Category Archives: Faction

Death & Reckonings

I’m told change can’t arrive without grief. ‘Change’ was my middle name when I was a child. I begged for change. It fueled my drive for: self-preservation, better school grades, to hunt for goals my parents lectured me were good … Continue reading

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Shazamski (Goodbye Stress Version)

We are selling our home. I’ve read that the 3 greatest causes of stress in a relationship can be: $ $ Moving Antidote(s)=deep breaths, low-salt diet, always the ocean, ordering at least 3 crispy tacos from a food truck on … Continue reading

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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

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Retreat!

Faced with views custom-made to inspire writers, I didn’t. Write. Or edit the 50 pages I’d brought with me. Instead, I continued reading Michelle Obama’s Becoming. Occasionally I glanced up from the book and gaped at the storm–then I’d consciously … Continue reading

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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

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BACK TO SCHOOL

I sing-songed like Snow White as I whisked open his curtains. I raved about the smell of cinnamon pancakes filling the house as I jumped on his bed. I hit him with a pillow as I encouraged him to seize … Continue reading

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Ho!

Busy keeping my butt in a seat this week before Christmas (see everything Anne Lamott has ever written about the writing process). My son is under-the-weather, and while his feeling sick is not great, we are taking advantage of the … Continue reading

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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

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Crucial Weekends (Moaning Myrtle Edition)

  There is still only finishing my middle-grade novel (see previous post).   However, life outside writing continues to happen– my mother-in-law’s 80th birthday AND Mother’s Day, during which I was presented with a Hufflepuff hoodie, a Mother’s Day card … Continue reading

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This Happened (Dolphin Edition)

The last day of my son’s Spring Break, I took him whale watching. The only thing missing from this cloudy + exceptional day was my husband, who had to work, but he was adamant that my son and I get … Continue reading

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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

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Fire Update

It’s always an emotional rush to post great news: All evacuations have been lifted in the Santa Barbara fire zones (see previous post pbwrites). Best news, best news. In my little bit of the valley it’s blowing like heck again. … Continue reading

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Fire

The Thomas Fire. 3rd largest in California, making its way to 1st largest. I watch the burning via my computer, 70-ish miles south of family who live in Santa Barbara, Summerland, Carpinteria. My family evacuate, return, evacuate again due to … Continue reading

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Living The Good Old Days

“Hey, Mom?” my son said casually as he attached a Lego palm frond to a multi-colored Lego wall he was building on the coffee table as I ironed pertinent clothing near him and my husband raged in front of a … Continue reading

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#MeToo

I didn’t look at Twitter for 24 hours a few days ago. #ROSEARMY I posted a bit on FB. #metoo I switched FB from public to only friends. #WTH”FRIENDS”??? I’ve been reading FB and Twitter in bed before turning out … Continue reading

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Writer’s Retreat: What Was It Like?

SCBWI Working Writer’s Retreat, September, 2017 The “working” aspect in Working Writer’s Retreat (for me)=the retreat provided printers, so there was no excuse (for me) for not sprinting to my sparse (sweetly existential) weekend bedroom after a workshop, whipping open … Continue reading

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SCBWI WWR 9/2017

Me–prepping for the upcoming SCBWI Working Writer’s Retreat:     Fortunately I got in, thanks to iphone alerts, Alexa/Echo alerts, the wall calendar with a particular date circled so thickly in red it could never become invisible, no matter the … Continue reading

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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

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116 Degrees (T-Rex & Gladioli Edition)

Early days of 4th grade for the boy coincide with consecutive days of triple digit heat for valley dwellers, a box turtle possibly on a hunger strike because I won’t put her in her outdoor arena in triple digit heat, … Continue reading

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Summer Diary

  Not my rash! Finally. Fire breath. Thank you, GOT. I see you, arm muscle.  #workingout6weeksstraight Muscles missing. Hijacked in the night, IMO. So what? I have brie. Total eclipse of sun predicted. My prediction? Revision, revision, submissions, submissions….But only … Continue reading

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The New Now

I closed my laptop and asked my waitress, Lila, why she was clearly having a rough day. She started talking to me about her mom. I almost dropped my glass of lemonade. Lila’s mom rivals mine and I didn’t think … Continue reading

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Vacationing Hypocrite (Monterey Edition)

My son and I kicked off his summer vacation with a road trip north, first stop: Monterey’s Cannery Row–breezes that had us in our hoodies within seconds of stepping out of the minivan, views of the bluey bay, an aquarium, … Continue reading

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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

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Inspiration (Mother’s Day Edition)

What inspiration looks like. Feels like. That guy, reading me his MDay card.

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Heat Wave Revision

Today’s spring temperature high is predicted as: 86F. Which, in my sweltering valley, probably means: at least 90F. If not more. The MG novel I’m almost finished revising (this time around) has everything to do with global warming, pollution, the (mis)use … Continue reading

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