Reimagining the world through the magical question: What if?

There are many sides to every story...

and I want to discover them all!

Creativity is the cornerstone of life, and our stories are the building blocks. We learn from each other, and we make a better, stronger world when we take the time to listen to all voices. Especially when we make an effort to lift those voices that have been silenced for far too long. I believe that all stories deserve to be told, but they are not all mine to tell. (Check out my book recommendations link for some of my favorites by other amazing storytellers!)

Veronica Bartles on Youtube
@vbartles on RedBubble
Proud member of Authors Against Book Bans - link to AABB website
Veronica Bartles favorite books at bookshop.org
@vbartles.com on Bluesky
Veronica Bartles on TikTok
Veronica Bartles' Pinterest boards
Veronica Bartles on Instagram

I write books where "Happily Ever After" is just a bit more than what the Brothers Grimm imagined it would look like. Books where the princess gets to choose her own happy ending.

 

I believe...

  • Everyone has a story to tell.
  • Failure is the best way to find success.
  • You can find adventures in the most mundane places.
  • Grey, drizzly days are the best. That's when rainbows come out to play!
  • We see most clearly the things on which we put our focus.
  • You can do more than you believe you can.
  • It's important to hear all stories.

 

books are magical!

When we read, we are able to see worlds we have never visited, make friends with people we have never met, and travel beyond the limitations of our own narrow experiences. This is why I am a proud member of Authors Against Book Bans. All readers should see themselves reflected in the books they find on library shelves. And all readers should see others reflected there too.

Veronica Bartles, a middle-aged white woman with green hair and green glasses, wearing a shirt with blue, purple, and green swirls reminiscent of peacock feathers, leaning forward with her chin on her hands and smiling in front of a backdrop of trees

Sign up for my mailing list!

I don't send emails very frequently, though I'm trying to be more consistent. I try to send something out every two or three months, but you'll probably only hear from me a few times a year, to be honest. Of course, when I have exciting news to share, you'll be the first to know!

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Media Kit

The Princess and the Frogs by Veronica Bartles, illustrated by Sara Palacios: a princess with dark hair and a pink dress skips across a bed of lily pads with 4 green frogsThe Princess and the Frogs: high-resolution image
The Princess and the Frogs by Veronica Bartles, illustrated by Sara Palacios: a princess with dark hair and a pink dress skips across a bed of lily pads with 4 green frogsThe Princess and the Frogs: book info PDF
Veronica Bartles, a middle-aged white woman with green hair and green glasses, wearing a shirt with blue, purple, and green swirls reminiscent of peacock feathers, leaning forward with her chin on her hands and smiling in front of a backdrop of treesVeronica Bartles: high-resolution author photo
illustration of author Veronica Bartles, wearing a green skirt and purple shirt, stepping onto her books, Twelve Steps, and The Princess and the Frogsabout Veronica Bartles: author information PDF
illustration of author Veronica Bartles, wearing a green skirt and purple shirt, stepping onto her books, Twelve Steps, and The Princess and the FrogsMedia Kit .zip file
screenshot of author visit brochure: rectangle with sections of green, blue, cream, and pink, containing photos of author Veronica Bartles, and text about author visitsVeronica Bartles Author Visits PDF brochure
Twelve Steps by Veronica Bartles: two sets of feet, one with purple boots, and one with jeans and black shoes, facing each other, while standing on a patch of green grassTwelve Steps: high-resolution image
illustration of Twelve Steps by Veronica Bartles: two sets of feet, one with purple boots, and one with jeans and black shoes, facing each other, while standing on a patch of green grassTwelve Steps: book info PDF

 

Download high-resolution images or PDF files with information about me and my books by clicking on the links above. Or click here to download a .zip file with all of these files together.

I have a brain tumor.

illustration of a brain, with a tumor in the brain stem area
  • But that doesn't define me.
  • A brain tumor is something I have.
  • It's not who I am.
  • Don't call me an inspiration.
  • I'm not a symbol of anything.
  • Don't think you have to rescue me.
  • I'm not a damsel in distress.
  • Life isn't easy, but I'm still me.
  • I'm more than an invisible disability!

 

You can find the whole story on my blog.
Read More

I love cooking & baking

I can make just about anything in the Crock Pot -- including pizza and lasagna!

But I also love to bake. Especially cookies and all kinds of desserts.

One of my favorite hobbies is creating new recipes with unexpected ingredients.

I love it when my friends challenge me with ingredients to try in new and different ways, and I've discovered some favorite flavor combinations that I didn't expect to love.

Chocolate and cinnamon in chili?

Yep.

Cayenne pepper in brownies?

You bet!

And every Christmas, my family hosts a cookie party for our whole neighborhood, with fun flavors like Lemon Basil, Maple Bacon, and even Garlic Chocolate Chip!

KidLit Confections in bold text above a cartoon penguin, sitting on a stack of books and reading THE PRINCESS AND THE FROGS by Veronica Bartles and Sara Palacios. A cartoon hippo in a chef's hat and apron, holding a tray of freshly-baked cookies, stands next to her. Artwork by Philip Bartles

 

My Recipes

some of my favorite things:

  • books
  • swimming
  • brussels sprouts
  • really dark chocolate
  • making cookies
  • writing books
  • pink roses
  • lists
  • camping
  • graphic design
  • inventing new recipes
  • reading books
  • long walks
  • movies
  • sparkly pens
  • collecting books
  • broadway musicals
  • board games
  • rainbows
  • frogs
  • dancing
  • thunderstorms
  • talking about books
  • sing-alongs
  • road trips
  • books

Official Author Bio

Veronica Bartles, author of TWELVE STEPS (Young Adult contemporary novel), and THE PRINCESS AND THE FROGS (Picture Book fairy tale retelling), loves to ask “What If?” She believes there are many sides to every story, and she’s determined to discover every single one! When not writing or reading, she likes to invent new cookie recipes and knit things from recycled plastic bags. She’s an incurable optimist who loves gray, drizzly days because that’s when rainbows come out to play. Veronica is a proud member of Authors Against Book Bans. She is the creator of the hashtag #KidLitConfections, and she coordinated the MD/VA/DC Read Local Challenge from its inception in 2015 until it ended in 2023.

Other interesting things:

I am autistic, and I have ADHD. But I wasn't diagnosed until I was 45 years old, so I spent most of my life feeling like I just wasn't trying hard enough to do things "right." Now, I am having fun discovering lots of ways that my brain simply works differently than the brains of my neurotypical friends and family.

I've learned a lot of things (jewelry-making, basic woodworking, graphic design, and website-building, for starters) because someone assumed I already knew how and asked me to teach a class about it. I was too shy to speak up and say I didn't know how to do it, so I had to learn fast! Thank goodness for how-to books, online classes, YouTube tutorials, and good ol' trial-and-error!

I was a member of the OneFourKidLit debut author group together with some super-awesome authors, who I still fangirl over!

I have over 2,000 books in my home library--and I have read most of them more than once!

I'm a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, and of all my favorite books in the world, my very most favorite is the Book of Mormon.