Here’s a little more about who I am and what I do when I’m not knee-deep in someone else’s fascinating words.
Me in my attic office.
Quick story…
Before I started my editing business, I worked as an intern at Breakwater Books, a small press in St. John’s, NL. It was my job to read all incoming submissions and report any gems in our weekly team meetings.
I read A LOT of submissions.
My favourite part of that process was discovering something truly powerful—a piece of writing that I could see raw potential in, that I could champion to the rest of the team.
(The worst part was the sheer volume of rejection letters I had to send. I got really good at giving helpful and kind feedback, though. It might help you to know that rejection from a publishing house is less often “This is terrible!” and more often “This doesn’t fit our current list”.)
At my press job, I learned how passionate writers are about their craft, and I got to see the inner workings of a traditional publishing company. I struggled because I saw so much potential, but we couldn’t publish all the books I wanted to bring to life.
After a year there, learning the ropes of copyediting and proofreading from the managing editor, I decided freelancing was a better fit for me.
So, I started my own editing business to work with all the amazing writers kept out of the competitive (and often risk-averse) traditional publishing route. Writers who could make a go as indie authors self-publishing their books and building a raving fanbase. I knew you were out there… because I’d been reading your work all along.
Before I started my editing business, I worked as an intern at Breakwater Books, a small press in St. John’s, NL. It was my job to read all incoming submissions and report any gems in our weekly team meetings.
I read A LOT of submissions.
My favourite part of that process was discovering something truly powerful—a piece of writing that I could see raw potential in, that I could champion to the rest of the team.
(The worst part was the sheer volume of rejection letters I had to send. I got really good at giving helpful and kind feedback, though. It might help you to know that rejection from a publishing house is less often “This is terrible!” and more often “This doesn’t fit our current list”.)
At my press job, I learned how passionate writers are about their craft, and I got to see the inner workings of a traditional publishing company. I struggled because I saw so much potential, but we couldn’t publish all the books I wanted to bring to life.
After a year there, learning the ropes of copyediting and proofreading from the managing editor, I decided freelancing was a better fit for me.
So, I started my own editing business to work with all the amazing writers kept out of the competitive (and often risk-averse) traditional publishing route. Writers who could make a go as indie authors self-publishing their books and building a raving fanbase. I knew you were out there… because I’d been reading your work all along.
Other fun things about me...
I get up at 5 a.m. ... really. Morning people rock!
I grew up in Aylmer, Quebec, Canada, and later moved to Toronto. After 6 years in that fast-paced city, I settled in Kitchener, Ontario—and the slower pace of life here seriously suits me! Now I'm woken up by birdsong instead of traffic. And even though I get to choose my own hours as a freelance editor, I live my best life as a morning person. I have the whole attic as my office/art studio, and I've never been happier.
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My living room turns into a gym every day at 8 a.m. I grew up doing competitive gymnastics! Currently, my fave activities include resistance training (especially with kettlebells), my yoga/meditation practice, and long walks and bike rides. |
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I love the arts, from abstract painting, to drawing, to dabbling in art journaling and collage.
I've taken over the attic as my office and art studio. Since I've secretly always wanted to be an abstract painter, this art studio space has been an awesome development! I've dabbled across loads of art forms these last few years. Currently, I’m focusing on art journaling and collage (I’ve also kept a journal of some kind since I was 12).
Here are some of the collages I've made in recent times.
I also have a bachelor’s degree in humanities (because I can never choose one thing) and a master’s degree in philosophy. My thesis was a phenomenological inquiry into the embodiment of yoga and ballet.
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If you resonated with any of this, let me know. I'd love to help you bring your book to life.
More about my editing journey
Podcasts interviews
Never in a million years would I have believed I would go on podcasts, but here we are! Last year I chose SHARE/EXPRESS as my Words of the Year, and it opened some interesting opportunities.
- Perfectionism as a Superpower (Ugly Podcast episode)
- Tolerating Imperfection (Ugly Podcast episode)
- Collaborative Editing (Stark Reflections episode)
- YouTube interview with editor Susan Barnes
Editing credentials and experience
- Bachelor's degree in humanities from Carleton University
- Master's degree in philosophy from Brock University
- Editing internship and full year of working in-house as a publishing assistant
- Continuing ed courses including a copyediting course from the Toronto Metropolitan University, a distance ed proofreading course from Editcetera, and a slew of professional development from the Editorial Freelancers Association and ACES.
- Lead editor at House of Zolo, a small indie press. I've edited four volumes of the HOZ Journal of Speculative Literature.
- More details on my LinkedIn
Other places to find me
House of Zolo Publishing
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Some of our favourite areas: transhumanism, artificial intelligence, genetic engineering, new systems, resistance, activism, queer perspectives, feminist perspectives, nature.
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Commonplace Blog
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