What was your first job as a journalist?
Reporting on schools, government, and events in Sun Valley, ID
Have you ever used a typewriter?
Lately? No. Ever? Yes.
How is social media changing news?
Few carefully research the news source, reposting stories and photos that are dated, doctored, or dreadfully wrong.
Who's your favorite fictional journalist?
Bridget Jones
What does it mean to be a journalist?
The primary task is to distribute information in a timely, accurate, neutral, error-free read.
How do you prefer to be pitched on stories?
A simple point of contact via email.
What tools and software do you use to do your job?
Trusted sources of information, phone, notebook, desktop, MSOffice, Questia online, public library databases, Scrivener, AP Stylebook
What's your favorite social network?
LinkedIn for business, Instagram for fun
Who do you wish followed you?
Stella McCartney, Prince Rainier III, Michael Pollan, and Elon Musk
Why did you become a journalist?
It was accidental, really, but it turned out to be a true passion.
Did you work for your high school newspaper? If so, what did you do there?
I did not.
What story are you most proud of writing or working on?
A novel about the history of Florida
What advice can you offer to aspiring journalists?
Read. Everything. Know more than the next writer, and make sure your sources are accurate and current.
When's the best time to pitch you?
Any time you have an intelligent, accurate, engaging, informative assignment that you need done right.
What's the best pitch you ever got?
Want to go to the Maldives?
What's the worst pitch you ever got?
A request for an "excellent writer" to create a 500-word article for $5.
What's your favorite drink?
Water!
When you're not at a computer, where are you most likely to be?
On or near the water.
Aside from your own, what's your favorite publication to read?
New York Times
What's the most common misperception about your beat?
That luxury and sustainability are incompatible is easily proven wrong by the durability and quality of luxury products.
