National Association of Independent Writers & Editors
Member Benefit #42
Professional audiobook narrator Maya James works with the ACX platform, connected to Amazon and Audible, and can also meet the quality standards for other platforms such as iTunes. Maya is able to meet deadlines and ensure high-quality audio with the help of a very strong production team.
NAIWE members receive 20% off audiobook narration!
Visit the NAIWE website to see all of the member benefits.
Murder, mystery, and auditory hallucinations. Murder at the Zoo by M. Glenda Rosen grabs your attention right away and pulls you into the puzzle of Miranda’s life. The perspectives of famous murder mystery authors along with Miranda’s insights make for a fun read.
Something I always enjoy in a book is good banter, and this novel has a lot of it. I found myself laughing aloud while reading Miranda’s interactions with other characters as well as her internal dialogue with her favorite mystery authors.
While it wasn’t always clear which voice Miranda was hearing when Agatha, Raymond, and Sherlock were all conversing, I still enjoyed the interjections of the different perspectives.
Rosen’s descriptions drew me into the story and made it an immersive experience. The narrative often pulled my focus to little details that hint to Miranda’s past and made me want to know more about her. This was an exciting read, and I highly recommend this story, which begins with a murder at the zoo.
Aretta Ariel-Boggs is a freelance editor.
Member Benefit #41
The Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association, Seventh Edition is the official source for APA Style. With millions of copies sold worldwide in multiple languages, it is the style manual of choice for writers, researchers, editors, students, and educators in the social and behavioral sciences, natural sciences, nursing, communications, education, business, engineering, and other fields. Known for its authoritative, easy-to-use reference and citation system, the Publication Manual also offers guidance on choosing the headings, tables, figures, language, and tone that will result in powerful, concise, and elegant scholarly communication. It guides users through the scholarly writing process — from the ethics of authorship to reporting research through publication. The seventh edition is an indispensable resource for students and professionals to achieve excellence in writing and make an impact with their work.
NAIWE members receive 15% off the print version of the APA style guide!
Visit the NAIWE website to see all of the member benefits.
Today’s podcast episode is a Member of the Month episode, where we get to know one of our fellow NAIWE members.
Our guest today is Charlene Dietz.
Charlene’s professional career started as a teacher in elementary schools. Years later, she transferred to high school where she taught students with special needs and science. Dietz left public education to teach graduate students at a private college and later became an educational consultant for Houghton Mifflin Publishing. Charlene began writing, and since then her writings have received numerous awards, including those from Kirkus Reviews, Writer’s Digest, International Book Awards, SouthWest Writers, and New Mexico-Arizona Book Awards.
Q: Please share a little of your professional history with our readers.
I have master’s and bachelor’s degrees obtained from University of New Mexico after I transferred from the University of Wyoming. I taught elementary and high school grades in the public school system before teaching college graduate-level courses at the Albuquerque Branch of the College of Santa Fe. I worked as an educational specialist for Houghton Mifflin Publishing (Houghton Mifflin Harcourt) traveling the United States and New Mexico providing educational in-services to administrators and teachers. During this time, I started writing award-winning short stories because one of my main assignments happened to be showing teachers how to teach writing in every classroom at every grade level.
Q: How and when did you make this business a reality?
After retiring as an educator, I decided I needed to up my game and start writing novels. My head filled with stories, but I really had no idea how to plot. By off chance, I had a New York editor agree to mentor me. Several years later, in 2016, my first novel, The Flapper, the Scientist, and the Saboteur, earned the coveted Kirkus Reviews starred review. Then my second book, The Flapper, the Impostor, and the Stalker, also garnered a starred review. Now I’ve written four books and decided I needed help with promotion, so I hired a publicist, Marcia Rosen.
Q: What’s the most important lesson you’ve learned so far in your career?
Respect everyone. No matter who they are or what they do or how accomplished, everyone has a story and something worthwhile to share. We cheat ourselves of valuable life information if we’re not open to know what happens with others.
Q: Are you working on any personal writing projects at this time?
I’ve completed my fourth book, a historical biography novel with a touch of mystery and suspense. This book became my greatest writing challenge to date. The Spinster, the Rebel, and the Governor, Margaret Brent: Pre-Colonial Maryland 1638–1648 required deep study of English history, geography, social mores, and common law of the times. I also had to have a deep-level of understanding about everything pre-colonial concerning Maryland, her land, people, hardships, customs, and her neighboring colonies. My publisher plans to have this book out early fall 2022. In the meantime, I’ve begun another biography about a most unusual woman here in the United States.
Q: Are you working on any special projects you’d like to tell us about?
My grandfather always said not to talk about future endeavors because the conversation would steal the energy from the project. Hmmm, maybe, maybe not. Imagine a strong-willed young woman in the 1920s who studied art at the Chicago Art Institute, then continued her education by painting murals in China, and constructing mosaics in the subways of Moscow. When she returns to the United States the New York Museum of Modern Art shows some of her work and sculptures. Fast forward to her midlife; she’s now working with artist in Taos and Santa Fe. Next she’s getting her doctorate in archeology in California and along with teaching, and flying, she becomes the curator for the Museum of Man in San Diego. I had to know more about this unique woman. This story is too good not to be told.
Q: What are some of the teachers, books, or authors who have influenced your professional life in a positive way?
People say they’re voracious readers. I’m not. I’m a compulsive reader. Reading (books and audiobooks) has always been part of my life. As most authors, I grew up with a flashlight under the covers. I read everything from comic books to Hardy Boys, horse stories, O. Henry short stories, anything Viking, Shakespeare, Stevenson, Walter Scott, and devoured science fiction-fantasy tales. These all gave me a love of story. As a writer, Patricia Highsmith’s writing fascinated me with her duplicity; Alice Hoffman’s writings encouraged me to infuse something untouchable—magically questionable—within my stories; Naturally, O. Henry’s writings insisted I must twist and turn throughout my stories when most unexpected. Michael Connelly’s characters and plots, William Kent Kruger’s scene settings, Frank Herbert’s wild imagination . . . so many—too many to name. Yet, I must give the loudest shout of thanks to Peter Gelfan, the NY editor/author, who actually taught me how to write my stories in an engaging way for others to read.
Q: As a seasoned professional, what advice would you offer an independent writer or editor who is just beginning a career?
Q: What inspires you?
The unique, the unknown, the complicated, and something from the heart.
Q: How has your membership in NAIWE benefited you professionally?
Because of NAIWE, I’ve found a wonderful publicist, Marcia Rosen, and an intelligent editor, Leah Rubin. As a fairly new member, I look forward to uncovering even more benefits for authors.
Q: Is there anything else you’d like to share?
I appreciate NAIWE “having my back” in this whole process.
Member Benefit #37
Spoken Word Transcription Services allows authors the freedom to escape from sitting behind their keyboards. Spend your energies on the creative process and let Spoken Word handle the typing. Whether still in the notes-taking and brainstorming phase or ready to get your entire book typed out, record your content in audio or video format and let Spoken Word transcribe it to text.
NAIWE members receive 20% off transcription services!
Visit the NAIWE website to see all of the member benefits.
Author: Claudia Riess
A world chess champion is found dead. The cause of death remains mired in controversy when, three-quarters of a century later, a letter of his that could rock the art world is unearthed in a routine home renovation. The letter is addressed to a person of international repute and offers information about art works looted during the German occupation of Paris.
When the young man in possession of the letter is brutally murdered, his mentor, art history professor Harrison Wheatley and Harrison’s partner, art magazine editor Erika Shawn, hurl themselves into the mission of tracking down both the killer and the looted art.
As the third book in this art history mystery series, Knight Light once again follows Harrison Wheatley and Erika Shawn in their adventures. For a reader reading the books in order, additional information is gained because the two have aged and their lives have further developed. However, for the reader reading Knight Light without having read the previous two books, this book stands alone well.
The short prologue introduces the chess champion and describes his quick death. This introduction invites the reader into the story-worthy problem that will take place throughout the entire book.
Chapter 1 provides a nice introduction to Harrison Wheatley and Erika Shawn. For the reader who has read the other books in the series, this chapter shows how much time has elapsed since the last book and how their lives have changed since. For the new reader, this chapter introduces the two characters to describe where they are in life and further develops them. Therefore, whether this is your first read in the series or not, the characters are well developed.
The scenes developed in chapter 1 are very visual, and it is easy to imagine their home and their housekeeper. Multiple senses are used in just this first chapter, as the newborn’s cries can be heard through the monitor. Scenes continue to be well developed. The prose works well with the dialogue to move the scenes along while developing and showing the scenes.
To connect chapter 1 with the prologue (and provide some story progression), Harrison and Erika read the letter written by the chess champion. In addition, they speak about the man who found the letter and his desire to provide a lecture about the found materials.
The author, Claudia Riess, has completed a significant amount of research to write a book such as this. Even so, her love of art history is shared through her intimacy and love of the story. As a woman who grew up in the art history world, the reader can see how much this field means to the author and her desire to share it with and educate readers who may only have a love of mystery.
This book is a good read for those who love mysteries or those who enjoy art history — or even those with a dual love.
Knight Light is a well-written book with an intriguing story about art, murder, mystery, and international scandals.
Member Benefit #36
ProWritingAid is the only platform that offers world-class grammar and style checking combined with more in-depth reports to help you strengthen your writing. The unique combination of suggestions, articles, videos, and quizzes makes writing fun and interactive.
There’s a free trial available. NAIWE members receive 25% off subscriptions!
Visit the NAIWE website to see all of the member benefits.
Author: Carolyn Haley
Love and romance aren’t for everyone. Linny Eagan thought she had found the love of her life, until she lost him, along with her job and her dream—all in one day.
With a dream of becoming an equestrian champion, but living in an unsupportive household, Linny is finally able to show off her equestrian skills to her parents. However, the day her parents come to watch a local event is the day Linny is in a life-altering accident, convincing her parents that horses are just too dangerous.
Shortly after the accident, Linny is sent off for the summer with her older sister to Cape Cod, Massachusetts, to avoid horses and to heal (physically and emotionally), while searching for a new dream, preferably without animals, but definitely on the ground, according to her parents.
The sisters’ host for the summer, Connor Simon Winston, may dream of being an artist, but currently works at Galeson’s stable, taming a wild mare, while waiting to inherit a fortune, and refusing to play professional football or work in the family business.
Though Connor and Linny have opposing dreams, their hearts connect. The two must choose to allow one to sacrifice a dream for the other, go their separate ways, or create a new dream that includes them both.
As a Feathered Quill Book Award winner, Wild Heart is written in the first person through the point of view of Linny Eagan. This allows the reader to feel Linny’s gaps in memory and time. While writing in the first person can lead to a significant amount of telling in a story, the author, Carolyn Haley, has a good sense of the English language to bring the readers into the story. As a professional wordsmith, Haley quickly and easily captures the scenes through the use of the senses. Through Linny’s eyes, the reader can see the surroundings, including the beach, the corral, and even Connor’s physique. It is almost as if the reader is enveloped by Linny, as the reader can also feel Linny’s body quiver, hands shake, and knees weaken.
The author skillfully uses Linny’s injury to assist with transitions in time. For instance, the opening scene with Linny standing next to her sister and not remembering how she got there. Or Linny taking a nap in the afternoon and then sleeping until the next morning, missing dinner and the evening’s activities.
We believe this book is a good read for those with a love of horses and the equestrian life. And because this book is a good reminder of the power of love and the benefits of having both dreams and someone to share them with.
Wild Heart is a well-written book with an excellent story about life, growth, and healing.
Member Benefit #35
PerfectIt helps deliver error-free documents. It improves consistency, ensures quality, saves time, and helps to enforce style guides. PerfectIt is used by thousands of editors around the world because it lets editors control every change, giving you the assurance that documents are the best they can be.
NAIWE members receive 30% off the software, and there’s a free 14-day trial available!
Visit the NAIWE website to see all of the member benefits.
Today’s podcast episode is a Member of the Month episode, where we get to know one of our fellow NAIWE members.
Our guest today is Claudia Riess.
Claudia Riess, a Vassar graduate, has worked in the editorial departments of The New Yorker and Holt, Rinehart and Winston and has edited several art monographs. Her earliest recollections of word-spinning are of her father, an English professor, telling stories at bedtime—funny stories about a little girl and her daddy going on riotous adventures. These were interspersed with lively readings of Winnie the Pooh and Mary Poppins. Other times the two would sit around the kitchen table and discuss Will and Ariel Durant’s The Age of Reason.
Q: Please share a little of your professional history with our readers.
Before I began writing in earnest, I worked in the editorial departments of The New Yorker and Holt, Rinehart and Winston, and edited a number of art history monographs. And for a brief stint, I taught at the New York Institute for the Education of the Blind. I wrote my first novel when I was in my mid-forties: Reclining Nude. I’d categorize it as a psycho-sexual odyssey. An experiment, really, to see if I could suspend my inner censor and write freely about a subject that I otherwise felt rather prudish about. The book was published by Stein and Day and subsequently by houses in the UK and Germany. It was a boost in both my joy of writing and confidence, and yet the determination and discipline required to make writing an occupation remained latent for years. When they finally awaked, I discovered that my earlier experiment had affected my writing ability more broadly than I’d expected. I found that I was able to enter a fictional character’s mind, whether it be that of a woman, a man, a cop, or a killer, without barriers or restraints.
Q: How and when did you make this business a reality?
After the debut-novel hiatus, I self-published Semblance of Guilt, a mystery, followed by Love and Other Hazards, a romance, and Stolen Light, an art suspense. Level Best Books picked up Stolen Light and re-released it in 2019, offering me a three-book contract to create an “art history mystery series.” I was off and running. Last year, I signed another three-book contract to continue the series. The fourth book, To Kingdom Come, was released May 31, 2022.
Q: What’s the most important lesson you’ve learned so far in your career?
To be true to my core values, but open to criticism—including my own! To be as objective as possible when going over a rough draft, and not be possessive of words or phrases or expository ramblings that either don’t add to the story or detract from it. (It takes some bravery to be vulnerable.) To sit down at the computer even when the ideas are not percolating. If I write a bit of dialogue, sometimes it gets the protangonists’, as well as my own, juices flowing.
Q: Are you working on any personal writing projects at this time?
Yes, book five in the series. Pivoting on Monet and his contemporaries, leading to present-day murders. As ever, amateur sleuths, Erika Shawn, art magazine editor, and Harrison Wheatley, art history professor, are in the mix. Their burgeoning romance began in book one. They have since gotten married and now have a toddler son. Although the couple’s relationship continues to evolve (I’m an incurable romantic), each book stands on its own.
Q: Are you working on any special projects you’d like to tell us about?
Back in 2008, when I was the president of Friends of the Westhampton Free Library, I started a K-12 poetry contest for the schools in the library’s community. Even though I’m mostly in Manhattan now, I still try to keep up with the continuing project.
I’m also trying to do what I can to raise awareness in a subject that sparked the idea for To Kingdom Come: the return of art and artifacts looted from African during the colonial period.
Q: What are some of the teachers, books, or authors who have influenced your professional life in a positive way?
Authors that have influenced me indirectly, by inspiring me to hone my skills to the best of my ability: Umberto Eco, with his sheer brilliance, as in The Island of the Day Before. David Mitchell, for his wildly creative and provocative ideas, as in The Bone Clocks. (BTW, a long passage in his Cloud Atlas, “The Ghastly Ordeal of Timothy Cavandish,” is the most hilarious writing I’ve ever come across.) Anita Brookner, for her ability to describe the intricacies of the human spirit and the constraints of society. (Also her ability to write three-page sentences that make perfect sense.) Philip Roth, who cuts to heart of the matter—and to the soul—with seeming effortlessness, as in Everyman. It’s not that I want in any way to emulate any of these diverse writers’ styles. It’s just that they stir my desire to write. Much like when you hear beautiful music, you want to sing.
Q: As a seasoned professional, what advice would you offer an independent writer or editor who is just beginning a career?
If you love to write or helping writers perfect their work, never be discouraged. The journey toward achievement is as valuable as its attainment, both for developing your sense of self and for the experience itself. Don’t be afraid to reach out for advice, contact a person or organization you imagine might not be forthcoming. In a word: Network!
Q: What inspires you?
Passionate creativity in all areas—writing, art, music, dance.
Heroic or simple attempts at righting wrongs.
Morality without zealotry.
Q: How has your membership in NAIWE benefited you professionally?
Camaraderie—mostly virtual during the COVID-reclusive period—has been like a shot in the arm at times (no pun intended). The members are very friendly and open, and it’s nice to know like-minded individuals are always there to exchange ideas. Publicity outlets which boost one’s on-line presence are always available, too.
