Published Writing & Web Samples
Most of these are PDFs and JPGs and will open in a separate window. If you don't want to wait for your browser plug-in to open them, you can do a "save as" and download them directly to your desktop and view them from there. Except for the three articles from HR Plaza, all of these samples are print.
"The Sandman Is Dead--Long Live the Sleep Deprived Walking Zombie"
Used as a reading selection in the book "Efficient & Flexible Reading, Sixth Edition" by Kathleen T. McWhorter, Longman Publishing, 2002.
As it appeared in the book (PDF/scanned)
As it appeared on HR Plaza (HTML)
I originally wrote "Sandman" for HR Plaza in 1999. Out of the blue, a book author called me that year to tell me she really liked it, and asked if she could use "Sandman" as a reading selection in a textbook she was writing. Three years later the book is in print, and something I wrote is in it as a writing example.
I also got a call in late 2008 that Pearson Custom Publishing wanted to use this same article in a textbook called "Reading Across the Disciplines" for San Antonio College. I agreed to do it if they sent me a copy of the finished book, which they haven't done yet. This article is easily the most popular thing I've ever written. (I wish my unpublished novels were so popular!)
Bernard Hodes Group "Monitor"
"Monitor" is a monthly newsletter Hodes sends out to clients; I wrote and produced it for two years, from May 97 through May 99. While it was never my favorite task, I did always really enjoy writing the stories on the first page and coming up with catchy headlines to pull people in. "Mentors: The Corporate Freshmaker" (February 98) is my all-time favorite headline.
February 98
March 98
December 98
November 98
May 99
Two Articles from "HR Plaza"
I always tried to write pieces that would make people think, especially when I wrote for for HR Plaza. That was the purpose of these two articles. The first is "The Childless Backlash," and the second is "How Much Is That Doggie in the Cubicle." According to my site stats, people still search for and read "The Childless Backlash" -- this despite the fact that it's almost four years old.
"The Net," Site of the Month Review and March, 1997
I don't know whether it's because of the sentimental value of childhood toys or not, but this review of a site about old Fisher Price toys is my all-time favorite out of the 500+ reviews I wrote between 1996 and 1998.
"The Net," Brillo Review (Site of the Month)
I really liked this site when I reviewed it. It's still online, but hasn't really been updated to speak of in five years.
"The Net," Xander Mellish (Site of the Month) Review and May, 1997
This is also still online, but hasn't been updated much.
"The Leif Garrett Collection" Liner Notes
This is the only set of CD liner notes I ever received fan mail for writing. (I'm not sure whether I should be proud or scared by that fact.)
Print Ad for HR Plaza
Generally another group at Hodes produced the Hodes ads that were going to run in the annual "Recruitment Directory," but since I was the one producing HR Plaza, I wanted to do those ads myself.