The word is the word.

I'm a word doctor, grammar surgeon, syntactical proctologist and style EMT. I also do postmortems and raise books from the dead. I'm magic!

How I work

As a writer, I know what it's like to look down the barrel of a red pen. As an editor, I know what it's like to point that pen. It can be daunting from either side, or it can be fun and fulfilling.

I don't change text just because I might like to say it differently. But if it's confusing, ambiguous or flat-out wrong, I'll let you know.

Don't worry. I'll remember that it's your baby. Unless you're a hired hand for one of my clients, you always have the final say.

Editing

Books and websites

My specialties include historical and nautical fiction, but clients include novelists, business boosters and alternative newsweeklies. I can jump at short notice into all editorial capacities, from proofreading to book development.

Fiction

Cover Blackwell's Homecoming
  • Blackwell's Homecoming, V.E. Ulett. Substantive edit.
  • The Shantyman, Rick Spilman. Copyedit.
  • Hell Around the Horn by Rick Spilman. Copyedit, partial substantive edit.
  • Burning Lily by Bernadette Lincke. Copyedit, partial substantive edit.

Film

  • Splinter by Anonymous, Red Vixen Films, Northern Ireland. Script consultant (American dialogue).

Nonfiction

Business-development books. I've edited about a dozen of these.

    Cover of Bloomington book
  • Washington: The Nature of Innovation by Bob Condor, Cherbo Publishing Group, 2009
  • Buffalo: A Waterfront City Transformed by Philip Nyhuis, Cherbo Publishing Group, 2009
  • Cincinnati: Bridges to the Future by Kevin Eigelbach and Linda Chase, Cherbo Publishing Group, 2008
  • Aurora: A City Second to None by Jeanne Bodor Larson, Cherbo Publishing Group, 2008
  • Bloomington: A Sesquicentennial Celebration by John "Chuck" Chalberg, Cherbo Publishing Group, 2007
  • Nebraska: Centered on the Land by Cindy Murphy McMahon and Michael Goodwin, Cherbo Publishing Group, 2007
  • Alabama: The Progress, The Promise by Ralph Stacy and Kristina Sauerwein, Cherbo Publishing Group, 2006
  • Delaware: Incorporating Vision in Industry by Carol Kipp, Cherbo Publishing Group, 2006
  • Greater Phoenix: Expanding Horizons, Cherbo Publishing Group, 2005 (I'm listed as the author on Amazon, but I only wrote some of it)
  • Dayton: On the Wings of Progress by Lester A. Reingold, Cherbo Publishing Group, 2005

Misc. copyediting.

  • A Brief History of the Association of Old Crows by Gene S. Bartlow. The history and reminescences of pilots and crew who specialize in electronic warfare.

Writing

I particularly like writing about ships, trains and the ocean, but I can write about anything that I can verify. I can do it in pretty much whatever voice, size and style you want, too.

Fiction

Even in my novels I prefer to keep at least one foot in the realm of possibility, which is why I tend to write historicals. The ones I've sold so far are:

  • No Quarter (Ithaca, N.Y.: McBooks Press, 2006) (Here's an excerpt.)
  • The War of Knives (McBooks, 2007)
  • Peter Wicked (McBooks, 2008)
Cover of hardcover edition of No Quarter
Cover of The War of Knives
Cover of Peter Wicked
No Quarter The War of Knives Peter Wicked

Meanwhile, I'm working on a series set in the Age of Fighting Steampunk™. Swear ghost story about a girl who doesn't believe in ghosts.

Work for hire

Business development books (as B. D. Campbell)

  • Wisconsin: Can. Do., with Linda Chase and Tina G. Rubin, Cherbo Publishing Group, 2014.
  • Chapters on agriculture, manufacturing, and transportation and energy in New Jersey, Cherbo Publishing Group, 2013.
  • Fort Worth: Energized for the Future, various chapters, Cherbo Publishing Group, 2012.
  • Minneapolis Saint Paul: Two Cities, One Vision, various chapters, Cherbo Publishing Group, 2012.
  • Virginia: A Commonwealth of Opportunity, various chapters, Cherbo Publishing Group, 2012.
  • Columbus, Ohio: A Smart, Sustainable City, with Tina G. Rubin, Cherbo Publishing Group, 2012.
  • Colorado: Innovation and New Technologies, various chapters, Cherbo Publishing Group, 2012.
  • West Virginia: Pinnacles of Progress, Cherbo Publishing Group, 2011.
  • Jackson County: Opportunity in the Heartland, Cherbo Publishing Group, 2011.
  • Winnebago County: Connected, Cherbo Publishing Group, 2010.
  • Greater Fresno: Cultivating Success, Cherbo Publishing Group, 2010.
  • Washington: The State of Innovation (industry chapters), Cherbo Publishing Group, 2009
  • Delaware: Incorporating Vision in Industry (industry section), Cherbo Publishing Group, 2006

B2B articles

These are a few of the features and click-bait items I wrote for HispanicBusiness.com. I churned out a lot of these.

  • "Eligio Cedeno and the View From Vme"
  • "Natural Gas: Cheaper, Cleaner and Under Control"
  • "A Woman at the Wheel"
  • "ALPFA Ozarks Kickoff"
  • "A Tankful of Diversity"
  • "Markets Across the Ocean"
  • "Stimulus Package Helps"
  • "Do Hispanics Care About Hispanic Heritage Month?"
  • "Hispanic Baby Names Gain Popularity in U.S."
  • "Gingrich Tells Univision He Wants Half of Hispanic Voters"
  • "Priceline Kills William Shatner"

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