Portfolio

Clark Fork Chronicle (Alberton, MT) Articles

The following is a list of newspaper articles I wrote for the local paper a while back. Most have to do with stories about Basset Rescue of Montana, a local breed rescue for which I'm the volunteer webmaster and resident writer. However, one article is about pigeons, 'cause I'm a rehabber. I just adore those guys, which you'll gather if you read The Little Grey Bird that Colors Our World.

A couple of my articles also appeared in The Bugler, a small, niche magazine highly regarded in the U.S. among basset fanciers. So, though it's not exactly The New Yorker, it's still a feather in my cap!

Newsletters & Articles

I created the following Basset Rescue of Montana newsletters using MS Word, which wasn't easy, believe me. Admittedly, The MountainEAR (cute title, huh? BRofMT President Leslie Ames started the newsletter and named it) isn't the most professional looking, but hey, it is created in Word, not with a desktop publisher, plus I wrote and/or edited many of the articles (many others were written by BRofMT President Leslie Ames and others) and created the layout as a volunteer. Which just goes to show that you really do get what you pay for. I guess. Still, I don't think they're all that bad, or I wouldn't include them here.

General Correspondence

For many people, letter writing is onerous, whether it be personal or business. Depending on the subject matter and recipient, it may require tact, proper tone, and precise wording -- and that's just for starters. Letter writing can be an art. I'm no artist, but I'm fairly adroit, I think.

You'll notice a difference between the examples of personal and business letters. The latter are more formal, which is appropriate for business correspondence; the personal letters are much warmer, which is what one wants when writing to friends and family. One way to achieve formality: don't use contractions when writing a business letter!

Academic Papers

Back when I was just getting started, I slummed around in the "sample" (yeah, right) academic paper ghetto. It didn't pay very well, though the students buying the papers paid a fortune for them . . . and we wonder why kids are thousands of dollars in debt for their "edu-ma-cations". I mean, the only real overhead those companies have is their writers. Which is to say, almost no overhead.

I will say this about my experience: after producing endless streams of papers, the vast majority requiring intense library/Internet research; providing full APA, MLA, Chicago, etc. citation; and performing 24 hour turn-arounds, I discovered writing academic papers was nothing less than an overwhelmingly grueling writers' bootcamp, which taught me not just to research and write well, but fast! Not to mention, I'm able to use standard citation styles without having to refer to manuals!

Nonprofit eBook

About a year ago (January, 2009), I had a "stroke of competence" ("genius" is pushing it). I thought I'd write an eBook for Basset Rescue of Montana as a fundraiser. I figured there was a need for a book about what people need to know about hounds, especially basset hounds, most especially basset hounds that have been "through the wringer" and ended up in rescue. You see, hounds are very different from other dogs, bassets are a little different from other hounds, and abused, abandoned bassets are downright "special needs". I decided a book delineating the matter was a fair idea.

The board agreed with me, and I began. The book I ultimately wrote, Forever Home: What You Need to Know About Adopting a Rescued Basset, approaches the subject of basset hounds from a unique perspective. As it turned out, there's quite a lot that potential basset rescuers need to know! I've owned various hounds -- from assorted shelters -- for over 30 years, so that came as no surprise to me.

Forever Home is over 80 pages long, and includes stories submitted by basset aficionados that illustrate various points -- stories which I edited and illustrated with a lot of creative photo-shopping. I also created an illustrated basset "gourmet" cookbook (it's over 30 pages). I gleaned the recipes from all over the Internet, editing them to suit my purposes. I also included quite a few of my own. They've all been "kitchen-tested and hound approved!"

And then I gave both eBooks to Basset Rescue of Montana, hoping that they'll help raise funds for the nonprofit well into the future. I DO retain the copyrights (what happens to my eBook if BRofMT becomes defunct?!), but ALL proceeds from sales go to that rescue. Further, since BRofMT is an all-volunteer organization -- there are no paid positions -- 100% of all funds goes to keep the bassets safe, well-fed, warm, and healthy!

Please forgive my shameless plug, but I DO love Basset Rescue of Montana! And I don't even have a basset hound . . . a treeing Walker and a black and tan, yes (if you follow the links, scroll down both pages to see excellent photos).

If you'd like to see excerpts from the eBook, just click on the link above and it'll take you to the Basset Rescue of Montana ebook landing page. Enjoy!

So, now that you've seen some of my work . . . do I get the job?