Once upon a time
If there is one thing I know for sure, it’s that I was born to tell stories.
As a child, I used to beg for stories from my mom and dad. At bedtime, I’d plead with my dad for just one more “story from your head” (otherwise known as a make believe story). I would practice reading books like Clifford and Mercer Mayer with my mom and a clicker that sounded like a cricket when it was time to turn the page.
Then came my first foray into publishing in sixth grade with my critically acclaimed “Life as a Cheerio,” as well as a stint as the class newspaper advice columnist. Since then, I have never considered doing anything other than writing for a living.
In my career, I have chased fire trucks, interviewed Richard Simmons (he called me Lady Drake), covered a murder-suicide at a pet food factory, walked around in wooden clogs, hung out with college freshmen, boy bands, a beauty queen runner-up, and a medical student volunteering in a Chicago free clinic. I have literally seen what goes into the sausage. I have told stories of corporations, celebrities, average Joes, and Squeakers the Death-Defying Guinea Pig.
My stories have made people laugh, cry, get outraged, and pull out their wallets to donate money to worthy causes.
What’s your story?
News
7/16/10: Digital feature for AAA Living on Michigan’s Upper Peninsula Great Waters Trails
6/21/10: The July/Dec. 2010 issue of Visit Detroit features my cover story, “21 things to do on the cheap in the D” [pdf]
4/22/10: Another video for Creditcards.com – this one’s on credit card crafts.
3/5/10: Can a magnet really make your credit card not work? Story and video for Creditcards.com.
11/24/09: The Dec. 15 issue of Wine Enthusiast has my story about wine on tap [pdf].
11/20/09: New video up on creative gift card wrapping for Creditcards.com.
11/11/09: My article for Creditcards.com on cutting up credit cards has been featured on the front page of MSN.com [pdf] two days in a row. The companion video has more than 100,000 views on YouTube!
10/27/09: My article on milk sharing [pdf] is in the November ‘09 issue of Pregnancy.
7/8/09: Universities Part of Effort to Revitalize Native Languages, Diverse: Issues in Higher Education.
5/22/09: A sample of my biweekly column for the Midland Daily News
Cynthia is working with the following clients:
• AAA Living
• Wine Enthusiast
• Midwest Living
• Relish magazine
• Yahoo! Hot Jobs
• Central Michigan University’s First Year Experience program
• Diverse: Issues in Higher Education
• Midland Daily News
• Vision Mid Michigan
• Pregnancy magazine
Want to be on this list? I’m always looking for more great stories to tell. Contact me to discuss an assignment.
Testimonials
“It’s been a pleasure to work with Cynthia. Her enthusiasm and creativity shine through in her work. For example, she took a topic that on its surface would be a sleep-inducer – ‘How to cut up a credit card’ – and with nothing more than a bubbly personality and industrial strength kitchen shears, turned it into a surprise hit video that went viral, having been viewed about 120,000 times at last count. She is also a thorough professional, who does what she says she’s going to do, when she says she’s going to do it. I’ll be pleased to use her multifacted talents again.”
– Daniel Ray, editor in chief, Creditcards.com
“It isn’t often that you can recommend someone for just about any writing project, but then again, there aren’t many writers who are as versatile as Cynthia. … Her skillful writing is on par with (if not better than) work produced at some of the nation’s most prestigious universities.”
– Kristi Ries, Communications Manager, School of Music at Carnegie Mellon University
“Cynthia brings creativity, diligence and pure talent to all her projects. She tackles challenges with enthusiasm and passion. She brushes aside roadblocks and finds solutions when others would give up.”
– Barbara Sutherland Chovanec, Editor, Centralight magazine
Contact
Please contact me by e-mail at cynthia AT cynthiadrake.com.
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