Laura Nelson Selinsky

Author, Teacher, Wife, Mom
(she, her)

[Laura Nelson Selinsky @huzzahlns]

@mellon_heads I had a lovely print of this hanging in the part of my classroom students called "the Tolkien shrine."

[Laura Nelson Selinsky @huzzahlns]

@Archie_SagiYama @buitengebieden Thanks for posting. It is hard to appreciate from the video just how much larger a mature bull moose is than most horses. If he hadn't stepped over the the fence, he could have walked through it with almost as little difficulty.

[Laura Nelson Selinsky @huzzahlns]

@courtneyellis Best wishes to your little candidate...I still hope she gets to follow exemplary women into the presidency.

[Laura Nelson Selinsky @huzzahlns]

@OldHollowTree @NewEnglandLass She has what is called "Titian red" hair, as well as Pre-Raphaelite red hair- so both you and the teacher are right.

[Laura Nelson Selinsky @huzzahlns]

@NewEnglandLass @OldHollowTree Your hair is certainly Titian red.

[Laura Nelson Selinsky @huzzahlns]

@philvischer And the book...the book was great fun, too.

[Laura Nelson Selinsky @huzzahlns]

@native_soul_ame Dear,
Happy birthday!
Have a year full of adventures!
Mrs.S.

[#WOMENSART @womensart1]

The Bayeux Tapestry, a 70 meter long medieval masterpiece created by artisan women, is actually an embroidery in crewel (wool yarn) on a linen ground. Depicting the Norman conquest of England, it was made in the 11th century & is now being displayed at the British Museum #WomensArt #BayeuxTapestry

[Laura Nelson Selinsky @huzzahlns]

@TipOfTheBanana Philly_area
Try_the_Peanut Butter
made_fresh_at_delightfully_old-timey_Edwards_Freeman_Conshohocken.
https://t.co/94A4RhcjNh

[Miranda Holmqvist @MirandaHqv]

Oh

[Bethany Fulk Hendrix @bethanyfulk]

Surprise! I am opening up to queries for two weeks only. The first week will start tomorrow! From September 1st-7th and October 1st-7th send me your MG, YA, NA, and Adult work if you think we'd be a good fit! I'm extra keen to find some cozy, cross genre horror, and fun fantasy!

[Katrina 🌙 @bookishmoons]

Excited to announce that I am now OPEN to queries and will be closing November 2nd ✨ I’m looking for upmarket literary fiction with weird/unexpected turns, steamy romances with women in STEM Fantasy with blends of gothic/mystery, Horror of all kinds, soft sci-fi, and more.

[Alyssa Matesic @AlyssaMatesic]

Here's the part of the query letter that authors tend to get the most (unnecessarily) anxious about:

The bio.

It's the final day of Query Prep Week, where I'm sharing free querying lessons to celebrate the launch of THE MODERN GUIDE TO QUERYING LITERARY AGENTS! 🎉

Good news: the bio is the easiest section to write, and it carries far less weight than you think.

The fear I hear constantly is some version of:

“I’ve never published anything, so I have nothing to put in my bio. Won’t an agent immediately reject me for that?”

No. Agents sign debut authors with no writing publications or credentials ALL the time.

In fact, in our survey of agents we conducted for our book, 60% said the average new author they sign has “no formal writing experience or credentials.”

If you have experience, great! But if you’re a newbie, no sweat, and you’re in great company.

You simply want to tell the agent who you are in a few sentences and highlight anything that makes you especially suited to have written this particular book. That’s it.

Here's your assignment today:

Write your bio in 2-3 sentences. What I would mention (in order):

✅ Prior publications (if you have them). Short fiction, essays, journalism, anthologies, other books (even if in a different genre). If you don’t have any, skip this.

✅ Writing credentials (if you have them). An MFA, a notable workshop or residency, an award. Only if it’s substantive — a general creative writing course anyone can take doesn’t necessarily need a mention. Again, skip if you don’t have any.

✅ What you do/did for work. This helps the agent understand how creative writing fits into your life and what background you bring to your story. It’s interesting for an agent to know, for example, if you’re an ER nurse writing a medical drama, or you spent a decade working in the region your novel is set in!

✅ Where you’re based. Agents will eventually need to know this if you engage in a professional relationship, and it’s helpful context since they’re hearing from people all around the world.

Here's what to leave out:

❌ Your age, or how long you’ve been working on the book
❌ Unrelated jobs or hobbies
❌ Your educational background unless relevant to what you’re writing
❌ Your plans for future books (you can discuss this with any interested agent on “the call”)

Viola! Easy as that.

Everything else you need to know — including how to build an agent list, how to strategically send your queries, and how to interpret the replies — is in our book.

Thank you for making launch week so special. Now go forth and query with confidence!

https://t.co/idFNz3JlrU

[Laura Nelson Selinsky @huzzahlns]

@garonnevik Our cat violently refused pills. We asked our vet if the cat could, please, please, switch to monthly injectable meds. The vet said they'd administer the pills. After 25 minutes the vet and tech emerged, disheveled and wide-eyed, with a spitting cat and agreed to injectable meds.

[👑 ♤ Lake Ontario  @LakeOntario16]

I was given my name by the Iroquois Nation many hundreds of years ago. By 1660 my name was printed on maps by the Europeans as they accepted the Native name which means Beautiful waters.
In 1867 the Canadian government decided to use my name for their providence.

[sophia stewart @smswrites]

idk if folks still do ~professional news~ on here but i've been promoted to senior news editor at @PublishersWkly! open as ever to tips, pitches, and industry gossip over coffee.

[The Berlin Literary Review @Berlin_Review_]

Submissions for the next issue are open for short stories, flash, poetry, and essays.

The deadline will be announced in around four weeks.

Full submission guidelines are available on the website.

❤️

[Alyssa Matesic @AlyssaMatesic]

Woke up today a published author, and I can't believe it.

The Modern Guide to Querying Literary Agents is OFFICIALLY HERE! 🎉

And it's a #1 New Release! 🤯

Thank you, thank you!

I’m so excited for you to get your hands on it and dig into all the data and statistics we’ve gathered from @QueryTracker, which have never before been available to querying authors.

[Jackie Singh @HackingButLegal]

This is a long shot, but you never know. If your child lost this little guy at the Amtrak station in Philadelphia today please tell me the name embroidered on his foot for verification and I will be pleased to mail him back to your family. (Keywords: toy rat philly kid found)

[Laura Nelson Selinsky @huzzahlns]

@SketchesbyBoze By all means, read (or listen) to Wildwood.
I listened to a wonderful audio production of Wildwood and loved it. Yes, I am adult, retired English teacher, and author, but the breadth of this children's story held up well for me.