Alexander has worked at a venture capital firm with over $1B under management. He has traded stocks independently for over 20 years. He has been a professional proofreader at AllianceBernstein and Standard & Poor's in NYC.

These are all things that he has done. None of which are who he is. He is a writer.

Alexander has one experience that, above all else, showcases his abilities as a deadline-driven writer. A few years ago, a friend called him; JetBlue was having an essay contest and the winner would earn a no-qualification-time-required entry into The Boston Marathon, plus airfare. He had one hour left to enter. Five hundred words.

Having spent years in Boston cheering on the runners each Patriots' Day, he typed up a brief essay on what the race meant to him.

He submitted my writing. A week later, he looked up an unrecognized incoming number on my phone. Google confirmed it: JetBlue. His jaw went slack. He had a grand total of six weeks to go from couch-jockey 5K slogger to endurance athlete prepared to conquer Heartbreak Hill.

His goal was to beat Mike Huckabee, but the would-be president pulled out with a last-minute injury. Alexander finished in just under four hours. Lance Armstrong beat him by an hour. Alexander has his suspicions.