About Me

I was born in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada. I've seen most of Canada (except Labrador and the Territories).

Throughout my life my teachers noticed my way with words. They looked for every opportunity they could to develop my writing skills and encourage me. This included speech competitions, essay competitions, writing courses, creative writing assignments.

I always knew that all I wanted to do in life was write, but I also knew I needed to make a living, so I turned to secretarial work. My penchant for organization, professionalism, fast typing speed, and (later) social media savvy were hot commodities.

Nearly 15 years of experience in a variety of secretarial/administrative positions enhanced my writing and editorial skills, increased my typing speed to over 100 wpm, introduced and engulfed me in the world of social media strategy and offered a means of providing for my family while pursuing what I'd always wanted.

That leads me to...

After nearly 15 years of commuting and early mornings, I decided it was time to take my accumulated experience and expertise, and put extra effort into doing what I'd always wanted to do - writing and editing, as well as transcription.

You know what the old saying, "Do what you love and you'll never work a day in your life"?

My greatest sense of accomplishment comes from coming to the end of working on a manuscript and I get "Kudos for a great job!" "You made my manuscript so much better."

I take great pride in the finished product of everything I do.

Editing & Proofreading Experience

15+ years of editing experience with all genres (fiction) and variety of different industries (non-fiction)

44 titles (Book Release list coming)

Writer of over 400 articles on women and family health issues (including parenting children with special needs and alternative therapies), not afraid to take on controversial topics

15 years of experience in writing and editing content for dental service practices, including general dentistry through oral surgery, very at ease with medical-oriented topics and content

Ongoing and Past Editing Work

Content Editor & Coder for Baymard Institute (since 2015, ongoing) website usability studies

Editor, Copy Editor and Proofreader for Lanico Media House

Copy Editor, Proofreader, and Indexer for Next Century Publishing

Past Content and Copy Editor for Lachesis Publishing, Spencerville, Ontario, Canada (www.lachesispublishing.com) (Project Manager and Acquisitions Editor from May 2009 to July 2010)

Edited Inter-American Conference on Social Security Report 2010, 2011, 2012 (Mexico)

Edited medical research reports and articles for TechSphere (Mexico), Unidad de Investigacion Medica en Bioquimica Hospital de Especialidades, Centro Medico Nacional Siglo XXI, IMSS, and Epidemiology and Health Services Research Unit - National Medical Centre - Mexican Institute of Social Security

Judge for 2008, 2009, 2010 Silicon Valley RWA Gotcha! Contest (Inspirational Category)

Alternate judge EPIC 2009 EPPIES competition (annual award for e-published books)

Core Competencies

Strong understanding of social media marketing strategies and trends, including SEO, relevant content for websites & communication

Experience analyzing current social media needs and preparing and implementing new/needed strategies (general & online marketing)

Experience using Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, G+ and other social media for personal and promotional purposes (10+ years)

Innovative, forward thinker, and strong problem-solving skills

Experience using Google Analytics and Facebook Analytics to monitor progress and success of online marketing efforts as well as Tweetdeck and HootSuite

Experienced in content linking and client engagement strategies on websites and social media

Experienced using Google Docs/Sheet, Trello, Skype, SmartSheet, and other collaborative software or platforms for content team management

Transcription Experience

Vast range of experience on a variety of topics, industries, and terminologies

Current Roles

Sero Communications (Toronto, Canada) (since Dec 2014) - Qualitative research interviews and focus groups

Elizabeth Bruyere Research Institute (Ottawa, Canada) (as needed; since April 2014) - Qualitative interviews and meetings on medical research topics facing Canadian seniors

Universe Technical Translation (Houston, Texas) (8 years)

Dr. Paul Anstey, Endodontist (Beverly Hills, CA) (9 years)

Past Contracts

Dalhousie University (Halifax, Canada) - Qualitative research interviews & focus groups

IndianScribes (India) (Spring - Fall 2016)

The Micronutrient Initiative (Ottawa, Canada) (7 years) - board meetings, AGMs and conference calls

The Honourable Senator Donald H. Oliver, Senate of Canada (Ottawa, Canada) (6 months)

Agriculture and Agri-Foods Canada and IDRC (as needed)

Dr. Ben Altadonna (The Practice Building Alliance)

UrbanCowgirl.com (webinars and radio programs)

Argyle Associates in Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery (Ottawa, Ontario, Canada) (6 years) - Office documents, dental treatment plans, letters to patients and referring dentists, personal correspondence, e-mails, minutes and agendas

CV-SALTS (Central Valley, California) (1 year)

Dr. Sam Kucey (1 year) - Interviews for use in a book on Canadian Women's Soccer Team Coach Even Pellerud published 2005

Handwritten sermons from the 1700s

Handwritten Native/Government of Canada treaties from the 1800s