Michelle Krueger

Michelle Krueger - Editor

Minneapolis, MN, USA

YA and Mystery expert, savvy in both traditional and independent publishing. Encouraging, motivating and committed.

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Overview

A storyteller is born as a result of the partnership between the writer and an editor passionate enough about the story to get it to the polished finish line. I am a writer, editor and content strategist, with over 20 years of experience. Some of my specialities include mystery novels (very keen on cozies!), Young Adult, historical fiction, time travel, fantasy, health care, publishing, travel, home & garden, food culture, and retail. I love working with new authors.

I started my editing career as a proofreader for the Associated Press and moved into book publishing for Llewellyn Worldwide Inc. where I worked on mystery novels, Young Adult fiction, paranormal love stories and calendars/almanacs.

For much of of my career, I've written and edited high-profile executive stories, scripts, blog posts and other content for Fortune 500 companies, including for VIPs in the Fortune Top 10.
Languages
English (US)
Non-Fiction
Calendars
Travel
Fiction
Cozy Mysteries
Historical Fiction
Historical Mysteries
Time Travel
Time Travel Romance
Young Adult

Work experience

Communications Consultant

UnitedHealthcare
November, 2015 – January, 2021 (about 5 years)

Owner/Editor/Content Strategist

Self-employed
July, 2015 – Present (over 7 years)

Copywriter

Llewellyn Worldwide Publishing
October, 2006 – January, 2008 (over 1 year)

Proofreader

Associated Press
February, 1998 – July, 1999 (over 1 year)

Dressed to Keel: A Darcy Cavanaugh Mystery (The Darcy Cavanaugh Mysteries)

Candy Calvert

Leaving behind a cheating ex-boyfriend and her stressful job as an ER nurse, Darcy Cavanaugh goes on a fall foliage cruise with her best friend Marie. Lost in a sea of senior citizens, Darcy and Marie, the shipboard nurse, do their best to enjoy the free mimosas, Elvis impersonations, and nosey shipmates. But sailing the high seas is anything but fun when jewelry is stolen and a cabin steward ... read more

Leaving behind a cheating ex-boyfriend and her stressful job as an ER nurse, Darcy Cavanaugh goes on a fall foliage cruise with her best friend Marie. Lost in a sea of senior citizens, Darcy and Marie, the shipboard nurse, do their best to enjoy the free mimosas, Elvis impersonations, and nosey shipmates. But sailing the high seas is anything but fun when jewelry is stolen and a cabin steward ... read more

Mai Tai to Murder (The Darcy Cavanaugh Mysteries)

Candy Calvert

Knives, poison, strangulation?ER nurse Darcy Cavanaugh is about to show-and-tell all kinds of deathly dos and don'ts for a mystery writers' workshop at sea. Teaching A Nurses' Guide to Murder in exchange for a Caribbean cruise was a small price to pay for what should have been a vacation in paradise. That is, if she didn't have to share deck space with her boyfriend's uptight mother! Aspiring ... read more

Knives, poison, strangulation?ER nurse Darcy Cavanaugh is about to show-and-tell all kinds of deathly dos and don'ts for a mystery writers' workshop at sea. Teaching A Nurses' Guide to Murder in exchange for a Caribbean cruise was a small price to pay for what should have been a vacation in paradise. That is, if she didn't have to share deck space with her boyfriend's uptight mother! Aspiring ... read more

August Moon: Humor and Hijinks (A Mira James Mystery Book 4)

Jess Lourey

"[H]ilarious, fast paced, and madcap!"―Booklist (starred review)Furious after being stood up by local hottie Johnny Leeson, Mira decides to abandon Battle Lake, Minnesota, where the women are churchgoers, the men like to hunt, and the body count is above average. But when a cheerleader bites the dust, Mira is called back to the town that has done her wrong.She begins investigating the New Mill... read more

"[H]ilarious, fast paced, and madcap!"―Booklist (starred review)Furious after being stood up by local hottie Johnny Leeson, Mira decides to abandon Battle Lake, Minnesota, where the women are churchgoers, the men like to hunt, and the body count is above average. But when a cheerleader bites the dust, Mira is called back to the town that has done her wrong.She begins investigating the New Mill... read more

June Bug: Humor and Hijinks (A Mira James Mystery Book 2)

Jess Lourey

"Loved this book. Keeps you guessing til the end!" ―Diana MartinezMira James never imagined life after Minneapolis would be a doublewide trailer outside Battle Lake, Minnesota. Then again, maybe the North Country has more to offer than mosquitoes and broasted chicken. Maybe it has earthy, sexy Johnny Leeson and...lost jewels?Local legend claims that a diamond necklace was lost nearly a century... read more

"Loved this book. Keeps you guessing til the end!" ―Diana MartinezMira James never imagined life after Minneapolis would be a doublewide trailer outside Battle Lake, Minnesota. Then again, maybe the North Country has more to offer than mosquitoes and broasted chicken. Maybe it has earthy, sexy Johnny Leeson and...lost jewels?Local legend claims that a diamond necklace was lost nearly a century... read more

Knee High by the Fourth of July: Humor and Hijinks (A Mira James Mystery Book 3)

Jess Lourey

Finalist for The Lefty Award for Best Humorous Mystery!What's so wrong with admiring from a distance? After all, Mira's quirky attraction to Chief Wenonga, a well-muscled fiberglass statue, might be a safer love pursuit than online dating. But when the 23-foot Chief goes missing and a human scalp is discovered at his cement base, Mira's not the only Battle Lake citizen to be crushed.Things get... read more

Finalist for The Lefty Award for Best Humorous Mystery!What's so wrong with admiring from a distance? After all, Mira's quirky attraction to Chief Wenonga, a well-muscled fiberglass statue, might be a safer love pursuit than online dating. But when the 23-foot Chief goes missing and a human scalp is discovered at his cement base, Mira's not the only Battle Lake citizen to be crushed.Things get... read more

Aye Do or Die (The Darcy Cavanaugh Mysteries)

Candy Calvert

ER nurse Darcy Cavanaugh is sailing the high seas again–adrift as a bridesmaid on a wedding cruise complete with raucous firefighters who have a taste for practical jokes and raunchy ties. Cruising up the West Coast, Darcy tries not to panic about one curious ring-sized box hidden in her boyfriend's pocket. But a poet-stalker obsessed with her feet, a stressed-out wedding planner, and her hunk... read more

ER nurse Darcy Cavanaugh is sailing the high seas again–adrift as a bridesmaid on a wedding cruise complete with raucous firefighters who have a taste for practical jokes and raunchy ties. Cruising up the West Coast, Darcy tries not to panic about one curious ring-sized box hidden in her boyfriend's pocket. But a poet-stalker obsessed with her feet, a stressed-out wedding planner, and her hunk... read more

Ghost of a Chance (The Marjorie McClelland Mysteries Book 2)

Amy Patricia Meade

“Murder, love, industrial espionage and bigamy are the ingredients blended together in this well-devised mystery story. The plot has all the Agatha Christie hallmarks of twists, turns and dead ends . . .” —Historical Novel ReviewMystery writer Marjorie McClelland knows all too well that murder always finds you when you least expect it, so when a man at the local annual carnival goes up in a Fe... read more

“Murder, love, industrial espionage and bigamy are the ingredients blended together in this well-devised mystery story. The plot has all the Agatha Christie hallmarks of twists, turns and dead ends . . .” —Historical Novel ReviewMystery writer Marjorie McClelland knows all too well that murder always finds you when you least expect it, so when a man at the local annual carnival goes up in a Fe... read more

Million Dollar Baby (The Marjorie McClelland Mysteries Book 1)

Amy Patricia Meade

“If only Katharine Hepburn, Cary Grant, and Jimmy Stewart were still alive. They would be fabulous in the movie version of Meade’s debut Marjorie McClelland mystery . . . Meade’s kickoff mystery is a winner.” —BooklistProhibition might be over, but life in Marjorie McClelland’s small, depression-era Connecticut town is still quiet. Filled with nosy neighbors and plenty of gossip, the mystery w... read more

“If only Katharine Hepburn, Cary Grant, and Jimmy Stewart were still alive. They would be fabulous in the movie version of Meade’s debut Marjorie McClelland mystery . . . Meade’s kickoff mystery is a winner.” —BooklistProhibition might be over, but life in Marjorie McClelland’s small, depression-era Connecticut town is still quiet. Filled with nosy neighbors and plenty of gossip, the mystery w... read more

Shadow Waltz (The Marjorie McClelland Mysteries Book 3)

Amy Patricia Meade

“Sprightly characters, saucy dialogue, and supple pacing are once again winsomely showcased in Meade’s sassy paean to those zany Depression-era, romantic detective duos.” —BooklistHappily engaged to the elegant Creighton Ashcroft, mystery writer Marjorie McClelland is looking forward to returning to a quiet life in small-town Connecticut. But things never go the way a writer plots them, and th... read more

“Sprightly characters, saucy dialogue, and supple pacing are once again winsomely showcased in Meade’s sassy paean to those zany Depression-era, romantic detective duos.” —BooklistHappily engaged to the elegant Creighton Ashcroft, mystery writer Marjorie McClelland is looking forward to returning to a quiet life in small-town Connecticut. But things never go the way a writer plots them, and th... read more

Beneath the Sand

Bichler, Katherine L.

The Joy City Pool

Briggs, Glenn

Snapshots

Paul Buchanan

Jimmy knows more about Jen’s disappearance than he can tell anyone—not his mom, his school counselor, or even his court-mandated psychologist. And the secrets he’s keeping have landed him in deep trouble. From this series of vignettes, or snapshots, a story emerges about love and loyalty, betrayal and trust.

Jimmy knows more about Jen’s disappearance than he can tell anyone—not his mom, his school counselor, or even his court-mandated psychologist. And the secrets he’s keeping have landed him in deep trouble. From this series of vignettes, or snapshots, a story emerges about love and loyalty, betrayal and trust.

2006 Witches' Datebook (Witches' Datebook)

Elizabeth Barrette, Edain McCoy, Raven Grimassi, Ellen Dugan, Daniel Pharr, Llewellyn

Make room for more magic in your life with the Witches’ Datebook. Keep track of coven meetings, festivals, and your more mundane appointments in the midst of recipes, rituals, and pagan artwork. A portable companion to Llewellyn’s Witches’ Calendar, this enchanting datebook presents each week on a two-page spread. Each month features Moon rituals by Edain McCoy, meditations by Elizabeth Barret... read more

Make room for more magic in your life with the Witches’ Datebook. Keep track of coven meetings, festivals, and your more mundane appointments in the midst of recipes, rituals, and pagan artwork. A portable companion to Llewellyn’s Witches’ Calendar, this enchanting datebook presents each week on a two-page spread. Each month features Moon rituals by Edain McCoy, meditations by Elizabeth Barret... read more

Llewellyn's 2008 Herbal Almanac (Annuals - Herbal Almanac)

Magenta Griffith, Mark Stavish, Elizabeth Barrette, S.Y. Zenith, Patti Wigington, Lynn Smythe, Michelle Skye, Llewellyn

Plan a delicious herb-based brunch. Give your hair a henna boost. Arm yourself for the cold and flu season. There are hundreds of ways to get the most from nature''s most versatile plants inside Llewellyn''s 2008 Herbal Almanac. Featuring over three dozen articles, this treasury of innovative herbal ideas spans six categories: gardening, cooking, crafts, health, beauty, and myth/lore. In this ... read more

Plan a delicious herb-based brunch. Give your hair a henna boost. Arm yourself for the cold and flu season. There are hundreds of ways to get the most from nature''s most versatile plants inside Llewellyn''s 2008 Herbal Almanac. Featuring over three dozen articles, this treasury of innovative herbal ideas spans six categories: gardening, cooking, crafts, health, beauty, and myth/lore. In this ... read more

Michelle has 56 reviews

Professionalism
Professionalism
Quality
Quality
Value
Value
Communication & Punctuality
Communication & Punctuality

Donald Jay
High marks for Michelle Kreuger’s work editing and providing insights into my 93K word treasure hunt mystery novel. From a business standpoint, Michelle is a professional, and her process is easy and painless. From an editorial perspective, Michelle’s insights and suggestions meaningfully improved the book without being invasive or overwhelming. From her overall input on the story to minute lin...
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Donald Jay, February 2023

Michelle Krueger
Thank yo so much, Donald. It was an absolute pleasure to work with you. I can't wait for people to enjoy your soulful and imaginative novel. The puzzles were particularly clever - you're so talente...
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Reply from Michelle Krueger


Connie Hamm
Michelle is absolutely excellent. She notices the minute details so easily overlooked. Very professional. Knows her stuff.

Connie Hamm, January 2023

Michelle Krueger
I loved working on your western cozy, Connie. So much fun with a wonderful cast of characters. It's been an absolute joy to work with you. Looking forward to more!

Reply from Michelle Krueger


Melissa Pavy
Kind and helpful!

Melissa Pavy, January 2023

Michelle Krueger
Thank you! I loved your story - it was perfect to work on just before the new year. Hope to work with you in the future.

Reply from Michelle Krueger


Eve Swanson
Michelle brought my story to where I needed it to be, her recommendations and diligence of the edits were really good. Not only did she improve my story, I was excited to revise parts that she addressed. Starting with her quote through the final page, she was clear and reasonable, patient, professional and kind.

Eve Swanson, December 2022

Michelle Krueger
Thank you so much, Eve. Your novel was so compelling and realistic that I felt transported in time to the Wild West. It's been a joy to work with you, and I look forward to your next novel!

Reply from Michelle Krueger


Michelle McCarragher
Another superb collaboration with Michelle Krueger, and I highly recommend her. Her editorial comments are well thought out, and she offers helpful ideas that take your novel one step further. She tweaks and tightens your work without bleeding all over your manuscript. Three cheers for Michelle! I look forward to being on her list for 2023.

Michelle McCarragher, December 2022

Michelle Krueger
Thank you, Michelle! I just love working with you and can't wait to read the next Kennedy Reeves mystery. I'm so impressed with the latest novel, from the holiday twists and impressive culinary adv...
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