Empress Editing is ready to help!

 

I take a methodical approach and edit one piece at a time. Your work will be my primary literary focus. If you long for a one-on-one editorial relationship, I look forward to speaking with you. Together, we will indulge your story because it’s worth it.

My writing and editing experience lean toward short stories and novels and genre experience includes Science Fiction, Fantasy, Romance, Military and Historical fiction and Non-fiction. If you’re writing in another genre, please reach out as I expect my list to expand over time. I’m not a good fit for Horror or Erotica.

I excel at line-level suggestions, (one critique partner said, “Your comments are specific and communicated well so I don’t have to wonder what you meant.) I love character, plot and world development, which are the basics of story.

All services include a $5 sample of your first page so you can see how I edit. If you decide to book my services, that cost will go toward the project fee.

Editorial Letter: I will read your manuscript and provide a detailed letter discussing strengths, weaknesses, potential issues and solutions. This is a hands-off overview and will not have on-the-page suggestions, but if you are in the first stages of writing, (such as plot or character development or worldbuilding) this can help you avoid pitfalls. Expect a two-week turn around for novels.

• $100 for 10,000 words or less
• $250 for more than 10,000 words; please provide an outline
• Additional $50 for 30-minute letter consultation

Developmental Editing includes an in-depth examination of the overall structure of your story including plot, character arc and thematic progress. These are the dry bones of every story and the elements most likely to muddy an otherwise promising tale. It can take months because of the need to rewrite and get the basic story in place. Editorial suggestions will be made via Track Changes and in-manuscript comments. Cost for short stories (less than 10,000 words) is .04 a word. Due to the time involved, the price for any work longer than 10,000 words is .06 per word.

Line and Copy Editing is a process I tend to combine, and I charge .04 a word for short stories and .06 a word for works longer than 10,000 words.

Payment Process: If you wish to use my editing services after seeing the sample, I will add you to my work calendar and send you a contract. I ask for 50% of payment upon start of work and will invoice you for final payment when I’ve finished. Payment are processed through Paypal or Venmo.

I remain available for clarification of editorial comments. For content editing, your fee includes a 30-minute conversation to discuss suggested changes. For copy editing, I am always available via email for technical questions about changes.

Interested? Contact me through the form below:

Good News on So Many Fronts

I’ve had a story reprinted and illustrated. Cold Heart is in Dreamforge!

 

 

 

I will also have a story out in the Unhelpful Encylopedia Vol.2, Murderbugs. It’s scheduled for a spring of 2024 release. If you’re interested in helping to fund the Kickstarter, please do so as soon as possible. The Kickstarter is funded for publication, but I’m still hoping to see it funded for illustrations. Especially because I’m hoping Glen Dixon, my husband, will be one of the illustrators. Any help toward that goal is greatly appreciated and not just by me. Funding means artists are paid and authors have their work professionally illustrated, a great honor.

 

And last but not least, I’ve had several Honorable Mentions and Silver Honorable Mentions from Writers of the Future. There’s a tendency to think, “Ha! You didn’t win, so who cares?” There are thousands of entries in each quarter and getting to the Honorable Mention level means you were in the top 10%. I’ve actually been a finalist once and I will get there again.

 

What’s your good news?

Incoming! Writers of the Future Vol. 38

I had the privilege of proofreading this work of art before it came out, so I’ve read the book. I’m still getting a copy. It’s THAT GOOD. There are stories in here I will read and reread and always marvel at how the author did it. (And try to learn how to duplicate their feat.) I’ve read these anthologies for years and this is one of my favorites.

Going to this link will get you a copy autographed during the week of the event. (Autographed copies are only available while supplies last!) This volume has the last short story published by Dave Farland before his untimely passing. The cover illustrates that tale.

It occurs to me that some people still associate this anthology with scientology. The two are SEPARATE. If you’re concerned about supporting a cult, you’re not. You’re supporting the literature and illustration of Science Fiction, Fantasy and Horror (although I don’t think there’s any horror in this issue). You’re supporting art.

What world doesn’t need more art?

Writers of the Future Workshop

Some of you might have noticed, I’m trying to win the Writers of the Future Contest. I’ve actually won four Honorable Mentions at this point. That means the judges recognize I have ability and want to encourage me to keep working.

They’ve now taken that encouragement a step farther. They launched a FREE workshop. The Writers of the Future Workshop will teach you how to write award-winning material. Do you want to write like Orson Scott Card, or Dave Farland or Tim Powers? They’re your INSTRUCTORS.

Do you have difficulties coming up with interesting concepts? Mr. Card has a class called 1,001 Story Ideas in an Hour and he’s not kidding. Do you hate research? Tim Powers is a master of it and has great suggestions for turning the subject on its head. David Farland, the head judge of the competition, will walk you through how to outline a story so that it fits publishing criteria.

This is a workshop that will take you a minimum of a week to complete. Make no mistake, you would normally pay $500-$1,000 under different circumstances. You will come out of the workshop a better writer if you listen to every module and do the practical exercises. You’ll come out of it with a completed (not necessarily polished) story.

Yup. A minimum of one new story completed. I have several partial stories in addition to the one I completed. They’ll also give you suggestions on how to turn your short stories into novels. It’s what Orson Scott Card did with “Ender’s Game,” so he knows what he’s talking about. It’s not necessary to write Science Fiction, Fantasy or Horror to benefit from this workshop. It’s not necessary to write fiction to benefit.

You have nothing to lose and a career to win.

Progress in Publishing

I’d love to tell you there’s a really good reason for my lack of posts, but to be honest, my reasons are the same as a lot of other people’s: Depressed financially, emotionally, physically. Yeah. The past five years have been awful in so many ways, but it scares and saddens me to talk about it, so I don’t.

All that said, this very strange post is NOT about my bouts with depression! I’m mostly doing well right now, which is why I wanted to post. I just had to get out an oblique apology/excuse for not keeping up. There ya go.

RESEARCH, EDITING AND PUBLICATION!

I’m pleased to say, despite the difficulties I’ve faced over the last five years, I never stopped writing and it’s paid off.

While “Mourn Their Courage” is on submission, I’ve continued to write for the rest of that world. While I’ve got several books in various stages, the one I’ve focused on is based (loosely) on the Maccabean revolt and the struggle for succession after Alexander the Great’s death. I’m World Building to my heart’s content and I believe I’ve carved new channels into my brain trying to internalize Shawn Coyne’s Story Grid process, but it’s a good hurt. LOL

I applied the lessons from Story Grid to my short stories as a means to learning the process faster and it worked! My short story, “Cold Heart” was published last winter in Nature Futures. Yeah! First professional sale and I did a happy dance.

Nature has a great market for flash pieces and I recommend them. They were a pleasure to work with, they pay well and they’re not your standard S.F. market, so there may be less competition.

READING RECOMMENDATIONS!

I’ve also read some phenomenal books, mostly while agent searching. Naomi Novik’s “Uprooted” is wonderful and fresh (pun intended, but with apologies) but everyone knows about it. I wanted to mention some books that might be a little less on the radar, especially since they’re the sort of thing I WANT on my radar. (If you find more, let me know.) The first book was “The Bird and the Blade” by Megan Bannen. Set in Mongolia and filled with politics and kumis. What’s not to love? I can’t blather enough about this book because of the emotional reaction it elicited, but I can’t say more because I loathe spoilers. Read it yourself. You won’t regret it.

Also up there among the year’s best was “The Perfect Assassin” by K.A. Doore. The World Building in this story is so perfected, the city is part of the plot and I LOVE stories like that. The subtitle is “The Chronicles of Ghadid,” which is the name of the city, so it’s obvious she intends to return to the series, but we all know what the publishing industry is like right now. I hope she gets to go back. Heck, folks, mysteries aren’t my schtick, but for this world and this character, I’d read more mysteries. Just so you get an idea, there are jaani, (think non-wish-granting, madness-causing jinn) political machinations, drought, true love and no win scenarios.

In fact, the latter point is true of “The Bird and the Blade,” too. Both stories are so darn good and why don’t I know these authors on a first name basis? Just. Not. Fair. It’s not like I’d gate crash their writers group meeting. Yes I would. LOL

So I hope you all have had a great year thus far. If you’ve read anything good lately, please tell me!