pulses in the heart of my being as your ghost forever twists the blade of your sadism. anger? sometimes. regret? often. pain? never-ending. healing? denied. #vss365 #trauma 130/365
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C.S. Voll @stephlepht.bsky.social · 10/05/2025
A cup bears A #scar from A time when People sat In dining Halls and swam In drink and Laughter till The sun brought A steep bill #vss365
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Lena - Poet and Questioner @lena1370.bsky.social · 10/05/2025
Societal acceptance Scars I bear Marks of disfigurement Deformity and flaws Judged by societal standards Never the beauty Never perfection Always trying to fit in Assimilation to norms Assimilation to society The wrong path The genuine path Is a lonely path #vss365 #poetry #poem #scar
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imanicv.bsky.social @imanicv.bsky.social · 10/05/2025
The scars we don’t see send us on journeys we don’t understand #vss365 #poetry #writingprompts #scar 🎨 Romel de la Torre
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K. S. Niels @ksniels.bsky.social · 10/05/2025
My brother has a #scar on his lip As a child it marked him Made him a target for cruelty for pain But now its hidden completely behind the scruff of a beard But the wounds from jeers and jabs fist fights and stabs They never leave #amwriting #vss365
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K. S. Niels @ksniels.bsky.social · 10/05/2025
I’m so ready to ditch my #CPAP Pressure down from 12.0 to 6.8 3 months away from getting some real sleep Want to ditch yours too? Here’s what’s working for me — totally free: ksniels.substack.com/p/ready-to-d... #HealthTips #Sleep #SleepApnea #WeightLoss #AmWriting #WritingCommunity
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K. S. Niels @ksniels.bsky.social · 09/05/2025
Is #Ozempic or #Mounjaro not working like it used to? Before upping your dose, try these 7 evidence-based strategies to get back on track with your #GLP1 meds On Medium (members only): medium.com/@ksniels/whe... Coming to Substack (free) next week: ksniels.substack.com
medium.com
When GLP-1 Meds Lose Their Magic: What to Try Before Upping Your Dose
When I first started Ozempic, it was like a fairy godmother flitted down and flipped a secret switch, one I didn’t even know existed.
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Camila Hamel ~ @ha-ok.bsky.social · 07/05/2025
If I #trace your name in the water, the ripples will follow their own fluid laws. You will not be represented in any manner, and that is a lesson to me, gone one. Water is my heroic medium, my steadfast balm. I will learn from it and believe when it tells me you don't exist and never did. #vss365
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TaintedTrailer @taintedtrailer.bsky.social · 07/05/2025
PIG 🐽 Not a #trace of irony, Just pure unadulterated fantasy shovelled into my gob from a bowl of simmering self-delusion. Over-fed, Over-confident, Over-indulged. But I can't stop eating. #vss365 🥣 🐙
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K. S. Niels @ksniels.bsky.social · 07/05/2025
Curious about GLP-1s (like #Ozempic and #Mounjaro) — but want to boost it naturally? Here are 5 evidence-backed ways to do just that 1. Prebiotics 2. Probiotics (And 3 more surprising ones...) No hype. Just science. ksniels.substack.com/p/5-ways-to-... #health #weightloss #GLP1 #amwriting
ksniels.substack.com
5 Ways to Naturally Boost GLP-1
What Weird Wizardry is This?
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K. S. Niels @ksniels.bsky.social · 07/05/2025
#vss365 #TrueStory I'm at my desk and my kids are hounding me for oil pastels for a car #trace. Sure whatever. Just let me work. 5 mins later, streaks all over the lino floor. They are scooting all around, butts balanced on tiny toy cars. What the? Oh… Mario Kart race. Not car trace. Dammit.
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Matt @inpoetsshoes.bsky.social · 07/05/2025
Look out upon the lake Ripples gently flutter by A boat floating all alone Not a trace of you in sight Check my hands and my feet Rub the dirt far far away One more glance to be sure On my way forevermore #vss365 #trace
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Author GRF @mythoversal.bsky.social · 06/05/2025
#ELEGY Once upon a manuscript, there was a plot so twisty, characters so real, so much magic, so much sand, gods who toyed with human lives, and writing potent enough to make a beta reader fall in love. I married the reader, and never did finish writing that book. #vss365 #poetry 126/365
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Vicie Ree aka Auntie_Social @vicieree.bsky.social · 06/05/2025
#vss365 I'm reading your posts— your #elegy, emotions tumbling shared publicly. words written, blurred by tears, break my battered heart after forty years. my brother’s grave is overgrown. your brother’s grave soon to be sown. I stand nearby, marred by grief. I offer comfort— yet bring no relief.
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Shorthand Missile @mcleansix.bsky.social · 06/05/2025
No #elegy was written, no dirge was sung. There was no sign of mourning at grave beyond a single figure that stood near the tombstone. He bore a striking resemblance to the man whose face was engraved into the rock. No one could even see that if he hadn’t spent his inheritance on it. #vss365
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Sanya @sanjar.bsky.social · 06/05/2025
newborn #elegy unravels chain of #kind hours #flow breaks on sharp tones laughter scorched in dry passage all tender words left to burn #vss365 #NaTankaMo #MayTanka #blueskyrelay #TankaPoem #5lines 🖼️Pinterest
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funnyfrogget.bsky.social @funnyfrogget.bsky.social · 06/05/2025
early morning my alarm clock sings an #elegy for a half-forgotten dream #vss365
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DeRicki Johnson @derickijohnson.bsky.social · 06/05/2025
Thorough A man burrowed In the sand Down by the sea Diligent, He built sand castles Far as one Could see And when I asked What drove him He whispered, “WAIT” To me Then we watched Tide claim his works… In full, Eventually I guess in life Not things, but work Can write Our #elegy #vss365
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Sheila Burpee Duncan @sheilabduncan.bsky.social · 06/05/2025
#vss365 earbud elegy spare this pair turns to despair in first flush of use #elegy
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K. S. Niels @ksniels.bsky.social · 06/05/2025
I stood over the grave #elegy in hand It's my fault I didn't kill the creativity the spirit But I let it happen stood by as a troll wearing virtue as a garb stabbed viciously gleefully Too afraid to call them out to say the truth to stop them Even now #vss365 #amwriting
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Lena - Poet and Questioner @lena1370.bsky.social · 05/05/2025
Vellichor Nostalgia for books Nostalgia for our past Corridors hidden away Waiting for us to remember The fragments we lost in time They whisper their names Longing for us to grasp their wisdom Thoughts left behind Lost lives To be forgotten in time #vss365 #poem #poetry Stockcake.com
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K. S. Niels @ksniels.bsky.social · 05/05/2025
"And Velji, my faithful scribe, who saved my life on the field!" "But sire, I tripped, the arrow struck me in the—" "By quill and overdue scroll, I dub thee Sir #Vellichor." "Me? A knight of dusty books?" "Indeed. May many arrows find thy arse." #vss365 #humor #amwriting
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imanicv.bsky.social @imanicv.bsky.social · 05/05/2025
Dust that layers decades’ verse My pulse does race My heart does thirst Inhale the spell Emotions soar Thus, the pull of vellichor #vss365 #poetry #writingprompts #vellichor
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DeRicki Johnson @derickijohnson.bsky.social · 05/05/2025
The musty smell Of ancient tomes Bears touch Of petrichor As I walk down Cramped bookstore aisle I ache With #vellichor Deep love I feel For print on page Most wouldn’t Understand But when we reach For the same book A spark Connects our hands #vss365
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Raymh @rayhourigan.bsky.social · 05/05/2025
Fingers tracing spines, Some have lain untouched so long, A vellichor kiss. #vss365 #vellichor #haiku #poem #writing #writingcommunity
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K. S. Niels @ksniels.bsky.social · 05/05/2025
Within the room so full of books behind the door within a nook you’ll find a secret hidden well it holds my truth it weaves a spell All you need lies past the door in the room of #vellichor #vss365 #amwriting #writingcommunity
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Author GRF @mythoversal.bsky.social · 04/05/2025
#SELCOUTH The store offered its selcouth wares to the discerning few who spurned the couthy life without becoming uncouth. #vss365 #poetry 124/365
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Doc Savage @docsavage88.bsky.social · 04/05/2025
"I can't figure you out. You're half roaring disaster, and half #selcouth. How does someone with so many flaws do so much good?" The man pretended to clean the lenses on his glasses so that he wouldn't have to meet her gaze, and then shrugged and muttered, "I don't know." #vss365
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Author Steven Ross @therealsir.bsky.social · 04/05/2025
I love your smile Not the one that forms On perfectly sculpted lips (Though I love that too) Rather, the one that dances Sparkling wild with impish abandon Wide and free Luminous in your eyes Portals to the scintillating shine Of a singular #Selcouth soul #vss365
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imanicv.bsky.social @imanicv.bsky.social · 04/05/2025
Such an odd word this #selcouth A strange navigation of tongue A silent ring of poetic jest A membrane of mystery to mumble in one's mind Disturbing the mundane What to make of this invite to smith Echoes in agitated thought And yet The pen tingles in anticipation of the dance #Vss365 #poetry
Illustration: Voyage of the Dawn Treader from C. S. Lewis’ The Chronicles of Narnia
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Lena - Poet and Questioner @lena1370.bsky.social · 04/05/2025
Our paths are often a #selcouth Nothing seems easily done Yet each day is a wondrous adventure Distant memories appear and disappear As we wander through the world Hearing the faint cry of a bird singing And wanting to fly on its wings The rare and amazing ineptness of life #vss365 #poetry #poem
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