I’ve had a passion for excellence ever since I started school. I was always at or near the top of each class, from kindergarten in rural Anderson, California through my associate degree in engineering at Shasta College in Redding, California, to my bachelor’s degree in biochemistry and my master’s degree in political science at the University of California at Davis.
That desire to produce high-quality results transferred to my professional life. I taught college for several years after graduate school, primarily in Chico, California, but I wanted greater challenges, so I launched my freelance writing business.
I began by writing supplementary curriculum materials for college textbooks covering subjects in the social, earth, and life sciences. I soon expanded into outdoor writing. I wrote over 100 articles for newspapers and magazines, including Sunset, VIA, and Outdoor Adventure. I’m also the author of four hiking guidebooks on Northern California published by Mountaineers Books. These books have sold over 70,000 copies.
I lived on Kauai in the Hawaiian Islands for three years. Even with the distraction of living in the most beautiful place on Earth, I expanded my repertoire to include many types of writing for Hawaiian businesses and nonprofits: brochures, newsletters, reports, website content, and much more.
Since returning to the mainland, I’ve lived on the redwood coast of far northern California, in Ashland in southern Oregon, and below the snowy slopes of Mount Shasta just south of the Oregon border. I’ve continued writing for businesses and nonprofits of all sizes, and I’ve also continued updating my hiking guidebooks for my publisher.
I love hiking (natch), especially in the Mount Shasta region. I also love studying natural and human history, supporting my favorite charities, and enjoying the cultural offerings of Ashland and the Rogue Valley.
My LinkedIn Profile
You can find out much more about me at LinkedIn:
My Other Websites
Northern California Hiking Trails: My site about hiking in Northern California and the western United States
HigherEdWriter: My site detailing my experience with and qualifications for writing college textbook supplements
