I’m a freelance writer with hundreds of nonfiction articles in my portfolio. I have a knack for transforming bits and pieces of information into interesting writing that readers can’t put down. I’ve crafted both quirky human interest articles and detailed instructional features. From snakes to vintage trains to Christmas tree farms to travel destinations to financial advice to nuclear power to selling your house quickly in a waning economy—I’ve written about nearly everything under the sun.
I’m a writing coach. I teach memoir writing and freelancing workshops throughout the Southeast.
I’m also the brainchild behind Project Keepsake, an uplifting collection of stories told in first-person by ordinary people about their treasured keepsakes and mementos. To read selections from Project Keepsake, or contribute a story, visit www.ProjectKeepsake.com.
I published my first eBook in June 2012. Southern Exposure is a collection of 22 nonfiction stories inspired by my Southern upbringing. I published an eBooklet in March 2013 titled, Have a Seat, about caning chair seats using split reed.
I’m a blogger. I write useful, inspirational posts about the writing process and the sometimes joyous, sometimes frustrating business of being a writer.
Amber’s Writing Clips
I’m easy to work with. I complete my work on time and provide detailed source lists. I can also help with photographs, graphics, and permissions. Below are a few of my writing clips. Please contact me if you would like to see other writing samples.
Prepare for LiftoffChatter
River RocksChatter
BarbershopsPoints North
PomegranatesAlive
Rage Over AppsChatter
Snakes Be GoneGrit
About Amber
I have always been drawn to books. When I was a freckled six year old, I often crawled under the dining room table and read Dr. Seuss books to a captive audience of disheveled dolls and thread bare stuffed animals. At some point in my childhood, my appetite for reading evolved into the desire to write. I believe that writing is in my blood. I come from a long line of writers, poets, and the finest storytellers you will ever hear. For most of my life, writing was just a pastime. Then in 2006, after working for eighteen years as an engineer, I reinvented myself as a freelance writer.
In a world where almost everything is interesting to me, I specialize in works of nonfiction. My articles have appeared in Grit, Mother Earth News, Alive, Atlanta Life, Points North, American Fitness, Chatter, and many other magazines. I also write a monthly column titled Southern Exposure for a small town newspaper, focusing on memories, relationships, and unique observations from my lifetime in Georgia.
In the last several months, I have concentrated my efforts on one particular book project – Project Keepsake, a collection of short stories about mementos. I’ve collected several stories and am in the process of collecting more and securing representation. I also published an eBook, Southern Exposure – A Few Random, Rambling, Retrospective Pieces of My Life.
I ghostwrite for two clients in North Georgia.
I teach writing classes and workshops in Georgia and Tennessee. I specialize in teaching prescriptive nonfiction methods, memoir writing (small projects), and the business of freelancing to both seasoned and aspiring writers.
I am a graduate of both Georgia Institute of Technology and Mercer University, and I am a member of the Chattanooga Writers Guild and the Georgia Writers Association. I write from my home in Northwest Georgia.
What else? I run, hike, bike, read, garden, spend time with family and friends, and volunteer a portion of my time and energies to serving several nonprofit organizations in my community. I love family history. I sing in the car and sometimes in the shower if no one else is at home. My iPod is loaded with all types of music and podcasts. My favorite book is Harper Lee’s To Kill a Mockingbird, a novel that changed my life. My favorite poet is Ralph Waldo Emerson, and my favorite poem is Each and All. Joyce Kilmer’s Trees is a close second. My favorite color is green. Like Oprah Winfrey, I, too, am happiest around trees. My favorite television show is Dexter—I love the character’s narration, and I like the premise of a good serial killer who kills bad serial killers. I collect interesting rocks and fossils. I’m a keeper of several keepsakes and mementos. I have three big, lovable dogs that live like royalty. I love antiques. I love Dr. Pepper. I’m a bird watcher. I really don’t understand people who don’t respect the earth, and I don’t care for hypocrites and people who show cruelty toward animals, children, or the elderly. I’m one of those irritating know-it-all types, a trait I apparently inherited since everyone in my family is also a know-it-all. I love astronomy although my husband and I haven’t taken the big telescope out in a while. I’ve been married to the same guy for 22 years, and he still makes me laugh.