I started writing at a very young age. Pretty much as soon as my dad told me that I could never make a living on it. I began working as an entertainment reporter in 2001—first with film reviews and progressing to celebrity interviews and event coverage.

I've since worked at Washingtonpost.com, National Geographic Traveler, and the Georgetown Journal of International Affairs, and have freelanced countless travel, entertainment, and investigative stories for domestic and international publications.

My educational background started with a BA from the University of Maryland in Literature and Rhetoric. Having discovered a love for reporting and nonfiction writing, I then earned an MA in Journalism from the University of Oregon, where I concentrated on magazine writing and film documentary. Indulging an underlying passion for language, I completed an MA at Georgetown University in (what else?) Language and Communication. My studies finally culminated at Queen's University in Belfast, Ireland, where I completed a PhD in Linguistics, with a thesis on culture, communication, and popular media.