This book is a comic narrative about the real life of a full-time writer. Stephanie Dickison had been successfully publishing features and articles for over a decade while working a full-time job, but in December 2005, she left the secure world of a “real job” to tackle completing a manuscript that was close to five years old and to take on freelance writing full time.

Drawing on her years as a book and pop music critic, she delves into food writing and becomes a restaurant critic for a big city Web site. She starts a blog about new products and services and soon, she and her fiancé have to consider moving due to the product piled up behind the bathroom door.

Celebrity interviews, feature articles, and offers to speak about writing are just some of the highlights of what can happen when you get to live your dream.

There are also the cautionary tales of what happens when you’re your own boss, saying yes to every offer that comes your way and typing hunched over a rolltop desk for 14 hours a day, but mostly it is a celebration and exploration of a writer just trying to make her way in this crazy world — one word at a time.

Stephanie Dickisonis a journalist, essayist, and cultural critic who has contributed to several nonfiction books and written hundreds of articles for national and international magazines and newspapers. She lives in Toronto, Ontario.

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“Stephanie Dickison, a journalist, essayist, and restaurant reviewer tells the story of her every day life with wit, humor, and charm. . . . This book will definitely give you insight into a writer's world, work, and dedication to the creative self.” — Confessions of a Real Librarian

“Humor, underlying cautions, reality checks, and advice highlight this delightful look into the life of a freelance writer.”
— Writers’ Journal, 09/01/2009

“For a unique, no-holds-barred account of what exactly that freelance writer does do all day, The 30-Second Commute is a fun and enjoyable read.” — Sara Hodon of The Compulsive Reader blog, 09/03/2009

“I. LOVED. THIS. BOOK. It so took me by surprise. . . . . I didn't expect to be inspired by it. . . . . [The 30-Second Commute] had me wanting to read a chapter, open my laptop and push through all those negative thoughts and keep working.” — Mommy Writer Blog

“[The 30-Second Commute] is part awe-inspiring, part cautionary tale of what comprises a day in the life of a committed writer. . . . Readers are likely to find this book to be as rewarding as Dickinson clearly considers her job to be. Delightfully impossible to put down.” — Scene Magazine