Early in 2014 I got an email from a journalist. It came out of the blue and was a bit of a surprise if I’m honest. She wanted to write an article about me for Good Housekeeping Magazine. At first there was an element of suspicion, after all there are so many scams going on in the world today, but I Googled her and she really was a journalist so I emailed her back.
9 September 2014
The journalist who contacted me early this year was writing an article about walking, more specifically people who have lost weight by walking. She’d seen my blog and the Walking is Exercise Too Facebook group I created and thought I’d be an inspiration. Imagine, me an inspiration? Anyhow she wanted to phone me and have a chat so I emailed her my number and a few days later I got the call.
The plan was to interview me over the phone to get a feel for my story, she would then write the article and send me a proof to read to make sure I was happy with it. A long time ago a less upmarket magazine wrote an article about my weight loss after WLR put them in touch with me. The article turned out to be rather disappointing. That time I actually wrote something for them but I was never given a proof to read and my words had been cut and altered to the point I hardly recognised them. It was so bad I didn’t even show anyone. I was worried history would repeat itself so I was glad to have power of veto this time even if I wouldn’t actually be doing the writing.
Linda, the journalist wanted to use my words too, she said she liked my writing style which was quite flattering. She didn’t want me to write anything specifically but she asked if she could use excerpts from my blog and maybe a photo or two. Of course I had reservations but, in the end, I agreed.
Until the article came out I was sworn to secrecy and, frankly, until I got the proof to read I’d forgotten all about it what with everything that’s happened over the last few months. The proof looked fine so I happily agreed for her to go ahead and promptly forgot all about it again. It wasn’t until one of my lovely Walking Is Exercise Too members posted about reading the article that I even realised it had been published and the magazine was in the shops.
I guess I don’t have to keep quiet any more so, for anyone who’s interested, here is the article. Whether it will inspire anyone remains to be seen but, if it does, I hope they find as much joy in walking as I do.
I remember this. I think it was just before you got hacked.
Why shouldn’t you be an inspiration? Just look what you’ve done!
Aw thank you. You’re right, it was just before I got hacked. The Old posts are coming to an end soon.