Professional memberships
Association of Freelance Editors, Proofreaders & Indexers of Ireland – Full Member
Educational qualifications
Radcliffe Publishing Procedures Course, 1982
Bachelor of Arts, Wake Forest University, with honours, 1979
Master of Divinity, Harvard Divinity School, 1989
Master of Sacred Theology, Sewanee: The University of the South, 2004
Training and professional development
In-house training as printer and proofreader at Cuala Press in Dalkey, and as proofreader, editor, and researcher, World Information Systems, Cambridge, Massachusetts, USA.
Additional courses: Editing Tools to Boost Your Productivity, Insight into Indexing, and Cookbook Editing and Recipe Writing.
Languages
Basic German; a smattering of Hawaiian.
Experience
I am an American by birth who has lived in Ireland twice: first in the early 1980s, when I worked for the Cuala Press and the Irish Medical Council, and then from 2014 to the present. I am an Irish citizen. In 1995, I opened Parish Hall Co., through which I offer freelance copy-editing and proofreading services, as well as occasional writing and book design.
The bulk of my freelance work over the years has been for religious publishing houses, such as Abingdon Press, the New Interpreter’s Bible, Paraclete Press, Sewanee Theological Review, and Upper Room Books.
I also, however, have engaged in substantive editing on a quilting book and assisted in the editing of a cookbook. Recent projects here in Ireland include fiction and poetry.
At times, I focused less on freelance work, but while engaged in other enterprises, I was called upon to edit the writings and reports of supervisors, as well as edit community newsletters. I now also maintain websites for a record label and a small publishing house.
Media
Books, reports, journal articles, websites, letters.
Subject areas
Religion, theology, fiction, music industry publishing.
Clients include
Those listed above plus the following:
DWM Press – editorial and design services and website maintenance
Examples of work undertaken
The Wet Engine: Exploring the Mad Wild Miracle of Heart, by Brian Doyle
Treasures in the Trunk: Quilts of the Oregon Trail, by Mary Bywater Cross
A Grief Unveiled: A Father’s Journey, by Gregory Floyd
The Open Door: Entering the Sanctuary of Icons and Prayer, by Frederica Mathewes-Green
Testimonials
’You did a fantastic job of proofreading the [New Interpreter’s Bible] Revelation commentary. … Your contribution to the project has helped to improve the commentary even more. What I appreciate most is that you were able not only to read the proofs for typographical errors but also for a sense of meaning as well. And it was a great help to me for you to have paid attention to footnotes and quotations. … Thank you for a job well done.’ – Production Editor, Abingdon Press