Blogging All Over The…
February 2026 M T W T F S S 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 
PB learns to ride the unicycle!
UPDATE: my unicycle hangs from a hook in our garage. Sometimes I tell it: I'll be back.January 1, 2025-
Join 343 other subscribers
-
Written To Date…
Category Archives: books
Quote For The Weekend (Heatwave Edition)
Have we fallen into a mesmerized state that makes us accept as inevitable that which is inferior or detrimental, as though having lost the will or the vision to demand that which is good? Such thinking, in the words of … Continue reading
Posted in books, Fiction, Writer quotes, Writing
Tagged 2012, Author quotes, heatwaves, life, Paul Shepard, Rachel Carson, Silent Spring, writing
2 Comments
Author Interview #1: Bridget Hoida And SO LA
Introducing Bridget Hoida, whose first novel, So LA, is due out in bookstores June 20th. I happen to personally know that Bridget is brilliant, but I can also tell you without a hint of bias that she writes about Los Angeles with … Continue reading
Posted in books, Fiction, Writing
Tagged 2012, Bridget Hoida, California, fiction, fiction writing, Joan Didion, Los Angeles, Michael Ventura, Robert McKee, So LA, writing
3 Comments
Wrinkly Time, Melamine
I recently discovered that anything made of melamine, i.e., my preschooler’s plates and bowls, should not be tossed into the dishwasher. Ever. And if you make a knife cut in melamine? Chances are toxins will seep into your child’s food. … Continue reading
Posted in Adult writing, books, Children's Books, Fiction, Madonna, Writing, Writing Progress
Tagged 2012, children's literature, fencing, fiction, fiction writing, life, London, Marcel Proust, melamine, Molly Ringwold, preschoolers, Swann's Way, yoga
2 Comments
Short Story Writing Drama
Because I’ve been a Glimmer Train Finalist several times and, once, long ago, when GT published poetry, a Top 25 Finalist, and because, of course, GT is one of the best fiction journals in the country, I subscribe and receive … Continue reading
KNOCK IT OFF, CUCKOO
Please go to this wonderful post by Beth Hull and read—especially if you are a certain literary agent. Or any literary agent or critiquing-type who believes they are so busy and important it’s perfectly fine to be brusque and quippish instead of … Continue reading
Posted in books, Children's Books, Fiction, Writing
Tagged 2012, children's literature, critiquing, cuckoo, fiction writing, Literary Agents, middle grade writing, yoga
3 Comments
Kindle Kinks
Kinks in my brain as I reach for pages to turn, repeatedly startled when THEY’RE JUST NOT THERE. The Content-O-Meter that obediently appears when I tap my finger on the screen does show me how far I’ve progressed in the book—but I … Continue reading
Quote For The Weekend (Rain Edition)
There’s always a period of curious fear between the first sweet-smelling breeze and the time when the rain comes cracking down. —Don DeLillo Yes. And a curious fear in the short time it takes to crack open the cover of … Continue reading
Posted in books, Fiction, Me and Us, Quotes, Writer quotes, Writing
Tagged 2012, Don DeLillo, Falling Man, quotes on writing, rain, White Noise, writer, writing
4 Comments
What I Can Do To Promote World Peace
548a.m. Pretty dark through the curtains. No birdsong. The bed is mine, S walking the dog, the boy snoozing anywhere from the next 15 minutes to the next hour. Barely awake, I feel the effects from gazing at my work … Continue reading
Posted in books, dog, Me and Us, Quotes, Writing
Tagged 2012, cats, chaos, domestic bliss, Facebook, fiction writing, Mother Teresa, preschoolers, quotes on writing, Sandra Fluke
1 Comment
Quote For The Weekend (Churchill Edition)
Anticipating the arrival of this plaque for my bedroom office so that every time I glance up from revising, whether it’s going well, or whether I’m making ghastly grammatical errors, whether my mind is filled with creative synapses, or is … Continue reading
Posted in books, Fiction, Quotes, Writer's Angst, Writing, Writing Progress
Tagged 2012, personal goals, quotes on writing, Winston Churchill, writer's angst, writer's block
3 Comments
Quote For The Weekend (Poem Edition That May Last Until Next Weekend Due To Secret Project, Beautifying The Ponderosa & After Effects Of Polishing Off Box Of Birthday See’s Candy & Snickers Bar Cake—Which Created The Most Hyper Preschooler On The Planet)
This poem won me a fellowship to the Abroad Writers’ Conferences. I debated thoroughly utilizing the generous benefits of my fellowship and hightailing it to Thailand, especially as my dear, cool, ever-fascinating friend Chris Abani was a workshop leader and how … Continue reading
Posted in books, Poetry, Writing, Writing Progress
Tagged 2012, Abroad Writers Conferences, Chiang Mai, Nightmares With Moons, poetry, preschoolers, Pudding House, Thailand, writer's retreat, writing
1 Comment
Quote For The Weekend (Late Edition As Was OOT With Feet In Ocean, Wot!)
Most of us are called on to perform tasks far beyond what we can do. Our capabilities seldom match our aspirations, and we are often woefully unprepared. To this extent, we are all Assistant Pig-Keepers at heart. —Lloyd Alexander I … Continue reading
Quote For The Weekend (Pulled Muscle Edition)
“Writers are notorious for using any reason to keep from working: over-researching, retyping, going to meetings, waxing the floors–anything.” —Gloria Steinem I opened the door to my son’s classroom and an invisible claw grabbed the muscles in my right side and … Continue reading
Under The Never Sky
Finally, my Amazon pre-ordered copy of Veronica Rossi’s debut novel arrived. This afternoon I heard a thump on the front porch, opened the door and found the package (it was sealed at the time, of course). The UPS man placed … Continue reading
Posted in books, YA Novels
Tagged 2012, fiction writing, Under The Never Sky, Veronica Rossi, YA Muses, YA Novels
2 Comments
Quote For The Weekend (Christmas Edition)
The best sitting room at Manor Farm was a good, long, dark-panelled room with a high chimney-piece, and a capacious chimney, up which you could have driven one of the new patent cabs, wheels and all. At the upper end … Continue reading
Posted in books, Children's Books, Quotes, Writing
Tagged 2011, Charles Dickens, children's literature, fiction, writing
Leave a comment
Writer’s Day 2011
This photo is from the SCBWI Central-Coastal Writer’s Day 2010, at which I won a Special Mention for my middle grade novel and half off the price of this year’s Writer’s Day, which took place today, all day, and in which … Continue reading
Posted in books, Fiction, middle grade, Writer's Angst, Writing
Tagged 2011, Lin Oliver, middle grade writing, SCBWI, Writer's Day 2011, writer's retreat
2 Comments
Quote For The Weekend (TGIF Edition)
Gore Vidal on E. Nesbit (1858-1924): “I do not think it is putting the case too strongly to say that much of the poverty of our society’s intellectual life is directly due to the sort of books children are encouraged … Continue reading
Posted in books, Fiction, middle grade, Quotes
Tagged 2011, children's literature, E. Nesbit, Five Children And It, Gore Vidal
1 Comment
NBF Torture
I find this disturbing and wrong and a certain deeply suspicious/dark sunglasses wearing/fedora sporting/trenchcoat draped (except not in this heatwave)/notebook carrying (yeah, enough already) part of me wonders what the real story is. NATIONAL BOOK AWARD YOUNG ADULT NOMINEES ARE BACK … Continue reading
Posted in books, Fiction, Quotes, Writer's Angst, WTF
Tagged 2011, children's literature, Lauren Myracle, National Book Award 2011, Shine, writer's angst, writing
Leave a comment
The Elusive Palomino
As I was writing/editing and avoiding my laptop’s Internet connection in my bed office yesterday (see canny Zadie Smith quote from previous post), utilizing the sweet patch of me-as-writer time following leg-destroying yoga and before I was to pick my son up … Continue reading
Posted in Adult writing, Avoiding My Writing, books, Fiction, middle grade, Poetry, poetry reading, Quotes, Writer's Angst, Writing, Writing Progress
Tagged 2011, fiction writing, middle grade writing, Modern Family, palominos, personal goals, poetry, preschoolers, TV, writer's angst, writing, Zadie Smith
3 Comments
DUMMY
I have a new special writing/revising trick. Starting with the first three chapters of my novel, I copy and paste them into a brand new fresh document, print, then edit/revise/correct/read-aloud/enhance/make-marvelous, etc. I throw the hardcopy edits into the brand new … Continue reading
Quote For The Weekend
I’ve been so busy writing, I haven’t blogged this week—except for this about my armchair—and now this quote for the weekend. Preschool has started up again at last (which my son loves—who wouldn’t love fingerpainting with chocolate pudding?) and I’ve had the … Continue reading
Posted in books, Quotes, Writing
Tagged 2011, children's literature, domestics, His Dark Materials, middle grade writing, personal goals, Philip Pullman, preschoolers, writing
Leave a comment
Book Rave
I’m only 1/3 of the way in, if that, and: I love it. I judged a book by its cover and my decision is utterly paying off. I’ve read W.G. Sebald. So instead of my brows flying up in consternation/skepticism upon … Continue reading
Posted in books, Fiction, Writing
Tagged 2011, fiction, fiction writing, Ransom Riggs, teen drama, W.G. Sebald, weird books, writing
1 Comment
Spa Buzz
It sounds silly, but: I survived the MWO. Within an hour of being at our desert spa destination, I toured, floated on rafties in that one charming pool, flew on tiptoes to my chaise, applied Burt’s Bees sunblock to my nose, … Continue reading
PB Rippey Writes 
You must be logged in to post a comment.