Let’s see, where do I even begin? I am 34 years old and live in Seattle. Although I have been location-stable for more than six years now (well, besides a 9-month trip around the world in 2015), I am a gypsy at heart and spent most of my early adult life globetrotting. Along the way, I found my voice and became a writer.
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One of my favorite things to do is explore and learn about how other people live their lives. I’ve spent the night in a cave in Idaho to interview Dugout Dick (find the article in my portfolio), studied Latin American culture by living alongside monkeys and tarantulas in a jungle, and had conversations with a real-life recluse. People are fascinating, and I love watching them march to the beat of their own drum.
I believe one of the greatest things you can do in life is to be as fully you as possible, expressing your gifts and following your passions to the best of your ability. As far as other life philosophies go, I believe most people are really wonderful and every stranger is a friend waiting to happen.
Writing
Although I am in my early 30s now, I have been writing for most of my life. I can remember holidays when I was barely old enough to write simple sentences. My family would be visiting around the turkey or the Christmas tree and I would be sequestered in my grandpa’s office, penning chapter after chapter of my first book. It wasn’t enough that I could put together a story; I wanted to write a chapter book. I had a folder and a thick blue pen and the very large script of someone just learning how to write. That book was my obsession for years. Many of its chapters still live inside my writing file. Ultimately, I moved on to other projects, next going through a song-writing phase. All I wanted was to grow up to be a singer-songwriter, so I penned verse after verse of songs on unrequited love. I was 11 years old.
As I got older and moved on to high school, writing became more of a tool for me than an outlet for my creativity. It was a way to meet people who were outside of my social scene when I worked for the school newspaper. As a freshman and sophomore, I interviewed a boy who had been burnt nearly to death by a car accident and another boy who was paralyzed after diving head-first into a shallow lake after a night of drinking. I spent time with kids in the deaf program and picked up sign language. In the process, I was able to tell share amazing stories with the community.
In the many years since that experience of writing for a newspaper, writing has become more than an outlet for my creativity and more than a tool. It has become the way I process information and the way I share myself with the world. It’s my superpower. That is not always a comfortable thing. Sometimes I would much rather strip down to my underwear than let those closest to me read my work. Sharing yourself with the world can be scary, especially with something as translucent as writing. But nothing else brings me as much pleasure in life as writing.
Dancing & Hiking
Unless we’re talking dancing, that is. Give me a country bar with a wooden floor and a live band, and I will happily trade in my pen for cowboy boots. In the past couple of years, I have been lucky enough to expand my dance repertoire to include ballroom and Latin, and I am now trying to re-learn west-coast swing. My favorite thing about dancing is that the entire world fades away. Five minutes and five hours are indistinguishable. Time has no hold on me. It is the best feeling in the world.
I also love to hike. On weekends and on the random weekday, you can usually find me exploring any number of new trails in the Greater Seattle area. Really, you might actually find me. I always seem to run into friends and family while out on hikes. It’s a small world.
Where I’m Headed
Iam very fortunate to be able to pursue my passions right now with such abandon. In the next several months, I’ll be working on a brand-new book tentatively titled “Home Base Hiking Europe,” as well as continuing to promote my flagship book, “Explore Europe on Foot,” and its accompanying series of route guides. (For more information, check out explore-on-foot.com). Beyond that, I’ll be continuing to chip away at my big lifelong dream of publishing a book a year. I’m excited for you to be a part of my journey!