writearm.com

Tracy Zollinger Turner was born near exit 105 of the Garden State Parkway. Her early years were spent eyeing the haunted house on the Long Branch pier with suspicion, daring herself to walk underneath the blue whale at the Museum of Natural History, visiting with Oceanport ducks and imagining herself as Claudia in The Mixed Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler.

Midway through her childhood, a parental split sent her, her mother and brother to the maternal homeland of central Ohio (except during summer, spring break and Thanksgiving). Outside of a wonderful college experience in the Berkshires, she’s remained a faithful midwesterner ever since.

An appreciation for language led her to take her American history/literature/creative writing degree and apply it to the field of journalism, where she began her career the year that Bill Clinton was first elected and Marlene Dietrich died. This accidental path stuck, and she has spent every year since writing for a variety of outlets – from newspapers across the country to regional magazines to the Internet to public radio and commercial television.

TZT is married to long-time music promoter  Dan Dougan. They live in Columbus with their young son, a black cat and a very temperamental dog.