My latest projects:
Adam Smith Works
One of my regular clients is Adam Smith Works where I have the distinct pleasure to write about the life and times of Adam Smith — specifically, food. Exploring 18th century culture, dining habits, recipes, menus, and Smith’s life work to bring 1750s Edinburgh, France, Paris, and London to life.
- What Adam Smith Ate: Basque Cabbage Soup (Garbure) March 2021
- What Adam Smith Ate: Lingering in Languedoc Feb 2021
- What Adam Smith Ate: The Restaurant in Paris Jan 2021
- What Adam Smith Ate: Dinner with Ben Franklin Jan 2021
- What Adam Smith Ate: Christmas Punch Dec 2020
- What Adam Smith Ate: Voltaire and the Vegetarian Salad Dec 2020
- What Adam Smith Ate: In Which We Discuss Oats Nov 2020
- What Adam Smith Ate: A Tribute to Strawberries Nov 2020
- What Adam Smith Ate: The Picnic Oct 2020
- What Adam Smith Ate: The Tavern Supper Oct 2020
- What Adam Smith Ate: Scurvy, Tar Water, and Bone Broth Sept 2020
- Speaking of Smith: Adam Smith and Jane Austen June 2020
Wine and Spirits Writing
Check out my latest wine writing about wine, travels, gear, cocktails and more at Wine and Whiskey Globe — part of the Globe family of websites. Thrilled to be working with a good friend and former editor heading up the project!
Books
Look for four new cookbooks from DK and the team at Australian Women’s Weekly publishing Spring/Summer 2021. It was great fun to edit, test, and adapt these recipes for the US market!
- Australian Women’s Weekly Vegetarian Cooking (May 2021)
- Australian Women’s Weekly Mediterranean (May 2021)
- Australian Women’s Weekly One-Pot Meals (Summer 2021)
- Australian Women’s Weekly Baking (Summer 2021)
I greatly enjoy working with local historians, business consultants, speakers and others who publish books for passion or because they have real knowledge to pass along:
- Life is Predictable: Using the 80/20 Rule to Improve Your Life, Michael W. Hill (Spring 2021)
- Be Thou My Vision, John B. Bridge (Winter 2020)
Commentary
The government shutdown has us all thinking about politics and food — and where they intersect. Read my latest column at Howey Politics Indiana.
Freelance/Feature Writing
As writers, we have a passion for sharing what we know about wine, farm-to-table meat, and artisanal cheeses, culture, and the arts. Even better, I enjoy writing profiles of the people who produce, grow, and create the food we eat every day. I’ve written features for Indianapolis Monthly, Dine magazine, Midwest Living, and NUVO.
Food/Wine:
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- Indy’s Best Wine Lists (NUVO)
- Can We Make Great Wine in Indiana? Bill Oliver Thinks So (Indianapolis Monthly, )
- Alice Waters: Food Evangelist (Indianapolis Monthly)
- Cook’s Bison Ranch: Exploring the Best in Indiana’s Artisanal Foods (Dine Magazine)
- On Meat and Other Tasty Pursuits (Indianapolis Monthly)
- Say Cheese: An Homage to Fromage (Indianapolis Monthly)
- More Contributions to Nuvo
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Arts and Culture
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- The Rubber Meets the Road: Chakaia Booker’s Sculpture and Public Arts Funding (Indianapolis Monthly)
- A Tippling Point? Broad Ripple’s Drinking Problem and How the City Can Recover (Indianapolis Monthly)
- Shelf Help: 13 Great Coffee Table Books (Indianapolis Monthly Home)
- The Boomerang Effect: Brain Drain Exists and It’s the Best Hope for our Future (Indianapolis Monthly)
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Publishing and Authors
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- Redefining Education: 10 Tips to Meet Financial and Format Challenges (Association Forum, August 2012)
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Fiction — Dakota Stone Untitled #1 and #2
Genre: Mystery
Synopsis Dakota Stone Untitled #1
After a career of undercover work in the FBI, someone wants Dakota Stone to retire. When you’re pushing fifty, winning a knife fight isn’t as easy as it used to be. So when Special Agent Stone finds himself set up by someone inside the Bureau, he seeks outside help from former flame Jacquie Daniels. As the bodies pile up along with the international intrigue, Daniels, a former prosecutor turned wealthy widow, is only too happy to help, even when the killers get too close for comfort. From Italy to Indiana, these two realize it’s time to re-examine their lives as one fights betrayal and the other boredom. Readers will enjoy a fresh take on the genre as Dakota and Jacquie find that life and work aren’t worth dying for.
Synopsis Dakota Stone #2 — Screwed (working title)
When Jacquie’s personal attorney turns up dead in a Chicago hotel room, alarm bells start ringing when police find he’s been murdered with a rare, antique corkscrew in his ear. Luckily, Jacquie knows exactly who to ask for help. Infiltrating the world of wine collectors, Dakota Stone is quickly up to his neck in intrigue when Jacquie rescues him — again. As the bodies pile up, they follow a shady criminal underground from France to Istanbul. And who knew escaping from an old cemetery in Croatia could help them discover just what matters more in life — work, love or staying alive.
Resources
- Nanowrimo.org — Huge props to Nanowrimo.org for keeping writers like me moving. I’ve participated in several rounds of November as National Novel Writing Month and also Camp Nanowrimo in April and July. If you thinking writing and these sorts of free group endeavors are important, become a supporter. You’ll make a difference!
- Scrivener — Not every writer loves Scrivner from Literature and Lattes, but if you’re writing a novel and need a place for notes, note cards, storyboards, and trackable characters, plus photos, research, and web links, Srivener is the robust software you need. It’s a little difficult to map in your mind at first, so take advantage of the tutorials you’ll find online. You can draft in the program or draft externally. Either way, you’ll find it invaluable, especially if you’re working on academic works or series writing.
Want to know more about my writing? Contact me and ask!