After much deliberation about selecting a major in college (sitting at my desk into the wee hours of the night, right before the deadline to declare), I chose to focus on the music industry and minor in English. When I graduated with my bachelor’s degree, I quickly realized that I wasn’t ever going to get rid of my stage fright (and awkward stage presence), nor did I want the on-the-road lifestyle of a musician.

A bit of a homebody, I much preferred my writing assignments over my vocal performances. I wished I had gotten to take even more English classes as an undergraduate and decided I wasn’t finished—I applied to graduate school, selecting a creative writing program (much to my parent’s dismay). I will never forget the look on my dad’s face when I so happily announced that I was taking poetry my first quarter. He was in the “get a full-time job and do you realize how much you’re taking out in student loans?” camp. Fair point.

But I knew that if I could make a career of storytelling and playing with words, I had to try. And despite the student loans, I’m so happy I did. I’ve been writing professionally for 12 years—from education to mortgages to personal loans—I’ve covered all kinds of topics, ranging in all sorts of formats.

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I like to spend any free time I have with my husband and six-year-old daughter—biking to the beach, sipping on cocktails in our “chill zone” (don’t worry, mocktails only for our six-year-old), listening to my husband’s extensive album collection, walking to our favorite coffee shops, snuggling up with a stack of children’s books, going to concerts, or playing our daughter’s ultimate favorite game, “guys.” The characters, aka “guys,” can be comprised of doll house people, princesses, baby dolls, strange critters, Christmas tree ornaments—you name it—it’s a guy and it’s a game.

I also like to dabble in all things beauty products—swatching shades of concealer, researching the latest and greatest skincare innovations, and forever collecting those perfect shades and formulations of blush.