What was your first job as a journalist?
Working part-time as a staff writer for a local weekly newspaper.
Have you ever used a typewriter?
Yes.
How is social media changing news?
It confuses, obfuscates, and downright lies, and it's hard work extracting the truth about anything.
What does it mean to be a journalist?
It's a serious commitment to be honest, fair, and clear in my writing. I write to inform and entertain, but trust is critical.
What tools and software do you use to do your job?
I use a MacBook Air with text-to-speech software, my iPhone, an assortment of cables, chargers, and external drives.
What's your favorite social network?
Instagram.
Why did you become a journalist?
I wanted to share my travel experiences and encourage my readers to embrace the joys of travel through all their senses.
Did you work for your high school newspaper? If so, what did you do there?
No.
What advice can you offer to aspiring journalists?
Write every day, constantly strive to improve your craft, network, and tell the negative voices in your head to take a hike. You can do this!
What's the best pitch you ever got?
Writing about a press trip to Statesville, North Carolina where I took my first balloon ride.
When you're not at a computer, where are you most likely to be?
Out hunting down stories, experimenting in the kitchen, or taking long walks.
What's the most common misperception about your beat?
That it's all glamor and freebies. It's hard work, but absolutely worth it.
