Categories

Jeanne Perdue has been a chemist, a librarian, a magazine editor, an e-learning champion, a freelance technical writer and a marketing consultant - all in the oil and gas industry. She has a real passion for accelerating the uptake of new technologies in the oil industry, and to accomplish this she has mastered the art of explaining the benefits of technology in plain, simple English so everybody can understand how it works. Because many scientists and engineers loathe writing - they consider it torture! - Jeanne is able to use her writing talents to do this task for them, freeing them up to do their "real jobs." One of the side benefits of her work is improving the negative public image of the oil industry in the media.

Thank you Jeanne for taking the time to answer some questions for us!  To start, please tell us about the latest project you've worked on.
 
I am currently launching a new PetroComputing empire, which will include my blog, Twitter, a monthly magazine focused on software used in the oil and gas industry, and a website with case studies, success stories, software demos, white papers, PowerPoint presentations, live and canned webinars and podcasts - all with the goal of marketing high-tech solutions to oil companies and oilfield service companies.

Have you received any awards for your work?
 
The last magazine I launched, Upstream Technology, won a Distinguished Award at the local level and a Merit Award at the international level from the Society for Technical Communication. I was also named one of 50 Key IT Women in Energy in 2003, and was honored as a 2004 Woman of Excellence by the Federation of Houston Professional Women. In 2008 I received a Leadership in Technology Award from Assn. for Women in Computing - Houston Chapter.

Do you also do speaking engagements, or seminars?

Yes, because basically I'm a ham and thrive on attention. I have given several keynote presentations about technologies used in the oil patch, and a couple years ago I was selected as an SPE Distinguished Lecturer by the Society of Petroleum Engineers and went on a tour to 8 different SPE Sections in North America. I also moderate panel discussions, calling my live talk show "The Jeanne Show." I like to be introduced as "the Oprah of the Oilpatch, the Rosie of Petroleum, Jeanne Perdue!" Nobody falls asleep during my presentations.
 
How has your education, profession or background helped you in your writing career?

When I was in high school, I was editor-in-chief of the school newspaper, and in college I was production manager of the college newspaper. This was back in the days before PCs, when you did your layout on a light table with waxed strips of paper text. Some of the best advice my mom ever gave me was: "Take typing; if this chemist thing doesn't work out, you can always fall back on being a secretary." Who knew I'd be typing all day every day on a PC as a professional writer and editor?!

What kind of other works (books, scripts, poems etc.) have you had published?

My first paid writing was a newspaper humor column called "Supermom." I have written a few poems and children's books. I can't seem to get the latter published, but my kids and niece and nephew love the stories. I've edited a bunch of book chapters and short stories and plays for friends - even got mentioned in the acknowledgments of one book. But my dream is to write The Novel. You know, the one that makes you laugh, makes you cry, and makes you laugh until you cry.

Is there any aspect to your profession that gets you in touch with your readers directly?
 
Fan mail! I love to get fan mail from readers. When somebody takes the time to send me an e-mail about how much they liked an article in the magazine, I save it in a running file so when I'm under deadline pressure and wondering why I work so hard for so little money, I read the fan mail and it puts it all in perspective.
 
What will your next project be?

Gotta get my website done. I know what I want on there and how it should look, but I don't have the HTML chops to get it done myself. I'll give a free banner ad for 6 months to someone who will do that for me.

Who inspires you on a personal or business level?

People who "get it" when it comes to networking: The more you help other people get what they want, the more you'll get what you want. Give first, expect nothing, and heaven will rain down blessings upon you. It's right there in The Good Book at Luke 6:38:
 
"Give, and it shall be given unto you; good measure, pressed down, and shaken together, and running over, shall men give into your bosom. For with the same measure that ye mete withal it shall be measured to you again."
 
Which is your favorite book/work published? Is there a favorite?

Favorite book is the Bible, of course. I once read the whole thing in a single year. I try to read some of it every day. Favorite movie is The Sound of Music - that's the only movie that has ever achieved four kleenexes on my cry-o-meter.

What does a typical work day look like for you?
 
Coffee and newspaper, read a bit of Good News as the antidote to all that bad news, answer the e-mails, post news to the blog, lunch or meetings with interesting people, follow-up on action items and Twitter about the discussions, write or edit something, cook dinner while drinking a glass of wine, eat dinner, do dishes, take the dog for a walk, watch TV and have a bowl of ice cream. I work at home, barefoot and in my jammies, and I only get dressed up if I have meetings or lunch with someone. Life is good!

Who is your favorite writer/author?

Dave Barry - I sure wish he still wrote a weekly column for the newspaper. He made me laugh out loud. People need that badly, especially these days. I also like Jeffrey Gitomer's sales philosophy based on establishing and maintaining relationships.

Finally, a most important question: what was the last song you sang out loud when you were by yourself?  :)
 
I sing out loud all the time: in the car, while cooking. Sometimes it's moldy oldies my dad used to play on the piano, like "Twilight Time" and sometimes it's Beatles or Eagles songs or Queen's "Bohemian Rhapsody."

Thank you Jeanne! We wish you great success with your PetroComputing projects!