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Nellene Teubner Plouffe - John Plouffe

My passion for writing was kindled in third grade when I entered – and won – an essay contest sponsored by the local fire department. There’s nothing like jotting down ideas, putting words together in a playful manner, then being rewarded with a $5 gift certificate and a blue ribbon. It hooked me, as a 9-year-old, on the joys and rewards of writing.

A couple of decades later I started living the writer's dream when I embarked on a journalism career that has spanned almost 20 years.

Feature writing is my forte. I began my career as a family columnist for the Orange County Register Newspaper, Orange County, California, and won the first place award in column writing from the California Newspaper Publishers’ Association.

As a senior writer for the newspaper’s magazine, Saturday, I reported and wrote feature stories, personality profiles and travelogues of the area. I continued my career writing a column for OC Home Magazine that focused on the home, gardening and entertaining.

Currently I write for a number of different clients and sites; I also contract with the OC Register as a fill in editor.

The areas of expertise that I developed while at the OC Register are the fields I enjoy writing about in my freelance career now:

Travel -- from the beaches of OC to bicycling in Amsterdam;

Family -- now it’s adult children and senior issues including volunteering at a senior center;

Garden -- xeriscape landscaping has become a passion with our yard designed around drought tolerant and native plants;

Home -- robust entertaining, culinary delights and good wine have always been a top priority in our home.

Please email me with suggestions or questions and let me know what’s important to you.