Welcome to Chrysalis Copy Editing, my retirement career. In my previous incarnation, I worked as a trauma therapist in private practice at Chrysalis Psychotherapy Center. I was also writing and copy editing throughout that time. I have taken numerous writing and editing courses, coauthored and edited a memoir written by a state trooper about his battle with job-induced PTSD, published All Write: How to Start, Structure and Sustain a Writing Group, am working on a young adult novel, My Dead Body,
volunteered as a copy editor for a nonprofit organization, and copy edited books for a publishing house and numerous independent authors.
Married to a full-time writer, I have been the first reader and editor of his books and short stories for over twenty years. My husband, James R. Benn, the author of the Billy Boyle World War II Mystery series, several stand-alone books, and numerous short stories, surrenders his manuscripts to my red pen. In return, he gets feedback from his publisher about how clean his manuscripts are, which they appreciate.
When I joined a writing group in 2015, I was gung ho to write my great American novel. However, as much as I enjoy the process of writing, this group helped me realize that I enjoy editing my fellow members' writing as much as I enjoy writing. And, I’m told, I’m good at it. For that I have to thank Miss Oakes, my high school English teacher, who instilled in me a love of diagramming sentences, despite myself.
I am a detail-oriented, conscientious, and compassionate copy editor. I will treat your manuscript with the respect and consideration it deserves and help you transform it into the beautiful, full-fledged work it is meant to be. For decades I helped clients realize their potential, and I will apply myself as diligently to helping you, the writer, produce the finest work you can.
