Author. Writer. Editor. Journalist. Essayist. Beta reader. Gen Xer with a passion for '70s and '80s music.

"Hello Again!" Thanks for stopping by. I'm Kristine and I write stories about the ways people heal--like with good ole music. I explore many of the ways we find hope or recover from loss, hardships, changes, stages of life, and the ways people survive and cope.  I've reported, written, and edited articles on these topics for three decades- but I'm entering the fiction arena with my first novel, YESTERDAY'S SONG, a family saga of a 1970s one-hit wonder, that publishes soon. I hope you'll pick it up today to hear how one estranged family formed in peace, love and music, found a second chance at their deepest regrets. If you love '70s pop-rock, you'll love the characters in my book, who share good ole '70s music as their love language! If you're a fan of that era, I wonder how many song titles you'll recognize? (No lyrics used, only song titles!) 

My background: As a kid growing up near Cleveland, Ohio, I was hooked on reading and story at a young age, and wrote my actual first cardboard cover book, the atrocious tale of the bickering sisters Sandy & Jenny! (*Apologies to my fifth-grade teacher who endured reading this and came up with encouraging things to say to me and my parents!) And because I also loved reading the kids' page of the newspaper (especially Dear Abby) at the breakfast table, also reading the cereal boxes, I set up a neighborhood newspaper in the basement laundry room-- it looked strikingly similar to the Mary Tyler Moore newsroom-- and delivered newspapers with a red wagon! Fast forward to reporting for my high school newspaper and television station, and I was bit by the journalism bug heading to college!

I earned a B.A. in journalism magna cum laude from Duquesne University, working internships at KDKA-TV and a PR firm in Pittsburgh, and then moved to the DC area. I worked a decade professionally as a staff writer, editor, and press officer for a federal law enforcement agency. There, I wrote and edited their employee publication, articles for trade magazines, speeches for the director and other officials, wrote press releases, worked daily with the media, and much more. (Evenings, I also toiled as a "Arlington Weekly News" cable TV reporter, for two years.) The DC headquarters and intensive, deadline-driven media work was invaluable communications experience professionally.

Yet my fun career highlight then, besides working with amazing, wonderful people of course? In the '90s, I wrote a speech for (and met) one of my music idols, Billy Joel! I'd had so many of his albums at the time and had seen him in concert, so it was even more of a thrill to have that opportunity. More on that greatest moment in the blog someday.

After a decade, a pivot!

After I married and later became a devoted mom of three, I became a freelance journalist and worked from my home office. I am happy with that choice, as I did not miss the 4 hours on the road each day in DC/VA (thanks I-66 and I-95!) When the kids were at school, I worked hard finding and pitching stories, reporting, blogging, interviewing hundreds of sources, writing and rewriting scores of stories, editing to word count, answering any questions from editors, and of course always querying for your next assignment, staying updated with the industry, going to training and networking conferences with other writers and assigning editors, and waiting (and chasing) for payment. More on that someday in the blog. 

Even won a Maggie Award for outstanding feature for a story on the cold-blooded 1960s murder of the first Black deputy in a Louisiana parish---and other awards for other stories, like from National Federation of Press Women and Ohio Professional Writers, a teenage pregnancy story, as well as other stories published in parenting magazines. Oh, and I recently received a second-place feature award for a Northern Virginia Magazine story involving dozens of sources, on efforts to combat opioid addiction. 

As an award-winning independent journalist, my bylined work has appeared in USA TODAY Sports, USA TODAY Sports Weekly, USA TODAY High School Sports, Washington Post.com, Northern Virginia Magazine, Family Circle, Balanced Living, POLICE Mag., Cleveland/Akron Family, Mahoning Valley Parent, NJ Family, Washington FAMILY and more. Essays were published in: the newest Chicken Soup for the Soul: Tough Times Don't Last..., Chicken Soup for a Dog's Life (Simon & Schuster), Chocolate for a Teen's Soul (Simon & Schuster), Sasee, Scary Mommy, Cleveland Plain Dealer, Finger Lakes Magazine, and a humor column for ShareWIK.com. A few stories are on my Portfolio page. 

Staying current with training and working on craft is important to me. I've attended several conferences by the American Society of Journalists and Authors (and moderated an ASJA panel in New York City of sports editors) as well as Ohio Professional Writers.

But then...I fell in love with writing fiction when I drafted my first real novel five years ago (I'd written a few through the years as practice!) After the first draft, then the real work began:  rewrites and advice from books, novelists, podcasts, sessions from editors and agents at Chesapeake Writers and Writer's Digest Conferences. I also learned through many professional webinars and tutorials from Writer's Digest as well as developmental editors and readers.

Every day I learn through other writers and editors as a member of Women's Fiction Writers Association, and a Career Novelist Group (and have received private coaching by) the gifted bestselling novelist and brilliant coach Camille Pagan (I recommend her coaching and excellent podcast often to other writers!) I'm also a member of Editorial Freelancers Association. My most recent WD course took three months, where I earned certification as a copyeditor. 

Oh, for fun-- but it turned out to be inspiration and research for this novel--I'm a member of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame! Their museum is extraordinary! Yes, I could gawk at original handwritten lyrics there for hours! It was inspiring to me to visit as I wrote this novel set in '70s music. By the way, what's your favorite ole song? You're invited to join my '70s music group on FB! Search: "A Song from the '70s" 

These days, my focus is on books. Yours and mine! I'm working on my second and third novels, and I edit projects for hire, so contact me today if that's why you're here!