Hi, I’m Shauna, book editor and coach
I help historical fiction writers feel confident they are on the right track.
My Story
Passionate about editing
I get genuinely excited about reading a manuscript and finding the threads that don’t connect, the characters that don’t let us see them clearly, and ways we are too protective of those characters. I see poorly written manuscripts as unrealized potential and I get a thrill whenever I get to help unlock the possibilities. Starting a new editing project is like opening a puzzle that needs to be solved through reading and daydreaming (two of my favourite things).
From social sciences to historical fiction
Before I trained as a historical fiction book editor, I was an academic researcher and writer in the social sciences. While writing Organic Food and Farming: A Reference Handbook, I realized my favourite part was learning about the history of the social movement and the personalities involved.
Eventually, I gave myself permission to learn the fiction side of writing and have spent the past few years deepening my understanding of the historical fiction market.
Why work with me?
I am a human editor focused on giving you the personalized feedback and attention your manuscript deserves. My editorial training has encompassed both the art of analysis and the art of communication.
I take the profession of editing seriously and training is an important part of that. In addition to completing the Club Ed certificate in developmental editing of fiction, I have rounded out my education with an ever-growing list of courses from a number of writing and editing teachers. I continue to learn from conferences, webinars, books, and podcasts.
As a member of the Historical Novel Society I reviewed over 30 books for the Historical Novels Review magazine and had the pleasure of serving as a first-round judge in the HNSUK 2024 & 2026 First Chapters Competition. I love to write feature articles for the Historical Novel Society.
Life these days
When I am not editing, writing, or reading, I am usually rambling through the forest or along a coastal path looking to fill my curiosity cabinet and my notebook. I live on Vancouver Island, BC, in the Traditional Territories of the xʷsepsəm or Kosapsum (Esquimalt) Nation and Songhees Nation, along with my husband and two children.
