Mary B likes to write poetry, essays, articles, and short stories. She does some of her best work while sitting in a cafe drinking a cup of coffee or while in the woods listening to the wind and birds. These are places she culls some beautiful imagery for her work.
While writing is her passion, it is not her only love.She loves watching nature. Recently she started taking photos of the birds native to her area. They are beautiful!
She also loves to cook gourmet food. She can sometimes be seen picking tomatoes, yellow bell peppers and zucchini from her garden for the dishes she prepares.
Mary B is what has been called a "peak learner." She loves to learn. This love of learning extends to many subjects - science, history, languages, religion, crafts, gardening, birding. The list is extensive, and she believes infinite. She has worked as a chef, an accountant, an internet researcher, a technical support rep, systems administrator, tutor, and writer. Each experience has added to the treasure trove of images and anecdotes she can use as a writer. The love of her life is language - reading and writing. She began writing as a child and continues to do so. Choosing a favorite writer is difficult. Her library is immense. She seems to favor Kurt Vonnegut, Jr., Tom Robbins, Maya Angelou, Stephen King...
Her grandfather instilled a love of gardening and fixing things. He told her not to depend on anyone to fix something. You must do it yourself. So, when she isn't writing, you can find her in the garden watching things grow. She may even be perched nearby with a camera waiting for a bird to join her. When anything from the plumbing to the car to the electricity needs repair, she does it.
Some evenings you can find her watching classic movies - she likes Cary Grant - and the History or Science Channel.
She is active in her church and uses her gifts to help the members. She organizes carnivals, picnics, and revivals. She also tutors in her spare time.
Mary B believes that you can never learn too much and you should never stop learning.
After graduating from high school Mary B continued to study language at Southern Illinois University. She wanted to become an interpreter. She had four years of high school French and used her knowledge to take and pass a proficiency test prior to entering the university. Subsequently, she was able to begin her language studies at college in French II.
After two years, circumstances required her seek work and move to another state. Believing that a person should always be in a state of learning, she continued to study on her own. Her studies led to a job within the IT industry.
Mary B always wanted a degree. After leaving college several years ago, she began work in the IT industry. She studied computer and software repair and website design on her own. She was able to climb the corporate ladder, but something was missing. She loved learning and she wanted the degree she knew was meant for her. Her employer had an education reimbursement program so she decided to pursue a Bachelor of Science degree/Information Technology. She loved the learning atmosphere. She was able to maintain a 3.98 GPA., but something was still missing. While she excelled at many things,she loved only one - language. She wanted to pursue a degree in language and writing. She would have to find a way.
Mary B worked for several years as an IT professional. She was good at it, but she didn't have any passion for the job. An accident was the catalyst that paved that way for her to pursue her dreams. Unable to work, she decided to go back to school part-time. She did some research and discovered that Southern New Hampshire University was the only university that allowed her to pursue her degree program online. She had taken some courses online before and she knew she possessed the self discipline required to do well. She is currently working toward her Creative Writing degree. She is maintaining a 3.98 GPA. She is a member of the Alpha Sigma Lamda National Honor Society, the National Society of Collegiate Scholars, and The National Society of Leadership and Success, Sigma Alpha Pi. Her extra-curricular activities include ghost writing, tutoring, and ministry.
Mary B has over twenty years experience in the Information Technology industry. She began with the position of technical support analyst and progressed to systems administrator and web development. Her love of fixing things drove her to learn how to repair her own computer and that led to her first job with a major computer company.
Mary B has written articles about several medical issues. She has researched topics such as cancer, chronic pain, mesothelioma... She enjoys researching for the articles she writes so she can provide accurate information.
Mary B is a writer and a minister. She has written several articles and blogs about faith, death, and dying for a variety of clients. She has also written masters and doctoral thesis manuscripts, as well as, sermons. Her position of a minister is enhanced by an education that included the study of all religions. Her point of view isn't diminished by ignorance or prejudice.
Mary B worked as an accountant for a major credit card bank for seven years. Her job involved balancing the general ledger, bringing in wires, tracking all money that came into the department... This job required her to be detail oriented as she had to balance the accounts to the penny. This job provided her the knowledge to write about finance, credit, and accounting related topics.
Mary B knows the power that a blog post can have in marketing a business. It only takes a few words from a happy customer to increase sales. Word of mouth has been the best way to promote a business for many years. The days of leaning across the fence and telling your neighbor about the best deals in town are gone. In today's market a blog is how word is spread. Mary B has written blogs for a variety of businesses.
Mary B enjoys researching a topic and then writing about it. If she can make the topic both informative and creative her enjoyment is increased tenfold. She writes about current news items, hobbies, health, science, the environment - if it's interesting to her readers then it's a topic for an article.
Mary B has written several press releases promoting businesses and community events. A press release attracts the media and in doing so they also attract the community to sales, carnivals, concerts, races... They can help make an event a success.
Mary B is the administrator for a local non-profit agency. She has written proposals for grants and 501 c3 applications. She knows how important grants are to these organization. It is often difficult to find a grant that fits the needs of a specific organization. Each grant has its own application requirements. To that end Mary B researches the needs of the client along with the requirements of the grant organization. Attention to details is the key in obtaining any grant. Applications request a lot of detail about the organization applying and about the intended use of the grant money.