Overview
During the past 25 years, a variety of manuscripts (novels, short stories, children's books, YAs, biographies, non-fiction, reports, teacher's guides, newsletters, and magazine articles) have come my way. Some have needed substantive editing, others, stylistic editing, copy editing, or proofreading. (These last two services are of passionate interest.) Whatever the task at hand, my work reflects a concern for clarity, accuracy, and consistency. Equally important, I deliver on time. I am conscientious, empathetic, and will treat your manuscript with the care it deserves whether you are a seasoned author or a first-time one.Recent and past publishers and organizations I've freelanced for include: HarperCollins, Penguin, Pearson Education, Anansi, Groundwood, Report on Business magazine, the Internet Advertising Bureau of Canada, the CBC, TVOntario, the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health, and the Commission for Environmental Cooperation. In addition to freelancing, I have worked in-house for Stoddart and Infoculture, the CBC’s first arts website, where I served as the Books Editor.I also write and have contributed features to the Globe and Mail, the National Post, as well as several magazines. Some writing samples appear on my website. (My favourite is a Thurberesque piece called "The Love That Dared Wag Its Tail.")
Services
Non-Fiction
Biographies & Memoirs
Children’s Non-Fiction
Self-Help & Self-Improvement
Fiction
Literary Fiction
Middle Grade
Short Story
Young Adult
Languages
English (CAN)
English (UK)
English (US)
Awards
- Nominated for the Rosemary Shipton Award for Excellence in Book Editing
Work experience
Self-employed
Sep, 2001 —
Present
Canadian Broadcasting Corporation
Nov, 1999 —
May, 2001
(over 1 year)
Adapted CBC Radio/TV arts and literary programming for the website. Worked with the producers of Writers and Company, The Arts Today, and Hot Type to give their shows an online presence. Wrote original arts news items. Interviewed Canadian novelists, such as Alistair MacLeod and Elizabeth Hay. Commissioned book reviews from freelancers.
Self-employed
Jun, 1990 —
Sep, 1999
(over 9 years)
Performed a range of editorial tasks for different organizations and publishers, including TVOntario's Communications Department, the Ontario Ministry of Community and Social Services, NOW Magazine, Madison Press Books, Key Porter, Douglas & McIntyre, Stoddart Publishing, and Prentice Hall.
Stoddart Publishing
May, 1989 —
May, 1990
(about 1 year)
Copy edited and proofread manuscripts as well as supervising freelance proofreaders. Wrote copy for book jackets and catalogues. Presented books at sales conference.
Portfolio
Ready to Retire?What You and Your Spouse Need to Know About The New Reality of RetirementConceived and written for those about to retire - or already in retirement and the women (and men) who live with them. Ready to Retire? helps people understand what they a... read more
"[The Groundwork Guides] are excellent books, mandatory for school libraries and the increasing body of young people prepared to take ownership of the situations and problems previous generations have left them." -- Globe and Mail Today, more people live in ci... read more
"[The Groundwork Guides] are excellent books, mandatory for school libraries and the increasing body of young people prepared to take ownership of the situations and problems previous generations have left them." -- Globe and Mail Some view the systematic kill... read more
“Elegant . . . illuminates the impact of war on ordinary people . . . an elegy and a celebration.”―Ann Hood, author of The Knitting Circle On the evening of November 14, 1940, Harriet Marsh stands on the roof of the historic Coventry cathedral and marvels at t... read more
A Globe & Mail 100 SelectionHelen Humphreys’ younger brother was gone before she could come to terms with the fact that he had terminal cancer. Diagnosed with stage 4B pancreatic cancer at the age of forty-five, he died four months later, leaving behind a grie... read more
When eternal darkness threatens to invade, Shade and Marina must journey to the far southern jungle to save the world in this thrilling sequel to Silverwing.Shade, a young Silverwing bat in search of his father, discovers a mysterious Human building containing... read more
A legendary ghost ship. An incredible treasure. A death-defying adventure. Forty years ago, the airship Hyperion vanished with untold riches in its hold. Now, accompanied by heiress Kate de Vries and a mysterious gypsy, Matt Cruse is determined to recover the ... read more
In the stories that make up In Transit, internationally acclaimed writer Mavis Gallant describes with elegant and scrupulous precision-and a discerning eye for telling detail-the quirks of human nature and the limits of human compassion. A host of remarkably d... read more
Hazel and Ned are home for summer vacation and looking forward to long, lazy days of sleeping late, shooting hoops, building stink bombs, and spending time with their art-dealer father. But when he disappears without saying good-bye, their summer plunges into ... read more
Between dull assemblies, tyrant teachers, and a handbook full of rules, life at Laverton Middle School can be summed up in one word: B-O-R-I-N-G. In this dramatic novel, five fed-up students borrow from the pages of history books and, seeking inspiration from ... read more
Adrienne Clarkson’s beginnings—her family escaped from Japanese-occupied Hong Kong in 1942—were a harbinger of the drama that would echo through her life. After growing up in Ottawa, and studying in Toronto and France, she launched a successful CBC television ... read more
Award-winning author David Bezmozgis’s first story collection in more than a decade, hailed by the Toronto Star as “intelligent, funny, unfailingly sympathetic”In the title story, a father and his young daughter stumble into a bizarre version of his immigrant ... read more
“A remarkable debut, in which fiction vividly portrays specific events in history.”—Booklist (starred review) “This powerful and important debut is a story for our time.” —Library Journal (starred review) From an immensely talented new voice in international f... read more
“One of the best—and most wonderfully experimental—historical fiction titles of the year. . . . Truly spectacular.” —Toronto StarWhat is an ordinary life worth?A seasoned writer stumbles across an obituary and imagination is sparked. The brief words of memoria... read more
