Embedded Files
I’ve been a writer since I learned to pick up a pen (yes, I’m old; we wrote with pens, not screens, back in the olden days!). My first book was “published” when I was in first grade as part of a local youth-in-publishing program. And by “published,” I mean they had us bind our story (written and illustrated on construction paper) into sort of a book, which I still have (see the image at left; yes, it's extremely embarrassing!). They did also publish an anthology of all the participants’ stories, but that was just black-and-white text, not a fancy “book”!
After college, I took a job as an editorial assistant at a small publisher, planning for it to be a short-term gig, something to help me save money for law school. Instead, I fell in love with publishing and I’ve been doing it professionally ever since (closing in on 30 years now).
In addition to Enslow Publishers (a now-defunct school and library book publisher) where I began my career, I’ve also worked for McGraw-Hill, where I developed textbooks and other educational materials as well as Chelsea House Publishers/Facts on File, where I was the executive editor in charge of science books.
In 2005, I decided to branch out and start freelancing, and started my own editorial services company. That same year, I got the idea to start my own publishing company, hoping being the one in charge would give me more freedom to choose the kinds of books I worked on. (It did; it also meant I had to PAY for all those books I worked on out of my very shallow pocket—but that’s a complaint for another time!)
In 2015, I launched my small press, Blydyn Square Books, which specializes in “books that make you think.”
Throughout my editing career, I’ve always continued to write, though I almost never bothered to submit work for publication. Having seen both sides of the submission process, I found it much too intimidating and daunting. Still, I did manage to get a few things published here and there under various pen names, including 7 nonfiction books, 3 books of writing prompts, 3 ghostwritten biographies, and a couple of novels. Most of my early work is much too embarrassingly awful to claim as my own—hence, I will NOT be sharing links to it here. If you really NEED to know, reach out to me. Maybe you’ll catch me in a sharing mood. 😀
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