I’ve put my knack for generating creative story ideas and writing engaging copy to work for publications like Parents magazine, The San Francisco Chronicle and The Oregonian and businesses like the Palo Alto Area YMCA and Fred Meyer.
The most famous people I’ve interviewed are probably best-selling author Richard Bolles of What Color is Your Parachute fame and clothing line maven, Jessica McClintock . The most fascinating? I’m a little more hard pressed to answer that one as everyone has such an interesting story to share but Peter Koestenbaum, a philosopher who consults with businesses looking to build leaders, and Liah Greenfeld, an expert on nationalism and modern culture left my mind churning long after the interviews ended.
Creative challenges? Bring them on—it’s all part of why I love this job. Working as the publicity chair for local school auctions, I found 101 ways to say, “Donate,” helping to raise over $1.5 million. From coining “Life of the Party” for an entertainment company’s brand to ghostwriting a blog on “52 Reasons to Love Lake Oswego” for a local Realtor, I’ve combined idea generation with spot-on copy to help businesses and nonprofits get more marketing bang for their buck.
Writing is the thread that ties my life experiences together, whether it’s highlighting the ten lessons my newborn taught me in a consumer magazine or writing a profile for a realtor’s website. It also seems to run in my genes—I have a daughter who is working on her second novel.
I live near Portland, Oregon with my husband and three children who come back to roost from time to time. But thanks to the internet, I’ve interviewed and worked with people in all different time zones without suffering from jet lag.