“Ghostwitch”: two thousand words of terror
This an update I actually should have shared over a month ago, but time got away from me. By which I mean, I misremembered “Ghostwitch’s” publication date in the online Two Thousand Word Terrors anthology as August instead of July, and I also have spent the summer in a fugue of work — editing, of course, and some writing, but also preparing for the 2023 Sustainability Fair in Waukesha County. If you’re in Southeast Wisconsin and looking for a fun and informative,...
Read MoreTwo Thousand Word Terrors TOC announced!
My story “Ghostwitch” is one of the 45 short jolts of horror that will appear weekly on the Rooster Republic website. It’s scheduled to go live July 3rd, but until then, to whet your appetite… Ghostwitch “Mad with grief, it’s said. But I’m not.” She looks up from the cast-iron stove, strangely modern in this tiny valley hamlet. Perhaps her trader husband brought it home from one of his trips to the factory towns. “Tea?”...
Read MoreAn excerpt: “What’s going to happen after I’m dead?”
“There’s one thing that’s bothered me.” He felt the camera’s gaze and flushed, knowing those at the window would hear. “Maybe I should ask you to excuse me for saying this…” “You will never have to apologize to me for anything.” “What’s going to happen after I’m dead, when John Kosichev keeps giving the Commonwealth hell?” Gloria released his hand and smoothly reached for her dropped pocketbook. “I couldn’t answer you for certain, but I do have a theory—don’t worry about them,” she said when...
Read MoreNew ghost story publication and a Year-End Sale!
I’m excited to announce my short story “Ghostwitch” will be published as a free read on the site of publisher Rooster Republic on a Monday in 2023 – which Monday is yet to be determined, but announcements will be coming out in January and February. And then, you’ll probably want to catch all of the series of Two Thousand Word Terrors, which begins Monday, February 6 and will run for the next 45 weeks. While you wait for next year, there’s also the Smashwords...
Read MoreOpen to new projects!
I visited this blog the other day, probably to get the link to my article “12 Words to (Almost Always) Cut” (which today I’d title something more like “12 Words to (Almost Always) Replace” or “12 Words to Watch Out For,” though with the latter I’d lose the cheeky use of two of those twelve words in parentheses). And to my surprise, dismay, chagrin, and other emotions, I saw the last time I’d posted an update was to tell everyone in...
Read MoreClosed to new book-length projects until October
I’m able to offer sample edits and estimates for new projects, but I cannot deliver any additional projects until further notice. That is, if you’ve already contacted me about a project, you’re on my list. But if I hadn’t heard of your need for editing before today, I cannot start the work until I’ve completed some of my current to-do list. My to-do list as of today includes 12 projects, 6 of which I want to complete in September, 4 of which are “high...
Read MoreQ&A from the Clubhouse
Wow! Last evening was so fun and energizing–I admit I was a little unsure how a live chat app would work, but we had many wonderful people join us with some pertinent questions and insights. And talking to people out loud was very energizing; I just hope I didn’t talk too fast. I was mostly listening and talking rather than taking notes, but I jotted down a few questions and suggestions I remember from last night to share, both to help those of us who were there to remember and to...
Read MoreNotes from Your Editor (Clubhouse meeting, August 12)
I hope many of you will be able to join me! As I prepare for my live chat with Nicki tomorrow, I have some notes that I’d like to share here on my website, both for listeners to follow along with, and for those who aren’t able to make it to benefit from: A. Copyediting, proofreading, line-by-line — what do all these terms mean? Developmental/structural/content edit – literally developing the ideas in the book. What to include and in what order? Add, reorganize, remove? Often...
Read MoreA Clarification to my Update: Short Fiction Pricing
My schedule & rate updates described in my last post were made with book-length work in mind: the 90-day lead isn’t necessary for short fiction. So for all pieces under 10,000 words or so*, my standard rate is $40/hr, and delivery can be expected within 1-2 weeks. This doesn’t count as “rush” pricing because there’s a big difference in editing a 6,000 word story in 14 days and editing a 70,000 word story in 30 days. Usually I’m able to deliver short...
Read MoreJoin me at the Clubhouse! (Plus, Rate & Scheduling Updates)
To celebrate the release of her hilarious and heartwarming women’s fiction novel (plus WWII survival story) StumpStrong, my client Nicki Pascarella is hosting a series of “Bookclub” talks on Clubhouse. I’ll be joining her the evening of August 12 to talk about “Preparing Your Manuscript for Editing”: how to get the most from working with an editor like me. Preparing for the Clubhouse chat has got me thinking about what elements have led to the best editing...
Read MoreAbout Therese
Therese Arkenberg's first short story was accepted for publication on January 2, 2008, and her second acceptance came a few hours later. Since then they haven't always been in such a rush, yet her work appears in places like Beneath Ceaseless Skies, Analog, Daily Science Fiction, and the anthology Sword & Sorceress XXIV. Aqua Vitae, her science fiction novella, was released by WolfSinger Publications in December 2011.
She works as a freelance editor and writer in Wisconsin, where she returned after a brief but unforgettable time in Washington, D.C. When she isn't reading, writing, or editing (it's true!) she serves on the board of the Plowshare Center of Waukesha, which works for social, economic, and environmental justice.