Friends! Exciting news! For the next 6 months (April-September 2023), I will be giving away one free short story edit per month. I am so excited for this venture, which I am certain will bring lots of fantastic stories into my orbit. Without further ado, here are the details: Giveaways are open to all writers … Continue reading Fiction Editing Giveaway!
For those, like me, who might be put off by words such as "praying" and "sacred," first things first: this is not a religious book. Truly. What this book is, is a shockingly intimate series of essays (or as the author calls them, sermons) that dig deep into the novel Jane Eyre to extract meaning … Continue reading The Sacred and the Profane: Praying with Jane Eyre by Vanessa Zoltan
This post marks the first time that I have written about a book I worked on as an editor. But since the story of my involvement with this project is all tied up in what I want to say about it, it seems fitting. I don't remember how I first discovered Night Beats, but I … Continue reading On Community and Instant Noodles: The Sad Bastard Cookbook by Zilla Novikov and Rachel A. Rosen
Take a mystery featuring an eagle eye detective; an astute sidekick along for the ride; an atmospheric setting that conjures the obscuring, damp chill of pea-souper fog; railway journeys and train platforms; scholarly rivalries; tea and scones; and a soupçon of pining. You might be imagining Victorian London. You might even have had a certain … Continue reading Move Over Sherlock Holmes: The Mimicking of Known Successes by Malka Older
It’s been a while since I’ve been so emotionally devastated by a book. I realize, in retrospect, that I’ve been doing a lot of comfort reading. Books where, even when bad things happen, I know that a happy ending is guaranteed. I didn’t know of any such guarantee when I started The Kingdoms. I had … Continue reading That time Natasha Pulley shattered me into tiny bits and then delicately put me back together again (i.e., I read The Kingdoms)
So. Many. Exciting. Books. October/November is bursting at the seams with titles that I am itching to get my hands on. If I could, I would clear my calendar and hole up with these books until Christmas. Without further ado, here is a list to spur you on to your local indie bookstore. October 25 … Continue reading Fall 2022 is Outdoing Itself: Forthcoming Fiction Titles to Get Excited About
The trees are a flare of colour, the sky is a steadfast blue, the smoky and sweet scents of bonfires and pumpkin spice are in the air — yes, it's autumn, the best season of them all. I've been saving Comet Weather by Liz Williams for just this moment in time, and it was the … Continue reading The Perfect Book for Autumn, Prove Me Wrong: Comet Weather by Liz Williams
I thought I was done with summer books for the year, and onto autumn reads. Hence, my dark academia binge. Luckily for me, I read Summer Sons by Lee Mandelo just in time, when the last dog days of summer were still upon us, even as school bells were ringing in the distance. May I … Continue reading The Necessary Discomfort of the Southern Gothic — But Make it Personal: Summer Sons by Lee Mandelo
What is conscious language? Simply put, it is understanding that language is not neutral, and choosing to use it intentionally in a way that does not cause harm. Alex Kapitan of Radical Copyeditor has a helpful framework for seeing language on a spectrum from harmful to healing. Alex's framework acknowledges that language, at its best, … Continue reading Conscious Language 101
The world of editing can be a bit murky for the uninitiated. If you're a writer and you are thinking of hiring an editor, it is helpful to get familiar with some of the core editorial services on offer. Depending on what stage your manuscript is at, you are going to need different things from … Continue reading What Type of Editing Does My Manuscript Need?
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