As a seasoned writer and editor, I aim to tell real life stories and help others tell their own stories. Be it through publishing essays, ghostwriting or editing and proofreading manuscripts, my goal is to help people leave legacies. My interest in people, beauty, and the compelling paradoxes that give life meaning continually spur me to create works that resonate and have a lasting impact.
I began writing for my hometown newspaper at age 15, launching a column, “Neighbors,” which profiled people in my rural community of Pinedale, Wyo. I have since written hundreds of news and feature articles for local, regional and national publications. I have worked as a journalist, a freelance writer, an editor and a consultant. I have ghostwritten an autobiography of a 93-year-old former Detroit auto worker. I have published stories on small businesses. I lead writing workshops. My essay “Artmaking,” about the merging paths of writing and motherhood, was published in the March 2012 issue of Writer’s Digest.
I earned my Master’s Degree in Creative and Professional Writing from Western Connecticut State University in 2010. My first book of personal essays. Tough Love: A Wyoming Childhood, will be published by Pronghorn Press in September 2012. The book recounts my experience as an only child growing up in western Wyoming with raw, uncivilized characters like Uncle John, who tacked a sign reading “Boar’s Nest” to the outside of his tiny log cabin; Aunt Faye, who keeps whoopie cushions on the couch to startle guests and bakes sugared orange rinds; and Grandpa Bucky, who taught my dad how to shoot a gun by setting up cardboard targets against the living room couch.
I also recently collaborated with customers, friends and family to produce a small business history of my family’s retail and repair shop. Bucky’s: Stories and Recollections from 50 Years in Business, will be published in the fall of 2012.
All in all, I live for human interest stories – those memories and experiences that shape who we are and how we influence others. Particular topics of interest include family, mountain living, the West, outdoors, travel, parenting, motherhood and mental health.
If I can be of service to you, be it through writing the history of your small business, collaborating on a manuscript, or helping you tell your own life story, please get in touch. I would love to hear from you.
I LOVE this new website. You are GREAT!!!!
Thank you! Your support is the BEST, hands down!
I’m currently in the MFA program at West Conn. I found your site, which is amazing, through Alissa Johnson’s site. (I worked with Alissa during my first semester; she was a mentor.) Great blog.
How cool, Larissa! Alissa and I still talk regularly and are good friends – we just chatted on Monday, in fact. Alissa is a WONDERFUL mentor (even to me!) and offers such insightful and helpful feedback. I am so glad you connected with her – and found me through her. Thanks for stopping by. I would love to hear more about your work and how the program is going for you. If you find yourself needing any help, advice, direction, etc. along the journey, don’t be afraid to reach out!
A fellow writer, well I’m pleased to meet you. I’m not published yet, but I plan to be.
Good for you! Thanks for finding me here! What do you write? Writing is so important – a critical act of communication between us “artists” and the world. Stay strong and stay positive – this business is not for the lighthearted! If I can be of any help – editing, consulting, etc. – please don’t be shy! Best of luck to you, and thanks so much for the comment. -Kate
Absolutely true, you have to have a firm resolve in his business, though there is truth to that in every of job. Thanks for the offer! I might take you up on it when I polish my query letter a little more. And yes, writing is important and beautiful. I write YA fiction that is either fantasy or has some hint of the paranormal. How about yourself?
I write creative nonfiction and nonfiction. In the end, though, all writing is about storytelling and communicating to the world. Best of luck to you!
Wow! I stumbled upon your site after trying to contact you via LinkedIn–my Extended Network info included a link to your post “Rejection: An Art” that wasn’t working. I ended up Googling your name and reading Rejection on your blog before surfing the rest of your site. Yowza! As a freelance writer and SAHM *shudders at label* mother of three–as well as a Christian–I can SO relate… and am happy to have landed here.
I’m fairly new to the biz and am struggling to find my niche as well. Thank you for the inspiration.
Hi, Dara,
I am so happy you landed here, as well. Nice to see the fingers of LinkedIn reaching out! How old are your kids? Is being a SAHM a choice for you? I recently finished the book This is not how I thought it would be: Remodeling Motherhood to Get the Lives we Want Today by Kristin Maschka, and I am so on fire now about sparking conversations about the roles and expectations of moms. So glad you can relate to some of my words. =) What are you interested in, as a writer? What topics, genre, etc? If I can offer any help or guidance from the writer’s standpoint, please let me know. Thanks again for finding me here, and good luck in your writing endeavors!
Hey, Kate! So sorry for the delayed response–and thanks very much for your reply. With summer in full swing and the kids (ages 13, 11, and 9) home full-time, it’s been a real struggle to focus on my writing. Yes, being a SAHM is a choice for me, but it’s definitely been a tough one. Pre-motherhood, I was a corporate career type working in the same industry as my then-husband. Fast forward 13-plus years, and I am a divorced (since 2007) single parent who is battling mightily to balance parenthood, freelance writing career, relationship, and alone time. Back to writing… Nailing down those “topics, genres, etc.” that most interest me is a challenge. I’ve tended to generalize by doing copywriting for various businesses, including web content, and ghostwriting for a few CEO’s–one of whom recently won an E&Y Entrepreneur of the Year Award. I appreciate your offer of help/guidance. Perhaps I’ll take you up on it once my site is revamped and school restarts.
Nice website! All the best Kate!
Thanks so much for stopping by, Marc! I am so grateful and so appreciate your support. I hope you guys are doing well. We are excited to be planning a trip to IN soon!