What was your first job as a journalist?
Working for my town's local newspaper
Have you ever used a typewriter?
Yes. Loved it!
How is social media changing news?
Social media can help to spread important information but it can also spread lots of badly reported information.
Who's your favorite fictional journalist?
Murphy Brown (fictional journalist) and Carrie Bradshaw is a good fictional writer.
What does it mean to be a journalist?
It means informing and engaging the audience.
What's the funniest news-related #hashtag you've seen?
How do you prefer to be pitched on stories?
Via email.
What tools and software do you use to do your job?
My computer and my brain.
What's your favorite social network?
Instagram
Who do you wish followed you?
Oprah, Gayle King, Meryl Streep, Viola Davis, and Debra Messing.
Why did you become a journalist?
I became a journalist because I like telling stories and passing along information that I find interesting.
Did you work for your high school newspaper? If so, what did you do there?
No, I did not.
What story are you most proud of writing or working on?
I worked on a story for the now-defunct More magazine about women being abused in India. It was heartbreaking but very important.
What advice can you offer to aspiring journalists?
It will be hard but if you love it then it will be worth it.
When's the best time to pitch you?
Anytime I always check my emails.
What's the best pitch you ever got?
That's hard to say.
What's the worst pitch you ever got?
Pitches aren't usually bad but the product the PR person has to sell is sometimes lackluster.
What's your favorite drink?
Tea with milk.
When you're not at a computer, where are you most likely to be?
Reading on the beach, my lanai or in bed. I can also be found wandering through the nearest farmer's market.
Aside from your own, what's your favorite publication to read?
Marie Claire, Harper's, O magazine and Vanity Fair.
What's the most common misperception about your beat?
People think that journalism is glamorous and fun. When it is late nights and low pay.
