What was your first job as a journalist?
Huffington Post Blogger I guess. But I'd written quite a lot of short academic texts before that.
Have you ever used a typewriter?
Yes!
How is social media changing news?
Generally for the worst at the moment. Hopefully there will be better fact-checking algorithms in the future.
Who's your favorite fictional journalist?
Clark Kent. Or maybe Lois Lane....
What does it mean to be a journalist?
To aspire to the quality of reporting that Bernstein &Woodward did on Watergate. Independence from corporate &government agendas essential
What's the funniest news-related #hashtag you've seen?
How do you prefer to be pitched on stories?
by email or Twitter DM, just a few sentences that tell me succinctly why this is interesting.
What tools and software do you use to do your job?
I'm not too great at technology! Just my trusty PC and iPad.
What's your favorite social network?
Twitter
Who do you wish followed you?
Margaret Atwood or Hilary Mantel.
Why did you become a journalist?
I wanted to make human developmental psychology more accessible to the general public. It's about all of us, after all.
Did you work for your high school newspaper? If so, what did you do there?
No- we didn't have one.
What story are you most proud of writing or working on?
Anything that helps to succincly explain human psychological development in everyday terms. Probably 'Too Much too Young for PISA,' Huff Post
What advice can you offer to aspiring journalists?
Keep going. I wanted to be a journalist when I was ten. Got sidelined until I was over 50!
When's the best time to pitch you?
Midday
What's the best pitch you ever got?
'So, write something about Queen Elizabeth I's last favourite being her son if you've think you've got evidence'- it's in progress!
What's the worst pitch you ever got?
Don't think I ever got a really bad one so far... Anything to do with food maybe? (Boring!)
What's your favorite drink?
Tea
When you're not at a computer, where are you most likely to be?
Making handwritten notes on my next novel or with my dogs and/ or grandkids
Aside from your own, what's your favorite publication to read?
The Guardian
What's the most common misperception about your beat?
Gosh, there are so many misperceptions about human developmental psychology... That children are just 'empty adults' psychologically?
