A little about me....

     A short story I wrote about my kite for an English class at Calallen High School in Corpus Christi set me on the path to becoming a writer and photographer. My teacher, Diana Gonzalez, liked the story so much that she suggested I join the school's newspaper staff my sophomore year. I did. I enjoyed the work so much that I remained on staff for the next two years and became editor my senior year.

    While at Trinity University in San Antonio, I worked a year as news editor on the campus paper, The Trinitonian. During the summer of 1978, I worked as editor of The Western Star, a suburban weekly newspaper in Corpus Christi. In 1981, I graduated with a degree in print journalism and political science.  Six weeks later, I married Terry Rodgers, the manager of a Nueces County park I'd met on one of my newspaper beats in '78. We lived at Hazel Bazemore Park (in a TINY, three-room house that adjoined his office) for a year, then moved to Austin where he accepted the position of assistant superintendent at McKinney Falls State Park.

    During our time in Austin, I worked a short time as editor of the Onion Creek Free Press in Buda before becoming a reporter/photographer for the San Marcos Daily Record in San Marcos. After two years in San Marcos, I joined the Marketing Department at the Austin American-Statesman, where I worked as special sections editor. In 1987, our son, Patrick Noble, was born, and I resigned from the Statesman.In 1988, we moved to Tatum in East Texas, where Terry opened and managed a new park, Martin Creek Lake State Park. A year later, he accepted a job as superintendent of Blanco State Park in Blanco (a wonderful, wonderful town), and we returned to Central Texas. In 1991, Lindsey Marie joined the family.

    It wasn't long after our arrival in town that I introduced myself to Roy McNett, the publisher of our local newspaper, the Blanco County News. He put me to work a few weeks later on my first story (about a murder!), and I worked for him as a freelance reporter/photographer until January 2002. I also began writing for other publications in addition to freelancing occasionally for the Marketing Department at the Statesman.When Lindsey started school, I devoted more time to my writing. Since 1990 or so, my articles and photographs have been published in many newspapers and magazines, including Good Housekeeping, Grit, WildBird, Pages, BookStreet, Splash, Wild Outdoor World, Angus Journal, The Cattleman, American Profile, Texas Highways, Texas Parks & Wildlife, Texas Co-op Power, Texas Gardener, Texas Highway Patrol, Austin Home & Living, Country Lifestyle, Miami Herald, Hill Country Sun, Austin American-Statesman, Houston Chronicle,and San Antonio Express-News.

  In 2002, I started a new life and moved into a home of my own. That June, Roy sold the newspaper, and the new owners hired me as editor. I managed the Blanco County News for two years. In 2003, we won three awards from the Texas Press Association. Since July 2004, I have been a full-time freelance writer and photographer.

    I guess I should mention that along the way I've personally won several awards, including a first place in the "Personality Profile" division and a first place in the "Human Interest" division in the 2001 writing contests sponsored by the American Agricultural Editors' Association. I also received "2001 Best of News Features"  ("Nowhere to Run," January 2001, Texas Co-op Power magazine) and "2000 Best of Personality Features" ("Touched by Grace," January 2000, Texas Co-op Power magazine), both sponsored by the Statewide Editors Association.

    In 1999, I received third place in the "Personality Profile" division in the American Agricultural Editors' Association contest. The award was for an article I wrote for the Angus Journal on artist Frank Murphy, who has painted and drawn for the American Angus Association for more than half a century. In 1985, I won a first place for feature writing in the UPI Southwest Regional Editor's Association competition. The winning article, which placed first in the 1985 Texas TPI Editors Association contest, narrated the Friday morning ritual of animals being euthanized at the San Marcos Animal Shelter (I still cry when I reread that article and remember). In 1983, I won third place in Investigative Reporting and third place in Feature Writing in the Texas UP Editors Association contest. I've also won some awards in annual contests sponsored by the Texas Press Association: 1995, third place, features; 1994, first place, features; and 1993, third place, news writing.

    In 1993, my first book was published: Weekends Away: Camping and Cooking in Texas State Parks (Eakin Press). A second edition followed in 1996. My second book, Texas Old-TimeRestaurants and Cafes(Republic of Texas Press), was published in August 2000. My next book will be on spiders, my favorite field of study. I've also started a novel of sorts.

    I am a former member of the American Agricultural Editors' Association, the Texas Outdoor Writers Association, and the Society of American Travel Writers.

    And that -- in a nutshell -- is a little bit about me.....