iiinova — where your digital self keeps evolving

Veronica Bartles @vbartles.com · 30/09/2026

Thanks for another fun #KidLitChat folks! As tradition dictates, I now have to go search my kitchen for some nutrients to put into my body, since I didn't remember to do it before the chat and then spent the last hour talking about food!!

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Veronica Bartles @vbartles.com · 30/09/2026

Yeah, the rashes are absolutely not similar to a simple intolerance. But for some folks symptoms manifest more in the upset-tummy realm (just on a bigger scale and more serious), so it's easier for uninformed folks to dismiss.

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Veronica Bartles @vbartles.com · 30/09/2026

Yes. Completely different physical response (though it could lead to some similar symptoms in certain cases). I think a lot of people don't understand allergies in a lot of ways.

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Veronica Bartles @vbartles.com · 30/09/2026

Oh yes. Please forgive my typo. ;) #KidLitChat

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Veronica Bartles @vbartles.com · 30/09/2026

Yes! I think that's what makes the best creative partner relationships. Trust and support. #KidLitChat

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Veronica Bartles @vbartles.com · 30/09/2026

This is why I'm so diligent when creating recipes for people. I know how painful and frustrating it can be to not be able to partake in the delicious treats everyone is enjoying. #KidLitChat

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Veronica Bartles @vbartles.com · 30/09/2026

Yes, exactly. But of course the 1st step of the process was my (private, in my own living room where no one could see me) shouting and stomping temper tantrum where I loudly declared that there was no way I could possibly do such a thing. #KidLitChat

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Veronica Bartles @vbartles.com · 30/09/2026

Ugh. That's the worst! I'm the same with palm oil. 10-15 minutes after accidentally eating a bite of something that has it, I'm already feeling the effects. There are whole categories of foods I avoid unless I can see the entire ingredients list or quiz the chef on the recipe. #KidLitChat

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Veronica Bartles @vbartles.com · 30/09/2026

One of my most challenging moments of my writing career was when my editor for The Princess and the Frogs asked me to add 2 1/2 scenes to the book while simultaneously cutting 200 words from an already spare wordcount. She just trusted that I could. I felt so accomplished when I did! #KidLitChat

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Veronica Bartles @vbartles.com · 30/09/2026

Yes! My favorite kind of feedback is the type that says "this is what I'm taking away from what you've written here. Is that the impact you intended?" #KidLitChat

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Veronica Bartles @vbartles.com · 30/09/2026

I think we all need validation. Otherwise, this endeavor can be too hard! We get so much negativity at every turn, it's important to hear that we're doing well on the things we're succeeding in. I think it's important to have cheerleaders in our groups along with the critiquers & editors #KidLitChat

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Veronica Bartles @vbartles.com · 30/09/2026

The best science is dessert science! #KidLitChat

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Veronica Bartles @vbartles.com · 30/09/2026

I have more and more foods on my forbidden list every day. Often that's because the manufacturer has changed the recipe to include palm oil or an artificial sweetener that makes me ill. I have to make almost everything from scratch... which is why I have so many yummy recipes for treats! #KidLitChat

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Veronica Bartles @vbartles.com · 30/09/2026

The key is to put the Pop Rocks on *just* before serving, or the moisture in the frosting makes them pop prematurely. #KidLitChat

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Veronica Bartles @vbartles.com · 30/09/2026

I've had some extremely terrible feedback that's lead to some of my best writing. It just takes a determination to accept the "okay, this bit obviously isn't working for that person" and figure out what needs to be clarified to make sure it does work for my character and my story. #KidLitChat

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Veronica Bartles @vbartles.com · 30/09/2026

Very true! Palm oil does ruin a lot of things for me, but it's not worth the pain when there are so many other delicious things to eat that don't make me violently ill! Like frosted sugar cookies topped with Pop Rocks! #KidLitConfections #KidLitChat i-am-so-grateful.blogspot.com/2025/09/expl...

lime sugar cookies with strawberry frosting, topped with strawberry, cotton candy, and blue raspberry Pop Rocks candies

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Veronica Bartles @vbartles.com · 30/09/2026

The best creative partners are those who inspire you to be the best version of yourself & bring out the strongest version of your own voice. For me, that means someone I can trust to give honest feedback (no sugar-coating) without trying to change *my* narrative to fit *their* voice. #KidLitChat

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Veronica Bartles @vbartles.com · 30/09/2026

Sadly, I haven't been able to eat a poptart in over a decade, since they started using palm oil in their recipe. Sometimes I look at the "make your own poptarts" recipes and I'm tempted to do it, even though that basically defeats the purpose of a poptart. #KidLitChat

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Veronica Bartles @vbartles.com · 30/09/2026

Yes, which always makes me wonder if the hate for the font is just one more way that ableism rears its ugly head.

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Veronica Bartles @vbartles.com · 28/09/2026

Me too! I find it much easier to read (& I'm not the only one--there have been quite a few reports that talk about it being a more accessible font).

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Reposted by Veronica Bartles

AppleInsider @appleinsider.com · 28/09/2026

In a completely unsurprising turn of events, Meta's Muse AI is stealing Apple Messages, past and present, and uploading the contents to its cloud, even if explicitly told not to.

appleinsider.com

Meta's new AI agent blatantly ignores users permissions

In a completely unsurprising turn of events, Meta's Muse AI is stealing Apple Messages, past and present, and uploading the contents to its cloud, even if explicitly told not to.

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Veronica Bartles @vbartles.com · 23/09/2026

Well, if that 15 years of topics file is running low... sounds like it's time to circle back to the beginning for 2nd (or 3rd) drafts! Revision is my favorite part of the process!! ;) #KidLitChat

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Reposted by Veronica Bartles

Bonnie Adamson @bonnieadamson.com · 23/09/2026

We are idea MACHINES. And if that's a problem, it's a good problem to have. May we never run out of ideas! Thanks for tonight, everyone. See you next time. #kidlitchat

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Veronica Bartles @vbartles.com · 23/09/2026

Yeah, I'm going to do that. I'm wanting to take my grandson to a "1,000 Books Before Kindergarten" celebration at the library tomorrow morning, so I need to be rested well enough to be able to venture out of the house tomorrow. 'Night everyone! Thanks for another lovely #KidLitChat <3

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Veronica Bartles @vbartles.com · 23/09/2026

I write all of my first drafts in spiral notebooks too. I used to save the prettiest ones for "special projects" but then I never found anything special enough. Now, it just makes me smile to write in my prettiest notebooks on the regular! #KidLitChat

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Veronica Bartles @vbartles.com · 23/09/2026

That's the lovely thing about analogies. You can form them to fit wherever they need to! It's one of my favorite things about creative writing. :) #KidLitChat

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Veronica Bartles @vbartles.com · 23/09/2026

Oh yes! I love serving my ideas ala mode! (That really would be a good name for a podcast. Now I'm imagining that it would be my #KidLitConfections in podcast form, pairing books and delicious desserts in a whole new forum!) #KidLitChat

Close-up photo of a slice of Apple Walnut pie on a white plate with a pink and green floral border. The crust is flaky and golden brown, with sprinkles of cinnamon sugar, and there are multiple layers of apple slices and walnuts in the pie. There is a single scoop of slightly-melted caramel ice cream on top of the pie and a fork sitting next to it on the plate. In the background, slightly blurry on a wooden table top behind the pie slice, there is a pie dish with the rest of the pie, sitting in the middle of a green table runner.

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Veronica Bartles @vbartles.com · 23/09/2026

They never happen when I plan for them either. Yet the optimist in me keeps insisting on making these plans. I am feeling a bit better... although I might duck out of #KidLitChat a bit early tonight (as in... not stay chatting until an hour or more afterward) & go to bed

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Veronica Bartles @vbartles.com · 23/09/2026

I was all set to have one of those days today. Cleared my whole schedule so I could dedicate the day to some mss that have been feeling quite lonely without me lately... and then I woke up feeling sick and slept half the morning away and spent the rest of the day in a bit of a fog *sigh* #KidLitChat

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Veronica Bartles @vbartles.com · 23/09/2026

Or... in the context of our #KidLitChat... maybe it's really WiP-ped cream??

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Veronica Bartles @vbartles.com · 23/09/2026

I could. I used to make very beautifully merengues. But I don't particularly like them, so I haven't made one since I moved across the country from my parents (I used to make Lemon Merengue Pie for my dad's birthday because it was his favorite). Now, I just pile up the whipped cream! #KidLitChat

slice of 3.1414926 Ultimate Pie - a 6-layer confection with a chocolate crust, cheesecake base, and layers of caramel, salted caramel mousse, chocolate mousse, and whipped cream - on a white plate with a blue and green floral border, on a granite countertop in front of a full pie, with a single slice removed

Giant Brownie Sundae: a 10-inch diameter round brownie topped with 6 scoops of cookies-n-cream ice cream, hot fudge, hot caramel, a mound of whipped cream & chopped nuts

close-up photo of Peanut Butter and Chocolate Mousse Pie: a full pie in a pink glass pie plate, with one slice missing. The pie has a flaky, chocolate crust, with thick, fluffy layers of peanut butter mousse, dark chocolate mousse, and vanilla whipped cream.

popcorn pie with a caramel corn crust, yellow popcorn custard filling, and whipped cream in a glass pie dish on a mottled granite countertop

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Veronica Bartles @vbartles.com · 23/09/2026

Oh I have no prentensions at any degree of concentration. That's why I have so many things going at any given time. At the slightest whim, my ADHD brain can flit over to something new and shiny and work until it doesn't have that zing... and then I circle away to something else. #KidLitChat

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Veronica Bartles @vbartles.com · 23/09/2026

Ironically, I put down a sewing project tonight to join #KidLitChat ... but honestly, is anyone surprised that my brain immediately went to food analogies when I was asked about harvesting ideas? Baking and books are a perfect pairing! #KidLitConfections

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Veronica Bartles @vbartles.com · 23/09/2026

I tend to keep bouncing between multiple ideas in process in my brain/notebooks/files, so that I always have (at least) 10-15 things going at once (currently I think I have 100+ drafts in various stages). Eventually, I'll finish a whole bunch at once & start rebuilding! #KidLitChat

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Veronica Bartles @vbartles.com · 23/09/2026

Now I have to have my resident artist (aka my husband) draw said merengue suit for me! :) #KidLitChat

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Veronica Bartles @vbartles.com · 23/09/2026

I have discovered that when I stockpile ideas, they spoil rather quickly and become unusable. But if I start baking with them right away, I end up with a whole lot of half-baked tales, some interesting nibbles, and a few delicious stories to work with. #KidLitChat

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Veronica Bartles @vbartles.com · 23/09/2026

I dunno. #KidLitChat is usually a safe enough space that it's one place I don't need my full suit of armor...

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Veronica Bartles @vbartles.com · 16/09/2026

Speaking of choosing what to say "no" (and what to say "yes") to... I'm very glad I said "yes" to #KidLitChat tonight. But in order to make it on time, I once again said "no" to eating dinner at a reasonable hour... so now I'm off to find nutrients for my belly. See y'all next week!

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Veronica Bartles @vbartles.com · 16/09/2026

I agree. Whenever I write a "to do" list, I include at least a handful of things that I can skip if necessary without hurting my overall goal for the day but will make me feel extra-accomplished (or just be a fun little side quest) if I get to them. It helps me gameify my daily tasks! #KidLitChat

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Veronica Bartles @vbartles.com · 16/09/2026

It was HARD to say no, though! That first editor had actually been a major part of my early book-writing journey, and it would have made such a COOL story to be able to say "... and after all that, they ended up becoming the editor for my debut PB!" But they simply weren't right for it. #KidLitChat

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Veronica Bartles @vbartles.com · 16/09/2026

Yeah, that (and my dislike of Bezos) is what made me decide not to go that route. I will sometimes purchase books there if an author I love is on KU, but if there's any other option, I keep my book-purchasing $ out of Bezos' pocket. Which made it a no-brainer for me to choose not to do KU on my book

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Veronica Bartles @vbartles.com · 16/09/2026

I actually said "no" to an offer from someone I thought was my dream editor for THE PRINCESS AND THE FROGS. After an in-depth conversation, I realized that their vision for the finished book didn't align with mine. Luckily, I got another offer that turned out to be the perfect choice! #KidLitChat

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Veronica Bartles @vbartles.com · 16/09/2026

There's always something to be nervous about, isn't there? Sometimes I wish there was a clear step-by-step plan guaranteed to lead to success! But in the end, you just have to go with what your heart tells you after weighing the options. #KidLitChat

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Veronica Bartles @vbartles.com · 16/09/2026

I hope it's as delicious in your imagination as it was in real life! #KidLitChat

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Veronica Bartles @vbartles.com · 16/09/2026

I considered it when I got my rights back on my YA and put out my own self-pubbed version... but ultimately I decided the restrictions weren't for me. Especially since I'm such a huge advocate for buying books from indie booksellers and avoiding the big A as much as possible. #KidLitChat

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Veronica Bartles @vbartles.com · 16/09/2026

Yeah, that's when it's time to walk away. I've had that experience as well. #KidLitChat

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Veronica Bartles @vbartles.com · 16/09/2026

Yes. Unfortunately, she has to keep reminding me at almost every session. It's a hard lesson to internalize when I've been raised to be a people-pleaser! #KidLitChat

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