ABOUT

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I've worked in publishing for the better part of my adult life. After earning a bachelor’s degree in Literature/Writing from the University of California, San Diego, I moved to Los Angeles to work for the legendary Capitol Records, where my writing skills served me well in a variety of departments, from publicity to marketing to the office of the executive vice president. From there, I seized the opportunity to work for the irreverent music industry trade magazine Hits. I started out as an executive assistant, but was soon promoted to associate editor, with responsibilities that included reviewing albums, interviewing recording artists, and editing columns about various genres of music including alternative, pop, rock, and urban.

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A few years later, I made the leap to consumer publications when I was hired as senior associate editor for the edgy teen mag Jump, where I relished the chance to empower young readers. I wrote feature articles on subjects including popular girls and rave culture and edited columns on beauty, health, entertainment, and more. I also interviewed celebrities including Gwen Stefani and Jessica Simpson. The following year, I accepted a role as senior editor for Shape, the #1 women’s fitness magazine in the country, where my primary domains were exercise, nutrition, and wellness.

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After nearly eight years as a magazine editor, I decided to focus on writing full-time. I went on to contribute to such popular titles as Family Circle, Fitness, O: The Oprah Magazine, Parents, Woman’s Day, and Women’s Health. I also coauthored two nonfiction books: Goal Digger Fitness (Rodale Books), written with world-class triathlete Eric Harr, and The Happy Hook-up (Ten Speed Press), a racy but responsible look at casual sex and the single girl. Additionally, writing as Alexa Young, I penned the four-book YA fiction series Frenemies (HarperTeen/Alloy Entertainment), which was turned into a Disney Channel TV-movie starring the network’s Bella Thorne and Zendaya.

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Editing magazines soon became a significant part of my repertoire again, though. From 2011 to 2012, I served as deputy editor for Natural Health, and from 2014 to 2020, I worked on multiple titles for B2B beauty trade publisher Creative Age. (I was editor in chief for Eye Lash; managing editor for Dayspa; deputy editor for Nailpro; and associate editor for MedEsthetics.) I've also continued to write books for young readers including Disney novels based on the hit TV series "Girl Meets World" and "Andi Mack."