Hi, and thanks for coming to meet me! I am a freelance science writer with a strong focus in space and astronomy. However, the very nature of the field means I often wind up integrating other science topics into my writing, and occasionally I leave space entirely to come back down to Earth. While astronomy, planetary science, and space missions are my favorite, I've also written about chemistry, geology, biology, and atmospheric sciences.
I've been published both online and in print in a variety of sources. I wrote the cover stories for the February 2016 and 2017 issues of Astronomy magazine and have had articles in Sky & Telescope, Discover and New Scientist magazines. I've also written online for all four, as well as for Scientific American, Smithsonian, Space.com, LiveScience, and the now-defunct now.space.
I attended Agnes Scott College, '01, and received my bachelor's degree in both English and Astrophysics. When asked what I wanted to do with such an unlikely combination, I responded, "Write about astronomy, of course!" Truth be told, I wasn't sure how interested I was, until an internship with Sky & Telescope magazine in the summer of 2000 helped me fall in love with the idea.
In addition to life as a freelance writer, I am also a single mom who homeschools four kids. I love my job not only for what I can do but for the fact that I can do it at home with my not-so-little ones. My oldest daughter has served as my intern for the past few years, attending various science conferences with me, helping me with edits and nuts-and-bolts chores, and even writing up a piece for Space.com herself. I've also done several science projects with my kids on Space.com.
I'm a productivity nut and a small business supporter, and I try to structure my writing accordingly. I'm a huge fan of David Allen's Getting Things Done and Michael Hyatt's podcast, as well as Dave Ramsey. In addition to posting science news here, I also hope to share some ways I have integrated many of their small business/entrepreneur advice, along with some of my hyper-organization techniques.
In the meantime, feel free to comment on my blog about space subjects you want to hear more of, or questions you would like to ask. While I won't answer broad homework requests—you wouldn't believe how many 'can you suggest a site about the sun' questions I get—I'm more than happy to chat about your interests, and maybe learn a little more about a subject I hadn't previously considered.
Space is kinda awesome, so let's start our journey!