The Bells, Tennessee, native doesn't claim credit for the concept of Coastal Living magazine. The idea has been floating around Southern Progress for about 10 years. It first was discussed as a special section in Southern Living, which was the way Cooking Light began. Only recently was the decision made that the time was right to turn the coastal concept into magazine reality. There are only two full-time staff.
Free lancers do the bulk of the writing.
The other staff, Pearson included, divide time between the new venture and other Southern Progress publications in Birmingham. The workload is extraordinary but exhilarating, she says. It's so rare to get to work on a new launch that everyone is willing to put in extra hours and endure the pressure. Her husband, Jim Pfaffman, shares her enthusiasm for the new magazine venture. He's an architect, so he's very interested in many aspects of my work.