I applied to be Jauntaroo's Chief World Explorer, which means traveling the world in 2014 and getting paid to write about it. Sign. Me. Up. Its a dream job, for sure, but its also a contest; the top 50 videos, determined by number of likes, will advance to the next phase of the competition. Voting is simple. Just click like on my video once every 24 hours from every device that you own with internet access. No registration is required. My goal is 1000 likes. I'm at 80 this morning. Please LIKE my video and share it with your friends. Thank you so very much! What's your dream job? Let me know in the comments below. … [Read more...]
The Execution of Change
July 28, 2013 by 5 Comments
Change is good. That's my current mantra. I am learning that change happens in large doses in my life. In the span of a week, I lost my job and my dad resigned from his. Six years ago, when I was offered said job, more change happened at the same time: my parents reconciled and my sister announced her pregnancy. And I know there is more change to come. My son will be starting kindergarten next month, and soon my childhood home will be home to someone else. It's all a little overwhelming, to say the least. But I truly believe that everything happens for a reason, whether that reason is immediately evident or not. I know in my heart that this change is for the better even though, at times, I feel like I've been knocked over by a wave, my life etched in sand erased by the tide. I've been trying to figure out what comes next, only to realize that what comes next isn't exactly up to me. I want to follow my heart but my practical mind keeps interrupting me. I want to pursue … [Read more...]
Saying Goodbye to Maryland Life Magazine
July 8, 2013 by 3 Comments
Saying goodbye is never easy. Six years ago, I faced a tough decision. Well, tough for me. I had to decide if I was going to attend the Iowa Summer Writer's Workshop or accept a job at a new magazine. I opted for the later. As much as I wanted to go to Iowa -- attending that prestigious writing program is still a dream -- I couldn't pass up full-time employment to spend the summer writing amidst cornfields. So I chose the practical option. And I haven't regretted that decision for one single moment (but I did frame my acceptance letter from the University of Iowa). However, today, I'm saying goodbye to Maryland Life magazine. Not because I want to but because I have to. Today, Maryland Life magazine will cease publication. I am sad. That's for certain. I've shed many tears and will probably shed a few more. I have loved this job. Correction: I LOVE this job. It's my passion. I get to write and edit and travel and be creative. Its been a dream. What … [Read more...]
Writing Advice From Alice McDermott
June 14, 2013 by Leave a Comment
I recently attended the Washington Independent Review's first annual Books Alive conference. One of the many speakers in attendance was award-winning author Alice McDermott. In college, I read Charming Billy, for which McDermott won an American Book Award and the U.S. National Book Award for Fiction, and loved it. I grabbed a seat at one of the front tables in her breakout session, "What's Novel About the Novel?" I dream of being a novelist, after all. Someone asked the panel a question that I don't exactly remember. But Alice McDermott's response stuck with me. She shared writing advice that resonated with her when she was trying to write and raise small children -- a boat I find myself I at the moment. I'll paraphrase: As soon as your children have left for school or daycare or for grandma's house, clear off your kitchen table with one sweep of your arm (she animated by making a sweeping motion with her arm) and get to work writing. Don't stop … [Read more...]
Remembering My Early Days In Publishing: A Post Inspired By “Gone Girl” By Gillian Flynn
June 12, 2012 by 8 Comments
I’d arrived in New York in the late ‘90s, the last gasp of the glory days, although no one knew it then. New York was packed with writers, real writers, because there were magazines, real magazines, loads of them….a time when newly graduated college kids could come to New York and get paid to write. Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn This was me. Only I wasn’t writing for a magazine, although, that was the original plan. Instead, I was working as an editorial assistant at a well-known (a-hem, romance) book publisher. I sifted through the slush pile; I wrote rejection letters; I answered my boss’ phone. One day, a reporter from Entertainment Weekly called. I can’t remember why exactly. But I do remember her name. It was Gillian. I remember because her name wasn’t pronounced the way I thought it would be. Her name wasn’t Jillian. It was Gillian. With a G, not a J. Like gill, not Jill – I made sure to tell my boss how to pronounce it correctly. And I remember being a little star … [Read more...]
