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Interview with Author Michele Burlew

Authorline catches up with Michele Burlew as she awaits the publication of her new book- SAS Guide to Report Writing: Examples, Second Edition.

Authorline (AL): What was your motivation for writing your book?
Michele Burlew (MB): Readers found the first edition of SAS Guide to Report Writing: Examples useful in solving their report writing tasks. I wanted to write a book about report writing so I welcomed the opportunity to update the first edition with examples that use SAS 9.1 and ODS.
(AL): What features of the book are you especially pleased with?
(MB): This book uses margin notes next to the code to concisely explain features of the code pertinent to the example.
(AL): What features of the book are you especially pleased with?
(MB): The summaries that put everything in one place for the reader. There are summaries of key features and options as well as "Putting it All Together" examples that summarize the key concepts in a chapter.
(AL): How will your book benefit SAS users?
(MB): There are hundreds of examples that show users how to construct PROC SQL statements. Each shows the outcome of the statement, so users know if they're doing it right. It is a very practical handbook with key information presented in a logical, organized fashion.
(AL): What were some of the joys of writing this book?
(MB): As with any writing project, it's always a joy to learn more about the topic as you write.
(AL): How did you develop as a writer while you were creating this book?
(MB): I enjoy the process of explaining how programs work so I hope the more that I do this, the better my writing becomes.
(AL): What did you learn while writing this book that would be important for other authors to know?
(MB): It takes months to write and edit a book, but it does get done. Hang in there!
(AL): How did you decide to publish with SAS?
(MB): I've published three books before with SAS Press. I've met and worked with many talented people at SAS and always welcome opportunities to continue working with SAS Press.
(AL): Your book will be going to the printer in just a few weeks. How does it feel to be in the home stretch of such a long project?
(MB): It's a relief!
(AL): What advice would you give to potential authors?
(MB): For me, it's important to always keep in mind where I want the book to head, to have an outline of the main topics. I also find it important to be open to recommendations from reviewers and editors on how to change a book.
(AL): How were you able to balance your time between your career and writing this book?
(MB): My workload varies quite a bit, so I have the opportunity occasionally to write as part of my "day job". However, to keep the project moving along, I did work some evenings and weekends. Having a timeline helps.
(AL): When you aren't writing or consulting, how do you like to spend your free time?
(MB): I like to garden and cook and I especially enjoy cooking the food I grow. I like to hike, go birdwatching, read, listen to classical music, and train dogs.

Michele Burlew

Michele M. Burlew, president of Episystems, Inc., designs and programs SAS applications for data management, data analysis, report writing, and graphics for academic and corporate clients. A SAS user since 1980, she has expertise in many SAS products and operating systems. Michele is the author of three other SAS Press books: Debugging SAS Programs: A Handbook of Tools and Techniques, Reading External Data Files Using SAS: Examples Handbook, and SAS Macro Programming Made Easy.

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SAS Press» Authorline

Interview with Author Michele Burlew