About Me
Freelance writer. Part-time explorer. Full-time cat lady.
When I say writing is in my blood, I mean it almost literally. My grandmother owned a small-town Iowa newspaper for over 40 years, my uncle is a journalism law professor, and my late grandfather had 23 published novels. Pursuing a career in writing was ultimately my own choice, but it's easy to chalk it up to fate.
I graduated from Wartburg College in 2016 with my B.A. in writing and a minor in film. Even with experience and a degree (and fate) on my side, most of my adult life has been spent doing anything that makes ends meet, leaving writing as more of a side hustle than a career.
Growing up, I spent a lot of time hanging out with my Grandma Mary in the newspaper office she owned and operated. I played with the typewriters before I knew what letters were and scribbled on notebooks before I understood the power behind the pen. As I grew older, I watched my grandma publish a weekly article and at 11 years old, I begged her to let me write an article too. She initially planned on printing one and calling it done, but the reader response was more positive than she expected. Parents and grandparents enjoyed learning about what their kids and grandkids were interested in; kids liked reading about their interests written by someone they knew. For the next seven years, I published a weekly article for my grandma's newspaper, The Delaware County Leader. Even when I went off to college, grandma let me create the sports page every summer.
My first real taste of the impact my writing could have came when I started writing for Odyssey Online. I wrote about everything from my hometown to the 2016 election to how much I love cats. The article that really gained speed was titled "Harley Quinn and The Joker Are Not #RelationshipGoals." When my read count broke 350,000 views and over 14,000 shares on social media (before the algorithm recalibrated), I really understood how powerful someone can be with the right platform.
In 2021, I was able to get back to my roots in small-town newspapers as the editor and lead reporter for Linn News under Woodward Communications, Inc., parent company to publications like the Telegraph Herald. My days on the clock were spent interviewing locals, researching area history, and meeting new people with their own story ideas. I had the opportunity to speak with Iowa members of Congress, University of Iowa professors, and the Linn County Director of Public Health while still keeping content focused on the rural Linn County communities.
I wish I could say I have one specific writing specialty, but I love dabbling in everything. My novels are all fiction, ranging from murder mystery to romance; my articles as a journalist vary from sports content to political issues; my professional experience began in freelance ghostwriting. When I decided I wanted to play with words for a living, I really played around - and I'm still playing today.