1. I was a police officer for 12 years, working primarily in patrol and criminal investigations. I once chased a naked guy across a field and caught him. It was an interesting tackle.

2. I worked full-time in television news (ABC affiliate) and radio. I started in newspapers and still write a weekly column for the Jacksonville Daily News.

3. I’m also experienced in corporate and Web writing.

4. I’m serious about deadlines. Period.

5. Professional memberships include the American Society of Journalists and Authors (ASJA) and the National Book Critics Circle (NBCC).

6. You can find me on the coast of North Carolina, right in the middle of that spot on the Weather Channel’s map where hurricanes come ashore.

7. My dad was a Navy lifer, so I grew up all over the world and spent my childhood “hitting the deck” at 5 in the morning. I am firmly a night person, but still love to travel.

8. My husband is a graduate of the FBI National Academy and a retired law enforcement executive. He has a second career in school safety.

9. We have two children and at any given moment at least one of them does not like me. I sleep very well despite the reviews.

10. The expression I hear most frequently is: “You’re not going to write about that, are you?”