You never know when your editor has a killer story.
I never ignore calls when the name “Tim Rogers” pops up on my phone, because it can only mean one of two things: one, my house is on fire. (The Rogerses live across the street from me.) But most likely, it’s that Tim has come across some weird info nugget that might make for a good D Magazine story.
For example, he might be calling to say that a brawny, luxury watch YouTuber appears to have taken off with all his consignment client’s pricey timepieces. (It turned out to be an ill-advised ruse for charity purposes and my calls went unanswered, so that one did not pan out.) Or Tim might be calling to say that a CIA analyst-turned-spy thriller novelist is living with his Barbie-look-alike political analyst wife in Lakewood. (That one did pan out, specifically in a lasagna pan.)
On February 16 of this year, a date I remember because it was my birthday, Tim called to say that the cop who caught Dallas’ very own Eyeball Killer had opened a winery in Ovilla and would I like to hear about these homicides during an event called “True Crime and Wine”? Of course I said yes, even before consulting my husband, who then had to cancel our seafood-and-bubbly birthday celebration and drive me 30 minutes south for a murder presentation. (You could say that my husband’s attitude has an inverse relationship with my story potential.)
My resulting feature about former DPD officer and current winemaker John Matthews goes online today. You can read it here.
I will note that this story is my last as a contributing editor (aka glorified freelancer). Last month, I returned from what I am calling a four-year maternity leave and have rejoined the full-time grind on the D Mag staff. It might get weird.
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