Tag Archives: books

Christmas 2025

Posted on December 29, 2025 by PB Rippey

If your Fall/Winter was challenging, too, here are photos from mine that keep my chin up and my imagination flowing. e, PB

Posted in Writing | Tagged 2025, Black cats, books, Bookworms, children's literature, Cuckoo Song, Ellen Hopkins, fiction writing, Ghosts in the Walls, imagination, JFK, life, personal goals, poetry, Synch, writer | 2 Comments

Books on my desk that I squint at regularly as I world-build, revise, calculate financial bits, worry, shed a tear, laugh at something I’ve created (hopefully not unkindly), revise ad nauseum–yet books I never see. Seeing, replacing a few titles. … Continue reading →

Posted in Writing | Tagged #amwriting, 2025, Barry Gibb, Bee Gees, books, children's literature, creative-writing, Disco, Disco ball lights, Eats Shoots & Leaves, fiction, fiction writing, Lisa Cron, Marine Biology for the Non-Biologist, middle grade writing, personal goals, poetry, Reference books for writers, Save The Cat, The Breakout Novelist, The Plot Whisperer, Writers on Writing, writing, Writing Tips | Leave a comment

April Cruelty (Remembrance of Things Past Edition)

Posted on April 16, 2025 by PB Rippey

Early twenties, fresh out of a British graduate school for acting, back home working as a hostess for a local resort restaurant (but of course), gathering my finances-what-finances as I prepared for a move down the coast to Hollywood—I met … Continue reading →

Posted in Writing | Tagged #amwriting, #nevergiveup, 2025, acting, books, children's literature, creative-writing, dreams, fiction, fiction writing, Hollywood, IRL, middle grade writing, Novelists, personal goals, poetry, writer, writing | Leave a comment

Bath Spa University

Posted on February 18, 2025 by PB Rippey

Sept. 2025 I’ll be starting the MAWYP at Bath Spa University: Masters in Writing for Young People (Online International Program). BTW: 1. As you know, Bath Spa University is in Bath, UK, a city renowned for hot springs fashioned into … Continue reading →

Posted in Writing | Tagged 2025, Amanda Root, art, Bath Spa University, Bath UK, Bill Nighty, books, Bradford-on-Avon, children's literature, Ciaron Hinds, Dakota Johnson, fiction writing, Jane Austen Society, Masters in Writing for Young People, MAWYP Bath, middle grade writing, North Oxford, personal goals, Persuasion, photography, poetry, Roman baths, Sally Hawkins, Teatime, travel, Wiltshire, writing | 2 Comments

Return of the Winds (Santa Anas Edition)

Posted on January 21, 2025 by PB Rippey

Januray 1st: We attended the 2025 Rose Parade, front-curb seats thanks to my Pasadena cousins. January 7: Palisades Fire and Eaton Fire and 24/7 fire watch in my ‘hood, Watch Duty the only reason we had minutes of sleep that … Continue reading →

Posted in Writing | Tagged #calfires, #eatonfire, #palisadesfire, 2025, 2025 Rose Parade, books, cats, cooking, Eaton Fire, Evacuations, hope, Los Angeles, Los Angeles fires, movies, news, Palisades Fire, Pets, photos, santa ana winds, SoCal | Leave a comment

Welsh Cakes (Delectables Edition)

Posted on September 30, 2024 by PB Rippey

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 … Continue reading →

Posted in Writing | Tagged 2024, black currant jam, books, clotted cream, fiction, fiction writing, kidlit, lemon curd, Middle Grade Fiction, pb rippey, Reading, SCBWI, Scotch eggs, Sue Alexander Grant, Ted Lasso shortbread, The Welsh Baker, Valencia CA, Wales, Welsh Cakes, Welsh miners cakes, writing | 2 Comments

Follow Mary Averling

Posted on July 9, 2024 by PB Rippey

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 … Continue reading →

Posted in Writing | Tagged #amreading, #amwriting, 2024, book-review, book-reviews, books, children's literature, fiction writing, kidlit, Mary Averling, middle grade writing, Reading, SCBWI, The Curse of Eelgrass Bog, writing | Leave a comment

Challenges

Posted on May 29, 2024 by PB Rippey

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 … Continue reading →

Posted in Writing | Tagged 2024, art, books, camping, children's literature, fiction writing, food, Gollum, June Gloom, Lake Tahoe, life, middle grade writing, personal goals, poetry, Summer 2024, Swimming laps, teens, travel, writing | 5 Comments

MAE RESPICIO’S: ISABEL IN BLOOM

Posted on April 17, 2024 by PB Rippey

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 … Continue reading →

Posted in Writing | Tagged #amreading, #amwriting, 2024, Big Sur Children's Writing Workshops, books, Children's book publishing, Children's Books, children's literature, Isabel in Bloom, kidlit, Mae Respicio, Middle Grade Fiction, San Francisco, YA Novels, Young Adult fiction | Leave a comment

Launchings

Posted on April 2, 2024 by PB Rippey

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 … Continue reading →

Posted in Writing | Tagged #amwritng, 2024, art, books, cats, children's literature, fiction writing, middle grade writing, personal goals, photography, poetry, Rockets, Santa Barbara, Space X, Spring Break 2024, travel, writing | Leave a comment

Conference Time

Posted on February 10, 2024 by PB Rippey

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 … Continue reading →

Posted in Writing | Tagged #amwriting, 2024, art, books, children's literature, fiction, kidlit, Literature, middle grade writing, Monterey CA, personal goals, poetry, writer, writing | 1 Comment

SCBWI Retreat (San Simeon Edition)

Posted on January 20, 2024 by PB Rippey

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 … Continue reading →

Posted in Writing | Tagged #amwritingkidlit, 2024, Big Sur Children's Writing Workshops, books, children's literature, creative-writing, fiction writing, middle grade writing, Pacific Ocean, personal goals, personal goals 2024, poetry, San Simeon CA, SCBWI, writing, writing retreat | Leave a comment

Happy Inauguration Day

Posted on January 20, 2021 by PB Rippey

The future is bright! Finally. Also: #catsforbidenharris

Posted in Writing | Tagged #catsforbidenharris, #stayhome, #staysafe, #wearamask, 2021, Biden Harris, books, Breathe, COVID-19, fiction writing, hope | Leave a comment

Heat

Posted on August 31, 2020 by PB Rippey

I don’t know about your environs, but ours will be blessed with consecutive days of triple digit heat, again, later this week. It’s helpful for my psyche and staving off writer’s block to remember that last year at this time … Continue reading →

Posted in Writing, Writing Progress | Tagged 2020, books, Calif heatwave, Earth, Facebook, Family, Health, Heather Cox RIchardson, humanity, hurricane, Instagram, Jill the squirrel, Julia CHild, life, Rachel Cargle, squirrels, The Joy of Cooking, Valencia, Vote2020, writing | Leave a comment

School Days 2020

Posted on August 27, 2020 by PB Rippey

Bring your pet to school day for my son’s English class. It is this mother’s opinion that my tween’s middle school is rockin’ this distance learning business. #englishteachersrule

Posted in Writing | Tagged #distancelearning2020, #stayhome, #staysafe, 2020, animals, books, cats, distance learning, English class 2020, Family, Health, humanity, Inspiration, life, Literature, middle school, Pets | 1 Comment

Doubt (Pub Cheese Edition)

Posted on August 20, 2020 by PB Rippey

I ferried my laptop to the kitchen table and brought up my novel-in-progress. A poppy-orange dawn filtered through window blinds and the coffeemaker hiccupped sighs and I relished being the only human in our house awake, tapping the pg dn … Continue reading →

Posted in Avoiding My Writing, Writing | Tagged 2020, 2020 mores, Akmak, animals, books, chardonnay, creative nonfiction, doubt, faction, Family, fiction writing, Fritos, iheartyetis?, Inspiration, Literature, National Geographic, NHL2020, positive advice, pub cheese, Tibet, TV, writer's block, Yeti | 4 Comments

It Happens

Posted on July 25, 2020 by PB Rippey

Posted in Writing | Tagged 2020, books, faction, fiction writing, Jaws, life, Literature, Sharks, writer's block, writing, WTF | 1 Comment

Spring Heralds

Posted on May 5, 2020 by PB Rippey

“If we had no winter, the spring would not be so pleasant: if we did not sometimes taste of adversity, prosperity would not be so welcome.” ― Anne Bradstreet

Posted in Poetry, Writing | Tagged 2020, Anne Bradstreet, art, books, covid19, hope, Inspiration, life, Literature, poetry, Poetry in a dark time, Poppies, Spring quotes, writing | Leave a comment

Poem for the Last Day of April

Posted on April 30, 2020 by PB Rippey

And just like that, poetry month is at an end, but Tracy K. Smith will still send us a poem each weekday via The Slowdown, or we can visit the site and listen to her read and perhaps we’ll springboard into: … Continue reading →

Posted in Writing | Tagged 2020, April Poetry Month, books, Inspiration, Literature, poetry, spring, The Slowdown, Tracy K Smith, wild birds, writing | Leave a comment

Did I Or Didn’t I

Posted on April 23, 2020 by PB Rippey

UPDATE: Coupled with new findings this week in Santa Clara County, where the medical examiner confirmed that California had the earliest deaths from COVID-19 — on Feb. 6 and Feb. 17 — the new information suggests a national epidemic was … Continue reading →

Posted in Avoiding My Writing, Writing | Tagged #quarantinelife, 2020, books, Bosch, covid19, fiction, heatwave, Pandemic, Quarantine, writer's block | Leave a comment

April Poem

Posted on April 15, 2020 by PB Rippey

I post this poem every spring. From my chapbook Nightmares With Moons (Pudding House Press). Happy Stay-At-Home-Wednesday. Full Flower Moon May (mostly), the petticoat swirl of rising pink meadow, petite showers, buds. I say: rose, peony, phlox. And I say: petal- shorn, … Continue reading →

Posted in Poetry, Writing | Tagged 2020, April poetry, books, covid19, full flower moon, full moon, full pink moon, life, poetry, poetry chapbooks, Poetry Month, Pudding Houe Press, spring poetry, writing | Leave a comment

Never Forget (Fav Coffee Mug Edition)

Posted on April 9, 2020 by PB Rippey

Yours in coping, PB

Posted in Writing | Tagged #stayhome, #staysafe, 2020, books, coffee, coping, covid19, faction, fiction, Inspiration, life, Self-quarantine, survival, writing | Leave a comment

SCBWI WRITERS DAY 2020

Posted on February 4, 2020 by PB Rippey

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 | 1 Comment

STARTING NOW

Posted on December 13, 2019 by PB Rippey

I mean, why wait? W.R.I.T.I.N.G.

Posted in Writing | Tagged 2019, 2020, art, books, happy new year, Inspiration, Let it snow, life, Literature, Middle Grade Fiction, middle grade writing, Resolutions, Thanks, Wow, writer, writing | 1 Comment

Poem

Posted on November 13, 2019 by PB Rippey

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 | Leave a comment

Blogging All Over The…
January 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 29 30 31

« Dec
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
OMG just click the button.

Enter your email address to follow this blog and receive notifications of new posts by email.

Email Address:

Join 343 other subscribers
Written To Date…