Tracy’s lifelong journey as a writer began before she even started elementary school. As soon as she was old enough to start putting words together, she was writing stories. She won her first writing award in fourth-grade and had her first article published in a magazine when she was 10 years old. The article, entitled “Two for the Road,” was about an elderly man who befriended a German Shepherd. It’s not surprising that the article revolved around man’s best friend because she has been an animal lover for as long as she’s been a writer.

In fact, her proudest moment was convincing the West Virginia Legislature to pass the Groucho Act in 2003. She lobbied single-handedly for nearly two years to convince even the most steadfast opponents to support the bill, which makes animal cruelty a felony. The bill, drafted by attorney Stephan Otto of the Animal Legal Defense Fund, was named after Tracy’s beloved dog, Groucho.

Tracy, who resides in West Virginia, is currently working on several book projects pertaining to animals.

Her most recent work, Nike, was published in August 2010 by Greenwood, an imprint of ABC-CLIO, LLC, in Santa Barbara, Calif. She was asked to write the book as part of a series about Corporations that Changed the World. Tracy includes rare interviews with top sports personalities, including Adrian Peterson of the Minnesota Vikings; Steve Nash of the Phoenix Suns; and Duke University Basketball Coach Mike Krzyzewski. The book also features comments from basketball marvel Michael Jordan, Tour de France legend Lance Armstrong, Ohio State University Head Football Coach Jim Tressel and many others.

Nike, which includes many photos to highlight the topics covered in the book, appeals to sports fans, business professionals, entrepreneurs, celebrity buffs, marketing experts and the general public. Business and marketing professionals can learn valuable lessons from the examples that show what strategies Nike employs to consistently outpace its competitors.

Tracy’s other recent book projects included editing a business book entitled Too Busy to Shop: Marketing to Multi-Minding Women, which was written by Kelley Murray Skoloda, a global advertising partner at Ketchum Communications in Pittsburgh.

In 2007, Tracy edited and did the ghost writing for a fitness book entitled Fatness to Fitness, which was written by physiology expert Joey Atlas. The book includes a wealth of priceless health-related information.

She worked as a journalist and regional editor for a daily newspaper in West Virginia from 1987 to 2000. Since 2000, she has served as a global freelance writer, contributing to legal journals, business newspapers, biotechnology trade journals, construction magazines and military magazines throughout the United States and in the United Kingdom. She has also written comprehensive white papers for computer software companies and press releases for business professionals, attorneys and judges. In her capacity as the communications director for a steelworkers’ union, she wrote letters to White House staff members on behalf of local politicians regarding the impact of imports on the American steel industry.

When asked what she does for fun, Tracy has a one-word answer. “Write.” In her limited free time, she enjoys spoiling her Australian Shepherd, Mojo.