I am a freelance writer, educator, culinary historian, world traveler, and author of the award-winning nonfiction travel narrative, Waltzing Australia.

I have written textbooks (geography, history, language arts) for every major educational publisher in the US, including the Colonial Williamsburg Foundation. I have published hundreds of magazine articles on food, chefs, and lifestyle, and I contributed two major articles (on Mongolia and Jordan) to the Encyclopedia of Food and Culture. In addition, I write and speak on the topics of food history, travel (tips and/or destinations), and nonfiction writing. My website offers more information on what I’ve done. http://www.worldplate.com

Waltzing Australia, which recounts the six-month, 20,000-mile solo journey around and across Australia that marked my departure from the corporate world in pursuit of my writing career, is a Mom's Choice Award winner for travel writing. You can visit my blog -- at http://waltzingaustralia.wordpress.com -- to learn more about me and my book.

I've been to 37 countries on six continents. Because of my writing, research, and travels, I was elected this year to the Society of Women Geographers. Some of my non-Australian travels, along with a fair bit of food history and some interesting recipes, can be found on my second blog: http://worldsfare.wordpress.com .