I have a degree in journalism with highest honors from the University of Texas at Austin and have nearly 20 years' experience in many types of writing, including business, editorial, healthcare, web, marketing, and fiction writing. As a freelance writer, I specialize in writing feature articles for trade and specialty magazines such as those published by the Museum Store Association and SIGMA.

I've been training as a copyeditor and proofreader since college, when I spent my junior year as the only copyeditor for the award-winning 700-page yearbook of the University of Texas at Austin. I have extensive experience in copyediting and proofreading both printed matter (magazine articles, press releases, manuals) and online content (articles and columns published on the internet). I have been trained in close attention to detail by editing directories with names, addresses, phone numbers, and codes that had to be accurate. I have served as a freelance proofreader and/or copyeditor for several publishing firms, including New York-based Rosen Publishing and Clarion Books, where I worked on an award-winning young adult novel called _Echohawk_.

My concentration in journalism school was in public relations, and I joined the Public Relations Society of America a few months after my graduation in 1991. I was extremely active in the Austin Chapter of PRSA for ten years, serving on numerous committees and on the board, and achieved professional Accreditation in Public Relations in 1998. I am now a member of the Baton Rouge Chapter. I continually pursue professional development opportunities through PRSA and other professional groups, such as the Public Relations Association of Louisiana (PRAL). I stay informed of current events and trends in my field and perform constant research to increase my knowledge and skills. The Baton Rouge chapter of PRAL recently named me the 2008 Practitioner of the Year.

I was born and raised in Baton Rouge, La., and lived here until I went to college at UT-Austin. I lived in Austin for 14 years, returning to Baton Rouge in 2001. I write speculative fiction and poetry in my "spare time" and have recently begun to see my work published in various online zines and print publications. My poem "Mother of Atlantis" was nominated for a 2005 Rhysling Award, and an untitled haiku was nominated in 2007.

Last, but definitely not least, I live with three cats who indulge my computer time with only occasional attempts to sit on the keyboard.

My passion is ...

writing poetry

I know too much about ...

World War I

My parents always told me ...

I could do anything I set my mind to

My childhood ambition ...

to be a lawyer

What I am reading/watching/listening to ...

I'm reading a book about World War I. :-)

My inspiration ...

My 3-year-old nephew

Business > Marketing Public relations: Basics of a communications plan

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As an accredited public relations professional with more than 16 years in the field, I believe one of the most basic PR skills is the ability to write a solid communications plan. Any public relations campaign should start with a plan. Your plan can be dynamic and change as the situation changes, but if you have a well-thought-out communications plan in place before launching your campaign, you will be better prepared to roll with the punches. Many corporations and established PR agencies have their own "house style," so to speak, of writing a communications plan. Some are extremely short ...

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