My Background

Highlights

  • Developmental edit, line edit, copyedit, and proofread memoirs and other nonfiction manuscripts, book proposals, novels, essays, blogs, articles, educational materials, websites, and other marketing content in several industries, including academia, architecture, law, technology, retail, and other professional services.

  • Wrote and edited memoir manuscript and nonfiction book proposal.

  • Two decades of experience as technology magazine editor.

  • Personal and craft essays published in The Washington Post, The Coachella Review, Brevity, and others.

Aptitudes

  • Developmental Editing, Line Editing, Copyediting, Proofreading, and Writing:

    • Articles/Blogs

    • Craft/Personal Essays

    • Fiction

    • Marketing Content: Blog Posts, Brochures, Email Campaigns, Informational Articles, Meta Descriptions, Press Releases, Proposals, Social Media Posts, and Video Captions

    • Memoirs/Hybrid Memoirs/Other Nonfiction

    • Nonfiction Book Proposals

    • Query Letters

    • Websites

  • Adobe Acrobat/PDFs

  • AP Stylebook

  • Work Management and Communication Platforms: Asana, Basecamp, Microsoft Teams, Monday.com, Notion, Slack, and Zoom

  • The Chicago Manual of Style

  • Content Management Systems: Squarespace and WordPress

  • Google Docs and Forms

  • In-House Style Guides

  • Interviewing/Researching

  • Mentoring/Teaching

  • Microsoft Office 365

  • Notetaking

  • SurveyMonkey

  • Transcribing

Qualities

  • Communicative

  • Deadline-Oriented

  • Detail-Oriented

  • Organized

  • Professional

  • Self-Motivated

Employment History

  • Sole Proprietor, Drysdale Editorial
    October 2022 to Present

  • Proposal Editor, Dragonfly Editorial (Contract)
    May 2024 to Present

  • Proofreader, Simon & Schuster (Contract)
    March 2024 to Present (Passed Simon & Schuster Copyediting Test)

  • Developmental Editor, Copyeditor, and Proofreader, Peacock Proud Press (Contract)
    August 2023 to Present

  • Copyeditor, Red Mallard (Contract)
    May 2023 to Present

  • Copyeditor and Proofreader, ScribeConcepts (Contract)
    February 2023 to May 2024

  • Chief Content Officer, Printed Circuit Engineering Association (Circuits Assembly, Printed Circuit Design & Fab, PCBUPdate)
    January 2022 to October 2022

  • Senior Editor, UP Media Group
    (Circuits Assembly, Printed Circuit Design & Fab, PCBUPdate)
    September 2006 to December 2021

  • Managing Editor, AFCOM (DCM)
    November 2003 to September 2006

Education

  • Bachelor of Arts, English, Literature Emphasis, University of California, Irvine

  • Single Subject Credential Education, English, California State University, Long Beach

  • Single Subject Teaching Credential, English (State of California)

  • Proofreading and Copyediting with The Chicago Manual of Style, Editorial Freelancers Association

  • Writing the Personal Essay, University of California, Los Angeles, Extension

  • How to Write a Memoir Book Proposal, Hugo House

  • Craft Intensive, Story, Hugo House

  • The Art of Seeing Through Words, Hugo House

  • Mindful Writing, Hugo House

  • Basement Writing Workshop, Memoir

  • Gotham Writers Workshop, Memoir I and Memoir II

  • Finding Your Unique Voice, University of California, Los Angeles, Extension

  • Creative Writing, University of California, Irvine, Extension

Other Professional Development

  • The Query Doula – “Just Make the Pain Stop” (Courtney Maum)

  • Memoir Book Coaching (Joshua Mohr)

  • Write Your Story, CreativeLive (Joshua Mohr)

  • Sunday Night Writers’ Club (Shawna Kenney)

  • Daily Writing Prompts (Shawna Kenney)

  • AWP Conference, Portland, Oregon

  • BinderCon Los Angeles

  • Literary Women Conference, Long Beach, California

  • Los Angeles Times Festival of Books

  • Portland Book Festival

  • Women in Publishing Summit 2023

Select Webinars

  • The Art of Feedback (EFA)

  • Building a Client Base to Weather Any Storm (EFA)

  • Client Onboarding 101: Vetting, Proposals, and Payments, Oh My! (EFA)

  • Creating a Persuasive Website for Your Freelance Business (EFA)

  • Digital Marketing Primer (EFA)

  • Editing Memoir: Balancing Artistry and Accuracy (EFA)

  • Editorial Letters for Every Editor (EFA)

  • Freelancing 101 (EFA)

  • How to Explain Editing Services to Indie Authors (Reedsy)

  • Introduction to The Chicago Manual of Style (EFA)

  • Setting Up Your Freelance Editorial Business: First Steps (EFA)

  • Setting (or Resetting) Your Freelance Rates—and Talking about Them with Clients (EFA)

Select Publications

Select Public Readings

  • Hugo House, Seattle, Washington

  • The Escondite (Hideout), Los Angeles, California, Drunken Masters: Sex and Romance

  • Book Soup, Hollywood, California, The Best Advice in Six Words

  • 826 Valencia, San Francisco, California, The Best Advice in Six Words

  • Flower Pepper Gallery, Pasadena, California

  • San Diego Art Institute, San Diego, California, Book Lovers, Poetry and Art Series

  • Center for Sex and Culture, San Francisco, California, Book Lovers

  • Laurel Books, Oakland, California, Book Lovers, Tea and Erotica

  • Stories Books and Café, Echo Park, California, Book Lovers

  • Beyond Baroque, Venice, California

Memberships, Nominations, and Honors

  • ACES: The Society for Editing, Current Member

  • Editorial Freelancers Association, Current Member

  • Two-Time Pushcart Prize Nominee

  • Best of the Net Anthology Nominee

  • Phi Kappa Phi National Honor Society (CSULB)

  • Dean’s Honor List (UCI, CSULB)