Tag Archives: writer

No Kings

I made a sign and hiked to Good Trouble Corner on NO KINGS day in the USA and posted about my protesting on: Threads: @pbrippey1 Instagram: @pbrippey1 Bluesky: @pbrippey1 I cannot believe what is happening in my country. But it’s … Continue reading

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More Good (Shh) News

August 1st I’ll be able to post good news about my historical fiction novel. In the meantime, I continue to revise my work and: sequester pets in the guestroom as workers repair water damage from a leak spanning 2 floors. … Continue reading

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Puppy Summer

My house still has a hole in the dining room ceiling, the upstairs bathroom has no walls, puppy only mostly uses his potty pads, cats are freaked by puppy and WILL PEE on his leash if it’s left lying around, … Continue reading

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Another Mslexia Longlist Placement

For my middle grade novel TROUBLE BENEATH THE WAVES, which I entered into the 2025 Mslexia Children’s & YA Novel Competition. I was informed yesterday that I did NOT make the shortlist: 😦 However, I’m thrilled TROUBLE made the longlist. … Continue reading

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M’s DAY 2025

My husband told a joke at the dinner table and I spit out my salad from laughing and looked up trying to swallow and there was an amber stripe on the ceiling from a leak in the teen’s bathroom upstairs … Continue reading

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April Cruelty (Remembrance of Things Past Edition)

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

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Christmas Books

‘Orbital’ was on the top of my Christmas list. I’m only a deer’s-trail in as I stop and re-read sentences and whole pages and savor and blink hard and hope the book won’t’ end. I’m grateful Samantha Harvey won the … Continue reading

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Longlist: Mslexia Short Story Competition

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 … Continue reading

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Tumultuous Times Pre-Nov 5

So here are happy pictures. Happy scrolling. Happy voting.Cast: hummer, Bby Darwin, Arlo doggy, Shadow cat, Kaia (RIP), Valencia mtns., etc.

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Fire: Post/Gorman, CA

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 … Continue reading

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Prep: SCBWI Writers Day 2024

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 … Continue reading

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Conference Wrap-Up

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 … Continue reading

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Conference Time

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

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Cannery Row & Pacific Grove

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 … Continue reading

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NYE 2024

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 … Continue reading

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Happy Everything Nice as we rocket towards 2024! Yours in beloveds, PB

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Holiday Pteranodon

Welcome to December! aka Revisionmas! Which has everything to do with this photo. Yours in Christmas decorations up since Thanksgiving Day, a return to writing at night in addition to weekday dawns, and yours in the art and agony and … Continue reading

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A Tardy Boo

Am late to every party. Sad, that. Happy last Halloween! Yours in using an awl to punch holes in your jack-o-lantern for a different effect, PB

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Just Call Me: Revision

I’ve got a pretty good rhythm going revising: 2 kidlit/eco-fiction novels and 2 women’s fiction novels. I am a morning person now–not sure I’m TRULY a 5:30a.m. morning person? But that alarm seems to work if I want to feel … Continue reading

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Hi, It’s Me, It’s I’m-Revising-It Me

Right now? I could be a NYTimes Connections puzzle, complete with the requisite 4 answers: Through-line. Grammar. Deep Breaths. In N Out French Fries. Hint: What PB Rippey does after Momming around town and pacifying the mini-zoo. Theme: Revision. Answers: … Continue reading

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MONSTER PLACES 4TH

I went from stepping away (previous post) to receiving 4th place in this year’s SCBWI Sue Alexander Grant competition for my MG novel THE MONSTER AT ELIZABETH LAKE. I am beyond thrilled. Nothing like good news to keep my butt … Continue reading

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On Stepping Away

You know how so many books on creativity, or self-help books by therapists, psychologists, or self-help websites and apps advise stepping away from your work and going on an artist-date with your creative-self in order to receive fresh ideas, answers … Continue reading

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Monsters

Not a monster, but a Pteranodon (framed photo), and has everything to do with the novel I’m currently revising, which has everything to do with monsters–human, animal, extinct, imagined and otherwise. As I may have mentioned. Yours in continuous revision, … Continue reading

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Revision

Dropping this pic here as I revise my current novels as at this moment, this picture describes my writing life. Layered, themed, complicated/not complicated, weirdly satisfying, a constant work-in-progress. Revision is hard, right? But also gratifying. Long live the Mojave/Mitchell … Continue reading

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Spring Break: High Desert (Mojave Edition)

Last year I thought we’d spend this year’s spring break in Costa Rica, but Rte 66 and the Mojave National Preserve were shall we say more 2023 practical: I hate you Covid. Mitchell Caverns. Calico Ghost Town. The Jenny Rose … Continue reading

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