Age: 33

Location: Brooklyn, NY

What is your specialty or focus?
I started out writing about architecture and urban planning issues, but have since expanded to topics that are more political.

What's the latest thing you've worked on?
I just finished co-writing For God and Country: Faith and Patriotism Under Fire with Chaplain James Yee, which will be published in October by PublicAffairs. Chaplain Yee was the Muslim chaplain at Guantanamo who was arrested in September 2003 on suspicion of espionage. He spent 76 days in solitary confinement and was kept under very harsh conditions. In the end, he was never charged with espionage or related crimes, but with mishandling classified information, a far less serious offense. Even so, Chaplain Yee never mishandled classified documents and the government ultimately dropped all charges against him. His story is really fascinating and it's a frightening account of how the "war on terror" can get out of hand.

What has been your most difficult assignment and how did you deal with its challenges?
Freelancing in general comes with many challenges (and rewards) but I'd have to say this book was by far my most difficult assignment. Because much of the book is about what is happening at Guantanamo--and therefore is newsworthy--the publisher wanted to get the book out with great efficiency.

Therefore, we had just three months to write the entire book. It required a really rigid writing schedule that was a bit exhausting.

What's the best or most helpful thing that an editor has told you?
My best writing advice actually came from my father, back when I talked about wanting to write far more than I actually wrote. it was very simple: Just sit down and write.

What's the worst writing or freelancing advice you've ever gotten?
To never write for free. It's a harsh reality, and nobody likes to do it, but for writers just starting out, it's often necessary.