I have been working as an editor and communication specialist since 2006. From book manuscripts and audio transcripts to press releases and EFL programs, I’ve worked on a little bit of everything. I worked primarily as a freelance fiction editor for years. Since mid-2019, I have been doing technical writing and editing by day (mostly computer software, hardware, and IT stuff) while doing games, comics, and book writing and editing by night.
I am known for my expertise in constructed languages (conlangs) in fiction and communicating about death and grief. I’m fortunate to also have experience in project management, brand development, content strategy, graphic and web design, usability testing, and more.
I have an Editing Certificate from Poynter and ACES: The Society for Editing, a Copyediting (Copy Editing) Certificate from UC San Diego Extension, and a Bachelor of Science in Technical Communication from Arizona State University. (Fun fact: Before switching my university major to technical communication, my academic studies and research were primarily focused on death-related communication experiences such as grief disclosure, privacy management, expectancy violations, and interaction adaptation.)
I am a member of ACES: The Society for Editing, the Editorial Freelancers Association, the Chartered Institute of Editing and Proofreading, and the Association of Independent Publishing Professionals. I’m excited to be one of the coordinators for the new Phoenix chapter of the Editorial Freelancers Association. I was the vice president of the Arizona chapter of the Society for Technical Communication for a little over a year (April 2020 through April 2021).
Beyond editing manuscripts, I like to be involved with the publishing community in other ways. I was one of the jurors for the Speculative Literature Foundation‘s 2017 Working-Class Writers Grant, and I was one of the judges for the 2017 Writing Contest hosted by the Society of Southwestern Authors. I also regularly present talks and workshops at industry conferences and events.
Bonus trivia: I live with my family in Central Arizona. Our collective fandoms include Studio Ghibli, Star Wars, and Doctor Who, among others. My book collection borders on literary hoarding, especially my collection of dictionaries. I’m a newbie conlanger who has found one of my tribes in the Language Creation Society. I have a special interest in signed conlangs, conlangs in fiction, and conlanging as a tool for reviving dead or dying languages. I have lived in a few different countries and in various states across the USA. I sincerely hope to one day see world peace become a reality.
And because it’s worth making this clear: Black lives matter. No human is illegal. Love is love. Women’s rights are human rights. Trans women are women. Trans men are men. Science is real. Water is life. Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice anywhere.