Resume

WORK EXPERIENCE

Freelance Writer, Tinybeans (formerly Red Tricycle) – 2016 to present

Writing feature stories for the National and Los Angeles editions of Red Tricycle (www.redtri.com), an online guide for families reaching more than 5 million readers per month.

Freelance Writer, The Southern California Newspaper Group – Sept. 2019 to present

Writing feature stories for the Beach Reporter—a weekly paper that covers the South Bay Beach Cities of Los Angeles. Stories may be subsequently published in the Southern California News Groups’ other two South Bay papers, including the Daily Breeze and the Long Beach Press Telegram.

Features Writer, The Los Angeles Newspaper Group, Los Angeles, CA. (2005 to 2009)

Writing daily lifestyle and entertainment stories for the Los Angeles Newspaper Group, a group of nine daily newspapers including the Los Angeles Daily News, the Daily Breeze, and the Long Beach Press Telegram.
Writing a bi-weekly dating and relationships column.

Freelance Writer, Knock Knock Books, Venice, CA. (2009)

Brainstorming and contributing to the development of two Knock Knock books: “Toasted: The Civilized and Uncivilized Guide to Raising Your Glass,” and, “Corporate Flashcards: Speak Suit in Mere Days.”

Author, Various Publishers (2004 to 2011)

Writer/Editor, New York 1 News, New York, NY (2001 to 2003)

Writing and editing news stories for NY1.com, the website of New York 1 News, a 24-hour cable news station in New York City.

News Reporter, The Monterey Herald, Monterey, CA (1999 to 2000)

Writing daily news stories for the Monterey Herald, the newspaper for Monterey County.

Two-time winner of Red Tricycle’s monthly Spoke Network Writing Contest. This award goes to the post that receives the most monthly page views for the site. (Received in January 2019 and April 2019)
Nomination, Los Angeles Press Club, Southern California Journalism Awards, Columnist category, 2008 Awards.
Honorable mention, Suburban Newspaper Association of America Awards, Best Entertainment story of 2006 for Daily Breeze story, “It’s a Dog’s Life.”
Nomination, Los Angeles Press Club, Southern California Journalism Awards, Best News Feature of 2005 for Daily Breeze story, “It Just Might Work.”
Edward R. Murrow Award for Excellence in Electronic Journalism.
Awarded to NY1.com in 2003 for best large-market news website in the tri-state region (New York, New Jersey and Pennsylvania). The annual award is given by the Radio-Television News Directors Association.

The Pregnancy Test: 150 Important, Embarrassing and Slightly Neurotic Questions
Quirk Books/ May 2011
BE HAPPY THAT… This Book Isn’t Coated in Poison
Random House/ Feb. 2009
DIS-Missals: Do-it-yourself Rejection Letters for Every Occasion
Random House/ Feb. 2008
USE THIS BOOK! The Only Book You’ll Ever Need
Quirk Books/ April 2006.
Date Him or Dump Him? The No-Nonsense Relationship Quiz
Quirk Books/ July 2005.
BE SAFE! Simple Solutions for Death-Free Living
Quirk Books/ Oct. 2004.
The Mysterious Times: Strange Stories of 30 Real-Life Mysteries
Scholastic/ Aug. 2004.
The Explorer’s Gazette: Amazing Stories of 30 Real-Life Journeys
Scholastic/ Aug. 2004.

Founder, Kidwithacause.com
A home-based annual summer project dedicated to helping (my) kids develop empathy, kindness and a sense of philanthropy. Our “causes” have included writing letters to seniors, lemonade stands to raise money for a local animal rescue organization, and planting trees.
Founder, DearGrownupsOfEarth.com
A grassroots collection of advice letters from kids everywhere to grown-ups everywhere.

Melissa Heckscher