I have three passions in life: Maine, traveling and skiing. Okay, four: chocolate. Maybe five, spa-ing (is there such a word?). I guess writing would be my sixth passion. And cheese, oh yeah, artisan-crafted and farmstead cheeses. What can I say, I'm a passionate kinda gal.When I dropped out of grad school, I became a ski-and-whitewater bum, working at ski resort in winter, for a kayaking and whitewater rafting company in summer, and supplementing my wages year round by bartending and waitressing. So I'm pretty well versed in tourism and outdoor recreation.When I got tired of hearing my parents ask: "When are you going to get a real job?" I became communications director of the U.S. Men's Professional Ski Tour, responsible for a weekly newspaper and annual magazine, as well as editorial copy for an insert into Skiing magazine. That's where I learned the difference between glamour and reality. Glamour=traveling the country with a bunch of hunky guys from around the globe and visiting ski resorts. Sign me up! Reality: 18-hour work days, driving back and forth across the country, and a $15 (no, there's no digit missing) per diem. (I can work a buffet like no one, baby).I put the writing experience to work a few years later as managing editor for Gourmet News, a trade tabloid for the gourmet foods industry. Twenty-five pounds later, I segued to a position as features editor responsible for arts and travel for a daily newspaper. Lost the weight, but not my taste for good food. Now, I'm a full-time freelance writer/editor and author. I've written on assignment for for publications ranging alphabetically from AARP to Yankee, topically from Art & Antiques to National Geographic Adventure, and learned to pronounce Passawassawamkeag while researching my three Moon guidebooks: Maine, Coastal Maine, and Acadia National Park. I'm also the maven behind MaineTravelMaven.com. My husband, Tom, and I split our year between Maine's coast and the mountains, with frequent forays throughout the state and beyond. We're often accompanied by our dogs, Bernie and Cashel, both Leonbergers (no, not cheese, just a giant overly friendly, overly furry breed with an ancestry that includes St. Bernard, Great Pyrnees and Newfoundlander--but no drool!).