Everybody has a story. Here's Mine.

More than 20 years ago, I turned to writing as a career because I wanted to capture the world in my own way, and to journalism because to my mind, a story isn’t really a story until it’s shared. Since then, I’ve worked as a staff reporter, writer and editor for newspapers and magazines, a publication manager, and a freelance writer. More or less concurrently, I’ve been a daughter, a sister, a wife and a mother, engaging in all that those labels imply.

I consider myself lucky to have begun my career in the newsrooms of small-city dailies where the craft of journalism was practiced in its purest form and where I got an unparalleled education in writing judiciously, editing confidently, and always questioning.

Later, as I wrote for magazines, I endeavored to explore whatever appealed to me and my editors, whether it was the fate of a missing Civil War soldier or a deep dive into a vibrant college town. Some of my favorite pieces are those in which I amused myself—and presumably my readers—on the adventures of parenting, and the personal discovery it reveals.

When writing, it sometimes helps to get your hands dirty. It was this hands-on approach that led me to The Taunton Press and positions at Inspired House and Fine Homebuilding, where, as managing editor, I became the first woman to hold a supervisory position. At Taunton, I developed an appreciation for design while engaging in writing that allowed me to peel back the curtain on complex topics using clear, straightforward language. I also had the pleasure of working with remarkable tradespeople whose skill and deep knowledge of their craft inspired me daily as I shepherded their stories onto the page. 

As I continue to write about the places in which we live, I am struck not only by matters of style and aesthetics but how these spaces so accurately reflect who we are and who we strive to be. Whether it’s a passion for preservation or a creating a space to call our own, where we live speaks volumes, both literally and figuratively, about where we are and what we are all about. As the wooden sign above my fireplace attests, Home is where your story begins. Where you go after that, well, is up to you.