The Focus is a chance for freelance journalist members of www.journalistdirectory.com to tell colleagues, editors and PRs (in our separate newsletter from www.featuresexec.com) a bit more about their work and experience. If you’d like to take part email us on news@dwpub.com.
Today’s focus interview is with Lauren Holden (pictured, right)
What do you write about? Mainly music, beauty and fashion, but I’ve also been known to write the odd travel piece, real life feature and celeb interview.
Where are we likely to see your work? NME magazine, Morecambe’s The Visitor newspaper and its sister titles, travel site SimonSeeks.com, Barry M Cosmetics and on my personal beauty, fashion and music blog at www.laurenholden.co.uk.
What’s the most memorable work you’ve done? Just recently, I contributed a piece to Chat magazine about a local lady who had a huge collection of rubber ducks. She’d pack them off with friends on global ‘holidays’ and get them to take photos. To date, they’ve been to San Francisco, the Antarctic, The Great Wall of China and even centre court at Wimbledon! It was a refreshing change to write something completely silly and fun – and it’s great to be able to inject a little personality into a piece.
What interview or feature would you love the chance to do? I’d really love the opportunity to get my teeth into a big feature for a magazine – especially one that’s geared towards women. I’ve always enjoyed reading the ‘Cosmo Reports’ section of Cosmopolitan, for example, and it’d be a real pleasure to contribute a lengthy feature on careers, real-life, or my current obsessions – music and make-up. And if I can mix the two, bonus!
How would you pay the bills if you weren’t a journalist? Tricky one! Since the age of 13 I’ve wanted to be a writer and I’ve always struggled to think of a job I’d prefer more. I’d say a home carer – it’d be lovely knowing you’d made a difference, however tiny, to someone’s day. I used to work in a bar next door to Huddersfield football stadium, which was great fun on a match day and it helped pay the bills at university. I’d love to work there again.
If we gave you £1,000, how would you spend it? Well, my laptop’s on the blink so some of the money would go towards a new one. I’d probably spend the rest on my brand new baby nephew, George. I’m already spoiling him rotten but he’s the only nephew I’ve got! And well, he’s just lovely!
What books are on your bedside table, magazines in your bag, or blogs on your screen? The last good book I read was Awaydays by Kevin Sampson. Despite not being much of a fan of the ‘big game’ this was one book I found hard to put down. I love typically English books and films, particularly Kes and most of Shane Meadows’ films. Somers Town is amazing! I love a good flick through Cosmopolitan and Company and as for blogs; well I’d have to say my own. Apologies for the shameless plug!
Get in touch with Lauren Holden via the Freelance Journalist Directory: http://www.journalistdirectory.com/journalist/XizQX/Lauren-Holden/
