Authors In The Media With Alex Temblador 

I am so delighted and excited to be doing my latest Authors In The Media Q&A with Alex Temblador who I recently did a Q&A with. In this edition of Authors In The Media, we will go more in depth to discuss her journalism career! It’s always fun talking about what authors do (or used to do) outside of writing books. 

Q: So, Alex, where did your love of journalism come from?

A: Truthfully, I can’t say that I had a love for journalism when I was starting out. I saw it as a writing job and lifestyle that I chose on my way to becoming a full-time author one day. However, over the years, I have grown to love what I do, the stories I’ve been able to tell, and the journalists and subjects of articles that I’ve been able to meet. 

Growing up, I always wanted to make a difference with my words. I saw writing as an opportunity to change hearts and minds (as cliché as it sounds), to make someone feel seen, or to impact the world in positive ways – because it had done the same for me. Journalism has allowed me to do that time and time again. In fact, it’s one of the best formats to do such a thing and I’m glad I stumbled into this world.   

Plus – being a journalist has been so much fun and allowed me to experience things I would never have been able to do otherwise like eating at Michelin-star restaurants, riding in helicopters, swimming with sharks, experiencing ancient rituals of Mexico, drinking homemade liquor with monks, and swimming in pools that jut out over mountains.  

Q: Did you go to college to get a journalism degree? When I interviewed authors who are (or were) journalists they all told me different things, & I would love to know what your journey was like!

A: I did not receive a journalism degree. My bachelor’s degree was in history with a minor in Spanish, and then I received an MFA in Creative Writing. After graduate school, I moved to Los Angeles for a job writing captions and subtitles for TV and film. I missed the creativity of writing, and so I began looking for a full-time writing job as a copyeditor or as a writer at a magazine. In the meantime, one of my friends knew that I was looking for some writing experience to add to my resume, so they suggested that I write for a blog that their boss had started. I did – and it was a great experience that gave me the opportunity to interview celebrities on red carpets and to write about queer rights. A few months later, I decided to become a freelance journalist in June 2015. 

Q: What were important lessons you’ve learned in your journalism career that you would like for future journalists and the rest of us to know & remember?

A: One of the biggest lessons that I would impart to future journalists is that you have a lot of power and it’s important to use that power wisely, with respect, care, and for the betterment of society. By that, I mean that you should absolutely stand up for yourself to editors or executives when it comes to your work, even though that can be scary. Stand by the people you have interviewed and do your best to highlight their stories accurately. Have those tough conversations when your editor wants to use a headline that is biased or offensive to marginalized groups. And most importantly, look at all sides of the subject that you’re writing about and do as much research as possible. As journalists, we are biased too, and it takes consistent work to make sure that we are writing about other communities with respect and authenticity – and holding our platforms accountable to do the same. 

Q: Can you give a list of the people you’ve interviewed in your journalism career and who you’re going to interview soon? I always love asking journalists these questions because I think it’s fascinating being able to interview people both famous and not so famous. 

A: I don’t have any interviews planned now, but I’ve interviewed some amazing people like: 

• Mara Kahlo, the great niece of the artist Frida, and Frida’s great great niece Mara de Anda
• Sheila Johnson, the Founder & CEO of Salamander Hotels & Resorts
• Acclaimed chef Paola Velez
• Aaron Leggett, the President of the Alaska Native Village of Eklutna
• TV and sports commentator Selema Masekela
• X Games gold winner Zeb Powell
• Davis Smith who is the CEO of Cotopaxi
• Successful artists Letitia and Sedrick Huckaby
• Celebrities on red carpets like casts from Glee, Modern Family, and The Blacklist

Probably my most famous interviewee was Lenny Kravitz for an article on Dwell. Though I must be honest, I didn’t get to actually speak to Lenny (unfortunately!), only submitted questions to his PR representative and they sent me back the answers. 

Q: Would you like to provide links to some of your favorite stories you’ve worked on as a journalist? The readers of the blog and I would appreciate this so much!  

A: Absolutely! Here are some of my favorite articles that I’ve written below: 

• https://www.travelandleisure.com/trip-ideas/mexico-destination-of-the-year-2022
• https://www.artsy.net/article/artsy-editorial-frida-kahlo-painting-helped-bridge-divisions-biracial-family
• https://roadtrippers.com/magazine/terlingua-ghost-town-texas/
• https://www.cntraveler.com/story/questions-every-anti-racist-traveler-should-ask
• https://www.texasmonthly.com/travel/kayaking-the-trinity-river-in-dallas/
• https://www.outsideonline.com/business-journal/retailers/how-a-viral-documentary-saved-the-first-black-owned-gear-shop/

Q: I know briefly in our regular Q&A we’ve done recently you said your favorite topics to cover in your journalism career are, travel, the outdoors, diversity/equity/inclusion, culture, and product reviews! I would love to travel someday! What are your favorite places you’ve been to? 

A: As a travel journalist, I often get to go on free trips around the world to learn about a destination and what they have to offer (I’m heading to Spain soon). I’ve been to Denmark, Belize, Germany, Switzerland, Japan, France, Costa Rica, Puerto Rico, Mexico, Canada, Laos, the Dominican Republic, Jamaica, and so many places within the U.S. However, my favorite places have been Serbia, Bonaire, and Thailand. I’ll even share some of my articles from those trips below. 

I had no idea what to expect of Serbia, but what I discovered was a modern metropolitan full of art, cafes, historic architecture, and interesting people. The country is so full of life, cool fashion, and unique things to do. 

• https://www.thedailybeast.com/this-overlooked-serbian-fairy-tale-town-is-for-you
• https://www.yahoo.com/lifestyle/drink-homemade-spirits-serbian-monks-130101567.html

Bonaire is this tiny island off the coast of Venezuela, and it was one of the most relaxing places I’ve ever been. I love that it doesn’t have a lot of U.S. tourists compared to its neighbors, Aruba and Curacao, so you get a more localized stay. I scuba dived there for the first time, saw pink lakes, and thoroughly enjoyed the desert-like features of this island surrounded by blue ocean. 

• https://www.fodors.com/world/caribbean/bonaire/experiences/news/photos/this-overlooked-caribbean-island-is-an-instagrammers-dream

And then there is Thailand – a place I visited for two weeks. My press trip took me to Bangkok for meals on skyscraper rooftops. I slept in a floating tent in one of their national parks, gave an elephant a bath, visited beautiful temples, and ate some of the best food in my life. 

• https://www.travelpulse.com/gallery/features/15-things-to-know-when-traveling-through-thailand

Q: I also know in our Q&A, you said you are focusing on writing fiction again but that you can see yourself writing another nonfiction in the future. If you were to write another nonfiction book, would it be about your journey to becoming the journalist you are now? I know I’d read it! 

A: I could absolutely see myself writing a memoir about my time as a travel journalist. I’ve acquired some larger-than-life stories in my time traveling around the world and I think it would be fun to offer an inside look into what it means to be a travel journalist and how certain trips have been so impactful to me as a person. I told a friend yesterday that it’s something I might chat with my literary agent about when and if I can figure out how to format it into a narrative that I think readers will enjoy. 

Q: What are your favorite shows where the main character is a journalist? Have you seen Tokyo Vice? It is loosely based on another journalist whom I did one of my early Q&As with named Jake Adelstein and how he became a crime reporter in Japan. 

A: I have not seen Tokyo Vice, but I think this is such an amazing question. My favorite fictional TV journalists have to be those featured on the TV show, Alaska Daily. It’s about a newsroom in Anchorage that investigates the missing and murdered Alaska Native women and how the journalists hold government officials accountable for not taking proactive stances on addressing the problem. The show was inspired by The Anchorage Daily News and Kyle Hopkins’ Pro Publica series “Lawless Sexual Violence in Alaska” and is a testament to how journalism can make a difference in serious issues such as missing and murdered Indigenous women.