Get to Know Me
Get to Know Me
Like many copyeditors, I’ve been in love with words and type ever since I learned to read. In college, I dabbled in computer science for a bit before settling on a major in graphic art, with an emphasis in typography. After graduation, I worked in the pre-press department of a printing company, doing film assembly (it was the early 1990s, after all!) and making and inspecting plates and press proofs. But after several years I decided that I wanted to work for myself, and I returned to my love of language—basically the other end of the print production process. I took some courses, garnered some clients, and got started working on college textbooks and romance novels (an interesting combination, to be sure!).
Over the years, the balance of my work has moved away from textbooks toward other, shorter nonfiction projects, including software study guides, scholarly books for university presses, self-help books, cookbooks, memoirs, and other trade nonfiction. My body of fiction copyediting work has developed to include series fiction and best-selling authors. Nothing pleases me more than when an author specifically asks for me to copyedit their next book or writes a lovely acknowledgment. I also speak at regional and national editorial conferences, give webinars and other online presentations, and write articles about the business of freelancing, tech tools for editors, mastermind groups, and other editorial topics, to provide professional development for my colleagues as well as to sharpen my own skills. (And, of course, I have turned that experience into my own book on copyediting fiction, the first of its kind!) Attending professional conferences and meeting up with friends and colleagues old and new has been a wonderful experience. I love freelancing and I intend to continue indefinitely.
So what do I do when I’m “off the clock”? Well, I used to be an avid pleasure reader (perhaps obviously), and though I still love a good book, I like to spend my off time away from the desk, up and about, moving around! In past years I completed several marathons, a few dozen half marathons, and numerous shorter races to keep myself fit. I love to sing—lead or harmony, in private or in public, a cappella or with a band—and do so whenever I get the chance. I enjoy cooking and my latest interest is building charcuterie boards, after proofreading a book on the topic. My spouse and I have lived in rural central Wisconsin for more than thirty years, and our house has always been home to at least one English springer spaniel, the breed we love best. My favorite way to take a break from editing is to grab one of my dogs and take her on an adventure suited to her personality and training, whether it be pet therapy, dock diving, agility, obedience, lure coursing, other dog sports, a long sniffy walk, or just having fun!