I'm a writer and editor in a college town in rural Southern Illinois.

Why I’m on Couchsurfing

I love to travel. I love to share and host friends and friends of friends. I especially love to cook together with new friends (and old friends), and share a meal.

Interests

I'm a writer and a reader. I love to read the news and stay up on all the latest gossip on social media. I love to cook -- I especially love to try new recipes and new and different foods. A night out at a restaurant with friends is my idea of fun. In a rural area, we don't have a lot of different types of restaurants, so when I travel, trying local foods and drinks is the top priority.
I like to sing and listen to music. I am a mystery junkie in all forms: books, longform articles, TV shows (true and fiction), radio, Podcasts -- if it's a mystery I am hooked.
I love to dance, especially East Coast Swing. After that dinner with friends in a restaurant, if we can travel to a few live music spots and dance, that's the perfect night.
I like to hike and bike.
I love dogs -- we have three!

• cats
• dogs
• writing
• books
• singing
• dancing
• cooking
• recipes
• drinking
• pub crawls
• news
• trivia
• tv
• traveling
• podcasts
• music
• live music
• cycling
• hiking
• communications
• journalism

Music, Movies, and Books

I like folk music, rock and good, fast swing and rockabilly to dance to.
Give me a mystery novel and a glass of dry wine and I am a happy lady.

One Amazing Thing I’ve Done

Hiked (and got lost on) the walk of the gods along the Amalfi Coast in Italy. We thought we were going for a short morning hike and ended up on an all-day excursion in which we walked into the neighboring town. It was a longer adventure than we expected, and yes, we got a bit lost, but we had a wonderful time and met many interesting hikers along the way. Plus, the dizzying heights up there made it feel truly amazing for a bit of a scared-y cat like me.

Teach, Learn, Share

I truly am a jack of all trades and a master of none. I think that's why journalism attracted me -- I get to learn a little about a lot of different things. It's an honor to be a storyteller, but in order to tell a story I have to hear a lot more stories.
I host a weekly pub trivia night -- being the host is the best: I get to learn a lot of little things about a lot of different topics, and the regular players are the perfect mix of smart, sassy and sweet.

What I Can Share with Hosts

Lots of stories about working at the newspaper ... Good, experimental cook ... Helpful, polite, and always ready to listen.

Countries I’ve Visited

France, Italy, Spain

Countries I’ve Lived In

Spain, United States