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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-
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Category Archives: Fiction
Courage! (Neigh Edition)
I was late to retrieve the boy from school because I Face Sucked like a fiend AND watched the latest episode of “Once” on hulu AND in another open hulu tab caught up on the latest episode of “Revenge” WHILE checking … Continue reading
Posted in Adult writing, Avoiding My Writing, books, Children's Books, Fiction, middle grade, Pets, Steps In Promotion, Writer's Angst, Writing Progress, WTF
Tagged 2013, chaos, children's literature, Downton Abbey, Facebook, fiction writing, horses, hulu, life, Los Angeles, Masterpiece Theatre, middle grade writing, Once Upon A time, personal goals, preschoolers, Revenge, smoothies, writer, writer's angst, writing
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To All Rejections
To all rejections: I am building a cathedral. I am building a cathedral. I am building a cathedral. I am building a cathedral. I am building a cathedral. I am building a cathedral. I am building a cathedral. I am … Continue reading
Posted in books, Children's Books, Fiction, middle grade, Poetry, Quotes, Writer's Angst, Writing, Writing Progress, Writing Publications, Writing Tips, WTF, YA Novels
Tagged 2013, cathedrals, children's literature, empires, fiction writing, life, middle grade writing, personal goals, poetry, quotes on writing, Salisbury Cathedral, writer, writer's angst, writing
5 Comments
Flu 2
When I’m sick like this (somewhere near the darker side of the middle line between healthy and barely-not-dead), my limbs melted into the mattress, not asleep, though not alert, vaguely hearing my son and husband pretend-Kung-Fu in the living room, my brain distresses … Continue reading
Posted in Children's Books, Fiction, Poetry, Writer's Angst, Writing
Tagged 2013, Aimee Bender, children's literature, fiction writing, flu, Hollywood, Kauai, Marcel Proust, ocean, writing
7 Comments
Birthday Edition
On the eve of my hubbadobubbaboblah birthday: tucked my son into Pre-K, FB’d (i.e. avoided yoga), did yoga, even Superman, even V-ups, edited poems, sighed at the unicycle, edited poems, zoomed the boy to karate testing for his green stripe … Continue reading
Posted in Avoiding My Writing, books, Faction, Fiction, Me and Us, Poetry, Writer's Angst, Writing
Tagged 2013, birthdays, chaos, Coldplay, Downton Abbey, Elbow, fiction writing, Joan Collins, karate, Lego, poetry, preschoolers, time, unicycle, writing, yoga
2 Comments
And The Seat Moved
My sliced finger salved and bandaged, wiping cat gak off my bare foot, it was about then I remembered my promise to learn to ride the unicycle before my next birthday, so I went outside, snatched up my son’s helmet … Continue reading
Posted in Avoiding My Writing, dog, Fiction, Pets, Poetry, To Explain, Writing, Writing Progress, WTF
Tagged 2013, cats, dog, domestic bliss, fiction writing, labrador, personal goals, poetry, preschoolers, unicycle, writing
4 Comments
Quote For The Weekend
In order to write the book you want to write, in the end you have to become the person you need to become to write that book. ― Junot Díaz Today I am a 56 year old academic who wrote only … Continue reading
Posted in Fiction, Writing
Tagged 2013, Catallus, fiction, fiction writing, Junot Diaz, quotes on writing, writer, writing
5 Comments
Reading List 2013 (So Far)
This morning my husband burst through the front door, yanked the tiny earphones out of his ears and, flushed from his post-run endorphin rush, declared: The Death Of Bees, we must own it! The Death Of Bees, by Lisa O’Donnell (check out … Continue reading
Posted in Adult writing, Children's Books, Fiction, middle grade, Poetry, poetry reading, Writing, YA Novels
Tagged 2013, Ann Patchett, Anne Lamott, Dave Eggers, Dragons Love Tacos, Edward P. Jones, fiction writing, Help Thanks Wow, Lisa O'Donnell, Maria Semple, poetry, The Death Of Bees, The Known World, Tina Fey, unicycles, Where'd You Go Bernadette, writing, YA Muses
5 Comments
Holidaze
Seabiscuit. I’m working backwards—Seabiscuit with a cheesecake glopped in cognac whipped cream. Also called Vital Precedence due to a greed it’s important (vitally so) to indulge this time of year. A dozen kids galloping around our yard, dogs weaving between (or dodging) Ninja … Continue reading
Posted in Fiction, Writing
Tagged 2012, cheesecake, Christmas, Madonna Inn, poetry, preschoolers, Seabiscuit, writing
5 Comments
Mother Nature Wins
Around here, the skies are flannel and pursed. We can wear sweaters and scarves, for once, as we bring in our trash barrels from alleys. Pulling in the second recycling barrel, enjoying the feel of my silly polka-dot rain boots I … Continue reading
Posted in Avoiding My Writing, Fiction, Me and Us, Writing, WTF
Tagged 2012, fiction writing, Frodo, house finches, preschoolers, rain, red tailed hawks
2 Comments
Quote For The Weekend: Squirrel Edition Via Eliot
If we had a keen vision of all that is ordinary in human life, it would be like hearing the grass grow or the squirrel’s heartbeat, and we should die of that roar, which is the other side of silence. … Continue reading
Posted in Avoiding My Writing, Fiction, Me and Us, Writer quotes, WTF
Tagged 2012, chaos, falling snow plugin, fiction writing, George Eliot, quotes on writing, squirrels, suburbia, writing
6 Comments
Gopher Genius
Today, over on Nebula, writer Beth Hull’s website, Colonel Shifty offers up some vital, handy-dandy definitions of publishing terms. Secretly (or not) I am hoping that Colonel Shifty’s next post will be to announce the launch of his gopher T-shirt line–perhaps similar to … Continue reading
Quote For The Weekend (The After The Turkey Edition With Cats & Corn Pudding)
What greater gift than the love of a cat. —Charles Dickens We returned to find the dummy comforter on our bed upchucked on, the real bedding beneath saved (mwahaha!), a puddle of cat pee under the slopsink in the laundry … Continue reading
Posted in Fiction, Pets, Quotes, Writer quotes, Writing
Tagged 2012, cats, chaos, chardonnay, Charles Dickens, Close Encounters, domestics, Edward P. Jones, fiction writing, quotes on writing, Richard Dreyfuss, Thanksgiving, The Known World, writing
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Quote For The Weekend (Strickland Speaking–W/Swedish Au Pair)
You may have tangible wealth untold; Caskets of jewels and coffers of gold. Richer than I you can never be — I had a Mother who read to me. –Strickland Gillilan Who read to me: Mother, great-grandmother, grandmothers, godmother, great … Continue reading
Writing Advice
Just when I think I’ve read it all (which usually means it’s time to read more), the YA Muses post this. Loads of advice from debut authors. In fact, all week the Muses have been posting helpful writing advice from … Continue reading
Space Aliens Blow Up Fast Food Joints
Or: Writing In Increments (daylight edition) Between the post-workout shower and the trip to Redbox to return movies you suddenly noticed on the bookshelf as you craned your neck to see if your leg was straight as it pulsed to … Continue reading
Posted in Avoiding My Writing, dog, Fiction, To Explain, Writing, Writing Progress
Tagged 2012, aliens, cooking, dolphins, domestic bliss, fast food, fiction writing, karate, labrador, McDonald's, middle grade writing, organic, preschoolers, Starbucks, writing
2 Comments
And There Is A Storm And Here Is A Cat
Locust After the midnight bell, the battered book closed, flame of the inherited candle snuffed, we recover from stifling night, erasing radical dream-dyes we will never share (though not because we are secretive) and we remember I’ve just returned from … Continue reading
Good Morning Boo
I know it’s a grand revising day when I sit down at the computer to check email, but end up obsessed with the Word document on the desktop instead, until my son reminds me it’s time to brush his teeth so … Continue reading
Posted in Children's Books, Fiction, middle grade, To Explain, Writing, Writing Progress
Tagged 2012, Amazon, children's literature, email, Facebook, fiction writing, Goodreads, Halloween, hulu, Louise Hay, Lowes, middle grade writing, personal goals, Pinterest, preschoolers, pumpkins, The Pioneer Woman, Weelicous, YA Muses
7 Comments
Nebula
As I work insanely on revising and getting used to my new progressive reading glasses (gah!), I urge you to pop over to Beth Hull’s website and read what she has to say about pitching agents and matters of that … Continue reading
Notes From Around Town
As I idled at a red light, MacArthur Park and Alvarado, a spry, elderly woman entered the crosswalk, head down, waving her arms. She wore a crossing guard’s vest, jeans, running shoes. After she passed my car (of course she … Continue reading
Posted in Avoiding My Writing, Fiction, Writing, WTF
Tagged 2012, beach, Chango, chaos, Echo Park, Los Angeles, writing
5 Comments
PB Rippey Writes 
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