I’ve been writing since I knew how to form words.  My first short story?  Age five.  I wrote my first novella at age 12, mailed it off to several New York City publishing houses and received my first rejection letters.  I wasn’t deterred.  I took every creative writing class I could, entered (and won) writing contests and served as editor-in-chief of the high school newspaper.  A planned major in communications at the University of Tennessee became an English major with a concentration in writing after my English 101 teacher suggested I make the change.  “You will be a writer,” he said.  “You are a writer.”   

And even when I chose the law school path, I was still a writer.  I earned a scholarship for my work as Notes Editor of the University of Memphis Law Review.  After graduation, I pursued positions where my writing and editing talents could best shine - as a judicial law clerk for judges at the state and federal levels where I was responsible for writing orders and opinions.  When those temporary clerkships ended, I joined a law firm and became a civil litigator.  Unlike most litigators, I didn’t have any interest in being in the courtroom.  I wanted to write.  I was lucky enough to work for attorneys who appreciated my talent, and I became the go-to girl for writing and editing motions and briefs.

In February 2006, fate intervened.  While on a plane, I was thumbing through a magazine when an advertisement caught my eye.  "Do you have what it takes to be a writer?"  I surprised myself - and probably my fellow passengers - by answering the question posed with an audible, "Yes."  The ad sought freelance writers to contribute to CityView, a Knoxville-based lifestyle magazine.  With no clips in my arsenal, I contacted the magazine, begged for and received my first assignment.  I knew that in order to ensure a second, I had to throw myself into the interviews, the writing, the editing.  When I saw my byline in the magazine and my words on the page, I was hooked. CityView called with that second assignment. 

The second assignment became a third and then a fourth... I became a feature writer and contributing editor for CityView, more often than not writing each month's cover story.  I obtained a monthly freelance writer position with At Home Tennessee, a lifestyle magazine distributed throughout the state.  I began freelance writing for the Knoxville News-Sentinel newspaper and obtained a freelance writer and contributing editor position with Knoxville Magazine.  I have written and edited press releases, website content and other promotional materials for the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation.  I have also worked as a freelance writer for FrontDoor.com, a real estate-based website powered by Home and Garden Television; Seattle Bride magazine; The Seattle Times’ websites NWSource.com and NWAutos.com; and JetsetExtra.com, a luxury travel website.      

In the summer of 2009, I made the final leap.  I resigned from the law firm, traveled to Europe for a few months to gain new experiences and perspective (and writing ideas!) and am pursuing my writing and editing career.  In addition to writing articles, I recently completed my first novel, which is forthcoming.