I live in Virginia and am currently the Director of Production at Amplify Publishing Group, where I work on the entire book creation process with authors, from the manuscript stage to the printed product. I have bachelor's and master's degrees in English with a focus on the American South. I like nothing more than exploring and learning from this region, particularly its rural landscapes and small towns. Before that, I was the Press Coordinator at NextStop Theatre Company, where I published articles for local magazines, wrote press releases, ran the theatre's website, and helped execute the performances of crowd-pleasers and avant-garde productions of all types. Nancy Drew is my role model, and in another timeline, I would have liked to study earthquakes in Guadalajara. My favorite, famous (albeit apocryphal) last words are those of Oscar Wilde: "Either this wallpaper goes or I do."
A love of the art and substance of the English language began at a very young age, and this
ultimately became the focus of my life's work. (My first short story was about the last moments
of a melting ice cream cone's life, complete with an illustration.) Researching, writing, analyzing,
ghostwriting, line editing, and copy writing form the backbone of my personal and professional lives,
and I have spent decades working on editing and writing projects. That said, I oscillate between all
kinds of environments: behind the curtain or camera; at conferences and in meeting rooms; on the
top floor of a library; and taking to the road as folklorist and traveling writer.
The visual aspects of our creative selves, as expressed through photography, film, and theatre, are
a core part of my life. Their ability to prompt people to action and create change is what gives these arts their pulse and power. These mediums fill in the nooks and cracks of my personal and professional development. Our world is increasingly dominated by the visual medium, and it's essential to move with the future, while not forgetting the role the past plays in our collective and individual narratives.