Tomi Rues - June 2025 Featured Author
Tomi Rues is an educator and writer. She has an M.A. from Colorado State University. As an elementary school librarian, she spent every day being a literacy advocate. Best job ever! She has written for Rosen Publishing’s LevelUp adaptive reading program and has two middle-grade nonfiction books scheduled for release in 2025 (Mitchell Lane Publishing).
Congrats on your recently released middle grade nonfiction book, All About Facebook, which was released in January 2025. Tell us a little about it!
All About Facebook is part of an entertaining and informative All About Social Media series published by Mitchell Lane Publishers. The books discuss the history, culture, and fun features of popular social media apps. They also have a Find Out More section, a helpful index, and tips for staying safe online.
What is your daily writing routine?
I love to write early in the morning before the world creeps in and takes my attention in other directions. In the past, I have tried writing for specific amounts of time or until I reached a certain word count, but lately, my goal is just to write every day—and to have fun while I’m doing it!
Do you have a critique group? And if so, how has that group been beneficial to your career?
Yes, I belong to a few critique groups, and I am very thankful for my critique partners. They are amazing, and I am a better writer because of them. It’s very important to have other writers critique our work. They will see things that we don’t because we are so close to the writing. At the end of the day, it’s all about becoming better, and that’s what good critique partners help us do. It’s also a wonderful opportunity to network and to help others.
What do you love about being a writer?
Just being able to call myself a writer is amazing. It’s a dream come true! Specifically, what I love is getting lost in a good story. I love it when I’m so immersed in writing that the whole world has stopped, and I’m just in the world that’s on the page. I also love going back and reading something and laughing out loud. My kids think it’s funny when I crack myself up. I can’t help it. I have a unique sense of humor sometimes. I love it when I share something I’ve written with children and they gasp, laugh, or ask me to read more.
What is the best advice you've ever been given about writing? What advice would you give to someone who is just starting out?
How much time do you have? I love giving advice! I love helping people. Best advice that I have heard over and over: Get your butt in the chair and write. It really is that simple. It doesn’t need to be perfect. In fact, it won’t be perfect. At all. And that’s okay. Just write.
The advice for someone just starting out is to believe people when they say the world of publishing is slow. It’s sooooo slow. It helps to be patient, which can be hard. Keep showing up and put in the work. Revise, revise, revise. Listen to others, but trust your gut. Take classes (both free and paid), learn, learn, learn. Attend SCBWI conferences, both in person and online. Try writing for various genres and age groups. Trust me, you'll find what you're good at. And lastly, if being a writer is important to you, stick with it. You will get better, and you will have success.
What are you currently working on? Anything else upcoming you'd like us to know about?
I am revising the third book in my beginning chapter book mystery series and working on a middle-grade novel. My dream is to write books that kids want to read. Nothing is more important than kids loving reading. This makes me happy.