....you will find information on the various services I offer as well as meanderings about reading, writing, editing and publishing, and odd snippets about genealogy, astrology, meditation, belly dancing and who knows what else?
Of course, you'll want to check out the quality of my work and decide if I'm the right person to handle your precious manuscript, thesis, dissertation, family history or website - or, in fact, any other kind of editing job! If you are a new client, e-mail me up to ten pages of your work and I will give them my best attention within two working days, absolutely free!
If your work totals more than 100 pages I will edit ten pages or 3,500ww, whichever is the less, completely free of charge, and if the work is shorter I will edit a proportional amount: e.g. if you have a twenty page essay or short story, I will edit the first two pages or the first 700 words, whichever is the less.
Or, if you'd like a taste of the fascinating information in your natal horoscope, send me your place, date and time of birth. (Sorry - I only do horoscopes for which this information is known.)
Sign up for these free offers here. (Note that these offers are for new clients only.)
Editing - non-fiction
Much of my editing work comes from academics, especially PhD students, but I also research, write and edit other non-fiction work, especially reviews, biographies and family and local histories.
Editing - fictionI am a well-practised beta-reader and critic of speculative fiction and am currently a sub-editor for The Specusphere, an e-zine for the Speculative Fiction community, an e-zine for the Speculative Fiction community that features book reviews and articles about fantasy, sci-fi, horror and more.
Historical fiction and high fantasy are my specialist sub-genres, but I’m delighted to edit or proof-read books in most areas of fiction writing.
My experienceFrom a background in the performing arts, principally dance and music, I switched to writing in these areas in 1987. I have written reviews and feature articles for various prestigious publications including ArtsWest, Dance Australia, Music Maker and The Australian.
I pride myself on having a broad general knowledge, and have written or edited in non-fiction areas ranging from the arts (both performing and visual) and humanities (Astrology and Genealogy as well as academic disciplines such as History, Social Work, Women's Studies etc) through to Physiotherapy, Law, Business Studies, IT, and even an occasional Engineering effort. I critique, proof-read, edit and read "slush" for historical and speculative fiction writers and publishers, too.
Fiction wise? Well, a decade or so back I was bitten by the fantasy bug and I have just about written the million words they say you have to write before you are any good. Any morning now I will wake up to find that I’m as good as some of my favourite authors. (Hey, I can dream, can’t I?)
My bits of paperI hold a BA in Religious Studies, an Associate Diploma in Performing Arts (Dance) and the certificate of the Federation of Australian Astrologers. For what it’s worth, I also have a Certificate in Rural Studies – I’m the only person I know who’s been both a ballet teacher and a pig farmer!
And how did this strange combination make me into an editor? Click here to find out!
Fun thingsIn my spare time I enjoy:
Family History
Astrology
Meditation
Yoga (This will have its own page eventually!)
Belly Dancing
Although I regard these primarily as hobbies or life skills these days, I will write you professional family history - or help you write your own - and I occasionally offer workshops in meditation. I will also write astrological reports to order. Click on the links above to find out more!
Cool Names from long ago
Further to the last post, it must be admitted that some people don’t need anagrams to be amusing. Over at Edward II: Cool Names Of The Early Fourteenth Century, Alianore has posted some gems from her historical period of interest. As historical novellist Susan Higginbotham says in a comment, Adam le Fuckere and Jordan le Cok so badly need to be the heroes of a medieval erotic novel…
Hie thee to yon blog and have a giggle.
Thanks for the mention, Satima! You couldn’t make up those names, could you…?
You certainly couldn’t, and you’d probably be unpublishable outside porn if you did:-)I always enjoy your blog but I don’t usually expect to be ROTFL after reading it. What a hoot!
Satima –
How are these for anagrams for Marilyn Tomlins? There were 10866 listed, by the way. Marilyn Z Tomlins was though rejected as too long.
mail trims nylon
nominal slim try
marlin limy snot
Marilyn
Extraordinary!:-)A nominal slim try netted 10,866 results!
Haven’t time to read Alianore’s blog today, but I will hie me there withing a day or two.
Satima — nominal slim try indeed …
Should we see a “sign” in that?
Marilyn
Well, I’ve pretty given up trying to be slim so any moves in that direction tend to have but a slender chance of succeeding:-) How about you?
Alianore’s blog is super if you like history. She is very knowledgeable on the life and times of King Edward II and has links to several other noteworthy history blogs, too.
I went to school with a guy named Greg Shitless. He did change his name, later
As one would:-) It’s a wonder his parents hadn’t already changed it! Or his grandparents. Or his great great great great great great etc grandparents….