Lourdes Venard - Editor
Creative, collaborative editor, with more than 35 years of editing experience in publishing and journalism.
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Overview
My experience is diverse and dynamic.
I have more than 35 years of writing and editing experience, from journalism work to editing more than a hundred fiction and nonfiction books. Some of those books have gone on to win awards.
My specialties are crime fiction, science fiction and fantasy, multicultural novels with ethnic or racial themes (e.g., Hispanic or African-American), YA (Young Adult), and nonfiction. In addition, I teach Beginning Copyediting, Intermediate Copyediting, Advanced Copyediting, and Editing for Fiction through the University of California, San Diego, and other venues.
My approach is to work with you collaboratively while also sharing my knowledge of the ever-changing publishing industry. I aim to preserve your voice while polishing your manuscript.
I am currently accepting new clients for proofreading, copyediting, and developmental editing.
I have more than 35 years of writing and editing experience, from journalism work to editing more than a hundred fiction and nonfiction books. Some of those books have gone on to win awards.
My specialties are crime fiction, science fiction and fantasy, multicultural novels with ethnic or racial themes (e.g., Hispanic or African-American), YA (Young Adult), and nonfiction. In addition, I teach Beginning Copyediting, Intermediate Copyediting, Advanced Copyediting, and Editing for Fiction through the University of California, San Diego, and other venues.
My approach is to work with you collaboratively while also sharing my knowledge of the ever-changing publishing industry. I aim to preserve your voice while polishing your manuscript.
I am currently accepting new clients for proofreading, copyediting, and developmental editing.
Languages
English (US)
Fiction
African American Fiction
Anthologies
Cultural & Ethnic
Historical Fiction
Mystery & Crime
Science Fiction
Thriller & Suspense
Non-Fiction
Cooking, Food, Wine, & Spirits
Awards
- Pulitzer Prize (staff), 1993 and 1997
Work experience
President and Editor
Self-employed
January, 2010
–
Present
(over 12 years)
I am an independent editor with individual clients, as well as ongoing corporate clients. I have edited more than a hundred books in different genres.
Editing instructor
University of California, San Diego
January, 2012
–
Present
(over 10 years)
I teach beginning and intermediate copyediting as part of a certificate program in copyediting.
News Editor
Newsday
November, 1995
–
June, 2015
(over 19 years)
News editor in charge of an editing team. Edited local, foreign, national, and business news, as well as special projects. Part of Pulitzer Prize-winning team.
Copy Editor
Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
June, 1994
–
November, 1995
(over 1 year)
Copy Editor
Chicago Tribune
June, 1993
–
June, 1994
(12 months)
Selected for highly regarded one-year editing program.
Reporter and Copy Editor
The Miami Herald
January, 1985
–
May, 1994
(over 9 years)
Part of Pulitzer Prize-winning team.
Portfolio (67 selected works)
Chasing the Sun: A Novel
Natalia Sylvester
Andres suspects his wife has left him—again. Then he learns that the unthinkable has happened: she’s been kidnapped. Too much time and too many secrets have come between Andres and Marabela, but now that she’s gone, he’ll do anything to get her back. Or will he?As Marabela slips farther away, Andres must decide whether they still have something worth fighting for, and exactly what he’ll give u... read more
Human?
Sara Ashley Brown
Walled cities. Citizens with dead eyes and perfect smiles. Government domination. In this near future, Candace fights to save a small band of Outsiders even as she struggles to maintain her own humanity.Candace will never trust society. A friend’s sorority branding and Candace’s assault while in police custody are the last straws. That’s why when a powerful leader takes over the North American... read more
"...Blend a 21st-century New Adult version of Waiting to Exhale and "Girlfriends" with candid revelations about traumatic injuries of the spirit reminiscent of For Colored Girls Who Have Considered Suicide/When the Rainbow is Enuf. Toss in the caustic wisdom of seasoned women a la "Golden Girls" or "Grace and Frankie" into a sometimes exclamatory narrative style familiar to fans of Sophie Kins... read more
A Knife in the Fog
Harper, Bradley
On a trip that will make readers recall reunions they didn’t want to attend (but went to anyway), widowed Cealie Gunther gets a call to join friends from high school for a get-together during an Alaskan cruise. She hasn’t seen them for years, but jumps in when she learns a good female friend who’s attending has a major problem to solve. There are other good reasons to get away too. Cealie can ... read more
The Spider Catchers (Lee Carruthers #1)
Marilynn Larew
Fresh off the red-eye from Baghdad, CIA analyst Lee Carruthers has to hop an Air France flight to Morocco. Alicia Harmon has disappeared from her office in Fez after reporting that she has found a new line of money going to terrorists. When Lee gets to Fez, she can't discover what Alicia has found out, because her files are encrypted, but she immediately becomes the target of attacks and may s... read more
At the end of "Gone But Not Missed," we left Nathan and Lily on the boardwalk in Long Beach, New York. Weeks later we find them apart – physically by hundreds of miles and emotionally by very different views of their relationship. Lily is haunted by the kidnapping, consumed by thoughts of him. Nathan is burdened with an inept partner, who may ruin his career as an NYPD detective, just as it's ... read more
The Inverted Mask
Izzy Doroski
The Inverted Mask takes the reader on a thrilling adventure through the pine barrens of eastern Long Island, the heights of the Catskill Mountains, and the depths of subterranean particle-beam tunnels hundreds of feet below Long Island. Physicist Dr. Jon Sanborne, and his fiancée, psychiatrist Dr. Marta Padlo, are drawn into an intrigue that spans decades, continents, and the nature of reality... read more
Cimarrona
Sara Monteagudo
RAW COURAGE...SHARP INSTINCTS...AN INNATE SENSE OF JUSTICE...Using the 19th century timeline as an instrument of magical realism, Chabelis accelerates the reader through the events that lead up to the Spanish-American War in the YA novel, CIMARRONA. Trained by the cimarron, the wild men who live in the hills of Cuba, to shoot her prey and lead trails of captive slaves to freedom, twelve-year-o... read more
The Perfect Coed
Judy Alter
Susan Hogan is smart, pretty—and prickly. There was no other word for it. She is prickly with Jake Phillips and her Aunt Jenny, the two people who love her most in the world. And she is prickly and impatient with some of her academic colleagues and the petty jealousies in the English department at Oak Grove University. When a coed’s body is found in her car and she is suspected of murder, Susa... read more
Confetti: A Collection of Cozy Crimes
Patricia L. Morin
From a theme party in Mizpah, NJ, to a surfing incident on the north shore of Oahu, Hawaii, murders are planned. From a Malibu beach with remote control cars, to the northern hills of Las Vegas, people are disappearing. "Confetti" is a colorful mixture of delightful stories.
Three May Keep a Secret (An Endurance Mystery)
Susan Van Kirk
FOR FANS OF: Jessica Fletcher & Donald Bain, Sheila Connolly, and Maggie BarbieriThree May Keep a Secret is a fast-paced mystery. Grace Kimball, recently retired teacher in the small town of Endurance, is haunted by a dark, past event, an experience so terrifying she has never been able to put it behind her. When a shoddy journalist, Brenda Norris, is murdered in a suspicious fire, Grace is hi... read more
Cover of Darkness (Darkness Series) (Volume 1)
Gregory Delaurentis
The local Westchester police turn to One Police Plaza when a high profile murder lands in their back yard. Captain Sam Jefferies takes the case and assigns two resigned police detectives on disability, now private investigators. Kevin Whitehouse has the analytical mind and a keen sense of investigatory skills; David Allerton has the ex-Special Forces, ex-Army Ranger training; and Margaret Alex... read more
From cozy mystery to classic crime, from gumshoe to urban noir, MYSTERY IN PARADISE 13 Tales of Suspense is a collection of twisted, heart-pumping tales of suspense in all its guises. These 13 utterly unforgettable stories by 13 of the hottest authors to hit Hawaii's literary scene, including Tyler Miranda, Greg Field, Lehua Parker, A.J. Llewellyn, Patricia Morin, Rose Mary Thompson, A K Gunn,... read more
Ossie Piñero P.I. Short Stories
R.V. Reyes
Ossie Piñero, Private Investigator in training, has a problem. Her Puerto Rican family keeps getting her entangled in their dramas. Working for family is all trouble and no dinero. As the only woman in the PI firm, she’s used to getting the boring and slime-ball cases, but at least those pay. The cases in these stories are family freebies. She hates being the sexy dangling carrot in the firm’s... read more
Sweet Asylum (A Marshall House Mystery Book 4)
Tracy L. Ward
Unable to shake the oppressive atmosphere of the city after a life changing case, Dr. Peter Ainsley retreats to his family’s country estate near Tunbridge Wells to find asylum and perhaps forgiveness. The discovery of a strange girl in the back woods introduces him, and his sister, Margaret, to the peculiar Owen family with a questionable reputation in town rooted in nefarious gambling activit... read more
Edge of Darkness (The Darkness Series Book 2)
Gregory Delaurentis
Kevin Whitehouse returns to his sleepy hometown of Brandon, Vermont to attend the funeral of his father, an apparent suicide. However, once he settles in and gets his bearings, he feels compelled to delve further into the circumstances of his father’s death, which is looking ever more suspicious. When a series of murders that seem connected come to light, Kevin and his cohorts, David Allerton,... read more
Mantle: The Return of the Sha
Gary Bregar
The world of Mantle has been shaken by evil, and marked for destruction."An enjoyable tale that centers on a spirited young heroine who possesses potentially world-changing powers. Fans of the genre should find much to savor here." - Kirkus ReviewsAn innocent world is threatened.A king is desperate to save his queen. A young girl realizes her immense power. In a world rooted in magic, Lizabet ... read more
The cracks are beginning to show… Thrust into an undercover assignment, with a new partner, Nathan is prepared for neither. Lily is at Annie’s, trying to keep everything together -- contemplating the biggest decision she’s ever faced. Will they find a way back to each other?
The Sorrow's Garden: A Novel
Anthony Carinhas
Well-known as an architect and writer in Leipzig, Germany. Radulf is repulsed by the nature of other people's selfish living. Ironically, his own character is devoid of morals.Despite the destitution his schemes cause. The power turns obsessive and his appetite for lust gives way for a new motive.
The Twelfth Protocol: A Patti Mac Novel
John F. Nolan
"Hurricane Sandy's storm surge destroyed Long Beach City's boardwalk, washing up mutilated corpses of three men, a pregnant woman, two boys and a skeleton. Only three months in command of the Nassau County, New York, Homicide Squad South, Detective Lieutenant Patricia (Patti) McAvoy was challenged with investigating a mass murder. ""Drug cartels kill like this,"" she told a detective. Homicide... read more
Straight Lines
Gregory Sacchet
This book describes an average middle class man's descent into drug abuse and how it affected his life for 13 years. Diagnosed withTourette's Syndrome at age 12, and Multiple Sclerosis at 23, are just two contributing factors leading up to addiction, and ultimately redemption. Candid and oftentimes shocking, you will see the daily struggles associated with both chronic illness and substance abuse.
Deadly Illusions: A Collection of Mystery Short Stories
Patricia L. Morin
From a gossip-spreading employee and an overbearing voice at a bar, to an Inn owner creating murder games, and a lonely man sitting on a Central Park bench, these stories blur the thin line between what we perceive and what is real.
The Symbionts of Murkor
Gary Tarulli
While struggling to survive in a hellish environment, rival colonies are forced to determine the greater threat--each other or the elusive entity believed to haunt the planet they inhabit.
New York City Haiku Mystery Tour: none (N/A)
Robert Fitzpatrick
The New York City Haiku Mystery Tour is dedicated to families of the FDNY firefighters and other first responders who lost their lives at the World Trade Center on September 11, 2001. It is also dedicated to those who worked long months at the toxic and smoldering site, risking their health and, in many cases, paying the price—even with their lives. The New York City Haiku Mystery Tour will gi... read more
Prayers for the Dying (A Marshall House Mystery Book 5)
Tracy L. Ward
Dr. Peter Ainsley knew it was only a matter of time before London claims another murder victim, but this time the body is discovered tied to a lamppost four doors down from the house Ainsley shares with his sister and their bedridden father. The day the body is discovered, a maid of their house and Ainsley’s lover, Julia Kemp, fails to return home from errands in the city.Convinced the body fo... read more
A Wave From Mama: The Slavery and Beyond Series (Volume 2)
A. Robert Allen
1863 Weeksville, Brooklyn: The free Black community of Weeksville becomes home to an unusually small boy and his mother who fled Manhattan during New York’s Draft Riots. When his mother succumbs to her injuries, the boy swears revenge against everyone and everything that contributed to her death. His diminutive size and acrobatic climbing abilities make him a spectacle to behold, while his awk... read more
Planted (The Penningtons Investigate) (Volume 1)
C. T. Collier
Meet the Penningtons: Lyssa, Ph.D. Economics, and her husband “the handsome Brit” Kyle, Ph.D. Computer Science. When their clever minds ask questions, clever killers can’t hide. It’s Monday of spring break when Professor Lyssa Pennington’s backyard garden project unearths a loaded revolver. With no record of violence at their address and no related cold case, the Tompkins Falls police have no ... read more
Bosses and Blackjacks: A Tale of "The Bloody Fifth" in Philadelphia
L.C. Bennett Stern
Based on true events... Award-Winning Finalist in the “True Crime: Non-Fiction” category of the 2017 International Book Awards. Politics in Philadelphia is a rough game...has been since the time of Ben Franklin. But, when political murder takes place in the Fifth Ward (home to the Liberty Bell) on primary Election Day in 1917, it sparks outrage—not just in Philadelphia, but throughout the nati... read more
Cosmic Callisto Caprica & The Missing Rings Of Saturn
Sophia C Chester Ms
On the night of her high school graduation, an aspiring space detective, Cosmic Callisto Caprica, Cosmo to her friends, received an incredible gift from a well-respected senator - a trip on board the Titan, a luxury spaceship. Cosmo is incredibly excited to meet the beautiful yet controversial Martian Princess Rhea, one of Cosmo’s heroes, and see the priceless Rings of Saturn on display in a j... read more
The Locket: From the Casebook of TJ Sweeney
Susan Van Kirk
The Big Band Era–Dancing on the Rooftop–Romance in the Air–and Murder in the Shadows“… the dispatcher called to tell her it was time to move the bones.”After solving a double homicide in the hot Midwest summer, Endurance police detective TJ Sweeney isn’t given long to rest. A construction crew has found human bones while digging a building foundation on the outskirts of town.Sweeney’s investig... read more
Marry in Haste (An Endurance Mystery)
Susan Van Kirk
“Marry in Haste, Repent at Leisure” ―Benjamin FranklinMarry in Haste, is the story of two lives over a hundred years apart, both illustrating the resilience of women in the small town of Endurance.Grace Kimball, retired teacher, is writing for the Endurance Register and dating its editor, Jeff Maitlin. When he buys a huge Victorian house and borrows money from the bank, he sets off a chain of ... read more
Deader Still: A Bridget Sway Novel (A Paranormal Ghost Cozy Mystery Series Book 2)
Jordaina Sydney Robinson
Bridget Sway has survived the first week of her afterlife – but only just. Working a job that still doesn’t pay, wearing a uniform that’s still a fashion disaster and now facing a week-long assessment, things can only get better … right? Wrong. And there’s another dead ghost in her locker to prove it.When Bridget’s caught holding the proverbial smoking gun over the second body, the police are ... read more
Love comes in all forms. So does infidelity. While Nathan is wrapped up in a case of a suspicious young mother's death, Lily must face the man who ruined her life.
Shadows of Madness (A Marshall House Mysteries Book 6)
Tracy L. Ward
Summoned to Edinburgh after another inexplicable vision, Dr. Peter Ainsley and his sister, Margaret Marshall, are shocked to discover their good friend, and Margaret’s secret lover, has been arrested for murder. Dr. Jonas Davies, a celebrated surgeon and newly appointed professor at the University of Edinburgh Medical School, was found at the grisly scene with the bloodied surgical knife at hi... read more
Capitol Crimes 2017 Anthology
Kathleen Asay, Danna Wilberg, Linda Townsdin, Karen Phillips, Sherry Joyce, Virginia Kidd, June Gillam, Rae James, Clare Price, Nan Mahon, Pat Morin, Terri Judd, Elaine Faber, R. G. Rose, Cherie O'Boyle
A collection of murder, mayhem and more; fifteen tales by members of the Capitol Crimes Chapter of Sisters in Crime. These short stories bring life to California's capital city as well as the business in the Capitol.
Arctica
Jeremy Jones
Cramped, frozen, forced to socialize with one-hundred fifty fellow colonists, engineer Robert Mason came willingly to his own private hell.Leagues from civilization, Mason and the inhabitants of PMACS 1 have just embarked on a massive social experiment deep within the Antarctic tundra. They will be watched. They will be tested. Their interactions will determine how to structure the first socie... read more
World War A: Book 1 - Chinese Trojan
Clarence Xon
The year is 2030 and America’s economy is deteriorating. China’s ascendency continues alongside the rise of a heavily militarized Russia, both countries eying the weakened superpower with interest. For Chinese-American Kaden Sun, politics and poverty are just part of the grimy backdrop of modern Los Angeles. The college student has bigger concerns at hand, like winning the WarGames Championshi... read more
Aftermath
Marilynn Larew
Baltimore February 1980 Clients don’t usually arrive at Baltimore PI Anne Carter’s office in a hail of gunfire, but EMT Charlie Magee does. He wants her to find out who is trying to kill him and why. The only unusual thing that has happened lately is that he found a man on Hollins Street and tried to keep him alive. But could she trust him? The police and fire departments don’t believe him, an... read more
AEON (The Consciousness Series Book 2)
James Suriano
Melody Parifallo thought usurping Earth’s latest election to put President Haakon back in office was the right thing to do. She believed that she knew better than the Majesty and that breaking the one unbreakable law—“Obey the vote”—would go unnoticed. But the consequences came hard and fast as the Consciousness shut down and civilization plunged into darkness. Now the human race’s survival re... read more
Inbiotic
James Suriano
The 21st Century will be remembered by the rise of the Android.Alia Vicadora is not your normal Android. Created at the hands of a disgruntled genius working in a Washington DC lab, she was engineered with stolen government technology to be used in war games, and process emotional components of adversaries. But his excitement does not last long when he discovers the government is getting close... read more
When we left Nathan and Lily at the end of ‘Gone But Not Goodbye’, Lily was preparing to give the only answer she feels she can ever give Nathan. But will she marry the man who saved her life? Or will she agree with the others who know she’s not ready?Nathan’s latest case is close to home and he is none too pleased when he meets Lily’s new friend, Alfonso, who she is spending more time with.Wi... read more
1868 - Recently married and awaiting the birth of her first child, Margaret Davies takes a position at Wendall Hall, a privately funded charity for unwed, expectant women in a small town east of Edinburgh. With Christmas around the corner and a number of birthing rooms empty, Margaret and head midwife, Violet Bane, turn their attention to the babies in the nursery ensuring they arrive at their... read more
Introducing Jolie Tucker, an introverted yet passionate restaurant co-owner of Cast Iron Creations, who, at her best friend Ava’s request, steps out of her comfort zone. This leads her into the shade of a killer in the small, cozy village of Leavensport, Ohio. The victim is the village's beloved Ellie Siler who runs the village sweet spot, Chocolate Capers. Jolie finds her grandma Opal is a pr... read more
Dying for a Deal (Laurel McKay Mysteries Book 7)
Cindy Sample
Laurel McKay Hunter is thrilled to partner with new husband, Tom, in their budding detective agency, Gold Country Investigations. With her past experience solving crimes, even Tom admits she’s a natural. And Laurel’s first case is perfect for her financial skills, extricating a friend of her zany grandmother from a Lake Tahoe timeshare scam.When the timeshare salesman is found dead, with Gran’... read more
What will you learn from Mouthing Off in Mexico? You will gain invaluable insights into the world of profanity in Spanish—a topic that may otherwise take you many painstaking years to grasp. This book does not consist of just lewd and offensive dialogue. Not at all. Cursing in any language is also an important part of the culture. You may not curse out loud in your native tongue, but you proba... read more
One-liners are the “set” phrases of a language that have been passed down from generation to generation yet never lose their relevancy nor their punch in our everyday conversations. You will find the phrases in this book to be some of the most interesting, useful, and unforgettable words you will say. Let this be your opportunity to have a different kind of fun with Spanish. Spanish One-Liners... read more
Spanish: Inside Conversations divulges the real lingo spoken among native Spanish speakers. It is a book for those who want the inside scoop on the words and expressions they use, how they use them, and in what context. Only you know your level of Spanish and where you want to take it, but if you’re ready and willing to take your Spanish to new heights, Spanish: Inside Conversations will give ... read more
Meditating Murder
Ann Saxton Reh
In this new mystery series, meet Foreign Service Officer David Markam whose love for other cultures takes him around the world to encounter diplomats, expats, eccentric locals, and a frequency of subtle murderers.It is the late 1980s. In her mansion on California's Mendocino coast, Kassandra Fitzwilliam indulges her passion for collecting South Asian antiquities and other people's secrets. Her... read more
Small-town secrets and subterfuge lead to murder in this fast-moving, deftly written tale of high-stakes real estate wrangling gone amok.Journalist Emily Garland lands a plum assignment as the editor of a niche magazine based in Lount’s Landing, a small town named after a colorful 19th century Canadian traitor. As she interviews the local business owners for the magazine, Emily quickly learns ... read more
The Dead Among Us (A Marshall House Mystery Book 3)
Tracy L. Ward
“Half of the bodies brought to my morgue are that of children, dead from starvation, exposure or wounds inflicted on them in life.” - Dr. Peter AinsleyLondon 1868 – The newspapers call him The Surgeon, a killer targeting pauper children in Limehouse district leaving their bodies discarded in death as they were in life. Discouraged by the lack of physical clues Dr. Peter Ainsley joins Scotland ... read more
Mauna Kea Rising (Lost in the Multiverse Book 1)
M. W. Kelly
Lost in the multiverse, Hellen Callahan is an unemployed, single mother trying to steer her son into adulthood. Then the lights go out.It’s the summer of 2025, in a parallel universe where the British Hawaiian Islands sit between rival superpowers, Britain and Japan. Hellen only wants to take her son on a sailing voyage to Hawaii in hopes of recapturing the bond they once shared. Isolated on t... read more
No one sheds any tears when overbearing English teacher Marcia Deaver is found dead in her classroom. Some staff members speculate it was a heart attack, or perhaps a suicide, but Liz Hopewell knows that no self-respecting member of the Valerian Hills English Department would kill herself without leaving behind a perfectly penned suicide note, complete with detailed footnotes and obscure liter... read more
Burning Cold (A Cara Walden Mystery)
Lisa Lieberman
Budapest: 1956. Newlywed Cara Walden’s brother Zoltán has disappeared in the middle of the Hungarian revolution, harboring a deadly wartime secret. Will Cara or the Soviets find him first?Cutting short her honeymoon in Paris to rescue a sibling she’s never met was not Cara’s idea, but her husband Jakub has a reckless streak, and she is too much in love to question his judgment. Together with h... read more
Discovery
Leslie Schweitzer Miller
Abbé François Bérenger Saunière arrives in Rennes-le-Château in 1885 as impoverished as the remote mountain village itself. Inspired by the true story, this unconventional priest amasses a fortune, creates a magnificent estate and brings his ancient, crumbling Church of Saint Maria Magdalena to glory. During the renovation he unearths a first century urn containing two shocking documents—a par... read more
Mercy Me
Tracy L. Ward
The first in a new series...Mercy Marigold Eaton has a special connection with the dead, able to piece together the lives of those who have passed on with a single touch. When an injured man nearly dies in her arms she isn’t given much time to work her magic before Detective Jeremiah Walker arrives and places her and her fraudulent fortune telling business under suspicion. A day later the body... read more
Dark
James Suriano
In the 25th century, Earth is a place where countries and borders no longer exist and every citizen is required to be physically connected to a global information system called the Consciousness.
Adam
James Bushill
In 2091, Victor and Maria created Adam, the world's first biological supercomputer. They dreamed of changing the world. Now it's 2101. Adam's running a mining asteroid. Maria's in a coma. Victor's dreams are in tatters.Living in the pollution-shrouded city of Missoula, Montana, scrambling to find the money to pay his wife's hospital bills, Victor doesn't think his life could get any worse. But... read more
The Gilded Cage: A Novel of Chicago
Judy Alter
Born to society and a life of privilege, Bertha Honoré married Potter Palmer, a wealthy entrepreneur who called her Cissy. Neither dreamed the direction the other’s life would take. He built the Palmer House Hotel, still famed today, and became one of the major robber barons of the city, giving generously to causes of which he approved. She put philanthropy into words, going into shanty neighb... read more
Interfaced
Sharon Doering, Emerson Doering
Brain-Machine Interfacing is making telekinesis a reality for a select few.Three months ago Kristen Crede was a typical college kid looking forward to the weekend’s bonfire party at the beach. Now she’s a triple amputee, outcasted after an accident that shattered her body and spirit. Doc Prophet convinces her to be the first patient of triple prosthetics controlled remotely by a wireless neura... read more
Arson, a bad beating, and a recluse who claims someone is trying to kill her all collide in this third Blue Plate Café Mystery with Kate Chambers. Torn between trying to save David Clinkscales, her old boss and new lover, and curiosity about Edith Aldridge’s story of an attempt on her life, Kate has to remind herself she has a café to run. She nurses a morose David, whose spirit has been hurt ... read more
Is the depot a symbol of the worst episode in a town’s history or does it stand for revitalization, bringing the citizens of Wheeler together with pride in their community?Kate Chamber’s trouble antenna go up when Dallas developer Silas Fletcher decides to help “grow” Wheeler. She and her brother-in-law, Mayor Tom Bryson, have less spectacular and drastic ideas for revitalizing the town. When ... read more
The Cult of Mao
James Suriano
The small golden lights emerged from my hands and mouth, lighting up the space around me. They swirled in the air, pulled by the currents of wind, before reforming and coming together. The lights returned to me like a million fireflies and swarmed in a tall column over each of my upturned palms. “What am I?” I said out loud. In 1968, Xiajao Ying, a young boy from a powerful Shanghai family, is... read more
One Taste Too Many (A Sarah Blair Mystery Book 1)
Debra H. Goldstein
For culinary challenged Sarah Blair, there’s only one thing scarier than cooking from scratch—murder! Married at eighteen, divorced at twenty‑eight, Sarah Blair reluctantly swaps her luxury lifestyle for a cramped studio apartment and a law firm receptionist job in the tired hometown she never left. With nothing much to show for the last decade but her feisty Siamese cat, RahRah, and some clum... read more
The Wendy (Tales of The Wendy Book 1)
Erin Michelle Sky, Steven Brown
THE WRONG KIND OF HERO. “Girls can’t be in the navy! Girls take care of babies! You’re so stupid, you don’t know anything!”London. 1783. Wendy Darling is an orphan, living in an overcrowded almshouse, ridiculed for believing in a future she can never have. More than anything in the world, she wants to be the captain of a ship. But that’s impossible. Isn’t it?By 1789, she’s sixteen, old enough ... read more
Mantle: The Smoke Wizard
Gary Bregar
Three years ago, Mantle’s three allied kingdoms banded together to defeat Menagraff and his evil minions. That defeat, however, was only the beginning in the War of Mantle. Menagraff, in the meantime, has grown stronger and a wave of darkness and terror has spread over the kingdoms of Tongar, Forris, and Bore. The allied kings find themselves at a loss on how to fight back—or even survive.Thei... read more
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Really appreciate all of Lourdes' work. Highly recommend.
Justin Smith, April 2021
She had a fresh perspective and was kind and helpful.
Karen Barr, March 2020
Lourdes not only did an A+ job in editing my book but provided feedback on positioning and leads on potential agents, none of which was part of the contract. She is a thorough professional, and I would not hesitate to contract with her again.
Jim Lewis, January 2020
I had the pleasure of collaborating with Lourdes on my project. I began as a novice and she patiently worked with me as I developed my skills as an author. Lourdes is top notch and has an eye for the rules of grammar that are overlooked by editors with less experience. I highly recommend her.
Antigone Blackwell, January 2020
I'm thrilled I chose Lourdes to critique my novel. She's an attentive reader, with a good ear and an uncanny ability to ferret out inconsistencies, even subtle ones that are chapters apart. Thanks to her gentle prodding, I made drastic cuts in what I thought was a finished novel. It's now much more fun to read.
I highly recommend her!
Lori Alden, January 2020
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Jessica Verdi
I've edited well over 200 romance, YA, and MG novels, and spent six years as Senior Editor at Simon & Schuster/Crimson Romance.
New York, NY, USA
Colm Boyd
Freelance developmental editor, with a focus on thriller and contemporary fiction, memoir non-fiction, and LGBTQ+ writing.
London, United Kingdom
