The one question almost every client asks me is: "How will you understand what we do here? And how long will it take?"
The answer is simple: I ask, and I listen. This is the essence of good reporting and solid research, and I've won awards for both. Timelines? I work quickly because I type fast, think faster, and write with grace and facility. Reporting has taught me NEVER to miss a deadline. I haven't, and I won't! I also love to work in teams, large and small - to lead, to listen, to learn, and to produce.

Here are some other answers you may find useful.

Q. Where do you work?
A. I am based in New York City. I work on-site, when necessary, or in my office. Many of my projects require travel or require me to be out on-the-street interviewing people. One day, I might be poring over dissertations at the Graduate Center at the City University of New York for a story about the unique dissertation room. The next day, I might be bound for San Francisco to see a Chinese language immersion school in action. I go where the work requires, but always, your budget is top-of-mind. In the summer of 2006, I had another unique opportunity - to bike over the continental divide in Montana and write about it. My laptop was on my back! I wrote every night.

Q. How much supervision do you require?
A. Very little. Reporters are self-starters. We work independently, and we find the answers to problems quickly. We are diggers, and we know all sorts of ways to find information - from Web sites to databases. We talk to people, and we read - a lot! That said, I do not operate in a vacuum. I deliver weekly progress reports to every client, and when I am stuck or confused, I ask. A wise sage once said: "There is no such thing as an ignorant question, only an ignorant person who refuses to ask." I ask, and I learn - for your benefit.

Q. How will you get to know our needs?
A. Again, I will ask and you will tell me! I hope you agree with me that there is no such thing as a stupid question, only one that hasn't been asked. I ask a lot of questions, and I take notes both in my  head and on my laptop. I like to sit with key decision-makers for high-level thinking and the establishment of project priorities, but I often learn most from the people who are doing the work, day in and day out. I have interviewed everyone from a Far Rockaway, New York truant to New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg. I have talked to cops, prosecutors, teachers, garbage haulers. I've interviewed rescue workers, nurses and park rangers. Deans of admission at Ivy League schools were my sources of information at one recent post; biochemists have been on the receiving end of my phone calls for other projects. I view every person as having something valid to say; my job is to get the best information I can from the widest array of sources.

Q. How do projects typically unfold?
A. A project may start with one goal, and it may branch out and develop tentacles that, in the end, all come back to solving the same essential problem. Some projects are straightforward, linear and short - my gardening column for Cowboys & Indians, for instance. Others are longer and require more rigorous analysis or call upon me to delve into a topic about which I know little at the outset. An example: In 2004, I wrote Schools for a Global Age for the Asia Society, a non-profit organization in New York City. I profiled 10 schools around the country that were investing in Chinese language studies for young students. For the article about each school, I interviewed no fewer than 20 people: administrators, teachers, students, alumnae and more. Then, in addition to the article about each school, I prepared a bulleted list outlining the salient features of each: a quick at-a-glance box. This project began as an idea. Just three months later, I had created a 50-page book with shape and style that was presented to governors around the country and hailed as a blueprint for how schools around the nation can enhance, and even create, their own language immersion programs. I am about to embark on the second phase of this important project for Asia Society.

Q. How do you set your fees?
A. Carefully. Every project has a unique set of needs and taps specific talents I bring to the table. I like my fees to be just under-the-market so that my clients feel they are getting a good deal. I can work by the hour, by the day, or by the project. Every assignment is different. Never, that I am aware, has my fee been an issue - for me or for my clients. Read my testimonials to learn how my clients feel about my work.

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