Reporter pens novel based on his childhood

Rip Rense, a news reporter who grew up in Thousand Oaks, has written a novel, "The Oaks," based on his childhood.

The story features Charlie Bogle, growing up in "a small country town . . . in Beatlesechoing, 1960s California bedroom-community America."

Rense lived in Thousand Oaks from 1960 to 1968. He has written for the Los Angeles HeraldExaminer, the Valley News and the Los Angeles Times. His work has appeared in the New York Times, TV Guide, People and the Boston Globe, among other publications.

For more information about the book, visit www.oaksnovel.com.