What was your first job as a journalist?
No jobs. I'm amateur at everything I love: opinions, nonfiction books, scientific research, cooking, graphics. Lot of success, no moolah.
Have you ever used a typewriter?
Oh, yes. Manual.
How is social media changing news?
For better: It gets the truth out there. For worse: It gets the lies out there.
Who's your favorite fictional journalist?
Rita Skeeter. (I suspect Rowling derived the name from 'paparazzi.')
What does it mean to be a journalist?
Getting useful information out there; analyzed, but not concluded. Provide your perceptions, then other ideas and links for the reader.
What's the funniest news-related #hashtag you've seen?
How do you prefer to be pitched on stories?
Tiered: 3 sentences; then elevator speech; then detailed explanation.
What tools and software do you use to do your job?
Laptop, the Internet, phone; Ubuntu, LIbreOffice, the Gimp.
What's your favorite social network?
Reddit
Who do you wish followed you?
George F. Will. We don't agree on much, but I respect his writing.
Why did you become a journalist?
I had things I wanted to say, and insights I wanted to share. I love reading, researching, thinking, & writing.
Did you work for your high school newspaper? If so, what did you do there?
I was the only sophomore reporter... nothing memorable. Won a state award in Jr. High, however.
What story are you most proud of writing or working on?
Kings, Conquerors, Psychopaths. 20 years of reading & writing, 5 years (and counting) of promotion.
What advice can you offer to aspiring journalists?
Ernest Gaines was a friend: "Read, Read, Read. Write, Write, Write." I rather rudely told him, "You left out 'Think, Think, Think.'"
When's the best time to pitch you?
Send me an email anytime; my mind is working best as I have my AM coffee, but I'm semi-retired. Good luck.
What's the best pitch you ever got?
A soldier will fight long and hard for a piece of colored ribbon.
—Napoléon Bonaparte
What's the worst pitch you ever got?
It can't fail. (Distant cousin to, "You can't miss it.")
What's your favorite drink?
AM; Very dry cappuccino. PM: Grapefruit juice & tequila.
When you're not at a computer, where are you most likely to be?
At a book or a kitchen.
Aside from your own, what's your favorite publication to read?
Washington Post
What's the most common misperception about your beat?
That publication success means that anyone is actually reading my work.
