Posts Tagged ‘Dianna Borsi O’Brien freelance writer’

Book launch for “From Melon Fields to Moon Rocks”

Posted in Freelance writer, Uncategorized, tagged , , , on April 11, 2017| Leave a Comment »

Now available — the biography of Charles W. Gehrke, From Melon Fields to Moon Rocks.From Melon Fields to Moon Rocks cover 032917

You can buy a signed copy here by clicking the PayPal button below.

The book is also available through  amazon.com and Barnes & Nobel.

A signing and book launch is planned for 5 to 7 p.m. on Wednesday, April 26, 2017 in Orr Street Studios, 106 Orr Street, Columbia. RSVP to Dianna O’Brien at dobrien387@gmail.com

Have it shipped to you directly for $20, plus tax and shipping.

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So what’s From Melon Fields to Moon Rocks about?

Charles W. Gehrke was unflinching. Determined. Persistent.

He grew up among the poorest of the poor, yet carried only happy memories of those early years. Out of necessity he learned the value of hard work, as he and his brother helped support their family even as children — but he never complained and never stopped working even during his final days on this earth.

In the 1960s, his work searching for amino acids, the building blocks of life, drew the attention of NASA which would soon launch missions to the moon. Charles was tapped to investigate the lunar samples for signs of life. Spoiler alert: He didn’t find any — but a transcript the author uncovered of a radio program from that time shows that he thought he would.

In 1968, he did something else unusual at the time and brought his research to the marketplace, launching ABC Labs. The company thrived and before its buy out in 2015 it employed about 300 people. Today, ABC Labs now part of EAG Laboratories, a global scientific services company headquartered in San Diego.

The book, From Melon Fields to Moon Rocks highlights the adventurous life of Charles W. Gehrke, a biochemist, entrepreneur and family man.

Published by Yolanda Ciolli’s firm, Compass Flower Press, and designed by Ginny Booker, the book was released in April 2017.

Have it shipped to you directly for $20, plus tax and shipping.

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Experience leads to perfect pitch

Posted in Articles, tagged , , , , , , , on February 4, 2016| Leave a Comment »

The moral to this case study is experience is the key to getting it right the first time. That’s why Water Lilies turned to Works Design Group when the frozen food manufacturer decided to launch its own brand. Water Lilies wanted to pitch its new brand Mandarin Market to the difficult notoriously competitive market of premium club stores.

Works Design had lots of experience working on packaging for other products that had won shelf space in club stores such as Costco.

The result? A perfect pitch that gained Water Lilies a spot in one of Costco’s regions.

Now that’s success and it came from the experience of Works Design Group on packaging and Water Lilies on making all-natural frozen Asian food.

Read all about it here:

Packaging Propelled Private Label Manufacturer to Costco Success — Water Lilies had been making private label frozen foods for years. When it decided to launch its own brand, Mandarin Market, the right packaging landed it a spot in Costco on the first try. Read about what made this kind of success possible in this case study published in Package Design magazine.

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Top-notch, deep digging writer

Posted in Articles, Freelance writer, tagged , , , , , , on February 17, 2015| Leave a Comment »

Looking for a writer who can dig into almost anything and come up with a well-written, snappy piece for a magazine, website or online publication? You’ve found her.

A 10 1/2-hour time difference didn’t keep me from connecting with a source and historic information that had literally been dug up and carted away didn’t keep me from completing another assignment.

I write articles, case studies and posts for websites and consumer and business-to-business publications. Topics I’ve covered  have included international studies, rock quarries, pet-food packaging, Fulbright scholars, women business enterprise certificates, historic homes and health issues such as cancer and arthritis.

As a writer I cook — take a look at this first-person travel essay on Moroccan cooking classes.

I’m easy to work with, professional and a fiend about accuracy and deadlines.

Take a look at my clips and give me a call at 573.424.5749 or email me at dobrien387@gmail.com.

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A freelance writer never gives up

Posted in Articles, Freelance writer, Journalism practices, Website Work, tagged , , , , , , , , , , , on February 16, 2015| Leave a Comment »

As a freelance writer, I never let anything keep me from completing an assignment — not even a 10 1/2-hour time difference for one source or an unreliable internet connection for another source.

For this piece, I interviewed one person via email, because her training schedule in Pune, India, kept her from making our appointments to talk via Skype. I interviewed a source in Rwanda via Skype text messages because her internet wasn’t fast enough to touch base by Skype.

No matter. I got the story — and my client the International Center at the University of Missouri got the news they wanted for their website.

Read the piece below:

Study abroad paves the way for post-graduation opportunities — The way to Dubai, a master’s degree and a position as news director at Rwanda’s first private television station started with study-abroad programs for these three University of Missouri graduates.

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A new look at international study

Posted in Articles, Freelance writer, Website Work, tagged , , , , on June 27, 2014| Leave a Comment »

As a freelance writer, I’m learning all the time. For this article, I needed to study up on art, academic success backlash and dairy cow reproduction. The result is an article that highlights the benefits of scholars going to abroad for the scholars themselves , their students and the University of Missouri.

I also learned that Fulbright scholars are open to a wide range of study, literally from the fields of Ireland to ancient cities. The use of the amazing photographs and several subheads make the article super accessible on the website of the International Center of the University of Missouri. Take a peek at the article: Bringing it back to MU.

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Kellogg’s case study reveals how to make retro work

Posted in Articles, tagged , , , , , on February 26, 2014| Leave a Comment »

This case study about Kellogg’s 2013 Target special summer promotion highlights how this cereal giant made vintage designs work. The dangers are many – will consumers think it’s old packaging and old cereal? Will a redesign be effective and reinvigorate consumer interest? Or will it just look old.

The answers are in this case study, which Editor Linda Casey of Package Design called beautifully written. I think the story, “Modern, Vintage, Hip,” also highlights the benefits of team work.

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Women in landscaping digging into new opportunities

Posted in Articles, tagged , , , , , , , , , , , on July 18, 2013| Leave a Comment »

Katharina Hoffman of Hoffman Commercial Landscaping and other women in the landscaping business are finding new, burgeoning business opportunities with the help of the Women Business Enterprise (WBE) certificate. It’s a lot of paperwork, but Hoffman says she’s found it is also the ticket to a different kind of landscaping work, work for cities, counties and other governmental agencies.

This Landscape Management article outlines what a WBE is, how to get it and how it can help a woman-owned business thrive.

Here’s a link to the article, I want my WBE.

 

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Agent App, tips on using Zillow, Trulia and Realtor.com

Posted in Articles, tagged , , , , , , on July 12, 2013| Leave a Comment »

Every day, real estate apps such as Zillow, Trulia and Realtor.com grow in popularity. So are these new tools replacing real estate agents? Turns out they’re not and instead are making the home buying process even better for both buyers and agents.

In this article, Agent App, I outline what apps every agent — and buyer — should have on their smart phone or laptop when they enter the market.

 

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How to Houzz article in Landscape Management magazine

Posted in Articles, tagged , , , on March 27, 2013| 2 Comments »

One of my favorite kinds of business articles to write is the how-to piece. Here’s one I did recently for Landscape Management.

The Ins and Outs of Houzz — Firms in the green industry are finding ways to use Houzz, an up and coming online platform that links homeowners and professionals. Founded in 2009, in 2013, it boasted 12 million unique viewers, 89 percent of whom are homeowners with an average home value of $450,000. This Landscape Management article outlines how to Houzz.

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Website Work

Posted in Website Work, tagged , , , , on February 22, 2013| 2 Comments »

Looking for a fast, fresh, well-written website?

Using the WordPress.com platform, I create websites with blog capabilities. I make it easy for any person or firm to have a bright, lively website presence without a lot of work — or expense.

Examples of my work includes this website, DiannaOBrien.com, SteveWeinbergAuthor.com and HockmanInteriorDesign.com

Here’s what Sherry Hockman of Hockman Interior Design said about my work:

“I really enjoyed working with Dianna on the development and re-launch of my website and blog for my interior design company. Before we started, my blog was basically dead in the water. Dianna helped me revitalize the website and created a site that people return to again and again. In addition to redesigning the website, she developed and wrote weekly blog posts and in three months, the number of visitors to the website doubled and as a result, I have several new clients. Dianna was professional but also personable, and made the entire process fun. Working with Dianna was a good investment, one which I’m sure will continue to pay off by new clients finding my new, helpful online presence.”

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