EDITING & WRITING

My passions for writing, editing, and travel can be traced back to my childhood when I could usually be found trekking across the country on yet another road trip with my parents or perusing pages of book after book in the back seat or the nearest libraries and bookstores, unconsciously studying craft and the intricacies of style before I even knew what editorial style was. Whether editing on my first job for U.S. military recruiters or for classmates in high school, I’ve been on an editor path from the start. The reason? I love written expression and exploring the intricacies of grammar and style as much as I adore exploring this beautiful planet we call home.

Early in my career, I was named by Writer’s Digest among 37 of the top book doctors in the U.S. Since then, I have worked for clients like Hachette Book Group, HarperCollins, Simon & Schuster, Penguin Random House, Color Of Change, Southern Poverty Law Center, Ten35, and thousands of lawyers, accountants, and engineers at dozens of law and consulting firms.

While building a brand as a professional editor may look effortless, starting a business at age 26 with no resources, network, or funding taught me the keys to success as well as failure. I began documenting things I’d learned along the way while coaching and mentoring aspiring and beginning editors to launch and scale their own businesses. In So You Want to Be an Editor . . . But Can You Edit?, I offer insight into critical matters most newbies don’t think about before hanging out a shingle.

TECH

Equally techie as I am creative, my degrees are all either I.T. or writing-related and include an Associate of Arts in creative and professional writing, an Associate of Applied Science in Information Technology with emphasis in software and database programming, and a Bachelor of Science in Information Science and Technology (with a self-declared minor in user experience). Throw in a few certificates in digital forensics, web development, content strategy, project management, ITIL, and Six Sigma, a bunch of Salesforce badges and superbadges (Administrator certification in the works), and over two decades of experience in information architecture, UX writing, technical writing, web design, accessibility, and search engine optimization … and you get the picture.