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Category Archives: books
SCBWI WRITERS DAY 2020
UPDATE: EVENT CANCELED (but you probably already know this) Stay safe, self-quarantine as much as you can, take deep breaths, don’t watch too much news, CALM is a great meditation app, hydrate, catch up on reading the tower of books … Continue reading
Posted in Avoiding My Writing, books, Children's Books, Writing
Tagged 2020, books, COVID-19, kidlit, Literature, Noah's Ark Skirball, SCBWI, SCBWI Writers Day 2020, Skirball Cultural Center, tweens
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Poem
Flawbag There is the girl, woman this 3:02p.m., midway on twinkling crosswalk. Her voice thumps her hip, tucked in a dropped- bottom bag working on its 5th shoulder strap. Walk-lope: she doesn’t like you, though it is doubtful she could … Continue reading
Posted in books, Fiction, Poetry, Writing
Tagged 2019, books, humanity, Inspiration, life, poetry, whothefuckcares, WTF
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Birthday Alarms
I was wide awake before Monday’s morning alarm chimed, plotting what errands I would accomplish, in what order– when my brain was hit with edits to my novel-in-progress. I threw back the covers and staggered for the dining room table, … Continue reading
Posted in books, Children's Books, Faction, Fiction, Writing
Tagged 2019, 4, Action dolls, birthdays, cats, Dogs, domestics, faction, fiction, kids, novel writing, RGB, writing fiction
3 Comments
Octopus Garden
Because of my love for the ocean and its creatures, I aspire to hosting this kind of ocean-themed party (thus avoiding my fear of scuba diving, while still having a great time, and without attracting great white sharks–no matter their … Continue reading
Posted in Avoiding My Writing, books, Faction, Fiction, fish, Writing
Tagged 2019, fears, Joy, kite festivals, kites, ocean, Octopuses, scuba diving
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Rain Or Shine: Strike On
A couple of weeks before the strike, I was John Snow: I knew nothing. There are always excuses I can credit a busy mother. But everyone is busy. I simply wish I had paid any attention to events leading up … Continue reading
Posted in books, Children's Books, Poetry, Writing
Tagged 2019, art, Beutner, books, Caputo-Pearl, Family, humanity, Inspiration, life, Teachers strike, UTLA, UTLA Strike, writing
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Hunting
230am, the dog’s nose a wet Q-tip on my ear, his drunk-carny’s breath. I rise, stumble to the patio door, let him out. Waiting, I realize my right foot is wet. I panic: blood? Cat vomit. I stumble to the … Continue reading
Posted in Avoiding My Writing, books, Fiction, Writing
Tagged 2018, bad guys, books, cats, chocolate chip pancakes, coffee, Dogs, domestics, faction, Family, fiction, insomnia, Inspiration, life, Literature, Mary Louise Parker, poetry, Tarantino, Tom Selleck, writing, WTF
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Dav Pilkey in Redondo Beach
Whenever it was tickets first went on sale for this event? Stayed up until 12:01a.m. so that I could be one of the first to nab them. Can I just say–I’m glad I was a night owl as the event … Continue reading
Posted in books, Children's Books, Fiction, middle grade, Writing
Tagged animals, books, Captain Underpants, Dav Pilkey, Dog Man books, Family, Inspiration, kidlit, Literature, middle grade novels, movies, Redondo Beach, Thanks, writing
3 Comments
Lost Time
Yesterday I was driving home from Trader Joe’s, my mind deep in my novel. I am SO close to finishing it I can see the end and I was excited about what I was seeing. Then a street sign yanked … Continue reading
Posted in books, Faction, middle grade, Writing
Tagged 2018, books, Inspiration, life, Literature, middle grade writing, Trader Joe's, writing
2 Comments
SCBWI Los Angeles Writers Day 2018
I’m going. Are you? Gary D. Schmidt is giving the keynote. That’s right, author of one of my favorite YA books: ‘The Wednesday Wars’. You’ve probably already read it, but here’s the SCBWI GDS Interview from 2/16/18. I especially … Continue reading
Posted in books, Children's Books, Fiction, Writing, Writing Progress
Tagged 2018, books, Gary D. Schmidt, Inspiration, LA Writers Day 2018, Literature, Middle Grade Fiction, SCBWI, Susan Orlean, The Wednesday Wars, Twitter, writing, YA Novels
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Home
Usually I’m the one taking our kid on a road trip and usually during the summer, but this week my husband took our kid on a road trip for 2 days to visit family up north and I was suddenly: … Continue reading
Posted in books, Children's Books, dog, Faction, Fiction, Writing
Tagged 2017, animals, books, California, cats, Christmas Decorations, Descanso Gardens, Dogs, dreams, Earth, Echo Park, Family, Griffith Observatory, Health, humanity, Joni Mitchell, kittens, life, Literature, Los Angeles, Los Feliz, Madonna Inn, movies, Thanks, writing
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Disaster Adjacent (Eavesdropping Edition)
Time: 1:00p.m. Temperature: 109 & rising I was in Trader Joe’s for last minute holiday weekend supplies. I don’t usually notice conversations going on around me in Trader Joe’s as I squint at my list, trying to remember what I … Continue reading
Posted in books, Faction, Me and Us, Writing
Tagged 2017, Climate Change, climate science, Earthquake kits, Extreme weather, Flooding, heatwaves, Hurricane Harvey, La Tuna Cyn Fire, life, Malibu, Reseda, Trader Joe's
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Where I Discovered Poetry Last Weekend
Here: And here: How my family inspired me last weekend? Via this: And this: And this: What it feels like to finish a pre-mini-vacation writing goal and move to the next? This: Came down with the flu upon returning from family shenanigans. However, today … Continue reading
Posted in Adult writing, Avoiding My Writing, books, Children's Books, Faction, Fiction, Me and Us, middle grade, Poetry, Writing
Tagged 2017, books, flu, graduation, Health, humanity, life, Literature, novels, Pets, Sacramento Delta, swimming pools, UC Davis Med School, writing
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Third Eye (April Edition w/Cat)
Woke up at 430am, pressed on with the last 40 pages of revision, my 3rd eye drowsy, but game. Now that I’m wide awake, overly caffeinated and the little boy is at school and the husband is off to heroic … Continue reading
Posted in books, Children's Books, Fiction, Pets, Poetry, Writing
Tagged 2017, books, cats, Critique, Family, Literature, middle grade writing, Muses, Pets, poetry, revision, The New Yorker, Third Eye, writing
2 Comments
SCBWI-LA Writers & Illustrators Day 2017 (Links Edition)
I was asked by SCBWI-LA to write about my experience at the recent WID. The piece is up on the Kite Tales blog. 1, 2, 3: LINK. Such a luxury for me to discard certain hats (taxi-mama, chef of sorts, … Continue reading
Posted in books, Children's Books, Faction, Fiction, Poetry, Writing, Writing Progress
Tagged 2017, books, Kate Messner, life, Lisa Cron, Literature, Los Angeles, middle grade writing, Picture Books, SCBWI, SCBWI Writers & Illustrators Day, Skirball Cultural Center, Wired for Story, Writers Conferences, writing
2 Comments
Healing By Degrees (FB Edition)
“What wound did ever heal but by degrees?” —-WS, Othello I’m talking Snapchattish-brief degrees. My impatience won out. I weeded Facebook ‘friends’ after the election and the first peaceful march–in which I marched, peacefully, surrounded by like minds. After this weeding and … Continue reading
Posted in Adult writing, books, Faction, Fiction, Writing
Tagged #45, 2017, books, California, Climate Change, Cute animal pix, Earth, Facebook, Family, history, humanity, JK Rowling, life, Michelle Obama, NRDC, NY Times, Othello, Planned Parenthood, Shakespeare, Tribbles, WaPo, weeding, writing
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Hearts
Just. So. Simply. Timely. And simply nice.
Posted in Adult writing, books, Children's Books, Faction, Fiction, Poetry, Writing
Tagged 2017, animals, California, dolphin heart, Earth, Family, hearts, humanity, life, Literature, Thanks, valentine's day, writing
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SCBWI
Have you registered for the (Los Angeles chapter) SCBWI Writers & Illustrators Day 2017? It’s happening February 25th at the Skirball Cultural Center, a venue I once frequented in order to exercise my former toddler in the intriguingly lit Noah’s Ark … Continue reading
Boo On Drugs
I wrote in a frenzy from 10 a.m. to 1:00p.m., then lay down for a nap before zooming to fetch my 3rd grader from school, but my iPhone was on mute, so I didn’t hear the alarm, but I did hear, … Continue reading
Posted in books, Fiction, Poetry, Writing
Tagged 2016, art, books, Emily Dickinson, Family, Halloween, hope, humanity, life, Literature, Los Angeles, Muses, Sexy Mama, Ventura Blvd., Zen
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Louise Penny
Where has Louise Penny been all my life? I was completely not swept up, but vacuumed into A Great Reckoning and have since been binge reading the Chief Inspector Gamache novels–but I have to say, so far the other books … Continue reading
Posted in Adult writing, books, Fiction, Poetry, Writing
Tagged 2016, art, books, Canada, Chief Inspector Gamache, Dogs, Literature, Louise Penny, Murder mysteries, Muses, Three Pines, writing
2 Comments
PB Rippey Writes 
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