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Biography
She has written
for Suite 101's Museum
& History Studies. Edwards is a contributor to the Dictionary
of Unitarian and Universalist Biography and is a past presenter at the
Illinois Historic Preservation Agency's annual Conference on Illinois
History. Edwards has freelanced for several newspapers. She says, "I have been assigned to write about just about anything—and I have!" She has interviewed U.S. politicians, middle school spelling bee winners, artists, entertainers, business owners, school officials, and UFO experts. "One of my favorite interviews was with Sen. Pete Domenici of New Mexico. It was one of those interviews where I wished he would never stop talking." She finds that interviews become most interesting when you get off-topic and have a sincere conversation with people. "When I interviewed Gary Lockwood, I really wanted to present a side of him that most people don't see," she says. "He was expecting questions about "Space Odyssey: 2001" and UFO's, but I asked him if he had been to New Mexico before. He stared at me for a moment, then motioned for me to step away from the rest of the media crush. He told me his first "appearance" ever was as a trick rider in the Monty Montana Show and he began with shows in New Mexico. He went on to tell me how much he loved the artist Georgia O'Keeffe. I told him he was across the parking lot from a museum where he would find O'Keeffe originals on display. I am sure it was not what the science fiction buffs were expecting but he clearly appreciated being asked an unusual question and having a true conversation -- and I got a front page interview that the rest of the media weren't privy to until it was already in print!" "Flexibility is the key to finding freelance work in a small market," Edwards says, revealing the secret to her success. "Even if I don't know the subject inside and out, I'll research it until I can write intelligently about it. I love doing research. You really need to add the back-story to create interesting writing, regardless of genre or medium." She holds a
Master's degree in Instructional Systems Technology from the College of
Education at Indiana University. She is a Board of Certified Genealogists
candidate. She lives in Central Illinois with her
husband, Jeff Imig, and their cats. PUBLICATIONS
COLUMNS
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