About Me
In 11th grade, my literature teacher assigned a book report. I don’t remember the book because I didn’t read it. The night before the deadline, I asked my friend Adam if I could see what he wrote. I promised not to plagiarize; I just needed an idea of what the book was about so I could complete the assignment (this was before SparkNotes). He graciously agreed.
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After Mrs. Arnold graded each book report, she expressed deep disappointment in her class, dismayed in the overall effort and lack of comprehension of the assignment. We sat solemnly as she passed each report back. With only one remaining report in her hand, she stopped to address the class. “The only person who understood the assignment was Aleks.” I was the only one to get an A. Adam got a C.
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Although I felt a little bad for him, this moment illuminated my secret power—words, writing, editing, but more so, taking ideas (that may not be my own) and presenting them in a way that is clear, well written, and resonates with the right audience. This experience launched me to pursue a career in writing.
Words have come naturally to me from a young age.
After graduating from the University of California, Irvine with a degree in Literary Journalism (and a minor in Italian Studies—ciao!), I began my career in the intense and brutal newspaper world. After college, I landed my first job at a daily newspaper, where I started as a copy editor and ended as the editor-in-chief of the entire special publications department—the most prestigious being the area’s Business Journal. In 2010, I moved to a tiny ski town called Mammoth Lakes to launch an alternative weekly, but within three months was promoted to editor-in-chief of the entire editorial department.
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I got my first taste of book publishing in 2012, editing a book for a pharmacist. Later in 2014, as a part of the newspaper, my staff and I published our own book about hiking in the local area. These experiences piqued my interest in the book publishing world, and in late 2015, I found Scribe Media.
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During my tenure at Scribe, I wore many hats. In addition to helping authors on their book journey, I also helped and coached fellow ghostwriters. I’ve helped publish more than 140 books under Scribe’s publishing arm, Lioncrest Publishing, across topics like business, finance, real estate, health & wellness, memoirs, psychedelics, cryptocurrency, and self-help, to name a few.
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I have a deep curiosity for the world, which bodes well in my line of work, but also has led me to a variety of soul-feeding experiences and a collection of hobbies. I love to adventure outside, whether that’s hiking, road biking, cross country skiing, biathlon, snowboarding, or camping. Since having kids, I’ve taken up gardening and now have apps on my phone to identify plants, birds, and insects.
I’m an amateur mycologist and forage for wild mushrooms, namely porcinis. I’m a retired musician and a wannabe graphic designer. At one point in my life, I spoke three languages. I enjoy exploring levels of consciousness. I’m also an amateur biohacker and find the emerging technology helping us better understand our bodies fascinating.
My most recent adventure is to befriend some California crows. I hear they like unsalted peanuts.