The Joy of Tiny Writing, KidLit Coaching & Crocheted Flower Vases
Weekly Literate Love: June 13, 2025
Happy Friday!
I’ve been in a picture book mood this week and was lucky enough to sit down with the authors of two picture books that I think the entire world needs to read. Immediately.
One of the books is sure to delight and prompt a laugh:
IT STARTED WITH A P with Brittany Pomales
The other book will immerse you in a whimsical world AND make you think deeply about your place in the real one.
That’s why I love picture books so much: they offer bite-sized bits of whimsy and thought to prompt connection, conversation and learning. And while traditionally, picture books are for kids, I believe that picture books are for EVERYONE, especially adults who could always use a moment to decompress and offer some insight and inspiration.
I share why all adults should read picture books in this post and offer a few favorites to add to your collection so you can take a picture book break, too. I think picture books are the perfect adult coaching tools to make learning life lessons quite enjoyable. Take a peek at these books and brighten up your weekend!
Keep reading for your weekly dose of literate love and click the button below to share with a bookish friend!
Happy reading & writing!
Stephanie
P.S: I am probably (!) going to share a picture book (or two!) inside my Writing to Heal Chronic Pain writing circle. If you’d like to learn more, click here. We start next week!
What I'm Reading:
If Tomorrow Never Comes by Allison Ashley
Do you need a reminder of why we need to reach for our dreams, cast our fears aside and live life like it’s the last night we have? This book is that reminder: If Tomorrow Never Comes by Allison Ashley. It’s the eve of Nora’s bone marrow transplant and she’s headed out to enjoy her last night before entering the hospital…which could also be her last night ever. An overheard conversation catapults her into the night of her life and perhaps the love of her life, too. Sadly, she slips away to start her new journey and leaves the man she left behind reeling. Fast forward a year later and Nora is doing well, ready to start her new, healthy life. When she runs into Jamie from that night, she’s elated….until she realizes he is her donor’s boyfriend. What comes next is a beautiful, emotional (and very ironic!) story told in alternating perspectives that prompts the reader to ask themselves so many questions: What do we want? What are we willing to leave behind? When will we let ourselves enjoy what might be waiting for us? Oh, this book has my heart.
The Midnight Library by Matt Haig
Oh, how my heart needed this book. The Midnight Library by Matt Haig has left me breathless, speechless and hopeful. Nora is struggling to find worth in herself and in her life and decides to end her time on Earth. But instead of dying as she intended, she’s found herself in the Midnight Library where she can live out every version of her life that could have existed for her had she made a different decision. As she tries to undo her regrets, both big and small, Nora learns about the path not taken and the multiple versions of herself that exist out there somewhere and just might, in fact, exist inside of her, too. Filled with pain and heartbreak, beauty and light, this book takes readers on a journey of radical acceptance, a journey that will leave them as a different person than when they started the book. This book is potent and powerful, heartbreakingly beautiful, filled with existential thoughts and could save your life….or at least how you feel about it. Whew. This book.
The Body Keeps the Score: Brain, Mind, and Body in the Healing of Trauma by Bessel van der Kolk
I’m gearing up for my writing circle on how to use writing to help heal from chronic pain, so I’m finally reading this book, a book I’ve read pieces of before. It’s a BIG book and it is FULL of content and admittedly, I might be skimming until I get to the end of the book on HOW to release stored trauma, but I’m definitely learning.
All the Perfect Days by Michael Thompson
This book is my book club pick for my private Substack community and it tackles a tough question: Would you wan tot know how many days you have left? Here’s the overview:
Family doctor Charlie Knight is in his late thirties, still playing tennis against the same people every Friday night. Still jogging the same streets every morning. Still treating the same patients every day—fixing the high blood pressure and arthritic knees of folks who've known him since he was a kid. But Charlie has a secret plan to escape. A plan to live the life he wants, even if the woman he was meant to do it with has left him behind.
But then Genevieve Longstaff comes back to their hometown, just as something extraordinary happens. Charlie begins to have a vision of the exact number of days a person has left until they die.
Charlie believes it's a gift. It certainly seems like one—after all, he's using it to help his patients, family and friends make the most of their to mend relationships, to travel, to retire. But this gift comes with awful consequences, and soon Charlie realizes there are things he doesn't want to know—especially about the woman he still loves.
What I'm Writing:
I started a sidekick journal this week! Or, a butt book….or a purse notebook…..or a pocket notebook. You decide.
Basically, it’s a notebook that you keep close-by to act as a trusted friend of sorts: track your goals, keep yourself organized, track new habits and anything you want or need to help you live a better live and reinvent it, too.
My sidekick journal is a small, flowery notebook that can go anywhere with me. It’s tracking my goals for the month, the amount of water I drink, my food log, reminders for appointments and meetings, the books I want to read, the things I don’t want to forget and much, much more.
Do you have a notebook like this? Tell me…what do you put in it?
What I'm Learning:
This week, I was lucky enough to win a free coaching session with Monica Mancillas, the author of SING IT LIKE CELIA, and other middle grade novels and picture books. We hopped on a Zoom call for 40 minutes and I asked every question I could think of. She gave me tips for the querying process, recommended courses and workshops, chatted about critique groups and gave me more inspiration to keep writing.
I loved it.
The best part? Monica is opening up her coaching services to include sessions like this one, editing and coaching support and even potential drop-in office hours. She’s warm and friendly, writes the most beautiful books and is eager to share what she’s learned with others on the journey.
Interested? Click here to learn more!
What I'm Loving:
Have you ever thought about using watercolors in your notebook or journal? This FREE class will help you get started. I’ll see you there!
Look at thee crocheted flowers….and coaster. BEAUTIFUL. I need someone to make me one of these, preferably with yellow followers. =)
Keep scrolling for my latest podcast posts and updates!
Podcast Highlights From the Last Week:
The Joy of Tiny Writing
On this episode of the Get Lit(erate). podcast, we’re talking about building a writing habit, one tiny sentence at a time.
Tiny writing is exactly what it sounds like: tiny micro-moments of writing that focus on the process of writing something nourishing down in the moment. Small moments, small sentences, even small notebooks can be just the thing you need to kick-off a writing habit and reap all of the benefits.
Come listen as I explore what tiny writing is, convince you why you need to give it a try and share ten ways you could start a tiny writing practice today.
From My Private Substack Community…
Every Sunday, I post additional content for my private Substack community to bring even more literate love to our lives. Here’s what I shared this week:
Sidekick Journal or Butt Book? You Decide!
Be sure to subscribe and add them to your TBR stack. Click the button below to subscribe. It’s just $5 per month!
Let’s Work Together!
I love to connect with others around our shared love of reading and writing.
Here are some ways we can work together to create a life you love where restorative reading and writing is at the center of it all:
🩷 Join my private Substack community for themed book calendars, bonus posts, book clubs and events each month!
📚 Connect 1:1 for personalized coaching to unlock the transformative power of your reading and writing life.
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🩷 Like and comment on this post so we can connect!
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Your tiny writing ideas are fantastic! I have another idea -- I was gifted a blank calendar made of watercolor paper which has 1" squares for each day and I take literally 1 min. and sketch a gratitude from the day in watercolor and a few words to describe the joy! I love that you're doing a watercolor in your sketchbook course -- it looks fantastic! The crocheted coaster/bouquet is adorable! I agree about reading picture books -- I do this now because of your inspiration! I listened to 2 of your latest KidLit podcasts and am borrowing from the library - It Started with a P, and A Little Like Magic. So much joy!