Each month, we will interview one employee to get their opinions on the publishing industry, hear what it’s like to work at Technica, and learn a little bit about them. This month we are interviewing Sara Terrell, one of our Assistant Editors and proud Carrboro townie.
What drew you to working in the publishing industry?
I was drawn to books first, as I think a lot of people were. Mainly because of my dad. He would travel a lot for work, so he wasn’t home a lot, but when he was, we would spend all of our time reading together. It was one of the ways he showed his love, and that even when he couldn’t be there he was really involved. So, I became very obsessed with books. And then it came time to think about what I wanted to do with my life to make money, and I knew that I wanted to work in books. So here I am! I started off in art school and ended up here. I didn’t expect to work at a scientific publications company, but here we are.
So, did you go to art school for writing?
I did. I have a BFA in writing and a minor in creative writing.
Do you write your own books at all?
I’ve written some stuff. I was actually published last year in an anthology of personal essays. I really like writing nonfiction. I like reading nonfiction more than I like writing it. Well, that’s a lie. I actually really like to write fiction but I’m better at writing nonfiction. So that’s something I’m working on.
What is your favorite thing about working at Technica?
The people. This is a really great environment to be in and to wake up every day and go to work in. I’ve worked in a few places where the employees’ well-being isn’t the first priority, the first priority is production, getting results. Everyone works really hard to create a positive environment bottom to top, and I think that’s really admirable that everyone gets involved and everybody cares.
What do you like doing when you aren’t at work?
I like to cook. I find it to be very meditative and fun and creative. I tried to teach myself to cook by getting those Hello Fresh boxes and it’s been helping me a lot. Now that I’ve stopped the subscription I can just play with recipes as much as I want because I now have the basic steps… If I’m not doing that, I’m usually watching a scary movie or spoiling my dog. I actually cook for my dog now.
Are you serious?
Yeah…
What do you cook?
I have a slow cooker that I never had the chance to use, I think I used it once for chicken, and I thought, “Well, it’s a lot cheaper to cook dog food in a Crock-Pot.” So, it’s just 2.5 pounds of ground beef, brown rice, carrots, kidney beans, sweet potatoes, peas…he loves it, which is the main thing. And it’s great that he can just lick his dish clean when he’s done with it, it’s very helpful. And he loves it, he loves when I give him the spoon off the Crock-Pot. He’s like, “Is it really for me? You never do this!”
So, he really is spoiled!
Oh god, yeah. I do way too much for that dog. He doesn’t need it, but I do it anyway.
Do you have a go-to meal that you cook for yourself, or a meal that you’d really like to learn how to cook?
Oh man, that’s the thing. I want to learn how to cook everything. What I usually end up cooking for myself are sandwiches like melts and stuff like that. And then I like to dip it in some kind of soup or sauce, so I like to make a sauce. It’s not really my thing, but it’s nice to have the ability to make a sauce. If something is a little too dry, hold up, I have all the sauce I need.
If you were on a deserted island, what three items would you bring with you and why?
OK, I did a lot of thinking about this one, because this is one of those things I’ve been thinking about for years. I would bring a gallon of water, because duh, a machete, and the book Hatchet by Gary Paulsen. If I’m on a deserted island, I aim to leave. So, I would like all the tools necessary to do that. As much as I love silence, there are just some things that I can’t get on a deserted island like gelatin and coffee and creamer, so it would be tough.
What is your favorite book?
American Gods by Neil Gaiman. I picked it up at a point when it was my senior year of high school and I was debating, do I want to do theater, do I want to go into creative writing, do I want to be sensible and do something smart? And I was reading this book, I picked it up at just the right time, and the entire time I was reading it I just thought, “Dang it, why can’t I write like this? Why can’t I write like this?” And by the time I got to the end of the book I thought, “Maybe I could learn to write like this. Maybe I could actually do it.” And that just sealed the deal for me. I went to college for writing and here I am. Thank you, Neil Gaiman.
