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The greatest gift I've ever received is a love of words. Growing up, my grandmother and parents read from "The Golden Treasury of Poetry," "The Illustrated Treasury of Children's Literature" and other books. I enjoyed the cadence of the language and the images the words conjured in my head. When I learned to read, there were few days I didn't have a book in my hand. Growing up, I found the best way to spend a lazy Sunday was to keep turning the pages until my eyes blurred and I couldn't read anymore. I was voracious.
I still have a large collection of books from my childhood, including "The Country Bunny and the Little Gold Shoes" and "'Twas the Night Before Christmas." In fact, I have many books, period. My book-purchasing compulsion began early in elementary school with the Troll Book Club. How wonderful, I thought, that I could select my favorite authors -- Judy Blume, Beverly Cleary, Lois Duncan, S.E. Hinton -- and have them delivered to me. The bookstore was my favorite place on earth, but I enjoyed checking the boxes next to the selections I wanted delivered. Mom would write a check and in a few weeks I'd have more paperbacks to read. And I always ordered something. Always.
The books from my childhood were my first links to the power of words -- the worlds they created, the feelings they engendered. Few things excited me more than lifting the cover into a new adventure or perspective.
Through my teen years, my love of words focused on writing. I did assignments for school, of course, but I loved to write essays and poems for fun. When faced with questions about pursuing a career, I decided I wanted to make my living as a writer, playing with and molding words.
I was accepted into Temple University's nationally-accredited journalism program and earned a B.A. During my college years, I free-lanced and worked as a news assistant for newspapers in Pennsylvania and Delaware. After graduation, I landed a full-time reporting position -- I wrote features about people age 50 and older and a column called "Tara's Take," a commentary on everyday life, events, culture and more.
My work through the years has enabled me to meet artists, volunteers, moms and dads struggling with loss, members of the so-called Greatest Generation remembering the tragic and heroic events of the past, and celebrities Rita Moreno, Art Linkletter, Renee Taylor and Joe Bologna (remember "Rags to Riches"? That was my favorite show as a young teen).
I've profiled teenagers, oustanding state workers, older athletes who do amazing things (like swim 500 yards at age 90). I've covered borough council meetings, turned medical and political jargon into plain English, and simplified complex issues like the changes to Medicare and the debate about the future of Social Security. I've written the Love Story of countless couples, and I've even helped brides make the big day a bit easier with tips and ideas.
Now, as a full-time free-lancer, I'm writing a memoir as well as features, profiles, personal essays and more for local and national newspapers and magazines. I'm also hoping to syndicate my column. Always, I keep my eyes and ears open for new ideas, which are everywhere.
My professional memberships include Delaware Press Association, the Society of Professional Journalists, and the National Association of Newspaper Columnists. I have won more than 40 awards, since 2003, in DPA's annual Communications Contest for editorial excellence.
When I'm not writing, I frequently can be found wandering the aisles of the local Barnes and Noble, behind my laptop in various rooms in my house, playing Scrabble or Boggle, and lounging at the beach when I need some rest and relaxation.
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