Hi, I’m Blake and I help speculative fiction writers and publishers elevate their manuscripts. I offer developmental edits to ensure the story you’re telling is captivating and engaging throughout. Or you can enlist my copy and line editing skills: I’ll take a closer look at your writing style, grammar and punctuation.
I work in UK and US styles of English, and work to a publisher’s style guide if provided. My passions lie in the extraordinary, the magical, the spooky. Distant stars and unseen lands are my jam. If you’ve written something in any way otherworldly, count me in!
Why Me?
I graduated from the University of Wollongong with a Bachelor of Creative Arts, majoring in Creative Writing, and a Bachelor of Arts, majoring in English Literature: so you can rest assured I know books! I’ve been a judge of the Aurealis Awards three times (including once as a panel convenor), and I’m a member of the Horror Writers Association (HWA).
I’m also an entry-level member of the Chartered Institute of Editing and Proofreading (CIEP), and an associate member of the Institute of Professional Editors (IPEd). I’ve also completed courses from Liminal Pages (Developmental Editing: Fiction Theory (Tutored); Developmental Editing: In Practice; and Tea and Commas: The Foundations of Line and Copy-Editing Fiction). Having seen my fair share of stories, I know what works and what doesn’t—and, more importantly, why it doesn’t work and how to fix it.
My own writing has also won awards, including being awarded a WestWords–Varuna Fellowship (2021), the Winner of the Adult Short Story Category in the Fisher’s Ghost Writing Prize (2021), a member of the WestWords Academy (2022) and a recipient of the WestWords Fellowship (2023).
I’ve had stories published in Mascara Literary Review (‘Empty’), Hiding in Plain Sight: Fisher’s Ghost Writing Prize 2021 (‘The Infinite Sky’), BAD Western Sydney: A Crime Fiction Anthology (‘Rose Ghetto’), and Living Stories: Over the Line (‘The Bridge’).
Who am I?
I live on unceded land of the Dharawal people on the outskirts of Sydney, Australia. When I’m not exploring near and far with my husband, I enjoy crocheting, baking and watching scary movies at night. I’ve had several short stories published and am also working on a horror novel, so I understand how much of yourself goes into this whole writing thing. I believe in the power of stories and representation, and in the value of escapism (whether it’s into something cosy or something downright terrifying).
Think I might be able to help you?
