I am like most people who grew up with a passion for stories. After making my mother cry by writing a story on Santa-shaped paper when I was in second grade, I realized the power stories have to nurture and change people. After shifting away from a corporate career handling toxic tort and medical liability litigation, I was hired by a digital press to acquire and edit romance novels. I was quickly promoted to the managing editor role where I hired and trained staff and interns, worked on projects from acquisition to distribution, and edited hundreds of books across multiple genres.
Since then, I’ve enjoyed the triple threat I never knew my work life could be: editor, instructor, and writer. I’ve worked as a contract editor for various publishers and authors managing editors, freelance staff, and staff writers, developed production schedules, provided developmental editing and copyediting, developed style guides, and collaborated with marketing and IT leadership.
When I teach or coach, I bring a depth of publishing experience to the process and draw on my experiences writing as a staff writer, ghostwriter, and author. Writing to market, understanding pacing and structure, pursuing traditional publication or a self-published author brand and career are concepts that can feel confusing and isolating. Whether I am editing, coaching, or teaching, I provide actionable feedback and evidence-based guidance.
While I’m grateful for my corporate background (I’m a much more informed editor of all things medical, legal, and corporate!) I’m grateful to spend my days immersed in much more creative spaces. I bring skill developed over more than a decade of editorial team management, submissions analysis and acquisitions, cross-genre developmental editing and copyediting, and freelance practice management to help authors at every stage of the journey learn, grow, and succeed.
As a queer woman, I more than just value diversity. Diversity and inclusion are critical team-building and human-centered values that show up in everything from the style guides I create for publishers and editorial teams to the graphics I use on social media. Compassionate and human-centered, team-focused, and committed to growth and development, I try with every publisher, client, and student to live out the changes I’d like to see in the industry I love so much. When I’m not reading, I can be found exploring Los Angeles with my dog, playing Magic the Gathering with friends, rewatching my favorite streaming shows (like Vox Machina, Flavorful Origins, and The Walking Dead) or playing video games.