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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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Tag Archives: writing
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
Posted in Avoiding My Writing, Children's Books, dog, Faction, writing
Tagged 2017, 4th Graders, Baja Peninsula, books, Family, gladiola, La Tuna fire, life, Los Angeles heatwaves, San Fernando Valley, T-rex marchers, Washington DC, writing
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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
Posted in Children's Books, Faction, Fiction, writing
Tagged 2017, aloha, animals, beach, body muscle, box turtles, California, Dragons, dreams, Earth, eclipse of the sun, Family, Game of Thrones, history, humanity, life, Los Angeles, middle grade novels, movies, Muses, ocean, Oregon, rashes, Teenage Rebellion, Thanks, writer, writing
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Star Wars vs. Sports (Panic Attack Edition)
I received an email late yesterday afternoon from my son’s summer camp with this subject line: FRIDAY SPORTS DAY. Meaning, send him to camp in a jersey emblazoned in a sports decal. Last Friday was: STAR WARS DAY An easy … Continue reading
Posted in writing
Tagged 2017, 4th Graders, Edelman, ESPN, Family, Inspiration, LA Kings, Lakers, life, New England Patriots, Sports USA, Star Wars, Target, Tom Brady, TV, writing
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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
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
Posted in Adult writing, Avoiding My Writing, books, Children's Books, Faction, Fiction, Me and Us, middle grade, Poetry, writing
Tagged 2017, books, flu, graduation, Health, humanity, life, Literature, novels, Pets, Sacramento Delta, swimming pools, UC Davis Med School, writing
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Inspiration (Mother’s Day Edition)
What inspiration looks like. Feels like. That guy, reading me his MDay card.
Posted in Adult writing, Children's Books, Faction, middle grade, Poetry, writing
Tagged 2017, books, Family, Inspiration, life, love, Mother's Day, writing
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MAY DAY (BLOOMING LATE EDITION)
On May Day! May Day! May Day! (a few days late, but—-) 90+ degrees today, again. My Spring yard is shriveling. I thought this wouldn’t happen until next month. Silly me! When the Arctic is melting! Doh. The box turtle and the … Continue reading
Posted in Children's Books, Fiction, Parakeet, Pets, writing
Tagged 2017, animals, books, California, deadlines, Family, life, Literature, May Day, middle grade writing, Muses, revision, Starbucks, writing
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Third Eye (April Edition w/Cat)
Woke up at 430am, pressed on with the last 40 pages of revision, my 3rd eye drowsy, but game. Now that I’m wide awake, overly caffeinated and the little boy is at school and the husband is off to heroic … Continue reading
Posted in books, Children's Books, Fiction, Pets, Poetry, writing
Tagged 2017, books, cats, Critique, Family, Literature, middle grade writing, Muses, Pets, poetry, revision, The New Yorker, Third Eye, writing
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SCBWI-LA Writers & Illustrators Day 2017 (Links Edition)
I was asked by SCBWI-LA to write about my experience at the recent WID. The piece is up on the Kite Tales blog. 1, 2, 3: LINK. Such a luxury for me to discard certain hats (taxi-mama, chef of sorts, … Continue reading
Posted in books, Children's Books, Faction, Fiction, Poetry, writing, Writing Progress
Tagged 2017, books, Kate Messner, life, Lisa Cron, Literature, Los Angeles, middle grade writing, Picture Books, SCBWI, SCBWI Writers & Illustrators Day, Skirball Cultural Center, Wired for Story, Writers Conferences, writing
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SCBWI Event Coming Up!
I am looking forward to next Saturday, 2/25/17. The Skirball is a choice location, indeed. Are you going? If so, see you there! https://losangeles.scbwi.org/events/writers-illustrators-day/
Posted in Children's Books, Fiction, writing
Tagged 2017, books, Critique, Literature, Los Angeles, SCBWI Writers & Illustrators Day, Skirball Cultural Center, writing
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Healing By Degrees (FB Edition)
“What wound did ever heal but by degrees?” —-WS, Othello I’m talking Snapchattish-brief degrees. My impatience won out. I weeded Facebook ‘friends’ after the election and the first peaceful march–in which I marched, peacefully, surrounded by like minds. After this weeding and … Continue reading
Posted in Adult writing, books, Faction, Fiction, writing
Tagged #45, 2017, books, California, Climate Change, Cute animal pix, Earth, Facebook, Family, history, humanity, JK Rowling, life, Michelle Obama, NRDC, NY Times, Othello, Planned Parenthood, Shakespeare, Tribbles, WaPo, weeding, writing
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Hearts
Just. So. Simply. Timely. And simply nice.
Posted in Adult writing, books, Children's Books, Faction, Fiction, Poetry, writing
Tagged 2017, animals, California, dolphin heart, Earth, Family, hearts, humanity, life, Literature, Thanks, valentine's day, writing
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On Rejection
Recently I was lucky enough to have a conversation with someone I deeply respect and I was moaning a little about rejections I’ve received lately. The person suggested I stop calling them ‘rejections’ and refer to them instead as ‘No … Continue reading
Posted in Children's Books, Fiction, Writer's Angst, writing, Writing Progress, Writing Tips
Tagged 2016, Critique, life, life advice, Literature, rejection, writing
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Louise Penny
Where has Louise Penny been all my life? I was completely not swept up, but vacuumed into A Great Reckoning and have since been binge reading the Chief Inspector Gamache novels–but I have to say, so far the other books … Continue reading
Posted in Adult writing, books, Fiction, Poetry, writing
Tagged 2016, art, books, Canada, Chief Inspector Gamache, Dogs, Literature, Louise Penny, Murder mysteries, Muses, Three Pines, writing
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Fres-yes? (Wild Kratts Edition)
The Wild Kratts are based in Canada. In addition to their TV shows, which are broadcast all over the world, they occasionally venture over the border–mostly into eastern states and the mid-west–to entertain select child-filled crowds with their live show. The energetic brothers have … Continue reading
Posted in writing
Tagged 2016, Adventure, animals, children's literature, Fresno, Happy Meal, life, Los Angeles, McDonald's, pangolin, Travelocity, VIP, Wild Kratts, writer's angst, writing
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Ann Patchett’s COMMONWEALTH (In Percentages)
Because Maria Semple stated (in an article I read a few days ago) that she is planning to read Ann Patchett’s new novel, ‘Commonwealth’, I (who had no idea Ann Patchett had a new novel coming out, ‘Bel Canto’ still on my … Continue reading
Posted in Fiction, Writer quotes, writing, WTF
Tagged 1970's, 2016, Ann Patchett, Commonwealth, Divorce, fiction writing, Maria Semple, novels, State of Wonder, writing
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O Summer!
I’ve been quiet since May, after a brief, powerful writer’s retreat. I’ve been busy this summer with what the retreat inspired: Writing. Revising. Writing. Revising a new short story, one screaming for edits of late. It’s almost ready for submission. Compiling … Continue reading
Posted in writing
Tagged 2016, beach, fiction, Kauai, life, Los Angeles, middle grade writing, ocean, personal goals, poetry, writer, writer's angst, writing
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Remember the Bunnies
WRITER’S RETREAT! Oh, that’s long over now. ‘Tis a distant dream. T’was 2 1/4-ish days of nothing-but-revising, surrounded by foliage, sculpture/fountains and wild bunnies with super white tails. Sequestered in a simple room of my own with a nun’s bed, I … Continue reading
Posted in writing
Tagged 2016, bunnies, children's literature, Dogs, fiction writing, life, Los Angeles, writing, writing retreat
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Chapbook Publication
Finishing Line Press is releasing my chapbook of poetry, Valley Meditation (with Palomino), March 23rd, 2016. Yes, that’s right: This March, the one right around the corner from El Nino–except that EN isn’t really hitting my portion of summer-deflated valley. … Continue reading
Posted in Poetry, Steps In Promotion, writing, Writing Progress
Tagged 2016, chapbook, Finishing Line Press, Los Angeles, poetry, San Fernando Valley, writer, writing
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