I have so many favorite writers here at AC that I often have a hard time keep tracking of them. That is especially true since I don’t receive about half the publication notices needed to remind me to check out my favorites regularly.
With this intriguing series, I have picked up another group of writers to read, including one of the Arts and Entertainment News people I am about to cover. Her name is Victoria Leigh Miller
The other writer to be highlighted here – Hartley Engel — has been on my favorite list since I first discovered him. He has become a friend that I know I can rely on for support and encouragement.
Both Victoria and Harley are excellent writers. They entertain and educate through their wonderful body of work.
Hartley has been with Associated Content since April of 2007. He shares, “I first learned about Associated Content on MyLot, which is a pay-to-post site. Some of my MyLot buddies recommended AC so I decided to check it out. I’m so glad I did because AC has been very good to me and I’ve made a lot of great friends here.”
He loves the freedom that AC affords to write on any subject. “I’ve always been one who marches to the beat of my own drummer, so AC has been a good fit for me.” Like most of us; however, he admits that he could do without the many glitches.
Hartley considers his area of expertise to be “high-profile news stories, spirituality, arts and entertainment and sports.” He covers them all equally well but just happened to be nominated in the arts and entertainment category.
Asked what he would like to write that he hasn’t yet done, he responds, “a memoir.”
Like me he has a lot of favorite writers at Associated Content. They include Saul Relative, Heather K. Adams, Jan Corn, Pam Gaulin, David A. Reinstein, Lori Lane, Cathy A Montville, Carly Hart, Jill P. Viers and Lisa Riggs” to name just a few.
He proclaims himself “a news junkie. I spend most of my AC reading time on a variety of news topics. I also enjoy reading poetry – especially if it’s inspirational.” His least favorite topics are home improvement and gardening.
Hartley’s advice to new AC writers is the following. “Read AC’s tutorials! They provide a wealth of information about how to write successfully for the Web.”
He shares this personal information with his fans. “I think some of my AC friends might be interested to know that I am a proud member of the Screen Actors Guild. Throughout the years, have appeared in hundreds of movies and television shows as a background player (commonly referred to as an “extra”). I typically play a businessman, teacher or doctor. It’s something I do for kicks and giggles – and extra cash.
They may also be interested to know that during 1980s, I was seriously pursuing a career as a songwriter. I even placed several songs with music publishers – though none of them have been recorded by major pop stars (at least not yet).
That explains his interest in arts and entertainment; a field he covers expertly. That includes the obscure pieces that many of us would miss otherwise. As a sci-fi fan I appreciated his work in “Bob May, Robot in ‘Lost in Space,’ Dies at 69.”
He seeks the truth like in his piece “Epidural Hematoma Caused Natasha Richardson’s Death.” He challenges like in his piece “Michael Jackson Autopsy Picture: Why do People Want to Look?”
He also seeks out stories that entertain on their own like”Charlize Theron Kissed a Girl for $14,000: But Did She Like it?” Hartley is titillating, funny, sweet, passionate, compassionate and a wonderful human being. That only adds to his popularity and his mystique.
Victoria Leigh Miller has been with AC since its early days. She says, “I originally heard about AC from a writer’s forum and figured I’d give it a try.”
She says she loves the “flexibility that AC offers. It’s great to write about anything I want.” As for any dislikes about the site, she admits, “I don’t like the sometimes long wait times for upfront offers.”
She considers her area of expertise to me “arts and entertainment, especially television and music.” She also contributes good pieces to parenting topics.
Victoria’s first writing love is fiction but she says she doesn’t do much of that for Associated Content. She admits, “fiction doesn’t sell well on AC so I’ve put it on the back burner.”
Her favorite writers at AC include Lyn Lomasi, Mike Hatz, Lee Andrew Henderson, Saul Relative, Sabah Karimi. and Nancy Canfield.” However she also says, “every day I find new favorites on AC.”
Victoria likes reading other pieces in arts and entertainment but she also likes children’s stories, parenting and cooking articles. As for her least favorite pieces she claims “I don’t usually check out sports articles– that’s my husband’s favorite so I just ask him what the score was.”
Her advice to new AC writers would be the following. “Be patient. You will not get to Clout 10 overnight but if you’re diligent it will happen and the pay increase is noticeable.”
She also shares the following personal information. “I’m married with 3 great kids. I stopped working outside the home when my daughter was born and it’s been a blessing to be able to work from home and make money doing what I love.”
Although it isn’t in her self-proclaimed area of expertise, I particularly loved Victoria’s piece entitled “Why Women Should Embrace Their 40th Birthday.” She made some excellent points that every woman should consider.
She does; however, do that area more than justice as exemplified in her piece”Child Stars: What Ever Happened To. . . .” She also entertains with a sense of humor like in “One Hit Wonders that Still Make Me Cringe.” She even challenges and educates like in “In Hollywood, DUI’s Are The Latest Accessory.”
Victoria’s stories are always informative, often fun, and absolutely well written. So the real question is, “who needs “The Enquirer”?
I hope all my readers will take a moment to check out these great writers. It will be well worth the effort.
Stay tuned for the next upcoming non-fiction category – General. It will feature David Reinstein.
