WASHINGTON – Some of Felicia Dionisio's cherished childhood memories involve being propped up on pillows in bed beside her mother while they each read their favorite books.
"Nancy Drew mysteries were my favorites," recalls the new editorial director of WND Books. "And when I look back, I really do think reading so much as a young child influenced my choice of career and my love of stories."
She still enjoys a good mystery, suspense thrillers, historical nonfiction, and is inspired by reading the Bible.
Running a book publishing operation is a new challenge for the veteran journalist who has spent the last 25 years developing compelling content for television and online news.
She prides herself as a storyteller who first learned and honed her craft in local TV newsrooms as an executive producer, writer, reporter and anchor at network affiliates – including CBS and ABC.
Remember the scene in the movie "Broadcast News" where the newsroom staffer dodges a filing cabinet drawer to get the big story in on time? Felicia laughingly recalls having "been there, done that" at least 300 or so times.
She followed up her TV career by jumping into the world of online journalism in 2002 – while the industry was still in its infancy – as a writer and news editor for WND.com, the first independent news site in the world.
She served as a news editor for WND for 15 years. She wrote headlines and copy and searched out, produced and placed content on the news site.
Her new role as editorial director for WND Books sees her returning to her storytelling "roots" – and her love of reading.
She is a graduate of Florida State University, where she majored in communication and minored in history.
Dionisio is happily married and is a proud mom to a teenage daughter. In her spare time, she also enjoys horseback riding, playing tennis, cooking, caring for her family and pets and going "antiquing."