Susie Wild is a freelance journalist who writes on music, the arts and lifestyle. Her work has appeared in Clash Magazine, TheSite.org, and Mslexia, to name but a few.

This week FeaturesExec caught up with Wild to discuss her work, the best advice she was ever given and to gain an insight into her reading habits.

About your journalism:

What do you write about?
Music, the arts, literature, lifestyle and life choices for men and women of all ages.

Where are we likely to see your work?
Clash Magazine, Mslexia, TheSite.org, www.krugerlabs.com, New Welsh Review, Planet Magazine, BIG, The Spark, Venue, Artrocker, Metro, Red Handed, Buzz, and many more.

What’s the most memorable work you’ve done?
I have worked with TheSite.org for eight years (the last five have been as a freelancer) and I still enjoy it because the topics are interesting and empowering. Having my name on the cover of the last issue of Mslexia with Maggie O’Farrell felt pretty good too, I admire the magazine and the author and I’ve just completed my first collection of short stories, out on Parthian in 2010. Musically I’ve recently enjoyed covering Grace Jones for Clash, interviewing Rhys Ifans and The Peth and blogging at Bestival, Latitude and Green Man.

What interview or feature would you love the chance to do?
David Bowie or Dylan Moran.

About you and PRs:

Where do you source ideas for articles?
Friends, overheard conversations, intuition, events listings, published research, email press releases, Response Source, Reuters, newspapers on and offline, record labels, and artist blogs.

How can PRs be useful to you?
They can be invaluable at providing experts, story leads, further information and interviews.

How and when do you like them to get in touch?
I check my email often, so it is my preferred method of contact. If a massive story is breaking then my mobile is best, but otherwise email should get a quick response.

Do you find press conferences, trips, parties and other events useful or an interruption?
Useful if relevant to the areas I cover or people I wish to network with. Parties and trips are some of the better perks of the media world.

If you could make one change to the way PRs deal with you, what would it be?
Most are pleasant; occasionally I come across a PR who doesn’t understand the word NO and that can get frustrating.

About you:

How would you pay the bills if you weren’t a journalist?
My books, screenwriting and films. I also have a psychology degree to fall back on.

If we gave you £1000, how would you spend it?
I’d take my partner on a much-deserved slow holiday involving long trains and sunshine.

What’s the best advice anyone ever gave you?
Mind the gap.

What books are on your bedside table, magazines in your bag, or blogs on your screen?
Books on my desk:
Northline – Willy Vlautin
Joshua Spassky – Gwendoline Riley
The Beat Hotel – Barry Miles
Sunday at the Skin Launderette – Kathryn Simmonds

Magazines:
The latest issues of: Kruger Magazine, Clash Magazine, and New Welsh Review although I also like Plan B, Dazed & Confused, Bearded, The Illustrated Ape and Granta.

Blogs:
I tend to keep up to date with all of them through Twitter, MySpace and Facebook now. I read a lot of music press and artist blogs, The Guardian’s Culture section, Jen Blog and my own Newsround on www.krugerlabs.com, all on Artrocker.com, Stephen Fry, and http://alrighttit.blogspot.com/ which is written by a lass I studied with at Goldsmith’s.

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