Overview

I will polish and shine your writing so your focus on your message.

I am a dedicated copyeditor working with traditional and hybrid publishers and independent authors. My intensive six-month trade book copyediting mentorship with Editorial Arts Academy complements over thirty years of professional communications experience.

My first job out of college was in book and author publicity. I've written and edited news and feature stories, corporate advertising and marketing pieces, technical manuals, therapeutic massage blogs and wellness marketing content, and political advocacy materials.

I have a BA in English, an MS in organizational leadership and management, and an MA in liberal studies. My literary sensibilities began in childhood, reading my parents' sci-fi and fantasy book collection, joining them to watch Star Trek: The Original Series and Doctor Who, and journeying within via my uncle's psychedelic record collection.

I provide client-centered copyediting. Holding each author's priorities in mind, I commit to serving their writing and their readers. Daily mindfulness practices, a twenty-five-year professional history as a massage therapist and yoga teacher, and vegan living keep me pointed toward doing the most good and least harm for the long-term well-being of all involved. And yes, I love cats that much and more.

Services

Copy Editing

Languages

English (US)

Non-Fiction

Biographies & Memoirs

Health & wellbeing

Inspirational

Fiction

Chick Lit

Contemporary Romance

Cozy Mysteries

Young Adult Fantasy

Certifications

Editorial Arts Academy: Intensive Six-Month Copyediting Mentorship
New York University Summer Publishing Institute
Snelling Center for Government: Vermont Leadership Institute

Copy Editor

Self-employed

August, 2019 – Present (about 1 year)

I copyedit trade books for Penguin Random House and independent authors.

Advocacy and Lobbying Communicator

Vermont Freedom to Marry Task Force

August, 2007 – November, 2011 (over 4 years)

I wrote and edited legislative lobbying and public advocacy materials. After seeing my letter to the editor, Vermont Freedom to Marry recruited me as a volunteer, hired me as a statewide field organizer, and promoted me to field director in Vermont's successful effort to become the first state to enact marriage equality through legislative act. As the last board chair, I managed the disposition of VFMTF's historical archive to the Middlebury College library's special collections.

Editor and Writer

Commercial and Volunteer Organizations

August, 1986 – Present (about 34 years)

The Garden at 485 Elm (January, 2014 – Present) and Massage Vermont, LLC (May 1997 - present):
I write and edit community outreach materials, internal communications, and grants for an all-volunteer community garden of twenty households growing one big kitchen garden together to share with each other and with regional organizations feeding Vermonters in need
As a small business proprietor, I write and edit marketing, educational, and advocacy materials for Vermont's touch practitioner community, legislators, and policy makers.

Advertising Copywriter and Editor, Church & Main Advertising, Inc.
1988 - 1996
I wrote and edited freelancers' writing for print and broadcast advertising, public relations campaigns, and annual reports.

Technical Writer and Editor, CGData, Inc.
1986 - 1988
I wrote and edited other writers' documentation for end users of mainframe health insurance claim software.