This spring marks five years of freelance writing. It was a slow start. I spent those first months reading and researching, while meeting my nephew’s school bus. Over the following two years, I cultivated business relationships and my time slowly began to fill with freelance work; I was ramping up for a big start to …
Publishing
Mmmm, Spam!
Spam (noun) Oxford English Dictionary: 1 Irrelevant or inappropriate messages sent on the Internet to a large number of recipients. 1.1 Unwanted or intrusive advertising on the Internet: [as modifier]: an autogenerated spam website 2 (Spam) (trademark) A canned meat product made mainly from ham. I hate spam. Any way you slice it. While we …
The Book Cheat
Resistance is futile. You will be assimilated. A little more than 550 years ago, a metal-smith, a gem cutter and the owner of a paper mill collaborated on an invention that changed the world. The Gutenberg Press ushered in a paradigm shift in sharing information – mass produced printed material. Within 50 years, the mass-printing …
Patience and Publication
A year ago this month, my article about Betty Murphy sewing quilts for a unique place on Raquette Lake was published in the Suburban News. The unique place, St. William’s on Long Point, is both an historic site and a soul-replenishing respite nearly in the center of Adirondack Park. The editor encouraged me to pitch …
Subscribe Now!
The New Yorker wants me. They want me so badly that they are willing to let me have their weekly magazine for 85% off the newsstand price. If I act within 30 days, I will get a free “weekender” duffel bag with my paid subscription, AND five additional issues free if I access a special …
Christmas Crafts
One Christmas my mother made candy wreaths for our elementary school teachers. She bent a metal coat hanger into a perfect circle then painstakingly tied red and green curling ribbon around the hoop, adding peppermint candies along the way. She was very good at making ringlets with a quick zip of the ribbon between thumb …
Interesting People: Michael Czarnecki
This post starts a new series where I revisit the fascinating stories of interesting people I’ve had the opportunity to meet while writing for a living. Earlier this week I went on a solo road trip into the hills of the Southern Tier of New York State. I went to meet Michael and Carolyn Czarnecki …
Getting A Christmas Wish
Last week, I previewed my upcoming publication in our local daily newspaper, the Democrat and Chronicle. This is, by far, the best Christmas gift I have ever received! The past year has been one gratifying writing experience after another. I cannot thank enough all the people who have helped me along the way; old and …