Debra Smith
Verified
(She/Her)
As seen in:
Luxe Beat,
HuffPost,
Educational Studies,
Baltimore Sun,
National Post,
The Culture Trip,
Toronto Sun,
Calgary Herald,
Montreal Gazette,
Vancouver Sun,
Edmonton Journal
and
Covers:
Luxury and boutique hotel reviews, cruises, soft adventure, fine dining, history, culture, theatre, music
Doesn't Cover:
Tech, medicine, sports, extreme adventure
Freelance travel writer, #luxuryhotelreviewer, coffee fueled cat lover
Interview
What was your first job as a journalist?
Reporting on Hawaii for Postmedia
Have you ever used a typewriter?
Absolutely! That's why a keyboard is my happy place for writing and editing
How is social media changing news?
Social media is the new third law of thermodynamics when it comes to news
Who's your favorite fictional journalist?
Margaret Atwood, but she's very real
What does it mean to be a journalist?
Someone said it was like opening a vein every time you sit down to write. Sounds about right
What's the funniest news-related #hashtag you've seen?
There's not much funny about the news at the moment
How do you prefer to be pitched on stories?
By email with a great subject line
What tools and software do you use to do your job?
As many as I can learn, and I'm always learning
What's your favorite social network?
Reddit - I get all my best tips there
Who do you wish followed you?
Any writers I admire. Some already do, amazingly
Why did you become a journalist?
To share my love of travel - and a good hotel
Did you work for your high school newspaper? If so, what did you do there?
I had my own newsletter at age 10
What story are you most proud of writing or working on?
How my husband and I fell in love in New Orleans
What advice can you offer to aspiring journalists?
Hang in there. People are reading more than ever
When's the best time to pitch you?
Friday afternoon
What's the best pitch you ever got?
How would you like to go to Antarctica
What's the worst pitch you ever got?
How would you like to go to Antarctica, in November
What's your favorite drink?
Gin, French 75's mainly
When you're not at a computer, where are you most likely to be?
At the airport
Aside from your own, what's your favorite publication to read?
The New Yorker - a beacon of sanity and the best writing anywhere
What's the most common misperception about your beat?
That travel writing is easy
Would you like to take the Muck Rack Interview?
Create a Muck Rack profile.