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UPDATE from Feb., 2013: Nearly 6 years later, unicycle is in patio corner, sleeping soundly.January 1st, 2019-
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Tag Archives: life
Death Poem
Orphan We are the children. Cream to curse. In- structed: here ya go, go, here ya, here ya go, go, go fuck fuck fuck fuck fuck fuck fuck fuck Did you say that? Well. I did. Finally: where were you … Continue reading
Washing My Inheritance
My then soon-to-be-husband stated (3rd date, my Echo Park, Los Angeles apartment with the spectacular view I couldn’t afford without working 2 jobs, the last apartment I ever lived in alone): You have a lot of rocks. My Echo Park … Continue reading
Posted in Writing
Tagged 2019, Big Sur, Decorative rocks, Domestic Zoo, Echo Park, faction, fiction writing, Laguna Beach, life, Lockheed, Mesas, moving, nature, Pets, quail, rocks of all sizes, Valencia, wild birds, writing inspiration
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Peace To You
When I was seven to ten years old, I begged her to let me stay home from school so I could hang out with her, picnic in the park behind our house (she made cheese and tomato sandwiches), just be … Continue reading
Posted in Writing
Tagged 2019, Buddha, Childhood, England, Family, humanity, Inspiration, life, Mindfulness, Minster Lovell, Mom, Oxford, RIP, Thanks
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BACK TO SCHOOL
I sing-songed like Snow White as I whisked open his curtains. I raved about the smell of cinnamon pancakes filling the house as I jumped on his bed. I hit him with a pillow as I encouraged him to seize … Continue reading
Posted in Children's Books, Faction, Writing
Tagged 2019, beach, chess, elementary school, hot chocolate, Inspiration, LAUSD, Legos, life, piranha tag, prebuscent boys, Teachers Strike Los Angeles, UTLA
2 Comments
Rain Or Shine: Strike On
A couple of weeks before the strike, I was John Snow: I knew nothing. There are always excuses I can credit a busy mother. But everyone is busy. I simply wish I had paid any attention to events leading up … Continue reading
Posted in books, Children's Books, Poetry, Writing
Tagged 2019, art, Beutner, books, Caputo-Pearl, Family, humanity, Inspiration, life, Teachers strike, UTLA, UTLA Strike, writing
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~2019~
May the year be merry and bright and productive. And may I acquire a new laptop. And definitely completion of the current novel and definitely long before the end of this shiny new year. And may I continue to exercise … Continue reading
Posted in Children's Books, Fiction, Writing
Tagged 2019, beaches, books, creativity, dreams, happy new year, Inspiration, kidlit, life, Middle Grade Fiction, writing
4 Comments
Hunting
230am, the dog’s nose a wet Q-tip on my ear, his drunk-carny’s breath. I rise, stumble to the patio door, let him out. Waiting, I realize my right foot is wet. I panic: blood? Cat vomit. I stumble to the … Continue reading
Posted in Avoiding My Writing, books, Fiction, Writing
Tagged 2018, bad guys, books, cats, chocolate chip pancakes, coffee, Dogs, domestics, faction, Family, fiction, insomnia, Inspiration, life, Literature, Mary Louise Parker, poetry, Tarantino, Tom Selleck, writing, WTF
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O Europa!
Volunteering at my son’s school library means I get to help kids discover books they didn’t even know they wanted to read–and also means I can check out books without exceeding my son’s 5th grade (3 books per student) limit. … Continue reading
REVISION
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
Lost Time
Yesterday I was driving home from Trader Joe’s, my mind deep in my novel. I am SO close to finishing it I can see the end and I was excited about what I was seeing. Then a street sign yanked … Continue reading
Posted in books, Faction, middle grade, Writing
Tagged 2018, books, Inspiration, life, Literature, middle grade writing, Trader Joe's, writing
2 Comments
How It Is
There is only finishing my middle-grade novel. Getting my son to school, helping him finish his science project and get it to school; hurtling towards summer–school, science projects, math tests, helping at the school book fair, end-of-school-year requirements and the … Continue reading
Posted in Avoiding My Writing, Children's Books, Writing
Tagged 2018, books, domestics, Family, Inspiration, life, Literature, middle grade writing, writing
2 Comments
THIS HAPPENED
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
Home
Usually I’m the one taking our kid on a road trip and usually during the summer, but this week my husband took our kid on a road trip for 2 days to visit family up north and I was suddenly: … Continue reading
Posted in books, Children's Books, dog, Faction, Fiction, Writing
Tagged 2017, animals, books, California, cats, Christmas Decorations, Descanso Gardens, Dogs, dreams, Earth, Echo Park, Family, Griffith Observatory, Health, humanity, Joni Mitchell, kittens, life, Literature, Los Angeles, Los Feliz, Madonna Inn, movies, Thanks, writing
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Living The Good Old Days
“Hey, Mom?” my son said casually as he attached a Lego palm frond to a multi-colored Lego wall he was building on the coffee table as I ironed pertinent clothing near him and my husband raged in front of a … Continue reading
Posted in Children's Books, Faction, Fiction, Writing
Tagged 2017, 4th Graders, Family, Lego, life, writing
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Disaster Adjacent (Eavesdropping Edition)
Time: 1:00p.m. Temperature: 109 & rising I was in Trader Joe’s for last minute holiday weekend supplies. I don’t usually notice conversations going on around me in Trader Joe’s as I squint at my list, trying to remember what I … Continue reading
Posted in books, Faction, Me and Us, Writing
Tagged 2017, Climate Change, climate science, Earthquake kits, Extreme weather, Flooding, heatwaves, Hurricane Harvey, La Tuna Cyn Fire, life, Malibu, Reseda, Trader Joe's
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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
2 Comments
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
4th Fireworks (“Shh!” Edition)
Happy 4th! This: This splendor in this country: Here, they viewed this: Our 4th? This: Visiting family, as we were in the middle of watching ‘Moana’, I cried: OMG TIME FOR FIREWORKS. And my FIL brought us here, to … Continue reading
Posted in Poetry, To Explain, Writing
Tagged 2017, 4th of July 2017, California, Close Encounters of the Third Kind, Family, Fireworks, Hemet, Independence Day, Legoland, life, movies, Soboba Indians, Summer fun
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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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