Every editor’s unique combination of education/study, career history, and life experience informs how and why they edit. Here’s a little summary of my editing journey.
It all began in primary school! I grew up in the middle of nowhere and was on the school bus for over an hour every morning/afternoon. During this time, I’d read: Goosebumps, Teen Power Inc, Harry Potter, Skulduggery, Deltora Quest, and so on. I think this early obsession with words has greatly shaped the person I am today. Upon graduation, I was awarded the Dux.
I went to boarding school for high school and continued to – yep, you guessed it – read a lot. I got into horror (Stephen King, early Iain Banks, Thomas Harris, Jeff Lindsay) and read American Psycho for the first time when I was 15! I was a straight-A English student and decorated public speaking competitor. If you know much about the QLD grading scale, I got an A on the QCS and graduated with an OP 1.
Next I completed a Bachelor of Arts, majoring in Writing and English Literature, at The University of Queensland (UQ). I also did electives in Criminology and Music. I was the first in my family to even finish high school, so this was a big deal! I had 3 scholarships, including the UQ Young Achievers Scholarship and the UQ Links scholarship, and upon graduation, I was inducted into the UQ Future Leaders Program.
While at uni, I worked as a researcher for the UQ organisation Austlit, which is one of Australia’s biggest online databases of literature, authors, and teaching resources. I researched, collated, and designed an exhibition on the presence of crime themes within Australian surf literature and assisted on numerous other projects. While studying, I also volunteered in a second-hand book shop.
After uni, I worked for a small romance publishing house, initially as a social media marketer and content creator. When recruited, I’d expressed my desire to get into editing. After working there a while, the director gave me the opportunity to transition to the role of editor. I was coached in basic editing and completed first passes on manuscripts. In early 2024, I left the publishing house (amicably) and started working for myself full time as Crossbones Editing.
I am also a freelance writer, mainly contracted by frankie magazine. I write the occasional article for their blog.
Aside from writing and editing, I’m a radio presenter and host my own weekly alternative rock show on our local community station.
I’d like to write my own book one day and give authoring a go, but nothing is set in stone. For now, I am more than content with my current escapades.
Crossbones Editing 