Category Archives: Writing

Well, I think I’m finally caught up! My convalescence in January totally threw me off, and I’ve been playing catch up for the past month. I wrote three Home Awards pieces for TQ, one artist profile, I got through all the editing in my inbox, sent out the Star Resort newsletter and just inserted the additional revisions to the erotic novel I’ve been editing. But the surest sign that I’ve finally gotten through my work is that I’ve FINALLY gotten around to doing my invoicing! I love the writing side, not so much the financials… Anyway, on Friday I go into the TQ offices to proof the Mountain Home issue (SO excited to see it laid out!), then one more proof on Wednesday, and then I think I have a break. After the flurry of the past few weeks, it feels well deserved. I have a spa gift certificate I’ve been meaning to use for the past year, so I think I know how I’m going to spend my free time…

Coffee and M&Ms to get into edit mode. Let the chaos begin!

I’m so excited about my current projects! For TQ, I’ve got a couple of stories lined up, one of which involves talking with local Winter Olympic hopefuls, the other interviewing a South Shore artist who rediscovered painting after a growth was removed from the right side of his brain. I’m researching the functions of right brain versus the left brain, and it’s really fascinating to see how he changed when his right brain was freed from this growth.

My other project is really fun: I’d been back and forth with a client about editing her novel and recently completed Chapter 1 as a sample to ensure that she liked my work. I’m having a blast editing it (not only is it the first novel I’ve undertaken to edit, but it’s an erotic novel!), so I was pretty happy that she likes my editing. I just got the green light to move forward with the rest of the book, so for the next few weeks, it looks like I’ll be splitting my time between arts, athletes and erotica. Quite the combination!

In the Summer issue of Tahoe Quarterly, I have a story about the wildflowers of the Tahoe Basin. The area includes some 700 different types, so it was hard to narrow the article down to a sort of “top ten” list, but it was very interesting to write! (Side note: Did you know there’s a rare, local flower called a phantom orchid that is non-photosynthetic? It gets nutrients via fungi versus chlorophyll.) I took out a couple of local wildflower expert Laird Blackwell’s books on the topic from the library, and I’m wishing I still had them because I saw some white flowers on a run though the trails recently and couldn’t identify the little beauties. Off to buy my own copy, I suppose! On another note, just received my copy of TQ Summer and it looks great!

Got to pick up the red pen yesterday and spend some time proofreading at the Tahoe Quarterly office! Since Audrey’s been born, I’ve done some light freelance work, but yesterday was my first “real” work day. Audrey tagged along as my office buddy—after sleeping all day the day before, she decided to stay awake most of yesterday, go figure. Regardless, proofed the entire magazine with baby in tow! It’s going to be a great issue—the feature article explores the relationship between bears and residents in Lake Tahoe (following the shooting of a Homewood bear this past summer) and other articles include a very interesting piece on snowflakes, a look at the Truckee Community Farm (which grows high-elevation produce year-round in a geodesic dome), an Outdoors piece on winter water sports and my Arts interview with Truckee-based painter Annie Hooker, among other stories. And, as always, beautiful photography as well! Explore past articles here.