Services for Authors

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I’ve spent the past 15 years immersed in storytelling craft from all sides: author, editor, teacher, industry nerd, and fangirl. I received my MFA in Creative Writing from the University of Notre Dame and because I couldn’t get enough, I doubled up on classes for a dual degree in both Poetry and Fiction. I’ve been through the querying gauntlet more than once, and understand the dogged determination, creative energy, and boundless curiosity needed to sustain a creative life. In the past five years, I have published four critically acclaimed novels with Macmillan/FSG Books for Young Readers and I love helping other writers achieve their storytelling dreams.

I am an absolute story geek, and I excel at looking at manuscripts from both a craft and industry angle. YOUR vision and characters are the heart of your story…but you also need strong structure, stakes, and emotional impact to connect with readers (and, realistically, gatekeepers).

If your goal is to be traditionally published (particularly in children’s books), my successful Big 4 experiences can help you avoid pitfalls and give you insider knowledge about current market realities while always staying true to the heart and soul of your story–your true north.

If your goal is self-publishing*, I can be the editorial eye you need to make sure your final product is a well-crafted jewel box that will grab readers’ hearts and minds and carry them all the way through to a satisfying ending.

I’ve worked with critically acclaimed authors including Ann Braden (middle grade), Shana Youngdahl (middle grade), and Anna Vodicka (adult memoir and creative non-fiction) as well as with other talented authors of middle grade novels, contemporary adult fiction, YA adventure, and fantasy series who are on their way to publication—I can’t wait for you to read their work someday! References available on request.