iiinova — where your digital self keeps evolving

Todd Burleson @tburleson.bsky.social · 21/07/2026

I think about this quote a lot. When I am dragging a shutter to capture an abstract blur or typing out a new chapter, I am definitely not just recording reality. I am trying to translate it. 1/2

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Todd Burleson @tburleson.bsky.social · 04/07/2026

Engaging in a bit of field-based inquiry: focusing on door hardware as a window into historical design and utility. These twelve variations from Prague were a reminder of how much we overlook in our daily transit. A practice in deep observation and artifact-based study. 1/2

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Todd Burleson @tburleson.bsky.social · 03/07/2026

We touch them daily, but do we see them? A study of twelve door handles in Prague, from ornate brass to industrial iron. Sometimes the most revealing history is found in the mechanism that lets us through the door. Read the full post HERE: whereimaginationtake...

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Todd Burleson @tburleson.bsky.social · 02/07/2026

"Each handprint is unique. Each one tells a story." ✋✨ In his latest Throwback Thursday, Todd Burleson reflects on a 34-year journey through education and the indelible marks students leave on our lives. A beautiful reminder of why we teach. 🦋 Full reflection: open.substack.com/pu...

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Todd Burleson @tburleson.bsky.social · 02/07/2026

Archives are not just for historians. I look back at photos of my former students' handprints and see the indelible marks they left on my career. Even as I pivot to writing historical non-fiction, these personal records remain my most important research. open.substack.com/pu... 1/2

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Todd Burleson @tburleson.bsky.social · 01/07/2026

A pristine vintage camera is a museum piece. A scratched camera is a storyteller. I just published a new piece of historical fiction inspired by my beautifully battered Kodak Duaflex. It is a story about poverty, pride, and the weight of a single photograph. Read it here: open.substack.com/pu...

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Todd Burleson @tburleson.bsky.social · 29/06/2026

In a world obsessed with sharp focus and perfect resolution, there is a deep, quiet relief in letting things soften. I wrote a new piece this morning about my history in the darkroom, shooting with an iPhone, and the strange courage it takes to embrace the blur. open.substack.com/pu...

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Todd Burleson @tburleson.bsky.social · 26/06/2026

It doesn’t matter if it’s my own daughter or the kids I’ve worked with throughout my career—that moment a child steps over the "threshold" into pretend play is pure magic. 1/2

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Todd Burleson @tburleson.bsky.social · 22/06/2026

Fellow librarians and teachers: do you have students whose brains seem to have "too many tabs open"? 🙋‍♂️ I’ve started sharing my own messy, chaotic writing process with kids—showing them how I use tools like NotebookLM to sift through hundreds of historical documents just to find a few 1/2

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Todd Burleson @tburleson.bsky.social · 17/06/2026

Fellow educators! Do you ever struggle to teach the concept of censorship to 6th graders? I've found that talking about it isn't enough; they have to feel the weight of it in their hands. 1/3

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Todd Burleson @tburleson.bsky.social · 10/06/2026

Fellow educators! Do you ever struggle to teach the concept of censorship to 6th graders? I've found that talking about it isn't enough; they have to feel the weight of it in their hands. 1/3

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Todd Burleson @tburleson.bsky.social · 05/06/2026

"The entryway is the handshake of the building." In my newest post this morning, I'm writing about the freezing, heavy iron doors of Prague. You don't just turn a handle to enter these spaces; you have to lift the weight of history. 1/2

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Todd Burleson @tburleson.bsky.social · 03/06/2026

Writing The Secret War was less of a straight line and more of a 13-year archaeological dig. Today on the GROG blog, I’m talking about the messy process of finding the true heart of a story, moving away from sci-fi tropes, and trusting middle-grade readers with real history. 1/2

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Todd Burleson @tburleson.bsky.social · 01/06/2026

Fellow educators: I just finished an "autopsy" of my decade-long writing process for The Secret War. It’s a great reminder for our students that "final" products are just the tip of the iceberg. I realized I wrote 500k words just to find the 35k that mattered! 1/3

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Todd Burleson @tburleson.bsky.social · 22/05/2026

The Ultimate Gaslight 🦍✈️ In 1944, the secret to protecting America's first jet wasn't a vault—it was a gorilla mask and a cigar. Jack Woolams realized that if a pilot reported a "ghost plane," it was a security breach. 1/2

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Todd Burleson @tburleson.bsky.social · 20/05/2026

"Some painters transform the sun into a yellow spot, others transform a yellow spot into the sun." — Pablo Picasso

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Todd Burleson @tburleson.bsky.social · 20/05/2026

If you were tasked with hiding a giant secret, what bit of “brilliant silliness” would you use to disguise it? Sometimes, the most playful path is the most ingenious one. ✈️🤔 Read the full story: whereimaginationtake...

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Reposted by Todd Burleson

E Train Talks Books @etraintalks.bsky.social · 18/05/2026

It’s not easy to make the switch from #librarian to author, let alone do both at the same time. But that’s exactly what award-winning school librarian @tburleson.bsky.social set out to do with his #MGLit historical fiction debut, THE SECRET WAR… and he absolutely delivers! youtu.be/AhuNL1kEQ24?...

youtu.be

The Secret War I Book Review I Middle- Grade Historical Fiction Debut ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

YouTube video by E Train Talks Books!

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Todd Burleson @tburleson.bsky.social · 18/05/2026

In 1944, test pilot Jack Woolams protected the secret of the P-59 jet by flying it while wearing a gorilla mask and a derby hat. 🦍🎩 Why? Because "I saw a jet" gets an investigation, but "I saw a cigar-smoking gorilla in a jet" gets you a psych evaluation. Absolute genius. 1/2

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Todd Burleson @tburleson.bsky.social · 18/05/2026

My "Thresholds" series is all about the moments and places that vanish while we’re looking. If you like photography, local history, and slightly moody reflections on 2026 life, you’ll love this week's post. Subscribe to Where Imagination Takes Flight below! 👇 whereimaginationtake...

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Todd Burleson @tburleson.bsky.social · 16/05/2026

I spent the morning thinking about how the smell of old hay and damp concrete was replaced by diesel exhaust and turned earth. Is there a landmark in your town that has completely changed its "soul"? What was there once? Exploring the thresholds of change here: whereimaginationtake... 🦋

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Todd Burleson @tburleson.bsky.social · 15/05/2026

The hayloft forgot how to hold anything. 🏚️ In Kenosha, I watched a 100-year-old barn and a coal plant vanish, replaced by a "For Sale" sign and the invisible hum of a data center. What happens to the soul of a place when its physical markers are erased? 📖 Read: whereimaginationtake...

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Todd Burleson @tburleson.bsky.social · 14/05/2026

The most accurate map of 1944 wasn't in a war room—it was in the windows of ordinary homes. 🏘️ My latest blog post explores using historical "silent beacons" to help characters (and readers) navigate vulnerability. Plus, a look at the history behind my new MG novel, The Secret War. 1/2

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Todd Burleson @tburleson.bsky.social · 13/05/2026

"Children do not need us to sanitize the world. They need us to help them breathe through it." I’m on The GROG today talking about anchoring grief in Middle Grade fiction through tangible objects—from WWII window banners to pocket watches. ⚓️📖 Full post here: groggorg.blogspot.co... 1/2

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Todd Burleson @tburleson.bsky.social · 04/04/2026

"A hell of a lot of state, this Idaho... you’d have to come from a test tube and think like a machine not to engrave all of this in your head so that you never lose it." — Ernest Hemingway

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Todd Burleson @tburleson.bsky.social · 04/04/2026

"There is no such thing as bad weather, only different kinds of good weather." — John Ruskin

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Todd Burleson @tburleson.bsky.social · 01/04/2026

Look at that joy! Mission Objective: Get copy of The Secret War is COMPLETE. Now for that little side trip around the Moon. safe travels, team! If you aren't leaving the atmosphere today, buy your copy here! 👇📚✨ #TheSecretWar #Artemis #HistoricalFiction #NASA #Godspeed

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Todd Burleson @tburleson.bsky.social · 01/04/2026

Walking into history together! 🚀 As the Artemis crew prepares to orbit the Moon, the final 1944 intelligence briefing is complete. The Secret War, launching simultaneously. Safe travels to the NASA team! 📚🌕 #Artemis #TheSecretWar #HistoricalFiction #JointLaunchDay #ToTheMoon

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Todd Burleson @tburleson.bsky.social · 01/04/2026

It’s official. The Secret War has launched. This story is for the kids who look at the margins of history. For the tinkers, the photographers, and the ones who notice what the adults ignore. toddburlesonwonders....

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Todd Burleson @tburleson.bsky.social · 01/04/2026

It’s a joint launch day! Artemis heads for the Moon, and my 1944 historical fiction, THE SECRET WAR, hits the shelves. They look intensely focused on their 1944 briefing here. Wishing the NASA crew a safe and successful journey! 🚀📚

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Todd Burleson @tburleson.bsky.social · 01/04/2026

A big day for aerospace! The Artemis II crew is launching to circle the Moon, and my historical fiction novel, THE SECRET WAR, is launching into bookshelves everywhere.

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Todd Burleson @tburleson.bsky.social · 01/04/2026

You think your book launch had good range? Try a lunar orbit! With the Artemis II crew on the job, THE SECRET WAR is redefining ‘wide release’.

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Todd Burleson @tburleson.bsky.social · 01/04/2026

You think your book marketing is big? We went for interstellar. With my book launching the same day as Artemis, we decided the only acceptable way to promote THE SECRET WAR was by plastering it across the entire first stage of the SLS rocket.

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Todd Burleson @tburleson.bsky.social · 01/04/2026

Final system check of the capsule before launch: Oxygen levels? Go. Communication relays? Go. Mandatory personal item stowage check for unauthorized copies of THE SECRET WAR? ...Uh, maybe we slightly missed the weight allowance?

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Reposted by Todd Burleson

Kathy Halsey @infowoman.bsky.social · 01/04/2026

Give it up for @tburleson.bsky.social ,friend, educator, school librarian, and now PUBLISHED AUTHOR w/his historical MG THE SECRET WAR! And educators and librarians, Todd know how to create much more than a lesson plan for this! Check this out! groggorg.blogspot.com/2026/04/beyo...

groggorg.blogspot.com

Beyond the Book: Why I Built a 20-Day Pacing Guide (And Why You Should Too) by Todd Burleson

As creators of children's literature, we spend years obsessing over our characters, researching our settings, and polishing our prose. But g...

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Todd Burleson @tburleson.bsky.social · 01/04/2026

One more sleep! The Secret War officially launches tomorrow on Amazon and soon at your favorite local bookstores. It’s been a ten-year flight, and I’m so grateful for this community.

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Todd Burleson @tburleson.bsky.social · 01/04/2026

Tomorrow is Launch Day. This story simmered for ten years—from a 1,000-word picture book to a full middle-grade mystery. It’s a testament to patience and the "maker" way of not giving up on a prototype.

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Todd Burleson @tburleson.bsky.social · 31/03/2026

Fellow librarians! Ever find a historical footnote so weird you had to write a book about it? 🙋‍♂️ For me, it was Orville Wright’s final flight in 1944. That moment became the symbolic heart of my new MG novel, The Secret War.

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Todd Burleson @tburleson.bsky.social · 31/03/2026

"The appearance of things changes according to the emotions; and thus we see magic and beauty in them, while the magic and beauty are really in ourselves." — Kahlil Gibran

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Todd Burleson @tburleson.bsky.social · 09/03/2026

As a librarian, I often talk about "learning to learn," but lately, I’ve been thinking about "learning to see". Today’s post explores the pedagogy of the abstract. How do we teach students—and ourselves—to find meaning in the layers of an image rather than just the surface-level facts?

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