Kelley Blewster - Editor
As a trusted freelance editor, I've edited hundreds of books: memoir, current events, travel, food/bev, relationships/sexuality, health.
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Overview
I work only on books that have already undergone at least one round of professional editing. Genres include memoir and biography; health, nutrition, and fitness; cookbooks; travel; relationships; literary topics; current events and social studies; sexuality; spirituality.
With a bachelor's degree in nutrition/food science and a master's degree in liberal arts, I bring to my work as an editor both the empirical approach of the sciences and the critical sensibility of the humanities.
With a bachelor's degree in nutrition/food science and a master's degree in liberal arts, I bring to my work as an editor both the empirical approach of the sciences and the critical sensibility of the humanities.
Services
Languages
English (US)
Non-Fiction
Biographies & Memoirs
Cooking, Food, Wine, & Spirits
Parenting & Families
Political Science & Current Affairs
Psychology
Sex & Relationships
Travel
Certifications
- BS Nutrition/Food Science Univ of Houston
- Master of Liberal Arts Houston Baptist University
Work experience
Freelance book editor
Self-employed
April, 1999
–
Present
(about 23 years)
I've freelanced for several book publishers, including:
-Hachette Book Group
-University presses (through Westchester Publishing Services)
-Turner Publishing
-Hunter House (I was their "go to" freelance editor from 1999-2014, when they were acquired by Turner Pub.)
-Health Communications, Inc.
-Rowman and Littlefield
Other ongoing work experience:
Co-owner of Mezza Luna Pizzeria, consistently voted best pizza in Eugene.
Fitness instructor. I teach three to five classes per week.
Associate magazine editor
Biblio: Exploring the World of Books
August, 1996
–
April, 1999
(over 2 years)
Performed all levels of editing, including content development, developmental editing, rewriting, line editing, copy editing, proofreading. Did some original writing, of both features and shorts.
Restaurant critic
Houston Press
August, 1995
–
August, 1996
(about 1 year)
Wrote two restaurant reviews (approximately 1,600 words total) each week for Houston’s primary newsweekly.
Commercial insurance broker and underwriter
Global Special Risks
November, 1986
–
September, 1995
(almost 9 years)
Worked with the London insurance market to insure aviation- and energy-related risks.
Portfolio (28 selected works)
From Cradle to Stage: Stories from the Mothers Who Rocked and Raised Rock Stars
Virginia Hanlon Grohl
While the Grohl family had always been musical-the family sang together on long car trips, harmonizing to Motown and David Bowie-Virginia never expected her son to become a musician, let alone a rock star. But when she saw him perform in front of thousands of screaming fans for the first time, she knew that rock stardom was meant to be for her son. And as Virginia watched her son's star rise, ... read more
The Drive follows Teresa Bruce on her 2003 road trip through Mexico and onto the Pan American Highway, in a rickety camper with her old dog and new husband in tow. Bruce first set off on the exact same route in 1973, her parents at the helm and their two young daughters in tow, as a reaction to the accidental death of their youngest child, Bruce's brother John John. Her attempt to follow the r... read more
Letters to a Young Chef
Daniel Boulud
Daniel Boulud is a pioneer of our contemporary food culture-from the reinvention of French food to the fine dining revolution in America. A modern man with a classical foundation and a lifetime of experience, Boulud speaks with passion about the vocation of creating food. Part memoir, part advice book, part recipe book, this updated edition celebrating of the art of cooking will continue to de... read more
From an award-winning journalist and beer expert, a thoughtful and witty guide to understanding and enjoying beerRight here, right now is the best time in the history of mankind to be a beer drinker. America now has more breweries than at any time since prohibition, and globally, beer culture is thriving and constantly innovating. Drinkers can order beer brewed with local yeast or infused with... read more
Apocalypse Child: A Life in End Times
Flor Edwards
For the first thirteen years of her life, Flor Edwards grew up in the Children of God. The group's nomadic existence was based on the belief that, as God's chosen people, they would be saved in the impending apocalypse that would envelop the rest of the world in 1993. Flor would be 12 years old. The group's charismatic leader, Father David, kept the family on the move, from Los Angeles to Bang... read more
"Incredible!"—Samantha Irby, New York Times bestselling author of We Are Never Meeting in Real Life and MeatyRaw, witty, and unapologetic, That’s Mental is a collection of laugh-out-loud funny, confessional essays about the inappropriate, devastating, and strangely amusing side to being mentally ill. In her book, British comedy writer Amanda Rosenberg breaks down myths and misconceptions about... read more
From soft and chewy basics to sandwich cookies, biscotti, macarons, and Florentines, easy recipes to help home bakers master the art of cookies, including tips for gluten-free, vegan, and high-altitude bakingWith its "baking 101" approach, Cookies for Everyone has something for every baker -- naturally gluten-free recipes, with easy swaps for vegan or nut-free options, even including instructi... read more
Off Track Planet's Southeast Asia Travel Guide for the Young, Sexy, and Broke
Freddie Pikovsky, Anna Starostinetskaya
Since its conception in 2009, the Off Track Planet brand has been inspiring the young, sexy masses to get off their butts and out into the world. Next in its successful line of uncensored, fun-focused travel guides comes Off Track Planet's Southeast Asia Travel Guide for the Young, Sexy, and Broke, covering Vietnam, Laos, Cambodia, Thailand, Myanmar (Burma), Malaysia, Indonesia, Philippines, B... read more
Citizen 865: The Hunt for Hitler's Hidden Soldiers in America
Debbie Cenziper
The gripping story of a team of Nazi hunters at the U.S. Department of Justice as they raced against time to expose members of a brutal SS killing force who disappeared in America after World War Two.In 1990, in a drafty basement archive in Prague, two American historians made a startling discovery: a Nazi roster from 1945 that no Western investigator had ever seen. The long-forgotten document... read more
Laurel: Modern American Flavors in Philadelphia
Nicholas Elmi, Adam Erace
An Exquisite Seasonal Tasting Menu from the Heart of South PhillyLaurel, the first book from restaurateur and Top Chef winner Nicholas Elmi, promises to be as engrossing and delicious as its restaurant namesake, a culinary stronghold in South Philly. Elmi's French background and training informed Laurel from the start, but Laurel is a true American restaurant with a modern feel. The acclaimed ... read more
The Rules of Contagion: Why Things Spread--And Why They Stop
Kucharski, Adam
WINNER OF THE 2017 J. ANTHONY LUKAS PRIZE On an average day in America, seven children and teens will be shot dead. In Another Day in the Death of America, award-winning journalist Gary Younge tells the stories of the lives lost during one such day. It could have been any day, but he chose November 23, 2013. Black, white, and Latino, aged nine to nineteen, they fell at sleepovers, on street co... read more
Endometriosis materializes when the endometrium – the tissue that lines the inside of the uterus – sheds, but does not exit a woman’s body during her period. Instead, it grows outside of the uterus, spreading to organs and nerves in and around the pelvic region. The resulting pain is so physically and emotionally insufferable that it can mercilessly dominate a woman’s life. The average woman w... read more
A Safe Place for Women tells a harrowing, but ultimately hopeful, story of one woman's ordeal with an abusive husband and how she gained the strength to leave him and thrive in a new life with her children. Noted women's advocate Kelly White unsparingly revisits the dark periods of her husband's irrational, violent moods. Her narrative makes clear why women often stay in such situations--and a... read more
The EROS Equation: A "Soul-ution" for Relationships
Eve Eschner Hogan
Based on the idea that it is our own response to a situation rather than the situation itself that creates a particular outcome, The EROS Equation is a unique approach to improving relationships. Instead of focusing on difficult partners or problems, author and relationship adviser Eve Eschner Hogan enables us to uncover new and creative responses in ourselves using the EROS equation. As s... read more
Anxiety in children diminishes their intellectual, emotional and social development, as well as physical health. Author Paul Foxman believes there are three interacting ingredients that contribute to anxiety in children -- biological sensitivity, personality, and stress overload.The Worried Child shows that anxiety is preventable – or can at least be minimized – by raising children's self conf... read more
Remembering Paris 1958-1960
Sandra Hochman
Turner Publishing is proud to present another heartfelt memoir from the early life of the novelist, poet, and activist, Sandra Hochman. Following Hochman's Loving Robert Lowell that revealed the details of her affair with one of America's greatest poets, Remembering Paris 1958-1960, A Memoir chronicles Sandra's years before meeting Lowell, her first teenaged love and subsequent tumultuous marr... read more
X That Ex: Making a Clean Break When the Relationship is Over
LISW, Kristin E. Carmichael
"Hell no. It’s over. I am done."Saying it to him felt so damned good. God knows he deserved it. Still deserves it. So why is it that only a few weeks later, I doubt if I can stand by what I said? X That Ex is the long-awaited answer for women who have left a bad relationship and don’t want to go back. It is incredibly common for women to leave partners who are emotionally unavailable, disrespe... read more
End of Its Rope: How Killing the Death Penalty Can Revive Criminal Justice
Brandon L. Garrett
It isn’t enough to celebrate the death penalty’s demise. We must learn from it.When Henry McCollum was condemned to death in 1984 in rural North Carolina, death sentences were commonplace. In 2014, DNA tests set McCollum free. By then, death sentences were as rare as lethal lightning strikes. To most observers this national trend came as a surprise. What changed? Brandon Garrett hand-collected... read more
The Body Is Not an Apology: The Power of Radical Self-Love
Sonya Renee Taylor
In a revolutionary departure from everything we've been told about body-positivity, The Body Is Not an Apology founder Sonya Renee Taylor explicitly makes the connection between radical self-acceptance and social justice.Systems of oppression thrive off of our inability to make peace with bodies and difference. When we develop the ability to honor difference and radically accept ourselves, we ... read more
Strength Training for Seniors: How to Rewind Your Biological Clock
CSCS, ACE, Michael Fekete
Regular exercise can reduce a person's biological age by 10 to 20 years, and the key to exercising effectively is maintaining and increasing strength. A higher level of strength also improves immune systems, helps prevent age-related diseases such as diabetes and osteoporosis, lowers stress, and increases mental acuity. Written by a master athlete over 50, this accessible book offers specific ... read more
Composing the Cheese Plate: Recipes, Pairings, and Platings for the Inventive Cheese Course
Brian Keyser, Leigh Friend
Curate Surprising and Delicious Cheese Boards at HomeTired of the same-old cheese plate? So were fromager Brian Keyser and pastry chef Leigh Friend when they set out to change the cheese game at New York City's Casellula Cheese & Wine Café—and change it they did. Now they're sharing their secrets in this insider's guide to the wide, wondrous world of cheese, and the condiments that bring it to... read more
Ava Gardner: A Life in Movies
Kendra Bean, Anthony Uzarowski
Renowned for her screen performances, down-to-earth personality, and love affair with Frank Sinatra, Ava Gardner left an indelible mark on Hollywood history. Her adventurous life story is told through authoritative text and hundreds of photos in Ava: A Life in Movies.Ava is an illustrated tribute to a legendary life. Authors Kendra Bean and Anthony Uzarowski take a closer look at the Academy A... read more
As a survivor of the devastating civil wars in Sierra Leone and Liberia, Joseph Kaifala recounts the harrowing details af an early life punctuated by unimaginable violence and his journey to survival that eventually led him to the United States. Told with humility and grace, Adamalui is the true story of one man's unshakable faith, thirst for knowledge, and indomitable will.
Provisions: The Roots of Caribbean Cooking--150 Vegetarian Recipes
Michelle Rousseau, Suzanne Rousseau
A lush, modern vegetarian cookbook celebrating the bold flavors and unique ingredients of the Caribbean In Provisions, Michelle and Suzanne Rousseau share 150 recipes that pay homage to the meals and market produce that have been farmed, sold, and prepared by Caribbean people--particularly the women--for centuries. Caribbean food is often thought of as rustic and unrefined, but these vibrant v... read more
All the Castles Burned
Michael Nye
When Owen Webb, the son of working-class parents, receives a scholarship to the prestigious Rockcastle Preparatory Academy, the mysterious and enigmatic Carson Bly, an upperclassman from a wealthy and powerful family, befriends him. Their friendship, deepened through a love of basketball, becomes an obsession for Owen, who is desperate to avoid the growing trouble at home between his parents. ... read more
The Holy Ghost Speakeasy and Revival
Terry Roberts
Jedidiah Robbins is a man on a crusade. From town to town, his Gospel train rides the rails of 1920s Appalachia, spreading the Good News with his daughter and a loyal group of roustabouts in tow. But Jedidiah’s traveling revival company has a secret: in addition to offering the gifts of the Holy Spirit, it also delivers spirits of another kind. Prohibition is in full swing, but The Sword of th... read more
Coronavirus: Leadership and Recovery: The Insights You Need from Harvard Business Review (HBR Insights Series)
Review, Harvard Business, Reeves, Martin, Koehn, Nancy, Neeley, Tsedal, Berinato, Scott
Kelley has 1 review
Professionalism
Professionalism
Quality
Quality
Value
Value
Communication & Punctuality
Communication & Punctuality
Kelley was fantastic to work with! She is so easy to communicate with and she finished my project ahead of schedule. I would definitely hire her again!
Carrie Bershee, February 2019
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Toni Sciarra Poynter
I'm a bestselling editor/writer with 25+ years' experience in NYC book publishing who can help you prepare your nonfiction for publication.
New York, NY, USA
Daniel Isaiah Elder
I love helping writers find concision and clarity. I specialize in memoir and essay, but happily work with fiction as well.
Portland, OR, USA
