Overview
I've always been an avid reader. As a young teenager I've read big pills like Shogun, by James Clavell, all of Gulliver's Travels, by Jonathan Swift, and all of the LOTR books, by J.R.R. Tolkien. I'm also a fan of Anne McAffrey and Terry Pratchett (I have almost all of their books).
In 2015 I dreamed about a girl bumping into a vampire and falling instantly in love. I told my kids, and they told me to write it down. I know, terribly cliché! But it was the start of my passion for writing. I have since written three paranormal romances (Living Like A Vampire, Raising A Vampire, and Killing A Vampire), a novelette (Releasing A Vampire), and two short story bundles (Short Shockers Volume 1 & 2, the latter not being published yet). I am currently working on the first book of a series of trilogies about witches.
Since the summer of 2018, I have proofread novels in different genres: a thriller (Blue Murder by Mark L. Fowler), an action-thriller (The Ghost Bandits by Clayton Morgan), a YA novel (Ayesha Dean - The Seville Secret by Melati Lum), and various books by Colin Garrow). I've also proofread multiple short horror stories in a horror anthology; Twisted Volume 2).
I edited a YA/sci-fi novel (The Free Prisoner, by Luna Rugova). It was tricky as the author is of Chinese origin. I was able to make it readable without changing her wording too much. I like to keep the author's 'voice.' Being an author myself, I try to teach the author to write better with comments on why I think things could be written differently, but I can't do it for them.
Communication is the key as they say, and that's what I find important: I say what I mean, and I mean what I say (i.e. I keep my promises and my deadlines) . I prefer to proofread fantasy fiction stories, nothing too serious, but with my medical background (being a veterinarian), I'm also capable of proofreading medical texts. Perhaps I'm best at medical thrillers?
So far, my reviews have been nothing but excellent, so why not give me a try? It is said I have magical vampire eyes ... ;P
Services
Fiction
Non-Fiction
Languages
Awards
- Twisted50 Volume 2 Award
Certifications
- Graduate Diploma of Education (Science)
- Surgeon of Veterinary Science (The Netherlands)
- Certificate IV Business Administration
- Proofreading 1: Introduction
Work experience
Self-employed
It is always a pleasure to work with Colin Garrow. I proofread his new Rosie Robson murder mystery series this time.
Self-employed
I have read many of Colin Garrow's novels, and he is a pleasure to work with!
Self-employed
I proofread the horror anthology containing fifty stories of as many writers. I enjoyed picking out the inconsistencies and typos that three previous readers had missed. The organizers of the anthology were impressed with how methodical and thorough I was and my keen eye!
Self-employed
I worked closely with Troy A. Hill in developing the first series of his Pennlyn Chronicles. We discussed story structure, and and I helped him 'Anglify' his American prose as his stories were set in medieval England.
Self-employed
I produced my newsletter, including author interviews and short stories, in magazine form for a few months. I learned how to use InDesign and how to do the layout for a(n online) magazine. It was a lot of fun, but it cost me too much time.
Self-employed
I had a monthly workshop for young children in which I taught them to write better short stories, teaching them about grammar, punctuation, and sentence structure. One of my pupils went on to be a finalist in a national writing contest.
Self-employed
Another great story from Colin Garrow. This second Rosie Robson murder mystery keeps the suspense going.
Self-employed
I proofread Colin Garrow's YA 'The Curse of Calico Jack' early December. He always has fun books and I enjoy reading them. Colin is always happy with my work, that's why he always comes back to me. Soon, I'll be working on his new murder mystery novel, set in 1950 Newcastle.
Self-employed
Colin Garrow is a friend a favorite author of mine. His work is always a pleasure to read. I gladly proofread his 5th installment of The Watson Letters, Murder at Mystery Island. It's a Sherlock Holmes steampunk spoof. I picked up quite a lot of comma misplacements, some typos, some missing punctuation (missing end quotation marks, missing full stops). I also capitalized the word Luger. Such fun :). The text was just over 45K words and it took me two days to finish.
Self-employed
I helped Mark Fowler with his novel, Blue Murder, to iron out any inconsistencies and typos.
Self-employed
This is the third and last installment of my first trilogy. It took me about six weeks to write the first draft but so much longer to have it in a shape I was happy with. Very proud to have finished a trilogy!
Self-employed
Since I had so much fun writing my first trilogy, Living Like A Vampire, I just had to write a sequel! It took me six weeks to write the first draft, but only because I got stuck on the escape. In the end, I had to call a flight center to find out if gliders could fly at night :). And if you're interested, no, they can't.
Self-employed
I ran a local writing club for a few years. We normally would write short stories of about one thousand words. I would prepare a grammar subject to discuss, and, after setting the keywords together, I would set the extra grammar assignment to incorporate into the story.
Self-employed
This is my first ever written novel. I had an idea, sat behind my computer, and typed 55K words in two weeks! I had no clue about writing, though, so it took me a few edits (and a whole lot of self-education) to get it in the shape I was happy with.
Defence Maritime Services Pty Ltd
As the office manager, I was in charge of:
- collecting work timetables and assuring correct payment to staff
- manage online and paper filing systems
- organizing meetings
- booking transport and accommodation
- ordering stationery and furniture
- be in charge of petty cash
- dealing with correspondence and queries
- preparing letters, presentations, and reports
- supervising and monitoring the work of administrative staff
- managing office budgets
- liaising with staff, suppliers, and clients
- implementing and maintaining procedures/office administrative systems
- organizing induction programmes for new employees
- using a range of software packages
- attending meetings and taking/distributing notes
- assisting the organisation's HR function by keeping personnel records up to date, arranging interviews and so on
Western Australian Department of Education
My career as a teacher was mostly as a relief teacher, having spent only a few months as a proper science teacher.
Settlers Hills Residents' Association
As a Secretary, I was in charge of collecting agenda items, distributing agendas for monthly meetings, taking notes during meetings, writing up those notes and distributing them to our members.
David Clare Veterinarians
I worked as a graduate veterinarian for David Clare in England for just under a year. Soon after I moved to Australia.
My jobs included:
- holding surgery hours at three different locations
- doing surgery on patients as required
- maintaining computerized data sheets of patients
- out of hours emergency assistance
As a veterinary student, I read a lot of medical texts and had to write lots of academic papers. As a veterinarian, I had to do the same for my CPD.
Archaeopteryx
I was an editor for the student magazine Archaeopteryx, a monthly magazine for and by students, writing articles on exotic animals, their husbandry, and their diseases.