Grace Menary-Winefield

Grace Menary-Winefield – Editor

Thriller || Mystery || Fantasy || Nonfic -- 10+ years at the Big Five and indies. You wrote a freakin' book! Now, let's make it shine.

Overview

I relish stories that are surprising and pull me into a new world, idea, or concept! I particularly love working on thrillers (gothic, science-fiction, horror, fantasy), mysteries (I am a puzzle fanatic, and I will always try to solve it before the big reveal!), and the romantasy genre across YA, new adult, and adult. It's a pleasure to pick apart and help you enrich your world-building, whether that be your magical systems, political hierarchies, or dystopian/post-apocalyptic society break-downs.

My portfolio includes international bestsellers THE RADIUM GIRLS by Kate Moore, Stuart Turton’s THE 7 1/2 DEATHS OF EVELYN HARDCASTLE, and HELLO, FEARS by Michelle Pohler. Additionally, I acquired the indie horror powerhouse Darcey Coates and Kelly Mustian's THE GIRLS IN THE STILT HOUSE before turning freelance, and it would be wonderful to work on similar projects. I hope you'll look at a sampling of my projects below to see the wide range of genres I've covered across the industry.

Please note that for some Piatkus projects (Sherrilyn Kenyon, Christine Feehan, Lia Riley, etc.), they might reflect as their US counterpart. Reedsy doesn't allow Amazon.co.uk links.

Depending on what your aim is (traditionally-published, self-published, agent submission, the sheer joy of writing), my advice and mark-ups will vary. But ideally for everyone, our working relationship and the project's editorial journey should be fun! It's an edit, but it's also a discussion with lots of questions, challenges, and discoveries. I never aim to change your voice, and at the end of the day this is your book -- not my own.

Beyond developmental editing, it is always a pleasure to assess submission drafts, proposals or query letters. I'm currently not considering projects which utilize AI -- thank you!

Services
Non-Fiction
History Self-Help & Self-Improvement
Fiction
Mystery & Crime Post-Apocalyptic Romantic Fantasy Thriller & Suspense Time Travel
Languages
English (UK) English (US)

Work experience

JMH Scouting

Oct, 2019 — Jan, 2021 (about 1 year)
At this literary scouting agency, I was assigned most of the commercial submissions to read and assess for the market. More often that not, thrillers and mysteries found their way to my desk, and I might have read every single combination of whodunnit conceived (until I read yours, of course!)

Sourcebooks/Poisoned Pen

Jan, 2015 — Sep, 2019 (over 4 years)
In my five years at Sourcebooks, I touched various genres including narrative nonfiction, mystery, horror, personal development, and fantasy. I am particularly proud of Kate Moore's THE RADIUM GIRLS and the impact it had on bringing a hidden tragedy and the women's incredible courage into the light. The twisty world of Stuart Turton was another project that kept everyone guessing -- editing his speculative mysteries was like a puzzle in more ways than one!

Piatkus (Little, Brown Book Group)

Jan, 2012 — Jan, 2015 (almost 3 years)
I worked on the UK publications of romance and fantasy superheroes Julia Quinn, Sherrilyn Kenyon, Karina Halle, Christine Feehan, and others with proofreads to Anglicize to UK markets and providing numerous editorial assessments during the submission process.

Portfolio

Editorial Assessment
Editorial Assessment
The 7 1/2 Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle

Turton, Stuart

Sourcebooks Landmark

Developmental Editing
Developmental Editing Copy Editing
The Devil and the Dark Water

Turton, Stuart

Sourcebooks Landmark

Editorial Assessment
Developmental Editing
The End of the World Running Club

Walker, Adrian J.

Sourcebooks Landmark

Editorial Assessment
Styxx (The Dark-Hunter World)

Kenyon, Sherrilyn

Piatkus

Proofreading
Son of No One (The Dark-Hunter World)

Sherrilyn Kenyon

Piatkus Books

Proofreading
Dark Wolf ('Dark' Carpathian)

Feehan, Christine

Piatkus

Proofreading
After She Wrote Him

Gentill, Sulari

Poisoned Pen Press

Proofreading
Slow: Simple Living for a Frantic World

McAlary, Brooke

Sourcebooks

Proofreading
Developmental Editing Editorial Assessment
Ninety Days In The 90s

Frye, Andy

Atmosphere Press

Developmental Editing Editorial Assessment Query Letter Review
The Girls in the Stilt House: A Novel

Mustian, Kelly

Sourcebooks Landmark

Editorial Assessment
Her Perfect Life: A Novel of Sisters and Secrets

Taylor, Rebecca

Sourcebooks Landmark

Developmental Editing
The Girl from Rawblood: A Novel

Ward, Catriona

Poisoned Pen Press

Editorial Assessment
Copy Editing Editorial Assessment
Darkhouse

Halle, Karina

CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform

Proofreading
Upside Down: Off the Map 1

Riley, Lia

Piatkus

Proofreading
The Fifteen Wonders of Daniel Green

Boyce, Erica

Sourcebooks Landmark

Developmental Editing
Developmental Editing

Grace has 2 reviews

Professionalism

Quality

Value

Responsiveness

Jim L.

Jim L.

Dec, 2025

I found working with Grace was very helpful and beneficial. She pulled me away from my inclination to overwrite my queries and be much more succinct. And effective. I recommend her highly.
Curtis J.

Curtis J.

Nov, 2025

Grace, excellent job! She's worth it, right off the top shelf—I definitely recommend you strongly consider selecting her. My first time out choosing an editor, and she treated me like I had been doing this for years. Excellent Grace! Our conversation on my story showed that you were well info...
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Most recent contributions

How can writers use stereotypes and tropes to their benefit when creating a character?

While it's worth noting the use of tropes and stereotypes can be comforting -- I love an enemies-to-lovers, "Who did this to you?" trope in romance, and the Chosen One in young adult makes me nostalgic for the golden age of dystopian; however, you can also use stereotypes and tropes by subverting...
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