Writer

Hometown:
Portland, Ore.

Typical Day:
Get up before dawn with my daughter. She’s an early bird just like her mother. Check email before my son gets up because he likes to watch cartoons on the computer in the office. Either get the kids ready for school or play with them until nap time, which is when I get to work. After nap time, we play until dinner, bath and lights out. Check email again before I go to bed and start all over.

Favorite Music:
If I’m not listening to Christian Rock (Zoe Girl, Tobymac, Switchfoot) than I’m listening to country.

Favorite Author/Book:
I’m a big fan of the classics: Jane Austen, the Bronte Sisters, Garcia Marquez

Former Work (what you did before APR):
I worked as a business writer for various newspapers for six years before joining APR

If you could be anywhere in the world:
Morelia, Mexico: it’s a small, colonial town about four hours southeast of Mexico City surrounded on three sides by mountains with some of the kindest, most spirit-filled people I ever met. At night this special flower blossoms and makes the whole city smell fantastic.

Favorite secret about our area:
Gregory Park in Richmond Hill. You can’t see it from the main roads, but tucked away in the park are miles of walking/biking trails where my children and I like to hunt for alligators and snakes. Haven’t seen any yet, but we do see lots of squirrels, birds and lizards.

What you can/can’t live without:
There’s nothing that I can’t live without, but I prefer to have coffee every morning, three meals a day and a kiss before bed at night.

Most interesting possession:
I don’t know if this is the most interesting, but it’s the only thing I can think of at the moment. I have a pin that commemorates the explosion at Chernobyl that I got from a Russian Rotary exchange student that I interviewed for the newspaper. I also have a silk scarf from Israel that I got as a thank you for helping a couple of Israeli visitors find a place to eat.