Interview with Kimberly Ripley
Interview by Jenna Glatzer

Kimberly Ripley is a freelance writer from Portsmouth, New Hampshire. A wife and mother of Scott, Judy, Jim, Elizabeth, and Jonathan, she has exploited her family numerous times for financial gain. (Actually she bases her humorous parenting tales on her family’s adventures).

She forms ideas from daily doses of parenting, adding her humorous point of view. The result is often a fun piece to which most parents can relate. Several of these tales have been published in The Writing Parent print version, The Writing Parent online version, and ParentingHumor.com.

Intrigued by people from all walks of life, Kim loves interviewing subjects for potential feature articles. A mother whose 16-year old son was shot and killed, a man whose life has been enhanced by a guide dog, a woman whose adopted greyhounds serve as therapy dogs, an artisan whose wares are unique and selling nationally, all have provided fodder for a variety of newspaper and magazine features. They have been published in The Fort Myers Beach Observer, Gulf Coast Woman, Discovery Channel, Grit, and Celebrating Greyhounds.

Other stories and articles written by Kimberly Ripley may be found or will be featured in upcoming issues of ParentingHumor.com, Absolutely Florida, and Whispers from Heaven. She writes a monthly column called “Motherhood” for the Fort Myers Beach Observer.

The author of “Breathe Deeply, This Too Shall Pass: Thirty Tales of Trials and Tribulations of Parenting Teens” and “Freelancing Later in Life” a manual for starting a career after forty, Kim’s books have sold well in both paperback and electronic format.

A recent 1st runner-up in the NetAuthor’s E2K short fiction contest, other awards include two Honorable Mentions from Writer’s Digest, an Honorable mention in The Writer’s Journal Travel Writer’s Contest, and an Honorable Mention in a Byline essay competition. She took the April 2001 prize in the All the Write Moves competition.

Why did you write your book "Freelancing Later In Life"?

I wrote ''Freelancing Later in Life'' because at first I'd wondered if I was too old to begin a new career. I was in my early forties at the time. I wanted others to know that if I could do it, they can, too.

How did you sell your first article? 

My first article sale was to a newspaper 1600 miles away from me. I had watched a television interview with a Lee County, Florida sheriff on the Today Show. My family and I visit the area he's from every year. I knew that many of the locals down there hailed form New England. A little research turned up the fact that this sheriff was from New England, too. I sold the article based on a 'They'll want to read about him because he's from their neck of the woods'' theory.

Any tips for writing great query letters? 

Use the telephone! Invest 50 cents in a long distance call, but for goodness sake get the editor's name and correct spelling before sending a query letter!

What do you think of the old axiom "write what you know?" 

I think it's a wonderful saying, and a great deal of my writing follows this old axiom. However if you stick with only doing this, as a writer you will severely limit your potential.

Have you ever had trouble getting paid by a publication? If so, what did you do? 

Yes. This happened only once. I soon learned that other writers had been shafted as well. At the time I didn't belong to the N.W.U. However, if this happened today, I would immediately file a grievance with them.

Do you find that e-mail queries work as well as snail mail queries? How do you deal with the issue of sending clips electronically? 

I have been very fortunate with e-mail queries. I also love the fact that turnaround time is slashed drastically in most cases. As far as clips, I've tried a variety of options. I wasn't pleased with the quality of actual scanned clips, so now I copy and paste the article or story, including information about where and when it was published and the publishing editor's contact info for verification purposes. I've found this to work just fine.

What did your family think when you decided to become a professional writer? 

Initially they thought Mom had found a new hobby. They've been pleasantly surprised since then!

What has been your favorite assignment so far? 

My favorite assignment so far was for Discovery Travel. I interviewed a lady in Florida who has been instrumental at preserving the loggerhead sea turtles. I hope to actually meet with her this summer and go on a ''nesting watch'' with her.

How do you conduct interviews? 

I conduct interviews in person, over the telephone, and via e-mail as well. I've found all three methods to be effective.

What's the biggest mistake you made along the way? 

I underestimated how quickly this career would take off. Assuming I'd have a long wait for success, I procrastinated at setting up a ''business'' for my business, and so was caught doing it simultaneously with writing assignments. 

If you could teach new writers just one thing, what would it be? 

Take the chance and write. Don't let ANYONE tell you that it can't be done, because it CAN!

Anything else you'd like to add? 

I'd like to mention a recent controversy over writing for no pay. Many writers refuse to do this, but how else are new writers supposed to procure clips? Writing for a byline and links is a great way to establish an entire portfolio of writing clips, and often helps out a new publication that might remember you in the future. I've seldom turned down a site or print publication asking for material in exchange for a byline. Many writers will disagree with this, however!

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