Christina Houen

Christina Houen – Editor

I edit memoir, history, philosophy, arts, literature, self-help and personal development, trauma recovery. Memoir is my specialty.

Overview

Writing is literally my life. Writing can be healing, revealing, transformative, and open new doors to different worlds and ways of understanding. I've seen this happen again and again for myself and for others. Hence, my passion is two-fold: to create my own stories and to help others polish theirs and publish them.

My editing ethic is to help you, the writer, make your work the best it can be, whatever the subject, while respecting the authenticity and uniqueness of your voice.

I have many testimonials from happy clients: here are a couple of recent ones:

"This is my third time working with Christina and as always, her editorial assistance was illuminating and transformational for my novel. Christina is excellent at pulling away the layers of overwriting to make your narrative sharper and more gripping. She gives wonderful advice for developmental growth, and her honest, insightful appraisal gives your writing its best shot at getting published. She really works wonders. I will soon have my first Australian publishing success thanks to Christina."

"What truly distinguishes Christina is her unwavering commitment to excellence. She approached every aspect of the editing process with professionalism, passion, and integrity, ensuring that my vision as an author was fully realised. Her promptness and speed in providing the feedback have been key factors in getting my work published in a timely manner.

Services
Non-Fiction
Architecture Biographies & Memoirs Design Humanities & Social Sciences Self-Help & Self-Improvement
Languages
English (AUS) English (NZ) English (UK) English (US)
Awards
  • Small publishing grant, Centre for Research for Women, Western Australia, 2005
  • Mary Walters Bursary, Australian Federation of University Women (WA), Inc., 2005
  • Pro-Vice Chancellor Humanities Award for Excellence, with A/Prof Marina Lommerse, Architecture Interior Architecture, Curtin University
  • Varuna Longlines non-residential Mentorship for development of memoir, 2007–08
  • Hal Porter Award for short story (memoir), 2003
  • Curtin Humanities Research Award for book chapter, 2009
  • Grant from Department of the Arts, Western Australia, for collective biography of Fairbridge Single Parents, 2010
Certifications
  • Mental Health Nursing Certificate, NSW, 1976
  • Bachelor of Arts (Hons I)
  • Grad. Dip in Information & Library Studies, 1989
  • Master of Creative Arts, 2002
  • PhD (Social Sciences), 2009

Work experience

Self-employed

Feb, 2010 — Present
My freelance editing work over the past 15 years is 40% academic and 60% commercial non-fiction and fiction. I have two higher degrees in life writing and have published four of my own memoirs. My academic training in literature and critical thinking, combined with a rich and diverse life experience, are a strong foundation for an editing practice that respects the author's voice while helping them write clearly and engagingly, whatever the subject.

Portfolio

Made with Reedsy
The Country of Olives: A Test Written For One

Dewji, Ali M

Olive Path Press

Developmental Editing Copy Editing
Made with Reedsy
Their Fiery Cross of Union: A Retelling of the Creation of the Australian Federation, 1889-1914

William, Coleman O

Connor Court Publishing Pty Ltd

Copy Editing
Copy Editing
Made with Reedsy
Shattered To Shine: You Put Yourself Together Again

Morrissey, Abigail

Wormington Publishing

Copy Editing
Made with Reedsy
The Amazing Munro Method - Heal Your Emotional Self!

Munro, Lucy

CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform

Copy Editing
Made with Reedsy
A Jungian Approach to Transforming Compulsion

Stebbins, Morgan

Routledge

Copy Editing Proofreading
Made with Reedsy
All In on Tomorrow: A Resilient Journey Beyond the Bad Beats

Ynson, James

JAS Publishing

Developmental Editing Copy Editing
Developmental Editing Copy Editing
Copy Editing
Made with Reedsy
The Magic of Midlife: Bold, Bright, and Unstoppable

Moore, Tamsyn

Independently published

Developmental Editing
Made with Reedsy
TAKE ON LIFE Chemtai HLC

Thakrar, Selina

Independently published

Developmental Editing
Made with Reedsy
Work Life Balance My Arse: How to remove the guilt of putting your life first

Ireland, Debbie

Independently Published

Proofreading
She City

Nicole Kalms

Rooted in feminist political thought, She City illuminates how gender shapes our urban spaces and city design. Through three sections: 'Resisting Sexist Cities', 'Designing Feminist Cities', a... read more
Developmental Editing Copy Editing
Developmental Editing Copy Editing
Stone Spiral: A time-slip memoir

Houen, Christina Marigold

Christina Marigold Houen

Developmental Editing Copy Editing Proofreading
Developmental Editing
In times of inflationary investment and explosive urban growth, Building Mixity! challenges the status quo of expansive and unequal development in Melbourne, Australia. The long forgotten and ... read more
Developmental Editing Copy Editing
Bringing together an international range of contributors from the fields of practice, theory and history, this book takes a fresh look occupation. It argues that occupation is a prospect that ... read more
Developmental Editing Copy Editing
A Gradual Grace

Houen, Christina, Marigold

Developmental Editing
This Place You Know

Houen, Christina

Developmental Editing
How can we engage communities? What is empowerment? To what extent should the project process be participatory? How is an outsider-insider relationship handled? How do researchers negotiate wi... read more
Copy Editing
What is a better community? How can we reconfigure places and transport networks to create environmentally friendly, economically sound, and socially just communities? How can we meet the chal... read more
Copy Editing
Copy Editing
Can your difficulties become stepping stones to a successful future? Can a young boy overcome a serious reading difficulty and achieve beyond all expectations?For a few gruelling years in a Ca... read more
Developmental Editing Copy Editing
Copy Editing
This book argues that interior architects have a responsibility to practice their profession in collaborative ways that address the needs of communities and of to be the agents of social justi... read more
Developmental Editing Copy Editing

Christina has 25 reviews

Professionalism

Quality

Value

Responsiveness

Jim W.

Jim W.

Apr, 2026

Pinned
Christina delivered an excellent edit of my memoir. Her comments were precise, constructive, and consistently improved the clarity and rhythm of the writing. She respected the tone and intent of the work and offered suggestions that strengthened it without imposing her own voice. Communication wa...
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Christina H.
Thank you, Jim. It has been a great pleasure to read your uplifting story and help you polish it to fulfil your intentions. I believe that whoever reads your story will be moved and reassured that ...
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Rafael H.

Rafael H.

Apr, 2026

Pinned
Christina was a pleasure to work with: professional, responsive, and very easy to collaborate with. She brought a careful eye to the manuscript, helping refine the text, improve clarity, and ensure everything was clean and consistent while preserving my voice. Her feedback was clear and helpful t...
Read more
Christina H.
It was such a pleasure to work with Rafael. His narrative, The Pain Cave, relates his experience of completing the Ultra Trail Mont Blanc, a gruelling ordeal which was transformative for him. His ...
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Shereen T.

Shereen T.

Mar, 2026

Pinned
I had a wonderful experience working with Christina Houen. Her developmental editing comments were thoughtful, insightful, and incredibly helpful in strengthening my manuscript. She had a clear understanding of the memoir genre and offered suggestions that improved the structure, clarity, and emo...
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Christina H.
Thank you for this lovely review, Shereen. It was an honour to work with you and to read the inspiring story of your life as an advocate for justice and inclusion in education, your practical and h...
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Alison D.

Alison D.

Apr, 2026

I’ve worked with Christina Houen on the first two books in my memoir series, and she’s been amazing to work with. As a dyslexic author, it was really important to me to find someone who understood my voice and didn’t try to change it. She did exactly that while improving the flow, clarity, and st...
Read more
Christina H.
Alison is a delight to work with. Her writing is fresh, vivid and down-to-earth and she has the ability to imprint her warm, honest, earthy outlook on life on the pages she writes. She is honest an...
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Nicole L.

Nicole L.

Mar, 2026

Christina provided a thoughtful and thorough editorial review of my manuscript. Her feedback helped strengthen the clarity, flow, and overall structure of the book, while also offering reassurance and encouragement throughout the process. I appreciated her professionalism and insight, and I’m gra...
Read more
Christina H.
Nicole, it's such a pleasure to work with you. Your work in healing from trauma is significant and your book is an engaging and informative guide to living with awareness and acceptance of change. ...
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Most recent contributions

What editing specialties have you focused on, and how did you choose them?

I did two higher degrees in life writing; my PhD thesis wove theory with my life story and analysis of a medieval Japanese woman's novel, The Tale of Genji. She wove stories of court life in a polygamous, hierarchical society and I found many parallels with my own life. From this foundation, I've...
Read more

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