Vermont Woman

VT Women Magazine

In the March 2005 issue of Vermont Woman newspaper, we introduced our readers to Amy Mattinat - our "Envoy to Engines, Struts & Axels." Since then, each issue has featured Amy's auto advice column "Under the Hood" which provides helpful tips to our 40,000 readers on how to negotiate the love/hate relationships we have with our cars. In a rural state like Vermont, to say we rely heavily on our own vehicle is an understatement. And yet - many of us tend to have very little knowledge of how the rig actually works, what to do when things go wrong with it, or how to prevent them in the first place.

Amy is the perfect liaison for us. She knows how mystified we may become amidst the swirl of mechanics' technical verbosity, but as a professional in the field she understands the lingo and can serve as interpreter of this foreign tongue.

The bonus for me as editor of Vermont Woman is that Amy can convey Autospeak in writing, as well. She possesses a special ability to provide information that could, in less capable hands, break down into a dry or confusing mess - or both! What she delivers every month is a succinct, informative, and engaging article for our readers that alerts them to the warning signals to look out for, or helpful hints on how to avoid trouble. What is more, she skillfully weaves into her text cautionary advice as necessary, and a jovial, even humorous tone for balance.

Additional qualities that Amy possesses as an editor's dream columnist are that she always meets her deadlines, if not even finishing ahead of time; she consistently complies with her allotted space allowance; and is quick to reply if any questions are raised by our copy editing team at Vermont Woman. She is amenable to tailoring her column topic to an overall theme we might have in a particular issue, always meeting our standards in an appropriate and complementary way. Or, in the instance that we don't need her to be in accordance with the rest of the issue, she is always prepared to supply us with a column that gives our readers excellent advice on a topic of her choosing.

As an editor, I must make tough choices about what is included in this publication, in a particular month as well as on an ongoing basis. The feedback I've received is that our readers are grateful to have this resource available to them, a trusted source to demystify that bizarre world of engines, struts, and axels.

And, I might add - it's not just Vermont women who benefit from the savvy, practical, and engaging advice that Amy Mattinat faithfully supplies us every month, Under the Hood.

Margaret Michniewicz
Editor, Vermont Woman