Hometown

I’m a “rocket baby,” a Brevard-County native whose parents came here to work on the space program.

My Favorite Spot: Adrift in a Sea of Words

My third-grade teacher told us that we should always take good care of our books because they were the best friends we would ever have in life. I believed her then, and I still do. I’ll read pretty much anything, from the backs of cereal boxes on up. I’m usually part-way through six or seven books at any given time. Science fiction is a special favorite, but I read a lot of non-fiction, too.

On the job, I’ve written everything from brochures to magazine articles to voiceover scripts for software tutorials. I’m a professional technical editor and an amateur novelist as well. The more variety I have in my work, the happier I am.

Marilyn on Writing

As an editor, I serve as an advocate for the reader. I keep that function in mind as a consultant, too. I read the text and try to anticipate what questions and needs readers will have. My goal is to help writers get their ideas across in a way that readers will understand and appreciate. I like to ask a lot of questions and give writers time and space to figure out what it is they really want to say and how best to say it.