According to my Mother, the first item I picked up was a pencil; the second was a piece of paper. From a toddler, all I wanted to do was write. I immersed myself in all things writing: starting a newsletter in the seventh grade, writing for my high school and college newspapers, becoming Editor of both publications. I worked to understand the transition from wax machines and layout sheets to QuarkXPress and Microsoft Publisher, to bring those papers into the Technology Age. Then, real life hit and I discovered being a professional writer barely paid the bills. I pushed aside my passion for journalism and turned to the other side of media and sales management. For 30 years, I worked with journalists every day, always wanting to run to the newsroom to cover a breaking story. I picked up every freelance position I could in the off-hours, even taking on high school football to keep up my reporting skills.