Linda Ball has joined the staff of the Mercer Island Reporter.

Where are you from?

Anchorage, Alaska, originally. That is what I consider home, where I was born and raised.

Tell us about your family

I have a 20-year-old son, Taylor, and a 5-year-old dog named Abbey, a Cavalier King Charles spaniel.

Why did you choose a journalism career?

Because I love to write and I like to know what’s going on. I’m inquisitive and feel that reporting is a valuable service to the public.

You had another career before journalism — what was that?

I sold real estate for 20 years — I was a broker. I sold real estate for 16 years in Anchorage, and then four years in Coeur d’Alene, Idaho, and then I went back to school to become a journalist.

What is your background in journalism?

I spent four years with the Spokesman Review and three years at the Coeur d’Alene Press. I started at the Spokesman as an editorial assistant, and I did many things there. I had a column; I wrote feature stories along with a little bit of everything. These both were daily papers. At the Press, I was the education reporter for two years and did business reporting for about six months and then became the special sections editor for a year. At the Spokesman, I did some A&E (arts and entertainment) pieces. I really enjoyed writing A&E.

What is your education background?

I got my journalism A.A. from North Idaho College, and B.S. in communications from Lewis-Clark State College at the Coeur d’Alene campus.

What do you enjoy or appreciate most about Mercer Island?

It seems really friendly and laid back, and not so much traffic as downtown Seattle. It’s very pretty. I’m happy to be here and be part of the journalism community again.

What are your hobbies and interests?

I love to travel and wish I could do more of it. Concerts, theater, movies, pilates, ballroom dancing on occasion and skiing on occasion are all activities I enjoy.