I have a unhealthy obsession with words

I love them. What can I say? I write them. I edit them. I read them (and if you ask me to part with any of my books, well, we’re going to have a problem).

My goal when I write, regardless of the medium or subject, is for the reader to see, hear, feel and taste everything that I did when I set down the words.

Janney’s high-net-worth newsletter was a fairly plain product when I came on board. Recognizing that it needed a facelift to be a true value-add for an affluent audience, I deconstructed-reconstructed it with more unified, thematic content for each issue - in this sample, ultra-lux golf resorts dovetailed with retirement (because, hey - free time+cash=the best tee times money can buy). I worked with the team’s fantastic graphic designer, who came up with a new, clean and sharp look and feel. I not only handled writing and editing, but also contacted the golf courses for photos and permissions (experience has taught me to, yes, ask for permission over apologizing to the lawyers - who don’t want to hear it).

At Capital Group, I was part of a team of writers among whom social media posts were divided. Each post focused on, among others: a company-related event, product or service; a market-related event; or a holiday or observance. Here are three that found their way to my keyboard.

PHH Mortgage was an annual Diamond Sponsor for the American Cancer Society’s Hope Gala. I developed the themes and content for the company’s 2018 and 2019 gala journal gatefolds, working with another outstanding graphic designer on the final realization. Each year, word got back to us that our “ads” were regarded as the best.

Shameless plug disguised as a sample - or is it the other way around? Regardless, I am the publisher and editor in chief for Words Take Flight Books, an independent boutique publishing company. I didn’t start it in 2010 to get my own work into print - but when a talented photographer came to me with an idea that had been rattling around in my own head for years, well, he convinced me it was time for the shoemaker to make his own shoes.

Engravings is a collection of my poetry and prose inspired by the sensitive, insightful and respectful photographic eye of Michael Gavin. He captured the essence of places of rest through his lens - I brought them to life and meaning with my words.

I guess you’ll just have to buy the book now.

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Graphic Design