Overview
While many of my clients are traditionally published, an increasing number are hiring me to assist them in self-publishing. Whatever your goals, I strive to help you bring your story and characters to their full potential while adhering to the highest standards of editing.
My areas of work include fiction and nonfiction, although fiction gives me the greatest buzz. As both an editor and creative writing coach I've enjoyed working on everything from crime to YA, romance, horror, thrillers, children's fiction, literary fiction, dystopian fiction and fantasy.
Margaret Atwood once famously quipped that getting edited is like falling face-down in a threshing machine. I agree that it's a rigorous process, but I endeavour to have my clients emerge on the other end with the minimum of scrapes and bruises.
Services
Non-Fiction
Fiction
Languages
Awards
- Maskew Miller Longman Award for Youth Literature, 2011
- Best Author in Early Childhood Development Literature, UNICEF & Book Dash, 2014
Certifications
- Master of Arts degree, University of Stellenbosch, 2003
Work experience
University of Alberta Press
• Manuscript assessment of Tiny Lights for Travellers, a memoir by Naomi K. Lewis. Shortlisted for the Governor General's Literary Award, 2019 (nonfiction category)
• Edited Rising Abruptly, short stories, by Gisèle Villeneuve. Winner of the George Bugnet Award for Fiction, 2017
South African Writers' College, online
• Tutor for the Write a Novel course, Advanced Novel Writing, and Literary Short and Flash Fiction
• Tutor for the basics of creative writing and Write a Children's Book courses
Self-employed
• Translated International Dagger Award 2019 longlistee Weeping Waters, a crime novel, by Karin Brynard for Penguin
• Edited the Jeff Madison children's fantasy series for self-publishing author Bernice Fischer
• Clients include Penguin Random House, Kwela Books, Tafelberg, Media24 and Oxford University Press
Oxford University Press UK
• Wrote a number of engaging children's stories for the Oxford Reading Buddy series at the invitation of Oxford University Press, UK
Oxford University Press South Africa
• Edited, translated and proofread texts such as In Search of History, Let's Do English, and Let's Do Natural Science & Health
• Wrote a variety of graded readers for the Aweh! series for English First Additional Language
Portfolio
Maya has 32 reviews
Professionalism
Quality
Value
Responsiveness
Ilaria M.
Sep, 2024
Joel H.
Mar, 2024
Helen O.
Nov, 2023
Dilan Q.
Jul, 2023
Helen O.
May, 2023
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