Age: 37 (that's 162 in writer years)

Location:
I recently moved from Sydney to Vancouver, but I am a New Yorker at heart.

What are you working on now?
My fourth book is due in May, examining the 100 most important albums of the 20th century. My publisher has also contracted me as editorial advisor for their pop culture list, so I am helping them develop some more projects for other writers. Like all freelancers, I've got lots of side projects I'm hoping to sell later, including a travel memoir about being an American abroad in these, frankly, embarrassing times; a screenplay about the return of Elvis; and a panel I'm pitching to the EMP conference in April -- you know, the usual.

Lest you think my life is all peaches and ferraris, I recently failed an audition to write for the Daily Show and have had yet another pitch rejected by National Geographic. But that is the nature of what we do: alternating between kisses on the cheek and kicks in the groin.

What has been your most difficult project of late and how did you cope with its challenges?
Six years ago Harper's magazine asked me to write a very painful memoir, and I actually just finished the first draft last week. Since it took me six years, I guess I didn't "cope" with the challenges very well at all. But doing the tough pieces makes you a better writer, and I learned a great deal about myself in the process. For one, I realized how important the editing process is. Though the piece ended up at 7,000 words, I believe I wrote more than 20,000 total, and just kept carving away until it was solid. I also became much better at "killing my children" -- that is, deleting passages that slowed the story down even if they were really well written (I also learned that you can always save those sections for another piece). Lastly I learned that inspiration finds you on her schedule, not yours, so if you want to get the job done, you need to go hunt the bitch down.

What's the most helpful thing you've learned about freelancing?
I've got all kinds of lists of rules for myself (though I treat them like guidelines, because I don't like being told what to do, even by me). For freelancing, here's a patented selection, in ascending order of importance:

5. Be a writer first. Do not think of it as something you do on the side, or you will always just be doing it on the side. When I returned to college after six years in the Marines, I had full-time school, a part-time job, two internships, and almost no time left to write, but I always thought of myself as a writer first.

4. Never let a contact slip away. Everyone in the business needs to maintain personal networks, so as long as you are courteous and professional (and not creepy), you should not feel guilty about keeping in touch with colleagues you meet at places like the MB parties. I've had a friend at the New York Times for six years, and though we've never been able to hook up for a story, I still email her at least once a year to check in, and she appreciates it.

3. Be good to your colleagues. I've built great personal relationships with many of my contacts, and they will go out of their way for me because they know I am worth it, and I do the same for them. Most of my work now comes from editors I consider friends, and I've recently had the opportunity to help out a writer who helped me out ten years ago. Build a network of writers and editors you trust, and never let them down.

2. Do the work for your editors. Really study the publication you're writing for and anticipate the editor's needs so you turn in a piece that's not just well-written, but right for the publication. For one of my recent pieces, I used the library archives to research the previous decade of issues for this particular magazine, picking out the features that were similar to mine, and figuring out what elements worked well for this magazine. I will often spend twice as much time researching an article as I do writing it.

1. Put your ass in the chair. If you aren't constantly writing, even when you have no idea what you're going to do with it, none of the rest matters.

What's been the worst career advice you've ever received?
Get a job. (I'm working on it, mom!)

[Wait until laughter dies] But seriously, folks. The worst advice I've gotten is to limit my interests so i am more marketable as a writer. I have many interests and expertise, and while this has made it hard for me to find an agent, I am ready to handle just about any opportunity that comes my way. (Plus, my work never gets boring).

Have you found an agent in Vancouver? How did you look for one?
I've only moved here recently, so the agents I'm talking to are all in or near New York. I'm lucky to have several agents interested in my work, but none of them likes that I have so many interests. I've done really well without an agent so far, but if I want to take that next step I need a good agent who appreciates the diversity of my experiences and interests.