Age: Thirtysomething.

Location:
New Hope, Pennsylvania, in bucolic Bucks County which is, thankfully, only a short train ride away from New York City.

What are you working on now?
As always I've got many irons in the fire. That's what makes my work life interesting and why I wouldn't trade in being a self employed writer for anything!

For starters earlier this year I became a certified etiquette and protocol consultant and last month my newest book came out on, ta da, etiquette. It's called "The Everything Etiquette Book: A Modern Day Guide to Good Manners." As part of my book promotion, I've started offering children's etiquette classes and I've got one coming up in a few weeks, so I'm busy fine-tuning the curriculum.

I also run a website called Mannersmom.com, where I offer advice to parents who want to raise polite children in a rude world. I'm putting together a proposal for a Manners Mom syndicated column. Stay tuned on that.

I just finished an awesome assignment for Beliefnet.com, a spiritual website, which asked me to write profiles of 10 amazing people who are finalists in their annual "Most Inspiring Person" award program. I love writing about people who give back to their communities in creative ways--I had a column called "Extraordinary Women" at the now-defunct All Woman magazine that focused on this topic--so this assignment was uplifting and fun.

What has been your most difficult project of late and how did you deal with its challenges?
The most difficult project of late is a personal one and one for which I'm not being paid (yet! she said thinking positively): my memoir. I took a memoir writing class this fall at my local community college, and I'm trying to set aside time each day to write. But having been schooled in journalism (NYU BA), it's very hard to shift my thinking and write on such a personal level. I want to REPORT the story but it's hard to report on yourself. I'm hoping that the Nieman Narrative Conference in Boston, which I'm attending this weekend, will help me get focused and moving forward. Also, I recently joined with two other writers from ASJA (the American Society of Journalists and Authors) to form a "phone-a-friend" critique group. We're "meeting" once a month to give feedback on our respective work, and we had our first phone meeting last week. It was very helpful to receive that feedback and now I've just got to apply it to my work in progress. It's funny--I'm finding that this writing for "me" is a lot like exercising. We often spend more energy coming up with excuses why we don't have time to do it (the writing, the exercise) rather than just setting the timer for 30 minutes and just doing it.

What's the most helpful thing you've learned about
writing?
I think the most important thing for any writer to remember is this: it isn't that you want to become a writer. You either are one or you're not. Thoughts and stories haunt you until you put them down on paper and that means you're a writer--whether you're doing it for pay or not. I've been "haunted" by stories since I was 7 years old. I may have wanted to grow up to be a writer as my career but I've known forever that I'm a writer.

What's been the worst career advice you've ever received?
That every person who wants to start out in magazines has to start as a secretary. I heard this my senior year of college when I went to an employment agency to look for a job. I was so disheartened to hear this but, thankfully, I didn't listen to this jerk. Sure, you may have to start as an editorial assistant (which I did, at USAir Magazine) but as long as there is writing and editing involved in that entry-level position, you're on the right track. However, if all you're doing is typing and answering phones, then, honey, get another EA job.

Etiquette seems to be a perennial topic for books: how do you keep it fresh and inventive?
I keep topics fresh by always looking for new angles on the same old topic. Isn't that true for anyone writing for magazines or editors coming up with ideas? You can write about evergreen topics but the challenge is figuring out a new way to package it--10 tips instead of straight text--and then selling that idea to an assigning editor. I love the challenge of coming up with that new spin. It keeps my brain moving. In fact, just last night, while reading For Me magazine, I got two ideas to pitch to that magazine and new ways to package those ideas. I've got them jotted down on a Post-It note right here next to my laptop and as soon as I finish this Q&A, I'm going to bang out two queries.