My first writing job was as editor of a weekly newspaper in Livermore Falls, Maine, where I tackled just about every kind of story there is: elections, accidents, championships, layoffs, town meetings, museums and monster trucks.

When my husband and I moved to North Carolina, I joined The Catevo Group, a PR and marketing communications firm in Raleigh. As a writer and public relations strategist, I produced news releases, collateral, Web copy and white papers for dozens of clients, including John Deere, Raytheon, Blue Cross and Blue Shield of North Carolina, BB&T, Toffler Associates and the North Carolina Foundation for Advanced Health Programs. I also have experience in communication strategy and planning, media relations, message development and project management.

I'm a graduate of Eastern University in St. Davids, Pa., and a member of the International Association of Business Communicators. My work has been recognized by the Maine Press Association and the North Carolina chapter of the Public Relations Society of America. I spend my free time at Wake County libraries and in my kitchen. (For more on my kitchen adventures, check out my blog.) And my writing implement of choice is the matchless Dixon Ticonderoga.