I was blessed to have begun my writing career at Parade, the Sunday newspaper magazine, where seasoned editors and writers mentored and encouraged me.
Starting as a freelance writer and then as an associate editor, I earned my stripes at Parade writing feature stories on everything from the first female hurricane-hunter pilot to an old-fashioned wagon train for delinquent kids. Rising to the ranks of senior editor, I was privileged to interview celebrities for a “Conversation Piece” feature with Lucille Ball and Betty Ford … Julia Child and Vincent Price … and Dr. Spock and “Mr. Spock,” Star Trek’s Leonard Nimoy.
As often happens, serendipity led me to book writing. One of my Parade articles caught the eye of an agent, who opened the door to publishing as a celebrity co-author, ghostwriter, and author.
Among my favorite collaborations are Song of Saigon: One Woman’s Journey to Freedom, the memoir of former Vietnamese refugee Anh Vu Sawyer, and Looking Good at Any Age, by Amy Newburger, M.D. In pursuit of their stories, I traveled to Vietnam with Anh Sawyer to uncover her roots and to the operating room of a New York City plastic surgeon with Dr. Newburger to observe a facelift firsthand.
But the book that is closest to my heart is my own The College Hook, which tells the stories of ordinary yet extraordinary students whom I’ve been privileged to know and advise. Their journeys to college – and the essays, résumés, and strategies that paved their way to admission – can serve as a roadmap for students everywhere.
Writing has been a key part of my journey to college consulting. Where will your journey take you?
These books have been authored, co-authored, or ghostwritten by Pam Proctor.
The original hardback edition is designed to help you find and use the special Hook that will cause your true, dynamic identity to shine through your applications and into the hearts of admissions committees. The book draws on real-life anecdotes and examples from successful applications to give you an inside look at how to “package” yourself.
This updated e-book edition, published in 2012, includes additional essays and admissions advice that continue to serve as roadmaps to college for students of all academic and socio-economic backgrounds. Inside you’ll find tips on how to create hook-themed resumes, essays, and activity lists, and how to network with colleges.
As South Vietnam teetered on the brink of collapse in April 1975, twenty-year-old Anh Vu refused to surrender to fear. Clinging to faith in God, she led her family to freedom on one of the last helicopters out of Saigon as the city was falling. Anh’s story – an extraordinary testament to the resilience of the human spirit – resonates today.
In this candid, funny, and touching autobiography, radio and TV personality Sally Jessy Raphael opens to public view the heart of her own struggle for stardom. Through one intimate revelation after another, she shares the laughter and tears that accompanied her rise to the top of the male-dominated broadcasting industry.
Dr. Allen M. Schoen, an acclaimed veterinarian who has pushed beyond conventional medical wisdom to chart new courses of healing, shares the healing secrets he has learned from his animal patients. Time and time again, he has discovered that the deep spiritual relationship that develops between him and his animal patients, between owners and their pets, and even between animals themselves is a vital part of the healing process.
Through real-life anecdotes from her practice, Amy Newburger, M.D, a nationally recognized dermatologist, explains everything any woman needs to know to keep herself looking fabulous at any age. Dr. Newburger not only describes what women can expect to see when they look in the mirror at every age but also provides them with the tools to be certain that their reflection is as youthful, vibrant, and glowing with health as possible.
In this inspirational, first-person story, the young star of the Broadway hit “Annie” reveals how she persevered and triumphed over her agonizing battle with leukemia. By drawing on the discipline she had learned from her years in the theater and on a gutsy optimism reminiscent of the fictional Annie, she not only survived – but thrived.
Television weatherman Willard Scott, whose folksy style on The Today Show captivated millions of viewers coast to coast, takes a look back at his homespun heritage and values. The book is a story of growing up, of friends and relatives, of breaks and boners – all charged with a natural zest for savoring the ride, not just fixing on the destination.
The original hardback edition is designed to help you find and use the special Hook that will cause your true, dynamic identity to shine through your applications and into the hearts of admissions committees. The book draws on real-life anecdotes and examples from successful applications to give you an inside look at how to “package” yourself.
This updated e-book edition, published in 2012, includes additional essays and admissions advice that continue to serve as roadmaps to college for students of all academic and socio-economic backgrounds. Inside you’ll find tips on how to create hook-themed resumes, essays, and activity lists, and how to network with colleges.
As South Vietnam teetered on the brink of collapse in April 1975, twenty-year-old Anh Vu refused to surrender to fear. Clinging to faith in God, she led her family to freedom on one of the last helicopters out of Saigon as the city was falling. Anh’s story – an extraordinary testament to the resilience of the human spirit – resonates today.
In this candid, funny, and touching autobiography, radio and TV personality Sally Jessy Raphael opens to public view the heart of her own struggle for stardom. Through one intimate revelation after another, she shares the laughter and tears that accompanied her rise to the top of the male-dominated broadcasting industry.
Dr. Allen M. Schoen, an acclaimed veterinarian who has pushed beyond conventional medical wisdom to chart new courses of healing, shares the healing secrets he has learned from his animal patients. Time and time again, he has discovered that the deep spiritual relationship that develops between him and his animal patients, between owners and their pets, and even between animals themselves is a vital part of the healing process.
Through real-life anecdotes from her practice, Amy Newburger, M.D, a nationally recognized dermatologist, explains everything any woman needs to know to keep herself looking fabulous at any age. Dr. Newburger not only describes what women can expect to see when they look in the mirror at every age but also provides them with the tools to be certain that their reflection is as youthful, vibrant, and glowing with health as possible.
In this inspirational, first-person story, the young star of the Broadway hit “Annie” reveals how she persevered and triumphed over her agonizing battle with leukemia. By drawing on the discipline she had learned from her years in the theater and on a gutsy optimism reminiscent of the fictional Annie, she not only survived – but thrived.
Television weatherman Willard Scott, whose folksy style on The Today Show captivated millions of viewers coast to coast, takes a look back at his homespun heritage and values. The book is a story of growing up, of friends and relatives, of breaks and boners – all charged with a natural zest for savoring the ride, not just fixing on the destination.
Parade Magazine
I earned my stripes at Parade writing feature stories on everything from the first female hurricane-hunter pilot to an old-fashioned wagon train for delinquent kids.
