For more information on Urban Home Austin, you can email louisd@urbanhomemagazine.com 
or call 512-385-4663.

Contributing Editors

Candice Olson
Interior designer and host of HGTV’s “Divine Design” Candice Olson attended the University of Calgary, where she simultaneously worked on her B.S. degree while traveling the globe playing volleyball for the Canadian National Team. Olson soon headed for Toronto, where she attended the School of Interior Design at Ryerson University. Scouted for her remarkable talent upon graduation, she honed her skills for several years in many of Canada's top interior-design firms before establishing her own residential and commercial design practice, Candice Olson Design, in 1994. Today, as one of Canada's leading designers, her signature style incorporates creativity, practicality and timelessness to create a sophisticated but accessible design.
Contact:
www.divinedesign.tv

DOTI – San Antonio

Mary Doizé
Mary is president and owner of Designs of the Interior in San Antonio, Texas. Designs of the Interior is a franchise with 30 locations nationwide which focuses on custom interior design and furnishings. Prior to Mary's latest endeavor with Designs of the Interior, she ran businesses for major corporations in the software industry for 22 years. 
Contact:
210-497-2800
sanantonio@doti.com

DOTI – Austin

Jared Story
Jared joined Urban Home Magazine in 2006 as a feature writer focused on interior design. He is the president of Designs of the Interior of Austin. They specialize in top-quality, interior-design services; the store also features furniture, flooring, accessories, rugs, art, and lighting, as well as beautiful custom-window treatments and bedding. Prior to opening this store, Jared and his wife owned a custom crystal and stone design company.
Contact:
512-374-1170
www.dotiaustin.com

Case Handyman – Austin

Ed Dudley
Ed joined Urban Homes in December 2007 as a feature writer focused on home remodeling and the multi-faceted directions a homeowner may take. He is owner of Case Handyman and Remodeling in Austin, an independently owned franchise operation with over 50 national locations. Prior to this, Ed spent 21 years in the Air Force at worldwide locations.
Contact:
512-300-2273 office
512-563-2940 cell
edudley@ casehandyman.com

Case Handyman – San Antonio

Mark MacKenzie
Mark joined Urban Home Magazine in 2008 as a feature writer focused on remodeling and home-improvement solutions. His is the owner of the Case Handyman and Remodeling franchise in San Antonio. Case is the largest full-service, remodeling organization in the nation. Prior to Case, Mark spent 20 years leading continuous improvement and process-management initiatives for a Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award recipient. 
Contact:
210-342-2273
mark.mackenzie@sbcglobal.net

Writers

Claudia Alarcon

Claudia Alarcón was born and raised in Mexico City, inheriting from her parents a passion for cooking, fine food and wine. After moving to Austin in 1984, she worked in the restaurant industry for 15 years before earning a bachelor's degree with honors in Anthropology with a minor in Latin American Studies from the University of Texas. She and is an independent researcher on gastronomy and foodways and writes professionally for various local and national publications since 2000. An avid organic gardener for the last 20 years, she grows ornamental and edible gardens with husband Will Larson, an Austin sculptor who will gladly do most of the digging in exchange for her creative cooking with the fruit of their labors. She chronicles her gardening, cooking, and traveling adventures in http://cuisinexplorers.com, and manages to find time to be an active volunteer with Austin Pets Alive! You can email Claudia at claudia@claudiaalarcon.com.

A lover of words, design and people, Sharla Bell has found the most perfect of professions. She loves the fact that she gets paid to look at beautiful homes, talk with talented folks, and write about those experiences. Formally a high school English teacher, currently a tutor as well as a writer, Sharla has absolutely no formal education in home design, but since her best friend is an interior designer who has schooled her on many an occasion, she feels like that should count for something. While she once upon a time wrote in literary academia, she finds writing about gorgeous houses much more fun. In her spare time, she reads, volunteers, and spends as much time with her boys and husband as possible. Sharla can be reached at sharla75@gmail.com.

Jennifer, a freelance writer, joined Urban Home Magazine as a contributing writer in 2010. She writes a monthly column, Bitz & Pieces, as well as a weekly column, Local Flavor, in the Hill Country Weekly Newspaper in Boerne, Texas. Jennifer has been a staff writer and contributor for the Hill Country Weekly since 2010. When she is not writing and researching Jennifer spends her days as a librarian at Kendall Elementary in the Boerne I.S.D. Having earned her B.A. in Interdisciplinary Studies, with a specialization in reading, from the University of Texas at San Antonio, Jennifer has been in public education for 17 years. She holds teaching certifications for Secondary English Language Arts (6^th-12^th), Elementary Self-Contained (1^st-8^th), Elementary Reading (1^st-8^th) and Secondary English (6^th-12^th), as well as a Learning Resources Endorsement (PreK-12^th). Contact Jennifer at 210.410.8704 or writtenbybitzkie@gmail.com.

Julie Catalano is a full-time independent writer specializing in travel, food, art, design, pets, media, business and profiles. Her articles have appeared in Dance Magazine, Country Home, DeSoto, Adweek, Dallas Morning News, San Antonio Business Journal, and San Antonio Express-News as well as online media. Her most recent book is The Women's Pharmacy: An Essential Guide to What Women Should Know About Prescription Drugs (Random House/Dell, 2000). As copywriter, she works with businesses in developing and implementing in-house corporate communications, and has received writing awards from Women in Communications, International Association of Business Communicators, and San Antonio Advertising Federation. Julie is a member of the Authors Guild, the American Society of Journalists and Authors, and the Texas Pastel Society. Contact Julie at julie@juliecatalano.com .

Jessica Dupuy is a freelance writer who has written for Texas Monthly, National Geographic Traveler, Imbibe, Texas Highways and numerous Austin and regional publications. She has also written Uchi: The Cookbook, in conjunction with James Beard Award winning Executive Chef Tyson Cole and has completed the Salt Lick Cookbook (Release Fall 2012). Dupuy lives in Austin with her husband, her two Duck Tolling retrievers, and her son, Gus. She enjoys cooking, traveling, triathlons and fly-fishing and is a member of Les Dames D’Escoffier-Austin, Foodways Texas, and the Wine and Food Foundation of Texas.  To read more from Jessica Dupuy, see jessicadupuy.com.

Mauri Elbel is a freelance writer and editor with a master's of journalism and more than a decade of experience spanning from busy newsrooms to the equally eventful home office/playroom where she writes from today. She has lived and worked as a writer in places as quaint as St. John, an 8-square-mile island in the Caribbean, and as bustling as Brisbane, Australia's third largest city, but Austin is where she calls home. Mauri specializes in feature writing, covering subjects ranging from architecture, design and the arts to travel, dining and work/life balance. Please visit her website at www.maurielbel.com to find out more about her work or contact her at freelance@maurielbel.com.

Laura is a national freelance writer who truly enjoys getting to know the fascinating people and places she writes about—especially when they involve her native Texas.  Beginning with a degree in journalism from the University of Texas at Austin, and throughout 21 years of writing and marketing communications experience, Laura has valued her roles with both private and non-profit corporations, website content development, and national and regional print publications.  Contact Laura at 949.290.1818 or lgjackson1@gmail.com.

Sue-Ella Mueller is a freelance writer and copy editor. She earned her Bachelor of Arts degree in journalism from the University of Houston and has worked for several organizations including the Methodist Hospital, Menninger Clinic, McAby Publications, Fort Bend Literacy Council, George Ranch Historical Park and The Houston Post. In the past 20 years, she has written hundreds of stories on a myriad of subjects, treating each assignment as an adventure and an opportunity to learn something new. Perhaps her greatest adventure, however, has been with her husband in the raising of three pretty great kids. Sue-Ella can be reached at 281.300.0197 or via email at muellerpartyof5@sbcglobal.net.

Angela Rabke is a freelance writer and consultant based in San Antonio, Texas.  Before she began her freelance career, Angela worked in advertising and marketing, spending time at McGarrah/Jessee Advertising in Austin, then serving as the Marketing Director for the San Antonio Stock Show and Rodeo.  She currently lives in a historic home with her architect husband, two lively children, and a myriad of pets.  She holds her undergraduate degree from the University of Texas at Austin. Contact Angela at angela@i-35creative.com.

Dana W. Todd has written for Urban Home magazine since its inception. She is a full-time freelance writer and editor for national and regional consumer and business magazines. Formerly CEO of a high-tech public relations and marketing agency, she brings 20 years of PR strategy, media relations, and journalism experience to her work with entrepreneurs launching new businesses and the articles she crafts on related topics. She formerly worked as editor of a manufacturing magazine and a national outdoor conservation magazine. She holds a B.A. in journalism and mass communications from the SC Honors College at the University of South Carolina. When she manages to find a free hour, she gardens, tends to her home in the country, lifts weights, and reads everything she can. Contact Dana at 803.463.5278 or dana@danawtodd.com.