Lee Thompson - Editor
Freelance editor and book designer on the Canadian east coast. Love working with unpublished and often first-time authors.
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Overview
An experienced editor with a love of layout/design, I've carved a comfortable niche on the Canadian east coast, often working with first-time authors (from 5 years old to... well, much older) and regularly taking projects from conception to publication. These commonly are self-publishing projects, but I do love working with more established authors, especially on short fiction.
I edit all-genres of fiction and non-fiction, and have worked on over a dozen poetry manuscripts. I love content editing, helping give shape to a book, and teaching all the things that make prose really sing. [Editor's note - thing and sing... too similar?] I'm a hands-on editor, one who gives clear, detailed advice and copious notes (which I've been told can be quite humorous).
In addition to the books listed below, I've worked on Beyond the Call: The Life and Legacy of Mark Gallagher, Escape from Darken Hall Castle (by 5-year-old Isabelle Stewart!) - both of which sold out their substantial print runs . Also Autonomy and Mastery and Purpose in the Avalanche Patch, Hearts of Oak: a Gaelic Legacy (for Boulandarie Island Press), and a forthcoming historical fiction tetralogy by Robert Faulk. I've edited traditionally published authors Steven Mayoff, Jeff Bursey, Andy Flanagan, CJ Masson, Anne Levesque, Jason Lawson, Philippe Hebert, Zev Bagel, Luc Desroches (forthcoming) and several others.
Since 2007 I've edited, designed and published the very sporadic literary print journal Galleon.
My own fiction has been published in five anthologies and in over 20 literary journals, plus one chapbook and a small, experimental novel. I've received literary creation grants both provincially and nationally, and in 2017 my short fiction manuscript won the David Adams Richards Prize. See my blog Indistractable [leedthompson.blog] for my full literary CV.
Some testimonials:
“Lee edited my first novel and helped me through the process, answering my many many questions. He was responsive and easy to communicate with, which is key when working remotely. Most importantly, to critique someone else’s work and improve on it, while still making them feel good about what they’ve done, that’s an art. Lee does it beautifully.”
"Throughout the editing and design process Lee was professional, caring and supportive. He helped me navigate the foreign (to me) world of getting it ready for printing. He was/is always there for any questions I have. Lee’s support and belief in my book helped me become a first-time author. If you want someone who is kind, sympathetic as well as being professional, Lee is the person to turn to.”
“One of the hardest aspects of writing is overcoming subjectivity. Hiring Lee to read and assess my novel helped to overcome this problem since Lee is not only a skilled editor, but is able to provide his comments in a way that encourages a writer’s objectivity. Lee provided a chapter-by-chapter analysis of my novel, including his assessment of what worked, what didn’t and suggestions for improvements. First, I knew by his synopsis that he had read the novel thoroughly and understood what I was trying to achieve. His comments on dialogue, plot pace and voice were specific and not only improved this book but helped me to look at my writing in a new way. Most important, his insightful thoughts on gaps in the story led me to discover story areas and directions that had previously eluded me but waited just below the surface to be discovered. Thanks to Lee I am now in the last stages of a final draft and almost ready to submit the novel to some of the publishers he suggested. I have realized that obtaining the services of a professional editor is one of the most important steps a writer can take – Lee’s confidence and skill made this part of the process painless and productive!”
I edit all-genres of fiction and non-fiction, and have worked on over a dozen poetry manuscripts. I love content editing, helping give shape to a book, and teaching all the things that make prose really sing. [Editor's note - thing and sing... too similar?] I'm a hands-on editor, one who gives clear, detailed advice and copious notes (which I've been told can be quite humorous).
In addition to the books listed below, I've worked on Beyond the Call: The Life and Legacy of Mark Gallagher, Escape from Darken Hall Castle (by 5-year-old Isabelle Stewart!) - both of which sold out their substantial print runs . Also Autonomy and Mastery and Purpose in the Avalanche Patch, Hearts of Oak: a Gaelic Legacy (for Boulandarie Island Press), and a forthcoming historical fiction tetralogy by Robert Faulk. I've edited traditionally published authors Steven Mayoff, Jeff Bursey, Andy Flanagan, CJ Masson, Anne Levesque, Jason Lawson, Philippe Hebert, Zev Bagel, Luc Desroches (forthcoming) and several others.
Since 2007 I've edited, designed and published the very sporadic literary print journal Galleon.
My own fiction has been published in five anthologies and in over 20 literary journals, plus one chapbook and a small, experimental novel. I've received literary creation grants both provincially and nationally, and in 2017 my short fiction manuscript won the David Adams Richards Prize. See my blog Indistractable [leedthompson.blog] for my full literary CV.
Some testimonials:
“Lee edited my first novel and helped me through the process, answering my many many questions. He was responsive and easy to communicate with, which is key when working remotely. Most importantly, to critique someone else’s work and improve on it, while still making them feel good about what they’ve done, that’s an art. Lee does it beautifully.”
"When the manuscript was first submitted to Lee for initial editing in 2018, I thought I was finished. A lot has happened since then. Lee’s input has resulted in a substantial re-working and re-evaluation of my approach. Lee has been a great support in this, as much coach as editor. Through it all, I have learned a great deal and become a much better writer and I have Lee to thank for this.... In addition to a fine eye for detail, Lee also has an outstanding strategic sense and a very clear overview. As a lawyer by training, I know how easy it is to get lost in detail. The truly great ones in law are those who can retain vast amounts of detail while still grasping what is important or significant. Although not a lawyer, Lee has these same qualities which I admire most in my own profession."
"Throughout the editing and design process Lee was professional, caring and supportive. He helped me navigate the foreign (to me) world of getting it ready for printing. He was/is always there for any questions I have. Lee’s support and belief in my book helped me become a first-time author. If you want someone who is kind, sympathetic as well as being professional, Lee is the person to turn to.”
“One of the hardest aspects of writing is overcoming subjectivity. Hiring Lee to read and assess my novel helped to overcome this problem since Lee is not only a skilled editor, but is able to provide his comments in a way that encourages a writer’s objectivity. Lee provided a chapter-by-chapter analysis of my novel, including his assessment of what worked, what didn’t and suggestions for improvements. First, I knew by his synopsis that he had read the novel thoroughly and understood what I was trying to achieve. His comments on dialogue, plot pace and voice were specific and not only improved this book but helped me to look at my writing in a new way. Most important, his insightful thoughts on gaps in the story led me to discover story areas and directions that had previously eluded me but waited just below the surface to be discovered. Thanks to Lee I am now in the last stages of a final draft and almost ready to submit the novel to some of the publishers he suggested. I have realized that obtaining the services of a professional editor is one of the most important steps a writer can take – Lee’s confidence and skill made this part of the process painless and productive!”
Languages
English (CAN)
English (UK)
English (US)
Non-Fiction
Biographies & Memoirs
Self-Help & Self-Improvement
Fiction
Dystopian
Historical Fiction
Literary Fiction
Mystery & Crime
Science Fiction
Short Story
Certifications
- Banff Writing Studio, Banff Centre for the Arts, 2014
- Maritime Writers' Workshop, University of New Brunswick, 2001
Awards
- W.O. Mitchell Scholarship, Banff Writing Studio, 2014
- Emerging Artist Creation Grant, ArtsNB, 2006
- Emerging Artist Creation Grant, ArtsNB , 2003
- Creation Grant, Canada Council for the Arts, 2007
- 2nd Prize Short Fiction, 1998 WFNB Literary Awards
- Literary Creation Grant, Short Fiction, Canada Council for the Arts 2016
- David Adams Richards Prize (unpublished short story collection) 2017
- Mid-Career Creation Grant, ArtsNB, 2016
- Mid-Career Creation Grant, ArtsNB, 2021
- Literary Arts, Research & Creation Grant, Canada Council for the Arts, 2022
Work experience
Senior (and only) Editor
Self-employed
January, 2001
–
Present
(about 22 years)
Initially somewhat sporadic editing and design work, often producing hand-bound chapbooks for local authors, but eventually taking on more and more editing work in between other (almost always) writing-related jobs.
Editor/Proprieter
Galleon Publishing
March, 2022
–
Present
(about 1 year)
I run a small publishing house, with a focus on truly original voices.
Executive Director
Writers' Federation of New Brunswick
January, 2009
–
December, 2014
(almost 6 years)
Directed the day-to-day operations of a provincial writers' federation of 300+ members. Organized events, the annual literary competition, wrote grant proposals, handled all communications with members, maintained the website, the member database, and also continued to produce the organization's newsletter. All writers all the time. Fun but hectic.
Editor
Galleon Literary Journal
January, 2007
–
Present
(about 16 years)
Clerk
Attic Owl Bookshop
January, 2002
–
September, 2006
(over 4 years)
Clerk in a truly awesome 80,000-title used bookstore.
Editor, NB Ink
Writers' Federation of New Brunswick
January, 2000
–
December, 2014
(almost 15 years)
Editor of NB Ink, the newsletter of the Writers' Federation of New Brunswick (with a minor hiatus from 2004-05). My first foray into Adobe InDesign, originally PageMaker.
Portfolio (38 selected works)
Lucy Cloud
Anne Levesque
Filled with engaging characters, with their unique and lively Cape Breton voices, Lucy Cloud follows the fortunes and heartaches of a family with secrets and the intense longing to live fully.In 1960s Inverness, Cape Breton, the coal mines have closed and family farms stand abandoned as men and families must find other ways to survive. Curly MacLeod, the last of the old-time horse traders, mus... read more
Working from Home for a Harmonious Life
Desroches, Luc
Conversational Therapy: Stories & Plays
Voro, Nick, Design, Olivia Pro, Thompson, Lee D.
What does it mean to be a fundamentalist? What are its common characteristics and defining features? Can we escape the prison of ideological commitment, the straightjacket of conformity and groupthink?Answers are needed to avoid the endgame of fundamentalism – totalitarian control. Adrian C Smith entered adulthood as a minister in a fundamentalist Christian sect, a loyal follower of a man he n... read more
Journey to the Hopewell Star
State, Hannah D.
How does a highly successful business man who doesnt like anything about the American political system become president of the United States against his better judgement? In this alternate future history, Henderson Francis West, the forty-fifth president of the United States, looks back upon this significant time in his life.For the first time, now after thirty years since taking the oath of o... read more
The Breach House Gang Anthology 4
Lee D Thompson, Elizabeth Blanchard, Noeline Bridge, Nancy Schofield, Hermenegilde Chiasson, Romeo Savoie, Dave Skyrie, Rita Auffrey, Elaine Amyot, Edward Lemond, Judy Bowman, Zev Bagel
Anthology featuring fiction, poetry, and non fiction, as well as artwork and photography from east coast writers' collective The Breach House Gang.
Meniscus: Crossing The Churn
Alexandra Tims
On the alien planet Meniscus, Humans are slaves. Every twilight, Odymn runs through the forests, practicing the art of parkour. Her runs give her strength, flexibility and endurance, and a way to survive a life of servitude under the oppressive Dock-winders. When the silent Slain rescues her from a brutal encounter with a gang of Gel-heads, Odymn believes she has reached the end of her search ... read more
Meniscus: South from Sintha
Alexandra Tims
On a planet where Humans are slaves, Odymn is free. Her companion, the Slain, was once a trader in sentient beings. Now, for love of Odymn, he has agreed to change his ways and to return his former captives to their homes. Together, he and Odymn travel the urban alleyways and wilderness woodlands of the Southern District of Prell-nan, risking everything. They must battle wild life, outsmart po... read more
Voices in the Fire
C. J. Masson
A skeleton emerged as we dug for the septic tank. Who was this person? Why had he been wearing an expensive linen shirt, but no shoes? And what about the coin found with the body? By what bizarre circumstance did a copper British half penny – minted in Virginia in 1773, but never issued – find its way to this shallow grave in northern Canada? Follow the odyssey of the Westerby family and slave... read more
In the Dark of Winter
Monique Thébeau
You can’t escape the past when the past is your shadow…While camping with his wife in 2002, Ben Walsh follows the cries of a woman in distress and stumbles onto a brutal crime-in-progress. Beaten, he is given two choices: be framed for murder, or work for the thugs responsible. A year later, during a blizzard, lineman Jack Thibodeau is putting homes back on the grid when he is kidnapped, drugg... read more
Oli's Ocean Adventures
CarolAnne Black, Amberlea Williams
A boy from Ottawa goes off in search of pirate ships and treasure, but instead finds adventure and friendship on a Canadian coastguard research vessel. Stowed aboard the CCGS Kellerman, Oli sails from the Atlantic, through the Northwest Passage of the Arctic and around to the Pacific, all the while helping the ship’s crew to complete its scientific mission. Oli’s Ocean Adventures is a story ab... read more
Meniscus: Karst Topography
Alexandra Tims
On the planet Meniscus, where Humans are not allowed to have relationships with one-another, a small group of Humans have built a village. After the women of the village are taken by a Dock-winder transport, the Slain and his friends travel to Prell-nan to rescue them. In the following days, they out-maneuver the Dock-winders and fight Gel-heads to free Vicki, Kathryn, Meghan and Madoline. But... read more
Meniscus: Oral Traditions
Alexandra Tims
Margaret, with her Masters Degree in Chemistry, works at a call centre. Her days are uneventful, answering the questions of pet owners and walking along the river with her dog Winston each evening. Then everything changes. One minute she is explaining to a call centre customer how to convince her labradoodle to swallow its medication. And the next, her hair has grown by a finger length and she... read more
Meniscus: The Village at Themble Hill (Volume 4)
Alexandra Tims
On the alien planet Meniscus, against all odds, a small group of Humans works to forge a new life together. When a Dock-winder drone pays them a visit, Odymn and the Slain trek along the heights of The Fault, to make certain the community is not in danger of invasion. They find a new way to scale The Fault and a perfect location for building a new village. Matters are complicated when Odymn is... read more
Meniscus: Winter by the Water-climb (Volume 3)
Alexandra Tims
Winter on the planet Meniscus is brutal — the plenty of other seasons gives way to scarcity and desperation. Unprepared for the months ahead, Odymn and the Slain find shelter with the generous Argenops, friendly furry creatures. When Odymn has to survive without the help of the Slain, she must depend on her own wits and her skill at parkour to survive the alien landscape of the Themble. But sh... read more
Matthew & Christina: A Love Story
R. Ann Steel
Retired from the military, married to the love of his life, Matthew Bryson owned a successful security company. Life was pretty good until, unable to prevent the brutal murder of his beautiful wife, the dream became a nightmare. His horse Phantom is his only refuge. A product of Child and Family Services, journalist Christina Melville had carved out a life with little guidance. Fiercely indepe... read more
Caging the Anxiety Monster: A Memoir
Cathy Donaldson
Are you stuck in a rut? Is anxiety or depression sucking the joy out of your days? Fed up with feeling crappy? In Caging the Anxiety Monster, writer, mother, and happiness enthusiast Cathy Donaldson describes how anxiety and depression upended her world, led her to the psych ward, and ultimately forced her to discover ways—and create some of her own—to confine her “anxiety monster” and keep th... read more
Righteous Fire
Mary Sawyer
Stella Page is still reeling from her recent brush with death when an odd student shows up at her Middle School. Stella becomes entangled with him testing her resolve and stamina like never before.
For over 110 years, Rotary has been struggling with how to achieve its Peace Mission. Building onthe priciples contained in the Rotary International publication Seven Paths to Peace (1957), this book begins the process of dialogue among Rotarian Peace Leaders to form a Collaborative and direct action to fill the Peace Leadership and Peace Education gaps within Rotary and the world, and accompl... read more
Danny and Mj: A Story of Forbidden Love
Suzanne Casey
MJ, a local city manager, gets knocked off her feet when she first meets a regional salesman at a conference. Danny is the opposite type she's been attracted to, yet she keeps making a fool of herself around him. He sees the effect he has on her and pursues her attention. There's only one problem: they are both committed with families at home. Struggling with their attraction to one another, D... read more
This Unpredictable Monster
Philippe G. Hébert
In The Bad Mother, the author took you on an emotional journey about the story of someone who was searching for his inner truth. In This Unpredictable Monster, the author decided to go a step further by taking you on a moving exploration of the effects of repressed trauma.“ The characters appear to be living a perfect life until, page after page, the truth is revealed. The truth shall make you... read more
The Bad Mother: Interactive Play
Hébert Philippe G.
This «interactive play» is for those who are still searching for their inner truth. Keep digging. To doubt who you are is the beginning of a new journey. ( The author)“The author opens a door with a key I had hidden away years ago, how did he know... ”Joanne McGaw-Siviero“ This book took me on an emotional personal journey I was not expecting to go on... but de nitely glad I did and de nitely ... read more
Meniscus: Encounter with the Emenpod
Tims, Alexandra
Matthew & Christina: Heaven Sent
Steel, R Ann
Galleon 2
Lee Thompson (editor)
Meniscus: The Knife
Tims, Alexandra
On Home
Allard, Donna
The Body in A Barrel
Sawyer, Mary Helen
Molly the Perfectly Imperfect Dog
McMullin, Jennifer, Thiebeaux-Heikalo, Tamara
After The Darkness
Jason Lawson
Dylan is forced to make an awful decision. Either the young Aboriginal man must participate in an armed robbery to pay off his drug-addicted sister’s debts, or the two will have to run for their lives. But the armored-car heist goes bad, leaving his sister dead and he in a wheelchair. He soon falls into a depression, wishing to join his sister in the great beyond. Until he receives a gift like... read more
I Feel Your Stare: An Autobiography
Gillespie, Cheryl
Unsilence the Lamb: A Case for Listening to Jesus
Holt, Stephen J.
Gertrude the Great
McMullin, Jennifer, Malik, Kiran
Enchanting Treve
Tozer, Paula, Tozer, Paula
The Last Jew in Hania
Bagel, Zev
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