Interests, Hobbies & Volunteer Work
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DANCING WITH THE ECLECTIC CLOGGERS AT LAKE WENATCHEE STATE PARK

KAYAKING IN THE SALISH SEA, NEAR PORT ANGELES, WASHINGTON

GREAT BLUE HERON AT MEADOWBROOK POND IN SEATTLE, WASHINGTON

I also love to work with clients who share similar interests. When I'm not marking up documents with my "red pencil," I keep myself occupied with a variety of other activities: traveling, hiking, camping, kayaking, bike riding, reading, bird watching, crafting, sewing, photography, playing guitar, and clog dancing! (I've been a dancer with the Eclectic Cloggers performance group since 2008. We practice weekly and perform our Appalachian-style clogging, accompanied by a live band, at various shows and festivals throughout Washington State.)
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I often find that my wide array of hobbies, as well as my many other seemingly unrelated jobs—real estate agent, restaurant manager, bartender, bar manager, insurance agent, nanny, and live-in caregiver—can come in handy when editing a manuscript or article. But by far, my most important, interesting, challenging, and rewarding job is being a mom, step-mom, cat mom, and foster mom! 

We've been fostering cats and kittens since 2019 through a local organization, the Progressive Animal Welfare Society (PAWS). Here are some of the cats who've stayed with us while recovering from injuries or illnesses until they were ready for adoption:

Milly

Flora Mae

Sarah Lee

Pooh Bear

Peanut & Hailey

Lilac

After our time with Peanut, Hailey, and Lilac, my son Theo decided that he no longer wanted to foster because it was too sad to say goodbye. He got especially attached to Pooh Bear, who we had to say goodbye to twice because of how the pandemic affected the adoption process. So we took a break for about three months, until PAWS was overwhelmed with transfers from other shelters, and we couldn't say no to a little one-eyed kitty named Royce.

​Well, Royce turned out to be a Joyce, and Joyce turned out to be a keeper, both in status and name. She quickly assimilated into the family, accompanying us on walks, hikes, road trips, camping trips, and other adventures. In fact, she even has her own Instagram page to share about her Adventure Cat experiences!

​One year later, we decided Joyce (aka JJ Skritti) might need a sibling, so we gave fostering one more try with little Maxi. Will she turn out to be a keeper too? So far, she's not as adventurous as Joyce, usually hiding under the car seat or bed on trips, but she's making progress.

​In addition to fostering cats through PAWS, I have also volunteered in their wildlife rehabilitation center and with some of their animal advocacy campaigns. Other local animal advocacy groups and chapters that I have worked with include NARN, Pasado's Safe Haven, Pigs Peace Sanctuary, and HSUS. Volunteering has always been important to me, and I'm hoping to pass that quality on to my sons through leading by example. I often volunteer at their schools with writing workshops, art docent, classroom parties, and field trips.

Animals and children are not my only focus. I've also worked on local campaigns with the Transit Riders Union and proudly support the Black Lives Matter movement. I regularly volunteer with the NW Editors Guild as a mentor to new editors and to staff tables at writing conferences and other events. And I also volunteer with Literacy Source, an organization that provides free reading, writing, and math skills to adults, through classroom instruction and one-on-one tutoring. Most recently, I had the role of assistant instructor for a GED preparation class. 
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Continuing Education

 I continue to supplement my education through courses and workshops related to specific areas of editing, publishing, and writing craft. Below is a list of some of the continuing-ed classes I've taken:

• Proofreading Workshop, full-day course through the University of Washington's editing certificate program, taught by the talented Kim Runciman of Night Vision Editing.
• Introduction to Developmental Editing, an 8-week course taught by author/editor Barbara Sjoholm through the Author-Editor Clinic.
• Developmental Editing of Fiction: Strategies for Stepping Back to See the Big Picture, a webinar through the Editorial Freelancers Association, taught by editor and writing coach Tanya Gold.
• Developmental Editing of Fiction: Intermediate, a 4-week course through the Editorial Freelancers Association, taught by editor Val Matthews. 
• You Wrote a Book: Now What? Understanding Today’s Publishing Choices, a full-day workshop taught by author, editor, and book-marketing guru Beth Jusino.
• Today's Key Book Publishing Paths, a Writer's Digest webinar taught by Jane Friedman, industry expert and author of The Business of Being a Writer.
• Effective Book Marketing for Any Author, a webinar taught by Jane Friedman.
• Finding and Working with the Right Literary Agent, a Jane Friedman-hosted webinar taught by 30-year industry veteran and literary agent Howard Yoon.
• Memoir from Memory, a Jane Friedman-hosted webinar taught by Allison K. Williams, author of Seven Drafts: Self-Edit Like a Pro from Blank Page to Book.
• How Memoirs Resonate, a Jane Friedman-hosted webinar taught by Dinty W. Moore, author of The Story Cure: A Book Doctor's Pain-Free Guide to Finishing Your Novel or Memoir, in addition to multiple other books and memoirs.
• Memoir Beginnings, a Jane Friedman-hosted webinar taught by writer and writing coach Lisa Cooper Ellison.
• Craft Believable, Compelling Characters, a Jane Friedman-hosted webinar taught by author/editor Tiffany Yates Martin.
• 5 Steps to an Airtight Plot, a Jane Friedman-hosted webinar taught by author/editor Tiffany Yates Martin.
• Mastering Suspense & Tension, a Jane Friedman-hosted webinar taught by author/editor Tiffany Yates Martin.
• Analyze Story Like an Editor, a Jane Friedman-hosted webinar taught by author/editor Tiffany Yates Martin.
• Master the Flashback, a Jane Friedman-hosted webinar taught by author/editor Tiffany Yates Martin.
• Past Mastery, a Jane Friedman-hosted webinar taught by author/editor Roz Morris, writing coach, ghost writer, and author of the Nail Your Novel series, among many other books. 
• Write Dialogue Like a Pro: Masterful Techniques to Improve Your Storytelling, a Jane Friedman-hosted webinar taught by Elizabeth Sims, author of You've Got a Book in You: A Stress-Free Guide to Writing the Book of Your Dreams and many fiction novels.

Thanks again for checking out my website. If you're a writer who shares similar interests and passions, I'd love to work with you! For manuscript evaluations, copyediting or proofreading, writing/story/book coaching, or publishing guidance, please refer to the information and instructions on each of those pages. I look forward to hearing your story!