: About Me

I've been blessed with a career that spanned the gamut of newspaper / magazine writer and editor, substitute teacher and technical writer. Armed only with experience as advertising manager for my high school yearbook and less than a year of college, a local newspaper gave me a tryout. This was before Watergate made reporting glamorous, a day when editors avidly followed careers of reporters and judged their work.

In connection with the military beat I covered for a small newspaper, I was the first female in the U.S. to fly in an A-37 jet fighter. Print media experience presented the opportunity to interview Art Linkletter, Elizabeth Kubler-Ross (right after she came out with her book about the stages of death and dying), Mary Kay Ash, Joe Greene and Stanley Marcus (of Neiman-Marcus fame). Purely by accident, I broke the story nationwide about military equipment being sent to Vietnam - Kissinger was stalling talks so the U.S. could deploy equipment to South Vietnam before the deal was made and the U.S. pulled out of that country.

During 11 years editing alumni publications at the University of North Texas, I finally earned a journalism degree with a minor in English in 1991, 25 years after earning my wings as a professional writer.

Most recently worked as a Project Coodinator for a major diagnostic company, where I provided specialized technical writing support to engineers, and managed electronic files for parts used in documentation.

Holder of numerous district and national awards from the Council for Advancement and Support for Education; Bronze Quill Award, International Association of Business Communicators; newspaper page layouts, Texas Press Association; first place for feature series, Hoosier State Press Association; and Chancellor's Outstanding Service Award, University of North Texas,

My passion is ...

playing Santa's elf all year

I know too much about ...

hardship

My parents always told me ...

if you want something and are willing to put in effort working, you will receive it.

My childhood ambition ...

to become a nurse

Why I write ...

because I can't talk ALL the time....

My first job ...

reporter for the Peru (IN) Daily Tribune

My best moment ...

watching the birth of the son we adopted, and holding him for the first time.

Home & Garden > Cleaning (Other) How to de-clutter your home when it's going on the market

1 of 2

Untidiness, confusion, clutter, jumble, disorder, disarray, disaster, mess, litter:  Whatever you call it, buyers don't want to see it. Prospective buyers want a spacious, bright, airy, move-in ready home, and most consider your personalized touches, such as magazines and toys, as just a mess. Take a deep breath, then tackle the chaos area by area so the buyer can concentrate on the home instead of touches that make the house a home to you. Declutter so they can imagine their own things in the tidy space by planting in their minds that your home...

More..

Writing:

Rating:

• Professional Journalist
• Marketplace Approved Writer
• News Writer
• Helium Charter Member