When I’m not reviewing books or working the day job, I’m a freelance writer and novelist. Here are some projects I’m working on:
Books
Clear Out the Static in Your Attic: A Writer’s Guide for Transforming Artifacts into Art
Your guide to endless inspiration. Order a copy today.
Polska, 1994
A coming of age novella about a young girl’s quest to find out why her mother never came home after being arrested by the secret police. Download your copy today.
Works in Progress
I’m hard at work on a second book of fiction as well as a collection of poems. When either is ready for public consumption, I’ll write about it here, until then, please come to a reading to hear excerpts from works in progress.
Corporate Writing and Guest Posts
I do (occasionally and for work) write about topics other than books. Check out some of the posts I’ve written for other blogs:
Content by type
- Feature announcement. I wrote this article and a related video for Ookla to tell consumers about a new feature (push notifications) on Downdetector. (PDF)
- Original research. Ookla worked with a PR firm to survey consumers about their mobile pain points. This article presents that research to a B2B audience of mobile operators as a series of issues the Spatialbuzz product can solve for. (PDF)
- How-to content. This article gives concrete examples to content marketers and SEOs about how to write with more authority. It was written as part of a series on writing and content marketing as Moz was growing a product in that sphere. (PDF)
Internet Performance
- How to Download & Take a Speedtest on iOS. This video addressed a core barrier to expanding our audience among older users who might not have felt comfortable finding the right app, taking a test, and understanding the results.
- Analyzing Time of Day Internet Usage During Ramadan. I specialize in connecting with the human needs in a target market. Here I worked to understand what people are actually using the internet for during Ramadan while connecting our product to their needs. All with an eye to the cultural respect I bring to every project.
- Starlink: Bridging the Digital Divide or Shooting for the Stars?. I delight in exploring new verticals and delivering content that captures the attention of decision makers who might be interested in our product. Here I started a series of articles that got Starlink to call us and continue to talk about our service for years to come. (PDF)
Books, Writers, and the Publishing Industry
- Portrait of a Press: Write Bloody Fights to Bring the Stage to the Page
- Portrait of a Press: Canadian Biblioasis Thrives in “South Detroit”
The Art of Writing and Editing
- The Art of Concision: How to Effectively Make Your Point in Fewer Words (PDF)
- Zen and the Art of Content Strategy: My Approach to Redesigning Moz’s Learn Center (PDF)
- For Writers Only: Secrets to Improving Engagement on Your Content Using Word Pictures (and I Don’t Mean Wordle)
- Healthy Practices to Care for Yourself and Your Writing Muse
Travel
- Enduring Paris (A Maptia Editors’ Pick)
Content Strategy, Social Media, & Internet Marketing
- A Content Strategy Template You Can Build On
- When Is a Blog the Right Form of Content Marketing? (PDF)
- The Un-Checkbox Approach to Content Marketing
- Sneaking a Peek at My Inbox: What Types of Email Subject Lines Should You Be Using? (PDF)