What was your first job as a journalist?
I worked part-time at the San Francisco Bay Guardian before I got a real job at PC World in San Francisco.
Have you ever used a typewriter?
I wrote my first novel on an Olivetti Lettera.
How is social media changing news?
How many characters do I get? I've written thousands of words on this topic. In every way.
Who's your favorite fictional journalist?
Mona Breen
What does it mean to be a journalist?
Working long hours and having people think you are 1. A poser. 2. Willing to work for free.
How do you prefer to be pitched on stories?
Email.
What tools and software do you use to do your job?
My tech stack is a lot bigger than you'd think. So many tools...
What's your favorite social network?
Sigh. That would presume I like any of them. I use Twitter. I have content on Facebook but never go there. Reddit is where I mostly lurk.
Who do you wish followed you?
On social media? (Shrig.) In person? (That's creepy. No one.) My writing? A publisher with a book contract maybe?
Why did you become a journalist?
I wanted to be a writer but there were no jobs.
Did you work for your high school newspaper? If so, what did you do there?
No! Hahahahahahaha. No.
What story are you most proud of writing or working on?
So many stories. I forget them all. I was happy about it, if it was about diving, though.
What advice can you offer to aspiring journalists?
Write. Then get a job writing so you can meet people and learn how to write.
When's the best time to pitch you?
Email is asynchronous! Whenever you like. I'll read it when I do.
What's the best pitch you ever got?
I'm sure there were some good ones. There are often good ones. I don't remember the specifics though. I get a lot of pitches.
What's the worst pitch you ever got?
I try not to remember these.
What's your favorite drink?
Lagavulin 16. Or wait. A great pinot from a scrappy California winery using grapes from the Santa Cruz mountains. Water.
When you're not at a computer, where are you most likely to be?
Under water. Or asleep.
Aside from your own, what's your favorite publication to read?
Novels?
What's the most common misperception about your beat?
I have no idea.
