My stocking is hung with extra special care.
Also, still reeling from the Mslexia longlist notification.
Yours in hope and creativity and a reminder that if your unicycle, like mine, is still hanging from your garage rafters since 2019, maybe make 1/1/25 the date to balance your butt on the seat and start pedaling.
PB
I was just informed that my short story, PLAYING DEAD made the longlist for the Mslexia 2024 short story prize. I luff Mslexia. This is a big deal for me. The best part is I can tell my teen about it when I pick him up from school today.
Ironically, my longlisted story is about a teen in the early 1980’s–Prez Reagan decides to visit her little city–and chaos ensues– disrupting her already dysfunctional homelife.
Based on a true story, as they say. Sadly.
I write poetry and fiction for adults and children–check out my bio–which I will now update.
Yours in keeping on,
PB.
So here are happy pictures. Happy scrolling. Happy voting.
Cast: hummer, Bby Darwin, Arlo doggy, Shadow cat, Kaia (RIP), Valencia mtns., etc.
Placing in the SCBWI Sue Alexander Grant Competition tossed me into a novel-revising fever since my last post, interrupted by actual fever/flu and the teen getting fever/flu during the same week the husband got Covid and was quarantined in our bedroom for a week and then, just as all of us were finally healthy again, my in-laws arrived and I don’t know how you feel about your in-laws, but I’m crazy about mine and it’s very difficult to write/revise feverishly or at all when they’re here because we want to take them to restaurants we love and help walk their 2 little dogs that are also our guests and there are so many TV shows to view together, like ‘The Perfect Couple’ and ‘Unsolved Mysteries’ (especially Mothman/Bigfoot/Dogman eps) and there’s that new lady detective series on–can’t remember, but my MIL loved it and she and I stayed up late watching it together and giggling like kids.
Also during my in-law’s visit, my MIL and I and a friend toured the home of The Welsh Baker, a mum and dad operation specializing in Welsh cakes–which are like a thick cookie, but not a cookie and not a scone, although filled with scone-ish treats like currants and chocolate chips and fruit.Welsh cakes are also miners cakes–which I write about in my current work-in-progress–the WIP that placed in last year’s (that would be 2023, do not confuse with recent 2024 placing ha ha!) SCBWI Sue Alexander Grant competition.
For a year I’ve been writing about miners cakes, never having held them in my hands, smelled or tasted them. Until last Saturday.
I watched the cakes being made, ate samples served with clotted cream and jam and the Ted Lasso shortbread (they make that) and a side of Scotch egg (not my first Scotch egg experience, but definitely my best). I asked the bakery owners many questions about the cakes and who knew? That in my little mountain town (we’re actually a population of over 300,000 but you wouldn’t believe it if you lived here) and only a few miles from my house there was a bakery producing the very thing I’m writing about, the treat my protagonist loves more than chocolate or ice cream or vegetables (no matter how they’re prepared).
Yours in unexpected local gifts,
PB.
PS. I also purchased jars of clotted cream, lemon curd and black currant jam–which is black currant velvety loveliness it’s actually legal to consume.
My middle grade novel TROUBLE BENEATH THE WAVES placed 3rd in this year’s SCBWI Sue Alexander Grant competition.
Woo hoo!
Per SCBWI’s Kite Tales:
“A beachside setting and strong voice help set Trouble Beneath the Waves apart. The middle-grade excerpt by PB Rippey snagged third place. A judge wrote, “I was intrigued by this unique plot and the unusual, well-defined characters—and would have liked to read more of this story.”
I took TROUBLE BENEATH THE WAVES to the Big Sur Children’s Writers Workshops last February, receiving critique from Mae Respicio (seriously, click on the link and go and follow Mae–she knows what she’s doing, she’s brilliant) and Eric Elfman.
Last year my novel THE MONSTER AT ELIZABETH LAKE placed 4th in the same contest, although this year a 4th place slot was not announced. Grateful to have made the cut at 3rd Place.
Congratulations to the contest winner, Sherry Shahan, and 2nd place winner, Karol Ruth Silverstein. Looking forward to purchasing their novels from an indie bookstore in the near future. I don’t know Karol personally, but I’ve loved hearing her speak at SCBWI events, most recently at the last Skirball Writer’s Day.
Yours in carrying on writing/revising/revising/revising,
PB
Helloooo, August.
I write 6-7 days/week, but it was extremely challenging to haul my butt into the office chair for most of July as I’ve been grieving for my girl Kaia. We adopted her at 10 weeks old, she developed kidney disease at 2. See post, or just know that we did everything we could. My whole heart is with her.
IYKYK
Yours in honoring loves,
PB
So much focus these days on first pages of mss and I maintain my opinion that it CAN take more than a first page to keep a reader reading and that there’s nothing wrong with that, however,
the first page of THE CURSE OF EELGRASS BOG is the first first page I’ve read in an MG novel (and I read a lot) that secured my instant interest. So well done!
Mary‘s CURSE is intriguing, suspenseful, boundaries-pushing, well-plotted and her characters are easily recognizable/believable. I so appreciate Mary’s use of classical fairytales, spinning tradition with contemporary mores. Her powers of description and ability to evoke empathy from the reader for ALL major characters, even when some behave badly, make CURSE a satisfying and intriguing read.
Keep an eye on Mary Averling! She has more books coming out.
Yours in supporting authors,
PB
Kaia was 6 weeks old when she was snatched from her mom/siblings and thrust upon a single-dude who had never had a pet before by a friend convinced single-dude needed a puppy to make his single-dude life better.
Yeah. Don’t ever do that.
We swooped in when single-dude alerted (and good for him, he did the right thing) our local rescue and we rescued Kaia at 10 weeks and now, 2 years later, she has passed away from chronic kidney disease, most likely from toxins she was exposed to hanging out in single-dude’s garage every day while he was at work.
Kaia was a high-energy mix of German Shepherd, Pit, and Belgian Malinois, followed by husky, chow-chow and malamut. Never having had a high-energy dog before, we learned how to access our deepest levels of patience, training skills, how not to panic when Kaia barked at moms pushing strollers, how to consistently train, train, train. There were times we wondered if Kaia was supposed to be on a farm or ranch, maniacally running free every day–but the more we learned about her, the more we loved her and invested our hearts and knew she was ours and just as she was responding to the 2 years of training and love, her kidneys gave out and she passed away.
My magnificent, powerful, stubborn, SUPER SMART, precious, cats-loving, affectionate best girl. Morning walks are meaningless without her.
Yours in heartfelt memorials and sobs,
PB
I was hoping we were safe from fire activity until at least September due to our last rainy winter/spring.
Nope!
I’ve grown up with forest fires, have family members who have lost houses–yes, plural– to CA forest fires, am aware of how fast they can move and they terrify me.
So what I do is: Scoot pet crates closer to the garage door, as well as The Box, filled with crucial files and passports and the teen’s newborn pictures and hard copies of rough drafts and a rubber chicken because you never know when you might need a laugh if you’re evacuated to a parking lot or, preferably, Kauai.
Yours in wishing for stormy weather (but no lightning!) and yours in thanking the HEROES that are our firefighters,
PB
PS. Stay safe.
Research project happening as I revise the 1st 1/2 of my new middle grade novel.
Sometimes I procrastinate waaaaaay too much about what it is I think I should research, only to get my butt in my office chair, begin researching and have certain plot/character/action problems solved in SECONDS. Love that.
However, I also enjoy jumping into rabbit holes of facts and images related to what I’m writing. You, too? Usually:
I remember to set my alarm so I can crawl out in time to feed the picky mini zoo and make dinner for my humans and myself as it’s important (as you probably already know and never forget) for moms to eat, too–no matter how badly they just want to rush back to their still warm laptops.
Yours in the fun of researching amazing things,
PB.
Tiny violin on repeat this week and it’s only Wednesday, novel revisions continue, my teen takes his final school final tomorrow, camping at Lake Tahoe is scant weeks away (teen has never been camping), the dog’s blood test results are due tomorrow and we can go from there, probably some planet is in retrograde and yet others are obviously rotating normally, pigs still can’t fly unless they’re ocean seapigs, revision is 90% of my writing life, May Gray is morphing into June Gloom, I’m swimming laps in the freezing HOA pool, the most important people in my life are healthy and/or coping as the planet heats up, so–right on?
A devoted genre-jumper, today I’m focusing on one of my novels-for-adults. The following quotes are keeping me on track as I revise, sipping a Nespresso-espresso that may keep my eyes open at bedtime.
“What is madness but nobility of soul at odds with circumstance.”
—Theodore Roethke
“I can calculate the motion of heavenly bodies, but not the madness of people.”
—Isaac Newton
Yours in remembering to save and remembering to read quotes you’ve saved when craving insight into whatever you’re writing,
PB
PS. And here is a pet.
Mae’s new book was recently released. I’m halfway through and highly recommend it. Beautiful, sincere writing offering direct connection/insight into the novel’s young heroine as she navigates a brand new life in San Francisco, CA.
Mae was my workshop leader at February’s Big Sur Children’s Writers Workshops. She’s a gem in the kidlit world–read a few pages of ISABEL and you will immediately know why. I was lucky to meet her and hope our paths cross again in the future.
Here is Shadow snoozing on draft #10000000000000000000…
Yours in almost TGIF,
PB
Instagram: @pbrippey1
Been busy since this post, meeting self-imposed deadlines and requests for my writing. But now it’s spring break for my teen. Not going on a lengthy trip this year (last year: Route 66/Mitchell Caverns and other oddities). Instead we’re visiting family in my hometown, just up the coast. We e-biked, beachwalked, viewed the Space X rocket launch from my niece’s deck. First sonic boom I’ve experienced that was a low, rolling thunder rather than a windows-rattling KABOOM, which I tried to explain to my teen, but he is a cat whisperer and was busy connecting with my niece’s two rescues.
Yours in remembering that mini-breaks are psyche-reviving,
PB
Writers Day 2024 is my favorite SCBWI annual event as it’s held at the Skirball (therefore sentimental–when my teen was a toddler I took him to the museum’s Noah’s Ark exhibit, often). Lunch is included with the price and is not only reliably delicious, but served on an outdoor patio with a view of indigenous California nature. Right on.
A plethora of books are for sale, keynotes and breakout sessions are stellar–but go, experience it for yourself. And if you see me careening about (I am volunteering again this year), shout: PB! and I’ll freeze, focus and be so glad to greet you.
I don’t know if agent-pitch slots are still available. If so? Sign up.
Yours in memorizing loglines,
PB
Instagram: @pbrippey1
My only criticism of this conference: No critique groups should have been held in the lobby/lounge area of the hotel. The noise level there was distressing. Critique groups held in faculty suites should have been the norm (deeper critique shared and connections made because of the calm/quiet).
I had one critique group in a faculty member’s suite, one in the dreaded (though so pretty): Lobby/lounge.
That being said, both critique mentors I was assigned encouraged discussion, made time for writers to ask questions about publishing/writing/agents/editors/etc. Listening to the work of other MG writers was priceless, for me. I felt humbled and inspired (so many beautiful ideas in the making).
More perks: Editors panel, agents panel and lectures.
Yours in learning more about what you love (especially if the learning takes place in Monterey),
PB
2nd day, Big Sur Children’s Writers Workshops held not in Big Sur–Hwy 1 such a mess this time of year–but in Monterey, 4.5 hrs from home.
I arrived in Monterey with my husband the day before the conference started. Mini-break for parents. We explored Cannery Row, Pacific Grove: Otters, surf explosions, constant in-your-face beauty.
All of which helped settle my nerves when my husband and I parted and I joined the conference. I’m no stranger to critique, but I still get nervous when it’s my turn to read my own work to writers I’ve only just met. You, too?
2nd day: Listening to editors answer questions about their world, panels of authors describing writing processes, connecting with middle grade writers, enjoying meals at a venue curving around an Ireland-green golf course lined in cypress trees.
A woman in one of my critique groups traveled to Monterey from Halifax, Nova Scotia. She arrived late to the group, jet-lagged, exhausted–and read the most profound prologue to her YA work-in-progress.
Magic.
Yours in expanding your entire writing life,
PB.
PS. PB does not stand for picture book or peanut butter. It’s my nickname and my pen name. Have I not mentioned this? Sorry.
Pre-kidlit conference exploration of Cannery Row and dinner in Pacific Grove. Visiting Pacific Marine Laboratories never gets old as I can never not seem to romanticize Ed Ricketts. Never actually explored neighboring P. Grove before–its views are, to plop a cliche, sweeping. Next up: the kidlit conference.
Yours in exploring,
PB
This weekend is the Big Sur Children’s Writing Workshops/conference in Monterey. I’m going up a day early. But first is house-prep, setting up the guest room for my inlaws, baking stuff for the ravenous teen for the entire 3.5 days I’ll be away, setting up the cats’ feeding station, figuring out how my new portable printer works (thermal paper rolls are too scary and ridiculous), packing, scrubbing bathrooms, the kitchen floor, the refrigerator’s handles and most doorknobs, rushing to Office Depot for everything I asked them to print for me for the conference, so–come on, Monterey–get all your power back on, all your internet connections up and running now that your storm has passed and I’ll see you shortly and please, O San Andreas Fault: No hurriquakes.
Yours in packing mania,
PB
Read the latest edition of Kite Tales (tri-region SCBWI blog) and the interview with April Halprin Wayland via Paige Vinten Taylor. Valuable (IMO) advice/insights packed into one interview–excellent.
Yours in keeping creative minds humming,
PB
I’ve been successful in tearing my eyes away from the ocean in order to revise my new novel, the same I’m taking to the Big Sur Children’s Writing Workshops and that placed (tooting my horn again) in the SCBWI Sue Alexander Grant Competition.
If you, too, are going to the workshops next month, let me know! I’ve met two writers at this retreat who will be attending.
Also, the lively, shared meals here prove writers are not introverts when socializing with their herd.
Right on.
Pretty sure the constant white noise from the waves has lowered my BP–and the satisfaction of building and tending wood burning fires in my room’s fireplace.
Yours in the soothing just shush-it of breaking ocean waves,
PB
January is good.
Hummingbird on a branch, seen on my first powerwalk of 2024. The only bird that can fly backwards. Did you know they also catch insects with their whip-tongues?
Yours in birds as symbols of hope in 2024 (except when crows bully hawks–also seen on first powerwalk of year),
PB
Survived Trader Joe’s this morning (oh–you too?).
Watched closely by the cats, occasionally removing them from boxes, we de-Christmased the house. “WHAT ALREADY???” my friend texted. But we’ve had Christmas since 11/23, when we decorated our faux tree. As much of a Crazy Christmas Lady as I am, even I am ready to face 2024 w/out blinking lights and a Santa face in mine wherever I turn.
After packing up my favorite season, we’ll eat Panda Express and play Santa’s gift to us of Cards Against Humanity Family Edition.
And then we’ll drift to various parts of the house, gaming, reading, puttering, playing the piano and guitar (one of us enjoying a hot, lavender scented bath), until the ball drops.
Yours in wishing for Peace and a 2024 filled with promise,
PB.
PB Rippey Writes 
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