My latest article in the Oregon Community Connection came out last month. It was about enjoying winter on the Oregon coast.

Winter happens to be one of my favorite times to visit the Oregon coast and when the publisher asked me to write an article about it, I had tons of things I could have said.

Best of all… I received the nicest email today from an acquaintance of mine. She wrote, in part, “I just finished your article on ‘Enjoying Your Winter on the Oregon Coast.’ It is so well written….I felt like I was there! It also is helpful for us as we want to plan some activities along the coast next fall so having a listing of November activities is very nice!”

When I was associate editor at The Prevention Researcher, I would occasionally get nice emails from my authors or emails from our readers about how a specific issue was helpful for them. I think this is the first time, though, that I have received such a nice, unsolicited comment about my writing. 🙂

In December, I was asked by Connections Publications to contribute regular articles for a new publication they were working on — the Eugene/Springfield Oregon Digest. They specifically asked me to write about outstanding volunteers in the Eugene/Springfield community.

Of course, with my background in public health and psychology, and with years behind me as associate editor of The Prevention Researcher, I saw it as a great opportunity to not only write about amazing people but also promote great local non-profit organizations and also encourage people to get involved themselves.

For my first article, I picked a topic that was dear to my heart — helping youth in foster care. Talking with Mavis and Katrina at A Family for Every Child was a treat, and I am looking forward to more articles. It is a truly enjoyable experience to talk with people about a good cause that they are passionate about.

After blogging for just over a year at MySouthLane.com, I had the wonderful opportunity to write my first freelance article for the local magazine, Oregon Community Connection. And best of all, I was able to write about something I love — the Row River Trail!

With just this one article, I learned so much thanks to the editors at the magazine who were willing to provide a generous amount of feedback and guidance. Hopefully it will lead to more articles for them and others.