Based on a recommendation from the venerable Murilee Martin, Jeff put me on the Hooniverse roster in 2012. I had a full-time office job, a brand new baby, and a depth of car knowledge rooted entirely in the 24 Hours of Lemons. It was probably not the ideal life place from which to launch writing career, but the Hooniverse community—writers, editors, readers, and especially commenters—gave me encouragement to grow as a writer and a researcher.

Jeff threw me onto a press trip (the only one I’ve ever gone on), which snowballed into me quitting my job to freelance. That later turned into my current full-time job at the 24 Hours of Lemons. I struggle to explain this career trajectory to anyone, myself included, but I owe so much to Murilee, Jeff, Tim, and Kamil for giving me a chance and to the commenters for making Hooniverse such an amazing experience. It’s a really special corner of the internet.

[Editor’s Note – Eric typed this up on his phone, from an airplane]