Nobody likes a wall of self-aggrandizement, least of all me. Instead, I thought it might be fun to tackle the top three questions writers ask me:

What’s Your Favorite Book?

This is so hard, because “all of them” doesn’t seem to be an acceptable answer.

The Lord of the Rings is a (literal) perennial favorite; I try to re-read the series at least once a year. I’m a huge fan of Haruki Murakami, and it’s safe to say The Wind-Up Bird Chronicle was a life-changing read. I also love the pitch-black humor of Sayaka Murata’s Convenience Store Woman.

How Long Have You Been Doing This?

Very nearly all my adult life; I got an internship working at The Editorial Department straight out of college, where I had the tremendous good fortune to work under the amazing Renni Browne for a number of years. Her best piece of editorial advice is one I still pass on to writers: Resist the Urge to Explain!

Do You Ever Get Tired of Looking For Flaws?

If my job were “spotting flaws,” then I might well get tired of it. Fortunately, that’s not my job.

As I see it, my job is to give insightful and actionable advice on how tell the best story possible; that means not just “finding flaws” but finding potential. If something is good, could it be better? Is there a wonderful opportunity to showcase a minor character, here? How can we knock the reader’s socks off? In short: how can we make your manuscript the best possible version of itself?