We’re a group of editors and writers, so you know we’ll have lots to say. Our hope is that you will have lots of questions, comments, and suggestions for us. Our goal is to help writers by blogging about what we know best – editing.
You can see from our backgrounds, we have a wide range of experiences and expertise:
Dani Greer
Dani is the founding member of the Blood-Red Pencil. Fifteen years ago, oh my! A retired book editor and publishing professional, she currently spends her days happily writing and publishing on Amazon Kindle Vella, a serialized reading platform where authors can release stories one short episode at a time. With her husband, she also owns a liturgical arts studio. Her latest creative indulgence is MidJourney AI, where she hopes to design the perfect tarot card deck. She continues to read lots of witchery books in preparation for a new book character.
Elle Carter Neal
Elle is the author of The Convoluted Key, Madison Lane and the Wand of Rasputin, and the picture book I Own All the Blue. She is the former Fiction Writing and Creativity Editor for BellaOnline.com. As a developmental editor, she specialises in coaching authors who are still learning the writing craft, and assisting authors who face challenges such as disabilities that interfere with the writing process. Elle takes a raw manuscript and cuts and polishes it into a publication-worthy gem. Find out more about her editing services.
Maryann Miller
Maryann is an award-winning scriptwriter and author with over twenty nineteen books in print. Her latest releases are the mysteries Doubletake and Boxes For Beds. Other books include: Open Season, a police procedural mystery; One Small Victory, a suspense novel; Play It Again, Sam, a woman's novel; and a short story collection, The Wisdom of Ages. Her background is in journalism, and she has held staff positions at several publications as an editor, most recently as the Managing Editor of WinnsboroToday.com, an online community magazine. As a freelance editor, she likes nothing more than to help a writer make a good book better, and her clients say she is as much a writing coach as an editor. Visit her Website to find out more about her books and to check out her editing rates. For fun and to feed her creative spirit she likes to perform on stage at area community theatres and direct plays at the Winnsboro Center for the Arts, where she is the Theatre Director.
Linda Lane
Linda has returned to her first love—writing—while maintaining her editing work. She also helps new and not-so-new writers improve their skills through posts on Blood Red Pencil and offers private tutoring as well as seminars online. You can contact her through her writing website, LSLaneBooks.com, which is currently being updated. Also, you can visit her editing team at DenverEditor.com to find experienced editors in a variety of genres to help you polish your book into a marketable work.
Ann Parker
Ann authors the award-winning Silver Rush historical mystery series published by Poisoned Pen Press. During the day, she wrangles words for a living as a science editor/writer and marketing communications specialist (which is basically a fancy term for "editor/writer"). Her midnight hours are devoted to scribbling fiction. Visit AnnParker.net for more information.
Diana Hurwitz
Diana is the author of Story Building Blocks: The Four Layers of Conflict, Story Building Blocks II: Crafting Believable Conflict, Story Building Blocks III: The Revision Layers, and the YA adventure series Mythikas Island. Her weekly blog, Game On: Crafting Believable Conflict explores how characters behave and misbehave. Visit DianaHurwitz.com for more information and free writing tools. You can follow her on Facebook and Twitter.
Polly Iyer
So, there we are. The official founders and current bloggers of The Blood-Red Pencil
We hope you'll ask lots of questions (put those editors on the hot seat!) and leave pithy comments (or any kind of comment). Our comments section is always open.
You can see from our backgrounds, we have a wide range of experiences and expertise:
Dani is the founding member of the Blood-Red Pencil. Fifteen years ago, oh my! A retired book editor and publishing professional, she currently spends her days happily writing and publishing on Amazon Kindle Vella, a serialized reading platform where authors can release stories one short episode at a time. With her husband, she also owns a liturgical arts studio. Her latest creative indulgence is MidJourney AI, where she hopes to design the perfect tarot card deck. She continues to read lots of witchery books in preparation for a new book character.
Elle is the author of The Convoluted Key, Madison Lane and the Wand of Rasputin, and the picture book I Own All the Blue. She is the former Fiction Writing and Creativity Editor for BellaOnline.com. As a developmental editor, she specialises in coaching authors who are still learning the writing craft, and assisting authors who face challenges such as disabilities that interfere with the writing process. Elle takes a raw manuscript and cuts and polishes it into a publication-worthy gem. Find out more about her editing services.
Maryann is an award-winning scriptwriter and author with over twenty nineteen books in print. Her latest releases are the mysteries Doubletake and Boxes For Beds. Other books include: Open Season, a police procedural mystery; One Small Victory, a suspense novel; Play It Again, Sam, a woman's novel; and a short story collection, The Wisdom of Ages. Her background is in journalism, and she has held staff positions at several publications as an editor, most recently as the Managing Editor of WinnsboroToday.com, an online community magazine. As a freelance editor, she likes nothing more than to help a writer make a good book better, and her clients say she is as much a writing coach as an editor. Visit her Website to find out more about her books and to check out her editing rates. For fun and to feed her creative spirit she likes to perform on stage at area community theatres and direct plays at the Winnsboro Center for the Arts, where she is the Theatre Director.
Linda has returned to her first love—writing—while maintaining her editing work. She also helps new and not-so-new writers improve their skills through posts on Blood Red Pencil and offers private tutoring as well as seminars online. You can contact her through her writing website, LSLaneBooks.com, which is currently being updated. Also, you can visit her editing team at DenverEditor.com to find experienced editors in a variety of genres to help you polish your book into a marketable work.
Ann ParkerAnn authors the award-winning Silver Rush historical mystery series published by Poisoned Pen Press. During the day, she wrangles words for a living as a science editor/writer and marketing communications specialist (which is basically a fancy term for "editor/writer"). Her midnight hours are devoted to scribbling fiction. Visit AnnParker.net for more information.
Diana is the author of Story Building Blocks: The Four Layers of Conflict, Story Building Blocks II: Crafting Believable Conflict, Story Building Blocks III: The Revision Layers, and the YA adventure series Mythikas Island. Her weekly blog, Game On: Crafting Believable Conflict explores how characters behave and misbehave. Visit DianaHurwitz.com for more information and free writing tools. You can follow her on Facebook and Twitter.
Polly is the author of nine novels: standalones Hooked, InSight, Murder Deja Vu, Threads, and Indiscretion, and four books in the Diana Racine Psychic Suspense series, Mind Games, Goddess of the Moon, Backlash, and The Scent of Murder. A Massachusetts native, she makes her home in the beautiful Piedmont region of South Carolina. You can visit her website for more on Polly and connect with her on Facebook and Twitter.
So, there we are. The official founders and current bloggers of The Blood-Red Pencil
We hope you'll ask lots of questions (put those editors on the hot seat!) and leave pithy comments (or any kind of comment). Our comments section is always open.