Bell Bottom Blues

by Pam Ripling

Whether you participated in, slept through it or weren't even born yet, the 1970's happened and there's no refuting the mark they made on fashion. The sixties set up the trends with permissive, bold, "free" design that evolved with the help of a fun-loving media and a daring entertainment industry.

Paisley. Hot pink and orange. Loud anything, sparkles, tight fitting. Think John Travolta in Saturday Night Fever (1977). Goldie Hawn in Rowen and Martin's Laugh In (1968 – 73). Below, she is with Monkees Mike Nesmith, Davy Jones and Micky Dolenz, sporting his own rather eye-catching garb. Platform shoes and disco boots came into their own. Glam rockers made it okay for men to wear shiny metallic spandex jumpsuits and makeup. Unisex garb raged, too. How about hot pants? Bell-bottoms or flaired pants peaked in the mid-70's.

Me? I was just a kid, but I loved the bells and the crop-tops. My favorite fashion faux pas was a brown velveteen hat with a green feather on the side, shaped similar to Robin Hood's famous chapeau. My BFF and I both had this hat, and we wore them everywhere. Our trademark, so to speak. Wish I had a photo.

Some things have not changed. Underground fashion icons of TV's The Mod Squad (1968 – 73) would not look out of place today, really, with the possible exception of Linc's (Clarence Williams III) fabulous Afro. Julie's (Peggy Lipton) long hair is timeless, as are Linc's and Pete's (Michael Cole) classic Levi's. Not sure about the necklaces, though.

Pam Ripling is the author of middle-grade mystery, LOCKER SHOCK! Buy it at Quake, Fictionwise or Amazon today! E-book version now available for your Kindle! Visit Pam at www.BeaconStreetBooks.com.

Coloring Our Spring

by Pam Ripling

Well, I was going to talk about Cadbury, and the history of the chocolate Easter egg. Faberge eggs, too, and how all this sweetness got its start in Europe. But gosh darn it, J.R. and Jackie have already done such a good job with this topic, I've been scooped.

So instead, I'll answer J. R.'s question. What do we do, as a family, to celebrate Easter? Well, plans are already underway to put together our annual egg-coloring event. Every year, rain or shine, my sister & I and our two daughters break out the Paas pills and vinegar, boil up a whole mess of eggs and arrange 8 coffee mugs with spoons. We have the requisite white (or colorless) crayon handy. Newspapers spread on the counter, and a rag or two at the ready. We decorate, with rubber banks, decals, stickers, etc. Ooh and ahh, and compete for the prettiest egg.

• "Whose egg is still in the purple?"
• "Oh no! Another one cracked!"
• "Did we make one for Mema yet?"
• "How did yours get so blue???"

And so it goes. Our girls are teens now, so the Big Bunny himself sorta skips our houses these days, but we determined and dedicated moms have taken over the tradition by mimicking the traditional egg hunt on Easter morning. In keeping with the eggy-day, I make a wonderful Serbian Eggs casserole for brunch, and we are often blessed with weather warm enough to sit outside and reflect on the beauty of spring and those sinfully excellent Cadbury eggs.

Happy Easter!

Oh, and by the way, Paas has an excellent page here on creating your own Easter egg eggstraveganza!

Pam Ripling is the author of middle-grade mystery, LOCKER SHOCK! Buy it at Quake, Fictionwise or Amazon today! E-book version now available for your Kindle! Visit Pam at www.BeaconStreetBooks.com.

Advisors On My Shoulders

by Pam Ripling

Do you ever hear it? Better yet, do you hear multiple voices, one taunting, teasing, pushing, the other admonishing, warning, and scaring you back under the covers?

In visual fiction they are oft depicted as the little angel, the little devil that sits on each shoulder, whispering into your ear when you're undecided. "Do it!" "Don't!" "Aw, c'mon, wimp." "You'll be sorrrryyyy..." We've all warred with our conscience at one time or another. And, clearly, only saints could truthfully say that the devil in us has never won. But it isn't all black and white, is it?

Sometimes, the warring factions might be connected to our own fears, rather than good and evil. I recently blogged a recollection of crashing a snowmobile into a tree at Steamboat Springs. I'd had those conversations with my shoulder buddies that very morning. Should I go? Hop on board a death-defying, raging vehicle that sped through the snow at an alarming speed – a vehicle I'd never paid any attention to before? Or...should I stay? Inside a warm condo, with a cup of hot chocolate and a good book, a blaze in the fireplace, quiet, solitude...?

While it certainly wasn't evil to opt for the excitement of the snow eating monster, it was that little Lucifer type that made me do it. The angelic bookworm sniffed and turned her back, and I dropped her into my novel like a bookmark for later. I returned with a butterfly bandage on my eyebrow, rosy cheeks and a new experience I wouldn't have traded, in retrospect, for all the cocoa and Heathcliffs in the world.

So sometimes, not always, the little guy in red is only trying to show you a good time!

PS - That's not me on the snowmobile above, but it certainly felt like it!

Pam Ripling is the author of middle-grade mystery, LOCKER SHOCK! Buy it at Quake, Fictionwise or Amazon today! E-book version now available for your Kindle! Visit Pam at www.BeaconStreetBooks.com.

Being Brave

by Pam Ripling

I used to sew Halloween costumes. I’ve made a space suit, a Middle-Eastern get up, a harem girl, a Care Bear, Super Mario, a green crayon. A purple wizard. A gypsy, a hippie, and a pair of pink striped clowns. So I know all about stitches, buddy.

Wait. You’re talking about the other kind? The ones they sew right into your very flesh? Eww! Ouch! Nope, never had them. Guess I’ve been lucky, eh? No stitches, no broken bones. No dismemberments or gaping wounds.

Does that say something about me? Am I too cautious, hiding behind my sewing machine, behind my apron strings, behind my ebook reader?

NO. I’ve done a few courageous things in my life. Courageous to me, anyway. I went up in a hot air balloon (that fairly crash-landed.) I tried water skiing (okay, so I have weak ankles. Took a little water.) Once got up (and down, see: water skiing) on snow skis. On one particular fun and notorious vacation, I wedged a snowmobile into a barely visible pine tree. Only a few of those pine needles still remain imbedded in my forehead, but the way I comb my hair, you can hardly see them through the green hair dye.

What else. Scary. Hmm. Does being a parent count? WAY scary!!!

How about getting a book written and published? How about 7 books? Try being brave enough to tell people about those stories, and asking them to take a chance and actually buy one!?

(Ah, marketing. Don’t you just love it?)

Pam Ripling is the author of middle-grade mystery, LOCKER SHOCK! Buy it at Quake, Fictionwise or Amazon today! E-book version now available for your Kindle! Visit Pam at www.BeaconStreetBooks.com.

Made Me Cold Just Reading It!

by Pam Ripling

Books have always been a big part of my life. As a young child, my favorites were always Little Golden Books, about Poky Little Puppy, Saggy Baggy Elephant, Shy Little Kitten, Tawny Scrawny Lion, etc. I had quite a collection. But when I really began to read, I lost myself in Hardy Boys and Louisa May Alcott. My favorite Alcott novels were EIGHT COUSINS and LITTLE WOMEN.

Whenever I think back to the book that most sticks in memory, I think of MRS. MIKE: THE STORY OF KATHERINE MARY FLANNIGAN, by Benedict and Nancy Freeman. First published in 1947, this is the story of a Canadian Mountie’s wife and the trials and tribulations of living in the frosty, harsh northern territories. A quick search on-line will reveal that I am far from alone in my love of this book.

The book takes place in the early 1900’s. The protagonist, 16 year old Katherine Mary O’Fallon, travels from the “warm” and comfortable Boston to Alberta, Canada, and marries Royal Mounted Police sergeant Michael Flannigan. The hardship and troubles they experience make for a poignant, entertaining story of life without transportation, medicine, electricity or telephones. The thing I remember the most about this story is that Katherine, who suffers devastating losses over the years, learns from other Canadian women to define segments of her life as separate lifetimes, or “families,” even though she remains married to the same man. Can’t say more without spoiling.

I read this book when I was around 13 years old, but I would recommend it for anyone from around 12 and up!

Pam Ripling is the author of middle-grade mystery, LOCKER SHOCK! Buy it at Quake, Fictionwise or Amazon today! E-book version now available for your Kindle! Visit Pam at www.BeaconStreetBooks.com.

Boys to Men?

by Pam Ripling

What is a leading lad? Is that like a leading man, only younger? I guess all leading men were young, at one time... think Brad Pitt in “Legends of the Fall” (I once thought “the fall” might refer to the hair Brad wore, but it was actually his.)

Today’s leading lads include the ever-youthful Daniel Radcliffe, Shia LaBeouf, Emile Hirsch and Zac Efron. Shia (pictured below) gets my vote for leading man potential, esp after seeing him in “Eagle Eye.”

What does it take to be “leading” quality? Acting talent, sex appeal, lovable image? When I think of classic Hollywood leading men of the past, I think of Clark Gable, Gregory Peck, James Stewart. Later, Tom Hanks, Sean Penn, Denzel Washington. George Clooney, Hugh Jackman, Matt Damon.

My personal favorites? Johnny Depp. Oh, do I need more? Hmm. Okay, Gerard Butler... and Johnny Depp.

Does Shia have what it takes to be the next Jack Sparrow? The next Phantom? Stay tuned...

Pam Ripling is the author of middle-grade mystery, LOCKER SHOCK! Buy it at Quake, Fictionwise or Amazon today! E-book version now available for your Kindle! Visit Pam at www.BeaconStreetBooks.com.

Fat, Broke & Failing?

by Pam Ripling

Resolutions are about resolving things, right? Do you know what the top resolutions are, every year? I’ll bet you could guess. Number one: LOSE WEIGHT! Yep, there’s a reason why all the health clubs, gyms and weight loss centers advertise so heavily in January. Turning that December calendar page is magic, doncha know? Now, now that it’s finally January (the month you’ve been waiting for all year while you stuffed your face), you can finally STOP EATING! Magic. I tell you.

Number two: MONEY PROBLEMS. Make more, spend less, get out of debt! This, just as those December holiday credit card bills are starting to land in everyone’s mail boxes! Or when you realize you’ve just spent your entire year’s allowance and next year’s too! Yeah, that makes sense.

Number three: Get a better job ~ or ~ do better at school! It’s January. Why not. December is over, when you get all the bonuses from bosses and treats from teachers. January offers nothing to distract you, so it’s nose to the grindstone, matey!

You get the picture. Me? My last resolution was a few years ago, and I’m managed to stick to it just fine: Do not make resolutions! How easy was that? FURGEDDABOUTIT!

But if you must, if you simply cannot let a New Years go by without resolving to fix something, let it be the kindness you show others. It doesn’t cost anything, you won’t starve or break the bank!


Pam Ripling is the author of middle-grade mystery, LOCKER SHOCK! Buy it at Quake, Fictionwise or Amazon today! E-book version now available for your Kindle! Visit Pam at www.BeaconStreetBooks.com.

Happy Thanksgiving, Happy Birthday Miley, Happy Happy Joy Joy

by Pam Ripling

Shout out to Miley Cyrus, who’s celebrating her 17^th birthday today. I’ve always been fond of Billy Ray’s likable offspring. Were I a teen, I’d covet that gorgeous blonde wig she dons as Hannah Montana, her teenish-sultry singing voice, her down-home practical girl television persona. I was glad she was the influence-of-the-day for my young daughter a few years back, when Lizzie McGuire (Hilary Duff) faded into that neverland of ex-Disney pre-adult stardom. And yes, I know, Miley's fallen from grace for some, due to some campy photos she's posed for. She's a teen, they all do it, get over it. Each of these girls are unique and beautiful.

So what is my unique talent? I stumble on that word, “unique” because it denotes a sense of, well, a little bragginess. I don’t like to be braggy, like Sister Berenstain Bear. I like to think that I’m good at a few things, but I’d never go so far as to call myself unique. After all, doesn’t that mean something like, “one of a kind?” Here are a few things that might be “different”-- albeit not unique. (Taking deep breath.)

• I rarely, if ever, get writer’s block
• I don’t hate our president
• My kids all respect me
• I’ve dreamed of being a 1940’s starlet
• I’m extremely tolerant of diversities
• I don’t like licorice
• My father was a stand-in for Clark Gable (okay, that last one was about Dad, not me, but still...)

Oh, I once toured a huge popstar’s home with his fiancée just because I knocked on the door and she let me in (a perk of growing up in N. Hollywood.) Talk about a dream come true! That was a truly unique experience.

I know, it’s a rag-tag list, but I don’t care, because I can almost smell the turkey and cranberries, which distorts my ability to write a uniquely decent blog on a Monday morning...

Wishing you all a wonderful day of gratitude!

Pam Ripling is the author of middle-grade mystery, LOCKER SHOCK! Buy it at Quake, Fictionwise or Amazon today! E-book version now available for your Kindle! Visit Pam at www.BeaconStreetBooks.com.

Magic, Mayhem, Mary & McPhee

by Pam Ripling

I’m late. What else is new? Would that I was Samantha Stephens, and could twitch my nose and turn back the clock so that I’d be on time. Or Mary Poppins, just open my umbrella and lift myself right out of this predicament. One of my favorite magically-mayhemic characters is Nanny McPhee, who can create—or diminish—chaos by the slamming down her wooden walking stick. I could wield one of those lovely canes about now.

Yes, I’m talking about video magic when we are supposed (?) to be talking about books. But being a somewhat visual person, I cannot help but thrill to the enchantment of television and movies, and the incredible magic they create on the small—and silver—screens. It all starts out as an idea in a writer’s mind, right? Written into text, stories, novels, screenplays, television scripts. From Tolkien to Jackson, the magic of “the one ring” certainly creates dark, diabolical mayhem for Frodo and his band of hairy hobbits. I won’t even begin to touch on the super-natural, the paranormal, the other-worldly… and please don't forget dear Harry Potter.

Maybe I’m oversimplifying, but I equate fantasy and much of sci-fi with magic. I mean, flying dragons are definitely magic, but couldn’t you choose to believe that “the Force” used by Luke Skywalker is just a little bit of magic, too? I do. (But to me, even a cellular phone is magic.)

With Halloween just a few days off, I’d best go find my broom. Have a magical week!

Pam Ripling is the author of middle-grade mystery, LOCKER SHOCK! Buy it at Quake, Fictionwise or Amazon today! E-book version now available for your Kindle! Visit Pam at www.BeaconStreetBooks.com.

90028

by Pam Ripling

I mentioned earlier this week that I grew up in North Hollywood, California. I used this fact to garner envy and respect from my out-of-state pen pals, who didn’t know that North Hollywood is a completely different town, separated from its famous, parent-named city by a mountain pass. Although quite a number celebs did call the San Fernando Valley home, NOHO, as North Hollywood is now commonly called by today’s locals, was merely a bedroom community back in the Golden Age of Hollywood.

So, not counting my hometown, there are really two Hollywood, Californias. The physical one and the make-believe one. In the brick-and-mortar world of sidewalks and streetlights, Hollywood is a place I don’t like to frequent. First on my "hate-it" list is the traffic. Old streets, congestion, parking problems, never-ended street maintenance. Pan handlers, street entertainers who get into frequent altercations with each other. Buses, taxis, homeless. Many a tourist laments, “Huh? So this is Hollywood and Vine? What’s so special?”

Pop on those rose-colored glasses, Aunt Mabel. For here, on the streets of Hollywood’s fairy-tale image, are where dreams come true. Here is the Walk of Fame, which next year will celebrate 50 years of immortalizing celebrities with 28 new stars for Russell Crowe, Adam Sandler, Emma Thompson; Ringo Starr, Bryan Adams, Van Morrison and (posthumously) Roy Orbison, among others (see complete list here.)

Here is Grauman’s Chinese Theater, which furthers the magic with imprints of stars, forever “preserved” in concrete. So in love with its glittery, famed inhabitants, Hollywood makes room for their notoriety and their particular needs. Did you know that a tunnel exists below the Chinese, leading under the street and into the Roosevelt Hotel across the street? Sid Grauman felt it best to allow his famous clientele to escape the theatre peacefully after those big Hollywood premieres. (Note: The Chinese spans the generations... Gene Kelly's prints are right beside those of Daniel Radcliffe! See the map, here.)

As if Hollywood didn’t already pay enough glorious homage to its stars, entrepreneur Spoony Singh built the Hollywood Wax Museum “with the vision of bringing people close to their favorite stars. More than 40 years later, the Hollywood Boulevard attraction is the longest running wax museum in the nation.” If you can’t see them in person, you can catch up with their likenesses here, for around $13.

It’s often said that you can find anything you want in Hollywood, from the benign to the decadent. Tour stars’ homes, tour stars’ graves. Tour stars’ studios, and sit where they’ve sat at the bistros and clubs on Sunset Boulevard. Me, even though it’s only a 40 minute drive, I prefer to watch the glam from the comfort of my own living room—on American Movie Classics.


Pam Ripling is the author of middle-grade mystery, LOCKER SHOCK! Buy it at Quake, Fictionwise or Amazon today! E-book version now available for your Kindle! Visit Pam at http://www.beaconstreetbooks.com/.

Are We Being Amused?

Let’s get this out of the way first. The term “amusement park.” Kind of an anachronism, don’t you think? I get “theme” park—that works in many cases. But I hardly call being dropped thirteen stories straight down a pitch black elevator shaft simply amusing. No, this is something that SCARES THE LIVING DAYLIGHTS OUTTA ME! (And that was the tamest, most acceptable way I could put it, without the actual desired expletives.)

I’m talking about Disney’s California Adventure’s “Tower of Terror,” of course. “Terror” doesn’t begin to cut it, for me. Got talked into this amusing torture a few years ago, and I’m still quivering at the core. Stephen King once commented that he simply wrote about the various things that scare people; our basic, instinctual fears. Well, Mr. King and several thrill ride designers have something in common. Disney’s “Hollywood Tower Hotel” elevator moves both vertically and horizontally, and is controlled by a randomized computer program. That, in itself, is enough to scare many people.

What scares you? Obviously, for me, it’s the drop. The fear of freefalling. Disney calls it a "delirious drop." I'll say! I also can’t take Splash Mountain at Disneyland (take the WDS virtual ride at You Tube.) That moment of unrestrained weightlessness, terrifying to me, simply enraptures others. For some, audio-animatronics are the stuff of nightmares. Think the massive, bellowing King Kong* at the Universal Studios Tour or the mechanical, computerized “JAWS” that leaps at the tram on the same ride. (I’ll admit to once jumping onto my boyfriend’s lap at the sight of the great white snapping his bloody, deadly jaws.)

Roller coasters are another breed. Twisting, turning, climbing, racing downhill, hell-bent on bucking off its intrepid riders. I’m not a conventional coaster fan, but I do love thematic coasters-in-disguise such as Space Mountain, Big Thunder and the Matterhorn.

So come on, what’s your bugaboo? What ride leaves you quaking, shaking and leaving the lights on at night? Or do you simply just enjoy being amused…

Pam Ripling is the author of middle-grade mystery, LOCKER SHOCK! Buy it at Quake, Fictionwise or Amazon today! E-book version now available for your Kindle! Visit Pam at www.BeaconStreetBooks.com.

ps - You "amusement park" fanatics will be happy to note that the aforementioned King Kong attraction, which was badly damaged during a studio fire last year, is being rebuilt. Story about plans for the upgraded 3D ape here.

Just Don't Mess With My Radio!

by Pam Ripling

Coming clean. I did it. I ripped Barbie's head off. And it was my sister's Barbie. BUT... this was after she broke my phenomenal, brand-new clock radio!

Normally, you could put Barbie's head back on, but I think, no, I know, I did irreparable damage that day, and the little bubble-headed bleach blonde couldn't keep her head in place ever again. My sister never forgave me. (Well, maybe a little.)

Why do we do it? Is it attention we need? It must be a common problem, because TV sitcoms have been pitting sibling against sibling for decades. From Beaver and Wally Cleaver to Drake (and Josh) and Megan. Lizzie McGuire had Matt, Hannah Montana has Jackson.

It all actually started a long time ago, before television families even existed. One of the first stories in the Bible (generally considered the oldest book in Western civilization) is about the rivalry between two famous brothers, Cain and Abel. Cain, the older, complained about having to take care of Abel, demanding to know, "Am I my brother's keeper?" This story doesn't end well, by the way.

My story does. The radio still worked, although I had to bang on it a bit. And a bit of tape helped Barbie stay sane. My sister and I are the best of friends, despite years of competition for attention. Most people will tell you that time heals all sibling-inflected wounds. Too bad Cain couldn't wait around to find that out.

Pam Ripling is the author of middle-grade mystery, LOCKER SHOCK! Buy it at Quake, Fictionwise or Amazon today! E-book version now available for your Kindle! Visit Pam at www.BeaconStreetBooks.com.

The Embarrassment Was Mutual!

by Pam Ripling

My brother told my friends that I lived in a closet. No lie. He was, at 17, already a great cartoonist, and he drew a picture of me with the heading, “MOLE HOLE” and taped it onto my bedroom door. Later, he thought better of it, and moved it to the hall closet door. Oh, my friends thought it was a riot!

He once tried to trade me a silver dollar for a plush bunny I’d received for Easter. No dice! I wouldn’t have given it to him for all the tea in Chinatown. I wanted that dollar, but no way was I negotiating with my arch-nemesis.

I got back at him, though. He had a little record player in his room, and although I wasn’t technically allowed to play in his room, I would. Sneak that I was. I turned on that record player and gave Barbie the ride of her life. Grew bored, left it going. Brother came home from high school with friends, had to explain Thrill Ride Barbie. Snort.

He was a pen-and-ink artist. I was fascinated by those little black bottles of India ink. So fascinated that I once dumped one on his bed. Oops. But he delighted in telling everyone that I was in love with Bobby Sherman or David Cassidy or whomever was my current heartthrob. So I wrote on his car. With paste.

Today, we are the best of friends and hardly ever embarrass each other. I think the teasing, razzing and pranks actually brought us closer somehow. Still, I do bring along a jar of paste when I visit him, just in case. You never know.

Pam Ripling is the author of middle-grade mystery, LOCKER SHOCK! Buy it at Quake, Fictionwise or Amazon today! E-book version now available for your Kindle! Visit Pam at www.BeaconStreetBooks.com.

My Heroes... sigh

by Pam Ripling

When I hear the term “superhero”, my mind immediately conjures up the vivid color newsprint graphics of my childhood, found between the semi-glossy covers of Marvel Comics. Because of a popular TV version of Superman, the Man of Steel became my young heart’s hero and I went mad for collecting those comic books, along with my friend Paul. Paul and I spent hours every day after school pretending to be Clark Kent and Lois Lane. SOMETIMES I was Supergirl, and he was Superboy. We flew all over the neighborhood.

As a teen, all my superheroes were rock stars. Bigger than life, indestructible despite their precarious lifestyles, and of course many of them flew—right off the stage and into the adulating crowd! Okay, so maybe that doesn’t count.

Thinking about today’s superheroes, I have to agree with Jacquelyn about dear Harry P. He meets all the criteria. After all, what is a superhero? Someone with powers? Check. Someone fighting for the common good? Check. Someone with mysterious attraction? Double check.

My favorite female superhero would have to be Arwen Undomiel, the half elven daughter of Elmond in Lord of the Rings. She definitely has powers, she is calm under fire and she is beautiful. Played by Liv Tyler in the films, Arwen gets to save Frodo and kiss (and marry!) that hunkiest of all Middle Earth heroes, Aragorn, played by another personal favorite, Viggo Mortenson.

Last, can’t forget Wolverine. Despite those nasty popping knuckle-swords ("retracting bone claws", for you purists), the Canadian X-gene Mutant means well. He can’t help it if he’s a brooding alpha-type. He’s had a tough time of it. While it’s not on the list of “superhero attributes”, it sure doesn’t hurt that his big-screen incarnation is played to the hilt by People Magazine’s Sexiest Man Alive, Hugh Jackman! Now there’s hero material for you.

Pam Ripling is the author of middle-grade mystery, LOCKER SHOCK! Buy it at Quake, Fictionwise or Amazon today! E-book version now available for your Kindle! Visit Pam at www.BeaconStreetBooks.com.

This article contains artwork that is © 2006-2008 FunDraw.Com

Why Do They Call Them "Pet" Peeves?

by Pam Ripling

Why do they? I can't answer that. Nothing sweet or cute about the things that bug me. But since you've asked, here's the short list of mine:


Guys who leave the seat up. Seriously. Did their mothers teach them nothing?

Barracudas in parking lots. You know who I mean. You’re waiting for someone to back out, even have your blinkin’ blinker on, and some rude yahoo comes out of nowhere and jams into the spot before you can get your foot on the gas. No matter how small your car is, theirs is smaller.

People who drink from the carton. The epitome of low class kitchen mates. Argh!


Someone else’s undone laundry clogging up the system. It’s in the dryer, it’s in the washer, it’s on the floor. Owner of said laundry is somewhere playing Warcraft. And I’ll bet all his guild-mates do the same thing.

Trying to order a Starbuck’s coffee and saying it out of order. “Uh, I’d like a decaf-grande-non-fat-latte…” Barrista calls out with smug smile, “Grande Latte Decaf Skinny…” And of course I still don’t have it right. They make me feel small and stupid. Should go back to getting coffee at the grocery store deli.

People at book fairs who say they don’t read. Huh?

The California budget crisis. Need I say more?

Teachers who assign homework on weekends. It should be outlawed.

And that’s only a few. You should ask me when I’m really cranky!

Pam Ripling is the author of middle-grade mystery, LOCKER SHOCK! Buy it at Quake, Fictionwise or Amazon today! E-book version now available for your Kindle! Visit Pam at www.BeaconStreetBooks.com.

Mrs. Robinson

by Pam Ripling

Sorry to be tardy. I was messing with my locker. Sometimes it sticks. Anyway, yeah, I had a really embarrassing thing happen once in school. I was in tenth grade, I think. It was so awful, to me, that I kinda blocked it out.

I was a good kid. I never swore, didn't cheat (much), didn't cut class. I didn't smoke, got average grades, teachers pretty much thought I was okay. I was always respectful. I wasn't that popular, but I had friends.

Mrs. Robinson was my gym teacher. She was sorta new to the school, and younger than all the other P.E. instructors. So I think she tried harder. Tried harder to be tough, and maybe even a little mean. I didn't like teachers who yelled, and this particular teacher was quickly getting a bad reputation among my small group of peers. I joined their ranks in trash talking, although I didn't really feel that great about it.

There was a popular song around then, made even more popular by a movie about a character with the same name. Mrs. Robinson. There is a refrain in the song that goes, "and here's to you, Mrs. Robinson..." One day I thought I'd be cool and while my friends' eyes were on me, I belted out that refrain in the locker room, lifting my middle finger high into the airspace above my head. I didn't have to turn around to know that Mrs. R was standing right behind me. My friends' horrified expressions said it all.

Like I said, I was a good kid.

Pam Ripling is the author of middle-grade mystery, LOCKER SHOCK! Buy it at Quake, Fictionwise or Amazon today! E-book version now available for your Kindle! Visit Pam at www.BeaconStreetBooks.com.

Baby You Can Drive My Car

by Pam Ripling

My first car: Of course, it was older than dirt, older than me, older than the universe.

Have fun with me as I reminisce about my history of driving.

Ah... the 1963 Oldsmobile F-85, forerunner of the popular Olds Cutlass that debuted the following year. Mine got me to school and back, cracked block and all. Four doors, bench seats... I hated my parents. HATED them! The most uncoolest car in the lot.


The Ghia. My beach car. Wrecked it twice before selling it to my boyfriend, who wrecked it again. Great car, bad karma.

Did you know the trunk was in the front? 1969 VW Karmann Ghia. RIP.






Funny thing about driving a BMW. People flip you off for no reason. I wrecked this car, too. Ran over a median curb. Hard enough to set off the airbags. My bad.

We called this '02 530i a "Friday car", because it had so many defects--myth is that Friday afternoon workers are tired and want to go home. 'Nuff said. But it drove like a dream.



I know, I know. I never should have gotten rid of this one. Can you spell C L A S S I C? The 1966 Ford Mustang is still a hot selling car today.

Now this one, my boyfriend wrecked and we then painted it orange. Bad idea. You've heard of orange peel-textured paint? This one was the worst ever.



We called it the "kidney-shaker". Give you a clue? I learned to drive a stick-shift in this monster. Great for off-roading, not the most comfortable vehicle around town.

If you ever get offered a ride in the back, turn it down. Trust me. Take note: 1972 Toyota LandCruiser.





Now this is a car. My beloved '91 Miata. Drove it all the way to Las Vegas and back, alone. Sunburned the heck out of my head. Was worth every mile. Once crammed three kids in it -- please don't tell their parents. I still miss this gem.

Note: Not good when vs. Escalade on freeway.


1973. VW "181" Thing.

Top down, barreling down the I5 into Mexico with my 2 BFF's. Broke down only twice.

How did we live to tell? We called it the square rolling lemon. Wonder why?


Okay, now you know my life in cars. But here's the catch. One of these is a blatant, all out lie. Can you spot the fraud?

Pam Ripling is the author of middle-grade mystery, LOCKER SHOCK! Buy it at Quake, Fictionwise or Amazon today! E-book version now available for your Kindle! Visit Pam at www.BeaconStreetBooks.com.

Think Before You Send!

by Pam Ripling

Gossip. I've been waiting for this topic to come around, wanting to comment on the recent go-round of forwarded emails describing a planned gang initiation that was to take place a local big box store. Three females, the message read, would be murdered at the site, and recipients of the email would be wise to stay away.

While I, personally, did not receive the warning, by afternoon, my 13 year old daughter had read it on her cell phone, my girlfriend had it on her Blackberry and my adult son mentioned he’d seen it on his own phone. That evening, our local high school district had released a statement, phoned to each subscribing household, that the message was indeed a hoax, one that had been forging a nasty path through several other states since 2005.

The whole incident got my back up. My daughter was upset, my friend was justifiably concerned. Both struggled with what to do. Do we call the Sheriff? Do you think they know? I assured them both that the missive was a malicious attempt to stir up fear and possibly even launch a “denial of service”-like scheme as an attack on Wal-Mart, the store mentioned. I don’t know the legal term, but I do know you cannot attempt to prevent patronage of a business based on a fraudulent claim. Whether you like or dislike Wal-Mart, the point is that this could just as easily have been aimed at Mom & Pop’s Bakery on the corner.

My parents used to tell me, when I was a young, impressionable child, “Don’t believe everything you see on TV.” Because we did, back then. Yeah, people joke about it now, would never admit to it, but we did think that if we saw it on TV, it must be true.

Just after 9/11, I received an email warning me to stay away from our local Mall, because it was targeted to be blown up by terrorists. In the nightmarish atmosphere that pervaded following the attacks, I was ripe to believe anything. I immediately forwarded the email to everyone in my address book. I was quickly and gently reprimanded for falling prey to an internet hoax, and I have since refrained from sending anything to anyone without first checking with Snopes (which I consider to be the best online source for debunking urban myths and hoaxes.)

The case of the gang-initiation-at-Wal-Mart email is no different. I took the opportunity to use the incident as a learning experience for my daughter. Just because someone you like or know from school sends you (what you might call)“forwards” doesn’t mean that it’s (a) true or, God forbid, (b), you should perpetuate the “forward” and add to the needless hysteria intended by some sick mind.

Pam Ripling is the author of middle-grade mystery, LOCKER SHOCK! Buy it at Quake, Fictionwise or Amazon today! E-book version now available for your Kindle! Visit Pam at http://www.beaconstreetbooks.com/.

Living With Rogues and Druids

by Pam Ripling

WoW. And I was going to talk about Pong. Your parents-grandparents?-will remember: black screen, two white paddles (actually, two little bars that only move up and down), one blip on the screen that was supposed to look like a bouncing ball. Prehistoric man’s first video game.

Instead, let me tell you about Daniel and James.

Daniel is my son. He is also a Druid, who spends several hours weekly immersed in the World of Warcraft, or WoW, the biggest, most successful MMORPG ever. Oh, that’s massive-multiplayer-online-role-playing-game for you noobs out there. And that word massive? An understatement. Get this: there are over 11.5 million druids, priests, mages, warlocks, hunters, shamen, rogues and warriors subscribing to this fantasy franchise universe, landing WoW in the Guinness book!

Role-playing games are certainly not new. Think Final Fantasy (Square Enix, 1987, for Nintendo), an early RPG that holds seven Guinness World Records. What makes WoW different is that it spans all platforms and is played exclusively online, worldwide. “Old time” gamers will remember playing Warcraft: Orcs & Humans way back in 1994; World of Warcraft was announced in 2001 but not released by creator Blizzard Entertainment until November, 2004.

But back to the Druid in the corner bedroom. This character is also a healer, and he is part of the Alliance. (I, of course, immediately conjured up Luke Skywalker, but he said that wasn’t right.) He is part of a “guild” – a collection of players that meet (either in person or online) in real life and form a sort of a team that always play together. They will even talk to each other with headsets while they play. Dan, er, the Druid, can shape shift, too. Some nights, his guild goes on raids, attacking other dungeons and collecting various gear and other cool stuff to help them progress to higher levels (there are 80 in all!) These raids can last for hours, and it might take a typical player a year to reach that 80th level.

Did I mention James? Okay, he’s in the other bedroom. Or, uh, a different guild, that is. He is a Rogue, and he plays for the Hordes. The tough guys. The black hats. He is sometimes a Troll, sometimes a Blood Elf. This is because, of course, Blood Elves can be Paladins but Trolls cannot. (Didja get that? If you didn’t, Wiki has lots more confusing facts and info on WoW.) As these warring brothers actually “play” in different but identical worlds (okay, “servers”), they rarely have to attack each other, which is a big relief to me.

So what's the big deal? Well, for one thing, it's not GAME OVER if you die. You just kind of become a ghost, wander around a graveyard, find your body and get resurrected. And of course, there is no end to WoW: it's a perpetual, ever-changing world of endless possibilities and new challenges.

I’m not there yet, but I suspect when I am done gathering gold coins for Mario and Luigi, I will find myself wandering around Azeroth, trying to avoid the Wrath of the Lich King. Maybe I will be a priest or a shaman. Mage sounds good. What about you? Horde or Alliance?

Pam Ripling is the author of middle-grade mystery, LOCKER SHOCK! Buy it at Quake, Fictionwise or Amazon today! E-book version now available for your Kindle! Visit Pam at www.BeaconStreetBooks.com.

Tools of the Trade

by Pam Ripling

All writers have favorite sources they can turn to when struggling to get through a work-in-progress. Before I developed my on-going love affair with Google, I purchased several reference books that remain on the shelf above my computer to this day. I still use them. Here are a couple you might find helpful:

The Fiction Writer’s Silent Partner, by Martin Roth. “Thousands of ideas, facts, possibilities and “what ifs”, on topics ranging from characters to vivid and unusual locales, that will help you generate solid fiction ideas and develop your imagination.” This book is filled with lists—lots of them. For example, if you are writing about a character who boxes, there is a SPORTS chapter, a “Boxing” subchapter, and under that, details about time, rules, ring, equipment, officials, dress, scoring, max/min weights, etc. There are character elements, names, situations; comedic ideas; medicine, military, espionage, religion and The Old West. Slang, Southern talk, Briticisms, etc. A wonderful resource. ISBN 0-89879-482-X. From Writer’s Digest Books, but you may have to look for it on Amazon.

Also from Writer’s Digest is the Flip Dictionary, by Barbara Ann Kipfer, Ph.D. “For when you know what you want to say, but can’t think of the word.” This handy tool is a cousin to both the conventional dictionary and the thesaurus. In addition to finding phrases for words and words for phrases, there are specific pages of terms for a variety of topics. Say you are writing about a devout, professional musician, and you want him to talk about music directions and notations. Do you know the words for heavy (pesante) joyous (giocoso) or emotional (appassionato)? ISBN 0-89879-976-7.

Last, I always have a current almanac handy, and a good style book or two (see Chicago Manual of Style or Strunk & White's The Elements of Style). Because books are static, once you’ve explored the pages, you know right where to find answers. And there aren’t a million other websites beckoning you into distraction.

Pam Ripling is the author of middle-grade mystery, LOCKER SHOCK! Buy it at Quake, Fictionwise or Amazon today! E-book version now available for your Kindle! Visit Pam at www.BeaconStreetBooks.com.