There’s a kind of baseball player I’ve always been intrigued by: the utility player.
This player marries a broad range of skills with a can-do spirit. The result? The manager can stick this player nearly anywhere on the field, and the player can perform for the team. 1st base? Sure. Left field? Not a problem. This player’s utility allows the team the adjust as needed. And a team that can make adjustments on the fly? That’s a recipe for more wins.
I’m not so bold as to crown myself a utility player (I wish!), but I sure take inspiration from them.
In my decade and a half in the publishing industry, I’ve worked in fiction and nonfiction. I’ve written memoirs, cookbooks, how-to guides, even a devotional book for children about inspiring historical figures (history nerd achievement: unlocked). I’ve edited dystopian fiction, travelogues, rom-coms, activity books, self-help treatises, and so many picture books that my five-year-old self would have stood with her mouth in a wide O, if she’d have known what her job would be when she grew up.
The world is a fascinating place. I love learning more about it and sharing it through the written word.
🖊 A little more about me:
I worked as an editor for HarperCollins, specializing in four-color products like children’s books, gift books and lifestyle books, before branching off into freelance writing and editing a dozen years ago.
In addition to my Big 5 publishing clients, I’ve been fortunate to work with talented folks like New York Times bestselling thriller author J.T. Ellison, founder of the Simplified brand Emily Ley, and the women-owned production company Four Eyes Media.
📚 I work in all kinds of genres:
For a trade publishing audience, my work spans: memoir, advice and self-help, religion and spirituality, devotionals and daily readers, business, cookbooks, humor, science, and history. I also frequently edit women’s fiction.
For a children’s audience, I have extensive experience with: picture books and board books, activity books, Bible storybooks and devotionals, science, history, comics and graphic novels, middle-grade fiction and nonfiction, and YA nonfiction.
💡 Some FYIs about my work:
My favorite projects involve: helping new authors share their stories, digging into research and sorting through the nitty-gritty (while leaving a lighthearted comment or two in Tracked Changes), and working on any stage of a children’s book.
I have an ear for capturing and maintaining an author’s voice. Trust me, when we’re done collaborating, your book will sound just like you.
I’m not interested in tearing down a book to build it up into what *I* want to read. That serves no one. My goal is to come alongside authors and provide whatever they might be looking for in a creative partner: a sounding board, a devil’s advocate, a project manager who can see the forest while the author’s in the midst of the trees.
I have a particular affinity for women’s stories—older, younger, in-between, I’m captivated by them all.
I’m fluent in the languages of the general and Christian markets.
As you’re reading this, I’m probably reading something too. Either that, or I’m making tacos in my tiny kitchen, watching the Cincinnati Reds, or road tripping to another new-to-me place. There is definitely a cup of tea nearby.