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  • I'm not sure what I need. Can we talk?
    Yes! Please feel free to contact me and we'll work it out.
  • Can we do email instead of video calls?
    Of course! I'm not much of a phone person, either. Just let me know your preference and we'll work it out.
  • Do you specialize in any genre?
    I read and study far and wide, so consider myself a generalist, or just a person who knows a good story when she reads one. I tend to focus more on memoir and fiction, but will coach or edit a nonfiction book if it strikes my fancy. I do have some soft spots, like, since I'm an avid backpacker, I enjoy working on outdoor adventure, trail, survival, and resilience projects. I'd love to see more "outsiders tackling the outdoors" stories. I'm also fond of horror, fantasy, sci-fi, dystopian, thriller, satire, cerebral, dark, and hard-to-define stories when I read in my free time. Workwise, I can help you with most genres. Military and techy sci-fi are probably my weak spots. I tend to stay in the Adult and YA realms. For memoir, your hard-to-tell stories are safe with me.
  • Can you help if I haven't written a first draft or only have the beginning of an idea?
    Yes, I believe I can. In fact, it's awesome to work with a writer from the very beginning of their project. If you're ready to get to work and invest in your project, I can help you define and evolve the heart of your story, your big idea, your big-picture concept.
  • What if I already have a draft? Can you still help?
    Yep! I've been doing manuscript evaluations for years as a freelance editor and I'm an excellent second set of eyes for your early to late drafts. Hiring a professional for this stage of the process makes a lot of sense. Your friends and family (who are usually your beta readers) probably care more about your feelings than what's working or not working in your manuscript (in fact, they're too impressed that you actually "wrote a book" to give you any constructive criticism. Soak up that praise!) and writing groups tend to either focus too hard on what THEY think your manuscript should be or they're not willing to speak up and share what they think might be going astray for fear of looking bad. My job is to tell you the truth with compassion, keeping your unique voice and intention at the front of my mind.
  • What about other kinds of editing?
    I don't do design, formatting, or indexing. I'm currently only doing copy edits on a case by case basis.
  • How long does a manuscript evaluation take?
    Most MS Evals take 4-6 weeks. Most Mini-Evals take about 3 weeks. Once we have an agreement in place and you've sent me your payment and manuscript, I'll look over your material and assign a completion date.
  • How long does a line edit take?
    Line edits are pretty intensive and the turnaround is a minimum of 4 weeks. Once you've made a payment and sent me your manuscript, I'll look over your material and assign a completion date.
  • Can I see a picture of your dog, Maxine the German Shepherd?
    Yes! I was hoping you'd ask. This is Maxi at the Valley of Fire in Nevada.
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