February Newsletter
Jambo from Tanzania—the 81st country I’ve visited! I’m here for work and have had the most incredible two weeks (I was in Kenya before this). More on my travels in the last section of the newsletter!
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If you’d like to work with me, I offer consultations where I workshop pitches and allow writers to pick my brain about the industry: LolaAnnMendez.com/Consultation
In February, I finally had the energy to sit down and write. I’m proud of myself for the stories I wrote and that I didn’t miss any deadlines despite being in mourning. It’s been easier for me to work on assignments, rather than find the energy to pitch right now.
I have no work lined up for March and am going to be at home almost the entire month so I have a lot of bandwidth to take on assignments. I’ll also be sending out more pitches!
I wrote six articles this month. Five of the articles were pitches editors commissioned and one was an assignment. I sent 13 pitches this month—none were commissioned, one is being considered, four were rejected, and eight are pending a response.
Around the end of February, I had an exciting collaboration go live. Remezcla profiled me and my nomadic lifestyle as a part of the publication’s collaboration with TurboTax. I was paid four figures for the partnership. Read the story here.
My portfolio can be viewed at any time at LolaAnnMendez.com. In February, I didn’t have any articles published. I have upcoming pieces in new-to-me publications including Jet Setter and Vegan Society.
I always post my calls for sources on Twitter.com/LolaAnnaMendez. Newsletter subscribers are privy to the first look at my current work. PR folks (and individuals when relevant) are welcome to send pitches for the stories on which I’m currently working.
I spent the first two weeks of February in Mexico. After getting invited in person at IMM (this never happens!) to go to the invite-only Patron hacienda, I headed out to central Jalisco for a quick trip to learn all about tequila.
For the last two weeks of February I’ve been in Africa. I spent the first week in Kenya with Basecamp which was one of my most favorite press trips to date and am currently in Tanzania with a local tour operator. The last few weeks have crystallized so many story ideas I hope to write in the near future, but have also been very healing for me. I’m grateful that my dad instilled a passion for animals within me and watched Discovery channel with me frequently in my childhood.
For March, I’m planning to be in Mexico most of the month as my mom is visiting, but I have a few side trips in the works. I’ll tell you about it next month!