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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: writing
~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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Dav Pilkey in Redondo Beach
Whenever it was tickets first went on sale for this event? Stayed up until 12:01a.m. so that I could be one of the first to nab them. Can I just say–I’m glad I was a night owl as the event … Continue reading
Posted in books, Children's Books, Fiction, middle grade, Writing
Tagged animals, books, Captain Underpants, Dav Pilkey, Dog Man books, Family, Inspiration, kidlit, Literature, middle grade novels, movies, Redondo Beach, Thanks, writing
3 Comments
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
The Sequel Begins
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
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
SCBWI Los Angeles Writers Day 2018
I’m going. Are you? Gary D. Schmidt is giving the keynote. That’s right, author of one of my favorite YA books: ‘The Wednesday Wars’. You’ve probably already read it, but here’s the SCBWI GDS Interview from 2/16/18. I especially … Continue reading
Posted in books, Children's Books, Fiction, Writing, Writing Progress
Tagged 2018, books, Gary D. Schmidt, Inspiration, LA Writers Day 2018, Literature, Middle Grade Fiction, SCBWI, Susan Orlean, The Wednesday Wars, Twitter, writing, YA Novels
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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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Writer’s Retreat: What Was It Like?
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
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SCBWI WWR 9/2017
Me–prepping for the upcoming SCBWI Working Writer’s Retreat: Fortunately I got in, thanks to iphone alerts, Alexa/Echo alerts, the wall calendar with a particular date circled so thickly in red it could never become invisible, no matter the … Continue reading
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
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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