It was the biggest story the reporter had ever worked. Or was the story working him? Kidnapping, murder, and the secret a journalist was too terrified to share--until now.
The scoop that almost destroyed me
The Best American Sports Writing, 2009 and The Best American Travel Writing, 2009 just arrived in bookstores. Some of my magazine stories are listed in the "notable" index in the back of the books. (As my former GQ colleague, Devin Friedman, once opined, "I will never use the word 'shortlisted' unless it involves The Booker Prize or Dancing with The Stars.") He was also shortlisted.
My stories are:
The Best American Travel Writing, 2009
Sick of the Lies (Bicycling
I Will Survive (Backpacker)
I'm Hiking with Stupid (Backpacker)
The Best American Sports Writing, 2009
I Will Survive (Backpacker)
...
Was she an international villain, a young victim, or something else? To read my profile of legendary distance runner Zola Budd, go to: Go, Zola, Go!
I wanted love. I needed freedom. I bought a folding bicycle. To read more, go to:
Foldy & Me: If it feels so right, how can it be wrong?
(SEPTEMBER 09)
For a story on lust, loss and what the author hoped might be love but his buddies warned him was merely odd and magical, read:
(JUNE 09)
For my Runner's World profile on a great runner with a painful secret, pick up the July 2009 issue of the magazine, or go to:
To read about my misadventures in yoga, go to:
BOOK NEWS:
The publisher (Arcade) of my memoir, "Looking for Mrs. Friedman and Other Really Bad Ideas," filed for bankruptcy on June 10, so the book will not be coming out this August, as scheduled. Other publishing houses are now considering it.
(FEB 09)
For my profile on cycling legend and convicted child molester, go to the March issue of Bicycling Magazine, on stands now. Or check it out here:
The Impossible Redemption of Jonathan Boyer
(JUNE 08)
NEWS: I recently won two gold medals in the annual Lowell Thomas Travel Journalism Competition, which the Society of American Travel Writers calls "the Pulitzer Prizes of travel writing." There were 24 categories and 1356 entries. I won in "investigative reporting" and "personal comment". For details, check out:
To read the stories, go to:
(OCTOBER 08)
Check out the November issue of Bicycling magazine, and read about my misadventures cycling across Switzerland, and my sad encounters with a hungry Russian and a beautiful woman named Heidi who I mistake for a prostitute. Also, in the November issue of Backpacking magazine, learn about the camping trip I took with a close friend, and how we almost killed each other, on purpose.
I have a story in The Best American Sports Writing, 2008, in bookstores now.
I really like your work. The yoga piece is a hoot! I hope the bio book makes it into print. I loved the Agony of Winning and I am not even really into sports at all.
You recommended a book to me a long time ago in a brief email exchange the title of which I have forgotten, that I never got to. I am Catholic and it fit in with that, but the topic totally escapes me now and I regret it!
I am a relatively new writer with no training or education- I think the word I am looking for here is 'wannabe'- which would also describe my status in many things from blogger to jogger. Anyway- back to my point, I am wanting to write a book in a similar style to Agony only with a different theme, and I am wondering if you just blithely give away tips to noname hangers on via the internet. I am interested in how you decided to narrow your biographical info on your stories in Agony and any relevant ideas for how you approached the project- I am wondering how you did it and what your thoughts were in creating the book on that theme- did you have an overarching goal, (besides food on the table and a roof over head) , what was it in your own life that you think made those things in those stories stand out to you in the lives of others etc? Are you just a story teller by nature and so you recount what is meaningful to you for others or is there some greater question you are trying to answer, and what, if any, advice would you be willing to pass on?
My idea is to profile women who are Catholic mothers of families with ten or more children (of which I am one- and a number of whom I know well enough to ask for interviews.) I know it's a very small niche market/group but the whole idea has the entire country captivated off and on, so I think that if I could write it well enough I could find a publisher.
Congratulations on those awards! You should be really proud of yourself!
Posted by: Jo Flemings | July 18, 2009 at 08:23 PM
Steve, just how flexible are you these days?
Posted by: Jennifer | July 25, 2009 at 12:40 PM