Mallary Tenore Tarpley

In Need of a Lede? Tweet about It

It all started with a Tweet. I was at work, struggling to come up with a lede for one of my short stories about an art fair. My editor happened to be away from his desk so, in need of some inspiration, I Tweeted: “Having one of those ‘ugh, I just need to write thisContinue reading “In Need of a Lede? Tweet about It”

On a Sara Bareilles Kick

There are some songs I can listen to over and over again without getting tired of them. One of these songs is Sara Bareilles‘ cover of Peter Gabriel’s “In Your Eyes.” Mind you, I only found out about the song two weeks ago, but I’ve been listening to it a couple of times a dayContinue reading “On a Sara Bareilles Kick”

FlyLady Flies to Dallas to Share Housekeeping Tips

I had fun writing this story about Marla Cilley, also known as the FlyLady. Haven’t heard of her? I hadn’t either. She’s a woman who started a Yahoo! group that has nearly 500,000 members. The FlyLady sends up to 15 e-mails a day to help encourage her “FlyBabies” to keep a clean house and loveContinue reading “FlyLady Flies to Dallas to Share Housekeeping Tips”

Color by Numbers (in Narratives)

Let’s face it: Journalists aren’t known for being good with numbers. But that doesn’t mean they don’t write about them. A slew of recent headlines involving numbers come to mind, including: “Dow Closes Up 936, Biggest Point Gain Ever,”; “Bengal’s Wide Receiver Changes Last Name to Ocho Cinco”; and “Marry Me at 8 on the 8th,Continue reading “Color by Numbers (in Narratives)”

Have a Favorite Book? Add It to My Reading List

My top desk drawer is cluttered with tiny pieces of paper, many of which have book titles written on them. Instead of letting these scraps of paper pile up, I’ve written out the book titles below. The list is an expansion of one I created last year for my blog to keep track of books I’ve been wanting toContinue reading “Have a Favorite Book? Add It to My Reading List”

Persepolis: A Graphic Memoir Worth Reading

I haven’t seen the movie version of the book, but I’ve heard it’s pretty good. Tonight I had a virtual book club meeting with friends in Virginia, Pennsylvania and here in Dallas to discuss Persepolis. Our book club, which my friend and I started last year as a way to keep in touch with eachContinue reading “Persepolis: A Graphic Memoir Worth Reading”

Seeking Resources for Copy Editors

Pretty soon I’m going to be entering the world of copy editing. I have copy editing experience, but I want to read and learn more about the profession. Right now I’m reading The Copy-Editing and Headline Handbook by Barbara G. Ellis. (Sounds real fun, I know!) It’s actually pretty interesting. Ellis goes into a lotContinue reading “Seeking Resources for Copy Editors”

Interviewing Giada De Laurentiis about Cooking, Motherhood

My family and friends know that I’m not one to cook. I have an envelope full of recipes my grandma hand-wrote sitting in my desk drawer, and I have plenty of cookbooks that once belonged to my mom, but I hardly ever open them. Given my extensive background in cooking, one of my editors askedContinue reading “Interviewing Giada De Laurentiis about Cooking, Motherhood”

Recent Dallas Morning News Stories

Here is a round-up of some recent stories and blog posts I’ve written for The Dallas Morning News: “Nelly Plugs Away During House of Blues Show” and related blog post. “Flogging Molly Brings Punk O’ the Irish to House of Blues” and related blog post. “Another Chance to ‘Walk from Obesity’ on Saturday” “The ColorContinue reading “Recent Dallas Morning News Stories”

Adding Bob Schieffer to My Role Model List

Like a little kid in a candy shop, my eyes widened when I saw Bob Schieffer. He was at a Barnes & Noble in Dallas a couple of weeks ago to promote his new book, Bob Schieffer’s America. I’ve been fortunate enough to meet some amazing journalists throughout the years: Tom Brokaw, Gwen Ifill, AnneContinue reading “Adding Bob Schieffer to My Role Model List”