A place to share my love of writing and my personal views
That's me at the White River just below the dam
in beautiful north-central Arkansas, where I live with my husband John, our six cats, and a rescued dog.
While still new to the state, living here the last four years has been inspirational. The beauty of the 'Natural State' leaves me breathless.Visitors who return each year know what I mean. It is why I have an Ozark Attitude!
I have been a freelance writer for 20 years
Writing makes me a student of life, people, and issues I already care about.
It has exposed me to things I might never have otherwise encountered.
Writing provides the ability to explore, study, and learn.
For the past 20 years, I have used words and photographs to tell stories
about people, places, and things.
I've gained friends Life changes have brought new promise.
Moving to the Ozarks has brought new inspiration and new ideas, as well as the peace and fulfillment we all seek.
The focus of my writing often centers on people and how they interact
I've met President Barack Obama Click the pic!
Send me an email if you'd like.
I'd love to hear from you.
And thanks for your visit.
Some of the most recent stories I have written on-line include a debate about the Peotone airport.
Feel free to follow the link to
weigh in.
I've written other stories on a variety of topics. To view them, check out my "about me page" at: http://www.helium.com/users/511782
Whether you want to read what others are writing,
or are looking for feedback on your own work, Writing.com is the place for you.
Most of the writing I have done has been for local newspapers in Illinois. I have had some other, very satisfying freelance projects. One of my favorites was a public relations presentation in Kankakee County, IL with color slides and text. The purpose of this project was to sell the idea of establishing a forest preserve district in the county. It allowed me to traipse through the woods taking pictures of wildflowers, birds and scenery to enhance the text. It resulted in the passage of the referendum to form the new forest preserve district.
I was a correspondent for the Daily Journal in Kankakee, IL from 1988 to 1997, I also held a staff position there for more than two years.
In 1999, I took a job at Russell Publications in Peotone, Illinois, which publishes nine weekly newspapers. My job there was as reporter/editor. The job evolved into a more freeing part time writing job, as more of a correspondent.
Soon after. I began to expand my correspondent work. I began writing regularly for the Northwest Indiana Times, in Munster, IN.
I've also done op-ed pieces, ghostwriting, editing, proofreading, and photography.
In Jan.
2005, my husband retired. We packed up all our belongings, said our good-byes and moved to Arkansas. I retired too, but I
missed writing. So eleven months later, when I was asked to once again
write stories for Russell Publications I jumped at the chance. I found it to be very comfortable - to write about local people and issues, despite actually living 600 miles away. By maintaining a good list of contacts and good friends with whom I kept in touch, coupled with advances in technology, it was easy to be a cyber-commuter. Many of the stories published in the paper have also been posted on my blog.
A few months later I wrote my first story for the Baxter Bulletin in Mountain Home, Arkansas. That led to a series of weekly feature stories and other projects, as well as an award from the Arkansas Press Association in the freelance writing category.
Today, I join the millions of Americans who have been laid off due to a troubled economy. But that isn't keeping me from writing. I have begun writing on-line stories for various freelance writing sites.
I recently wrote a story about Mountain Home being the best place in which to retire. I have also written several stories on a variety of topics, such as: transportation, NASCAR, politics, and others. They can be viewed here.
