March Speaker: Vicky Elabd Bio: In college, her nickname was “Vicky Vagabond,” and during her more than 20 years of living in the Middle East and traveling around the world, Vicky Elabd has done her level best to live up to the name. During her freelance writing and editing career, Vicky Elabd has been a regular contributor to a number of English language daily newspapers in both Egypt and Saudi Arabia. While in Egypt, she covered community news and wrote feature stories about such subjects as a Christian orphanage in upper Egypt and the antique business in Old Cairo. In Riyadh, she published a weekly column called It Takes All Kinds, a lighthearted look at the highs and lows of expatriate life in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. Along with a fellow writer in Riyadh, Vicky also published a collection of children’s stories called The Desert Gang Mysteries, featuring Saudi and American kids who become friends and go on adventures throughout the Kingdom. She has also edited a number of government and corporate documents written by second-language English speakers, and has on occasion taught English to various age groups. Writing is Vicky’s first love, and she hopes to be published in romantic fiction before she’s earned another free trip with her frequent flyer miles (which in her case, won’t take very long!) At the moment, she divides her time between Riverside, California, and Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, where her Egyptian hubby of 22 years still works. For those of you who are curious, that trip takes about 24 hours one-way! Vicky has a degree in English from the University of California, Riverside, and is currently enrolled in paralegal and real estate courses to keep her non-fiction brain cells active. She agreed to speak at our meeting today because public speaking terrifies her, and it’s a small group!