Everyone has a talent; mine is diving into tedious scholarly works and unearthing the carefully concealed funny bits. I’ve combined this ability with a love for arts, music, and literature to create a specialty of sorts in exploring the stories behind cultural icons. I also have a proven track record writing and selling books. I can pull off a newspaper interview, book talk, or blog tour, and if I did once confuse the plots of Aida and Tosca on live radio, I can assure you I did so in an engaging and funny way. (Also, no one seemed to notice.)
At heart, I’m a story-teller. When I’m not writing books and magazine articles, I write for nonprofit and corporate clients. I apply the same research and reporting skills to research papers, newsletters, and annual reports while always keeping in mind the client’s strategic communications goals.
I live in Fort Worth, Texas, which is a more sophisticated town than people think and has, at the Kimbell Art Museum, the only Michelangelo painting in an American collection. (OK, so it’s kind of a lousy Michelangelo—he painted it when he was 12—but still, it’s a Michelangelo, in Texas.) I have two cats, one dog, one son, one husband, and an almost embarrassing collection of British murder mysteries.
Work Experience
2000-Present — Freelance Writer
1997-2000 — Marketing Communications Specialist, ETI, Inc.
1993-1997 — Marketing Coordinator and Proposal Writer, Carter & Burgess, Inc.
Teaching
Writing for Public Relations, Texas Christian University
Freshman Composition, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
Education
1993 – Bachelor of Science in English and Journalism, Texas Christian University — Phi Beta Kappa, Summa Cum Laude
2003 – Master of Arts in English, Unversity of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
Professional Organizations
American Society of Journalists and Authors