What was your first job as a journalist?
Newsletter Author for a now-defunct online casino affiliate program called PearlGaming
Have you ever used a typewriter?
yes
How is social media changing news?
It's ruining real news. Social media is to easy to manipulate with fake news. Real news spreads the lies trying to be first to break a story
Who's your favorite fictional journalist?
Ron Burgundy
What does it mean to be a journalist?
It means taking pride in your work, writing with integrity, and staying true to yourself and the reading public.
How do you prefer to be pitched on stories?
Email
What tools and software do you use to do your job?
Libre Office and Thesaurus.com are my two favorite tools!
What's your favorite social network?
Facebook
Who do you wish followed you?
My shadow
Why did you become a journalist?
It's in my blood. My mother was a novelist. My father was an engineer. Mix literary with literal and you get me.
Did you work for your high school newspaper? If so, what did you do there?
no
What story are you most proud of writing or working on?
I once crafted content for a website on the ancient Chinese practice of Qi Gong. The research into mindful meditation impacted me profoundly.
What advice can you offer to aspiring journalists?
Be diligent, do your research, and use big words!
When's the best time to pitch you?
Noonish
What's the best pitch you ever got?
The history and evolution of slot machines and how they work, then and now.
What's the worst pitch you ever got?
I can't remember
What's your favorite drink?
Coffee
When you're not at a computer, where are you most likely to be?
bed
Aside from your own, what's your favorite publication to read?
NPR
What's the most common misperception about your beat?
That I "encourage" people to gamble. On the contrary, I encourage great responsibility in all of my articles.
