Old Enough, Already!

Old Enough, Already!
by Pam Ripling

I’m so excited to be blogging with Alyssa Montgomery today. Why? Because this is the perfect place to announce some big news: I finished OLD ENOUGH! And why is this so significant?

OLD ENOUGH is the next in a series of books that began with my middle grade mystery, LOCKER SHOCK! The latter is the story of junior high student Ben Mitchell, who one day finds a mysterious brown paper bag in his school locker. What’s in the bag and who put it there serve to make Ben the most miserable boy on campus. Worse, his best friends are feuding. Ben’s normally calm, status-quo life is upside down.

My blog host today has always been a big fan of LOCKER SHOCK! and its myriad of middle school characters. When she discovered I was writing the next book in the series, she was supportive, encouraging and overjoyed. However, as weeks, months and even a couple of—well, a few—years passed, her enthusiasm turned to crankiness and her encouragement to down-right nagging. Now I ask you: who wouldn’t want such a supportive fan? [Think Stephen King’s Misery, film starring Kathy Bates and James Caan…]

Well, the book came back to life with a gasp and a prayer, and I finished it. Still in “first draft” form, it’s not quite ready for submission, but it has a beginning, a middle, and end; conflict; pain and suffering, laughter, and dancing. It has diversity, romance, acts of God and challenging friendships. With luck and some good editing, I hope to have OLD ENOUGH released for the Kindle and other ebook readers by next summer. And just maybe a third book in the series in draft format, too—but whatever you do, don’t tell Alyssa!

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