Tag Archives: children’s literature

Festival Weekend (creativity-obsessed edition)

Posted on April 15, 2019 by PB Rippey

Saturday morning, my husband and my middle-grade son zoomed to the Los Angeles Convention Center for its uber-serving of Minefaire. Minecraft. All. Day. While up the street at USC I attended the Los Angeles Festival Of Books. Mostly I hung … Continue reading →

Posted in Writing | Tagged 2019, books, children's literature, Inspiration, kidlit, LA Times Festival Of Books 2019, Los Angeles, Middle Grade Fiction, Minecraft, Minefaire, S Jones Rogan, SCBWI | 1 Comment

Retreat!

Posted on February 17, 2019 by PB Rippey

Faced with views custom-made to inspire writers, I didn’t. Write. Or edit the 50 pages I’d brought with me. Instead, I continued reading Michelle Obama’s Becoming. Occasionally I glanced up from the book and gaped at the storm–then I’d consciously … Continue reading →

Posted in Faction, Fiction, Me and Us, Writing | Tagged 2019, Becoming, black bears, children's literature, Inspiration, labradors, Lake Arrowhead, Michelle Obama, Middle Grade Fiction, mountains, novels, snow storms, writing retreat | 1 Comment

The Sequel Begins

Posted on September 15, 2018 by PB Rippey

My novel is completed (as previously blog-blurted) and sent to the interested party. And now I wait. Sort of. I’m halfway through writing chapter two of the sequel. My husband read chapter one aloud to our son at bedtime the … Continue reading →

Posted in Children's Books, Writing | Tagged 2018, 5th grade, animals, beach, books, children, Children's Books, children's literature, Family, middle grade novels, ocean, Pets, santa monica, writing, writing a sequel | 2 Comments

REVISION

Posted on July 28, 2018 by PB Rippey

I finished my novel. All the writing, beach walks, and kitten-breaks seem to have paid off. I’m finished. Let the revising begin. Actually I’ve been revising all along. I adopted a habit of backing up a few chapters, reading/revising them … Continue reading →

Posted in Children's Books, Writing | Tagged 2018, books, cats, children's literature, fiction, Inspiration, life, Literature, middle grade writing, revision, Thanks, unicorns, universe, Wow, writing | 3 Comments

THIS HAPPENED

Posted on March 23, 2018 by PB Rippey

I won runner-up (there were only two of us who won in the Middle Grade category). SCBWI-LA Writer’s Day, Skirball Cultural Center . I pitched an agent, connected with a dream agent, dashed around assisting the totally-on-it RA’s, made new … Continue reading →

Posted in Children's Books, Fiction, middle grade, Writing | Tagged 2018, books, children's literature, clotted cream, Family, high tea, Inspiration, Joy, life, Literature, middle grade novels, SCBWI, Skirball Cultural Center, Thanks, writing, Writing Fun | 1 Comment

Writer’s Retreat: What Was It Like?

Posted on September 27, 2017 by PB Rippey

SCBWI Working Writer’s Retreat, September, 2017 The “working” aspect in Working Writer’s Retreat (for me)=the retreat provided printers, so there was no excuse (for me) for not sprinting to my sparse (sweetly existential) weekend bedroom after a workshop, whipping open … Continue reading →

Posted in Children's Books, Faction, Fiction, middle grade, Writing | Tagged 2017, books, children's literature, Encino CA, Family, Holy Spirit Retreat Center, humanity, Karaoke, kittens, Los Angeles, middle grade writing, oak trees, SCBWI, SCBWI So Cal, Vegetarian, Working Writers' Retreat 2017, writing | Leave a comment

SCBWI

Posted on December 11, 2016 by PB Rippey

Have you registered for the (Los Angeles chapter) SCBWI Writers & Illustrators Day 2017? It’s happening February 25th at the Skirball Cultural Center, a venue I once frequented in order to exercise my former toddler in the intriguingly lit Noah’s Ark … Continue reading →

Posted in books, Children's Books, middle grade, Writing | Tagged 2016, children's literature, Los Angeles, middle grade writing, Mulholland Dr, Noah's Ark, Picture Book writing, SCBWI Writers & Illustrators Day, Skirball Cultural Center, Writer resources | Leave a comment

Fres-yes? (Wild Kratts Edition)

Posted on September 28, 2016 by PB Rippey

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 | Leave a comment

Seasonal Conundrums

Posted on August 14, 2016 by PB Rippey

Researching summer camps for my 8 year old, round about last March/April, I became frustrated: Sports camp in triple digit heat? No. Great white shark and hammerhead shark sightings along our southern coast. Surf camp? No. Science Camp? He loves … Continue reading →

Posted in books, Children's Books, Fiction, Writing | Tagged beach, children's literature, fiction writing, life, Los Angeles, middle grade writing, ocean, personal goals, poetry, Santa Barbara, shark sightings, writing | Leave a comment

Remember the Bunnies

Posted on May 5, 2016 by PB Rippey

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 | 3 Comments

Breaks

Posted on April 6, 2015 by PB Rippey

What I love about Spring Break? For a week I am Fun Mama–instead of: get dressed, brush your teeth, grab your Spidey hoodie, let’s go, go, go, homework, karate, shower time!, etc. It’s nice to be all: Ooooh—let’s scooter around … Continue reading →

Posted in Children's Books, Faction, Fiction, Me and Us, Writing | Tagged 2015, beach, children's literature, domestics, fiction writing, life, Los Angeles, ocean, Parenting, poetry, writing | 2 Comments

Snooze House

Posted on March 31, 2015 by PB Rippey

Lately, instead of writing at night I’ve resorted to rising early in order to revisereviserevise certain projects and I’ve realized: The loudest sound in the house at 5am? Despite our small zoo? And the programmable coffee maker’s generous peeps? And the refrigerator … Continue reading →

Posted in Adult writing, books, Children's Books, dog, Faction, Fiction, ocean related, Poetry, Quotes, Santa Barbara, Writer's Angst, Writing, Writing Progress | Tagged 2015, children's literature, dog, fish, globa warming, labrador, life, Los Angeles, middle grade writing, Santa Barbara, writer's block, writing | 1 Comment

Screens

Posted on November 15, 2014 by PB Rippey

Staring at my writing, I heard what I thought was our younger cat pulverizing the bedroom window’s screen, as he does when he’d like to be let inside, despite the little Hobbiton upside-down-U’s we had cut in pertinent doors, just for … Continue reading →

Posted in Avoiding My Writing, Children's Books, dog, Faction, Writing, WTF | Tagged children's literature, dog, domestic bliss, fiction writing, hobbits, life, Los Angeles, middle grade writing, personal goals, poetry, writer's block, writing | 2 Comments

Tropical Impression

Posted on July 27, 2014 by PB Rippey

I thought: I’ll blog every day. But then we landed, left the sweetly palms-infused airport and drove straight to the ocean. I know as well as anyone how distracting ocean is—sunrises, sunsets, all the dancing, lightening blue in between those hours–and … Continue reading →

Posted in Children's Books, Faction, Fiction, fish, middle grade, ocean related, Poetry, Writer's Angst, Writing | Tagged 2014, beach, children's literature, fiction writing, Kauai, Los Angeles, Mark Twain, Merwin, ocean, poetry, Poipu Beach, Sunsets, writer's angst, writing | Leave a comment

Never Fails

Posted on June 27, 2014 by PB Rippey

Text conversation with my writing mentor as I attempted to send her crucial re-written novel pages before her plane took off, pages I was anxious for her input on so that I could meet a writing deadline ASAP, pages she … Continue reading →

Posted in Children's Books, Fiction, middle grade, Steps In Promotion, Writer's Angst | Tagged 2014, children's literature, Conures, fiction writing, life, personal goals, writer's angst, writing | 4 Comments

Mornings Become Them (Birds Edition)

Posted on June 20, 2014 by PB Rippey

615am–I get out of bed to let the dog outside and get back in bed forgetting to let the dog back in and he barks and I shoot out of bed not wanting the dog to wake the first grader … Continue reading →

Posted in Adult writing, Avoiding My Writing, books, Children's Books, dog, Faction, Fiction, middle grade, Parakeet, Pets, Poetry, Writer's Angst, Writing, Writing Progress, WTF | Tagged 2014, cats, children's literature, Conures, dog, domestic bliss, fiction writing, First Graders, Freelance Writing, life, Los Angeles, poetry, writer's angst, writing | Leave a comment

All Schedules Thrown

Posted on June 12, 2014 by PB Rippey

And, suddenly, for a week, until summer camp started, the newly ex-Kindergartner and I were face to face over our morning pancakes, not an elementary school deadline in sight. “Let’s go to the beach!” he suggested. We did. “Museums!” We went there, … Continue reading →

Posted in Avoiding My Writing, Faction, Fiction, Writing | Tagged 2014, Balboa Island, beach, children's literature, domestics, Hurricane Harbor, middle grade writing, personal goals, writing, Yelp | 2 Comments

I-5 Pretty

Posted on April 24, 2014 by PB Rippey

In a previous post I regaled our drive from Los Angeles to parts further Northeast known as Tracy, Stockton and Sacramento. Namely, that interminable length from the end of the grapevine to whatever that KABOOM exit is that has Corral in … Continue reading →

Posted in Avoiding My Writing, books, Fiction, Writing, WTF | Tagged 2014, CA, children's literature, fiction writing, I-5, life, Los Angeles, Sacremento, storms, Tracy, writing | Leave a comment

Spring Break Snoozing (Wide Awake Edition)

Posted on April 18, 2014 by PB Rippey

During this luscious week of no school for the Kindergartner, we snooze well. Except when we are awakened from chasm-sleep somewhere between 2a.m. and maybe 4:30a.m.—after the bars have closed, but before the rooster across the alley busts its lungs—after we’ve … Continue reading →

Posted in Adult writing, Avoiding My Writing, books, Children's Books, dog, Faction, Fiction, Me and Us, middle grade, Pets, Poetry, Writer's Angst, Writing, Writing Progress, WTF | Tagged 2014, cats, children's literature, dog, domestic bliss, fiction writing, Kindergarten, Kindle Fire, labrador, life, Los Angeles, middle grade writing, personal goals, poetry, writing | 1 Comment

A Weekend Of “Instead-Of’s” (Big Beach Edition)

Posted on April 13, 2014 by PB Rippey

Instead of the LA Times Book Fest, the beginning of my son’s Spring Break: Instead of the LA Times Bookfest Poetry Tent, this: Also a cave (!): This: Er–and this (at a different beach–a short while later–if whiles can be short–why … Continue reading →

Posted in Children's Books, dog, Faction, Fiction, Poetry, Santa Barbara, To Explain, Writing, Writing Progress | Tagged 2014, beach, children's literature, fiction writing, Kindergarten, middle grade writing, ocean, poetry, Santa Barbara, writer's retreat, writing | 1 Comment

Spring Spirit 2014

Posted on April 9, 2014 by PB Rippey

We’d hoped to leave our valley by 10am. 430pm we were finally on the road. The little boy erupted in sneezes and coughing fits at the top of the Grapevine. When we stopped somewhere on the other side of the mountains … Continue reading →

Posted in books, Children's Books, Faction, middle grade, Writing | Tagged 2014, Beth Hull, children's literature, fiction writing, Jay Asher, Kathryn Fitzmaurice, Los Angeles, Nikki Grimes, Sacramento, SCBWI CA/North Central, Spring Spirit 2014, writer's retreat, writing mentors, YA Muses | 6 Comments

Discoveries (Balancing Edition)

Posted on March 26, 2014 by PB Rippey

The huge benefit of being thrown by a horse and not being able to exercise for over a week or lie down on the bed without screaming in pain or do anything in between carrying on as a mother except … Continue reading →

Posted in Adult writing, Children's Books, Faction, Fiction, middle grade, Poetry, Writing | Tagged 2014, chaos, children's literature, domestics, fiction writing, John Dos Passos, life, Los Angeles, middle grade writing, personal goals, poetry, writer's retreat, writing | 2 Comments

Article At ‘Through The Tollbooth’!!!

Posted on March 20, 2014 by PB Rippey

My writing mentor, Kathryn Fitzmaurice, was interviewed by Catherine Linka (I’ve heard Catherine speak at SCBWI events–she is positively famous in our SCBWI Los Angeles circles) over at Through The Tollbooth. The interview is about Kathryn’s mentoring experience–er, of me! … Continue reading →

Posted in books, Children's Books, Fiction, middle grade, Writing | Tagged 2014, Catherine Linka, children's literature, fiction writing, Kathryn Fitzmaurice, Los Angeles, middle grade writing, personal goals, SCBWI, SCBWI CA/North Central, Through The Tollbooth, writing | 3 Comments

The Women’s National Book Association

Posted on March 1, 2014 by PB Rippey

I was made aware of the WNBA/LA thanks to my middle grade writing mentor, Kathryn Fitzmaurice (ask me if I am lucky to have her as my mentor and you will hear amplified hell yeah’s). She gave one of this … Continue reading →

Posted in books, Children's Books, Faction, Fiction, middle grade, Writing, Writing Progress, Writing Tips | Tagged 2014, children's literature, Destiny Rewritten, fiction, fiction writing, Kathryn Fitzmaurice, middle grade writing, ocean, poetry, SCBWI, SCBWI CA/North Central, Women's National Book Association/LA, writing | Leave a comment

Staying The Course

Posted on February 17, 2014 by PB Rippey

Saturday morning I rose when our son (impossible to wake on a school day) woke at 5:30a.m. to begin a weekend of attending birthday parties, completing school projects, and constant verbalized hankering for Minecraft (it was Survivalcraft, until we realized the … Continue reading →

Posted in Adult writing, books, Children's Books, Faction, Writing, Writing Progress | Tagged 2014, children's literature, Dragons Love Tacos, faction, fiction writing, Iggy Peck Architect, Los Angeles, middle grade writing, personal goals, poetry, Quackenstein Hatches a Family, writer's angst, writing | 6 Comments