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As a professional editor, Victoria has worked with genres including literary fiction, suspense, horror, thriller, romance, historical fiction, sci-fi, fantasy, and memoir. She teaches in-person workshops on topics related to editing, querying literary agents, and working with a professional editor.
Victoria's short fiction has appeared in more than forty publications, including A Journey of Words, Apeiron Review, FLARE: The Flagler Review, NonBinary Review, Sweatpants & Coffee, Synaesthesia Magazine, Torrid Literature Journal, and Unbound Octavo. She is passionate about Appalachian culture, and most of her writing is set in the South. Her stories often include literary and suspense elements. She is represented by Sandy Lu of L. Perkins Agency. She is also the author of Craft Your Query: A Workbook and Edit Like a Pro: A Self-Editing Guide. |
I have always loved books. From a young age, I devoured every book I could get my hands on. I sneaked into the “big kids section” when everyone else was scouring the picture books. I’d sink to the floor of the library, hunting for the thickest book I could find.
When I was seven, I told my friend a scary story. She loved it, so I decided to write it down. After watching my words being passed around the classroom, there was no turning back. I had found the rush of storytelling—the thing I would pursue all my life.
After high school, I studied English at Campbell University in North Carolina. As much as I loved Buies Creek (another tiny town), I missed the mountains. Growing up in the valley had conditioned me to be used to seeing mountains in any direction, always surrounded by them, like protectors on the horizon. I didn’t know what I would do with my degree, only that I would return home to East Tennessee.
When I was seven, I told my friend a scary story. She loved it, so I decided to write it down. After watching my words being passed around the classroom, there was no turning back. I had found the rush of storytelling—the thing I would pursue all my life.
After high school, I studied English at Campbell University in North Carolina. As much as I loved Buies Creek (another tiny town), I missed the mountains. Growing up in the valley had conditioned me to be used to seeing mountains in any direction, always surrounded by them, like protectors on the horizon. I didn’t know what I would do with my degree, only that I would return home to East Tennessee.
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In addition to books, I had dedicated my life to softball. I began playing tee ball at age four, spent my middle school and high school years traveling the country to play tournaments, and earned a scholarship to play at Campbell. I sacrificed a lot for the sport, but it never felt like a sacrifice. There was nowhere I would rather be than on the dirt.
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I decided in my senior year to apply to graduate school and pursue an MFA in creative writing. Perhaps I would teach college. I thought that would at least allow me some time to write. But two weeks before the first game of my senior season, I took a hit to the head during a scrimmage. I’d had concussions before, but this one was different. It lasted four months, during which I couldn’t read or write. I lost my short-term memory and language comprehension, and I was in sensory deprivation most of the time, unable to be in public. Because I had done all my reading for classes in preparation of the spring softball season, I was able to graduate—though I did push myself further than I probably should have.
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With my plans shattered, I moved in with my parents to finish recovering and plan my next move. I still wasn’t able to work longer than an hour at a time, and I needed complete control of my environment. When the remaining symptoms from the brain injury hit, they were brutal. That eliminated the possibility of traditional work, even a part-time job.
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By this time, I’d built a decent Twitter following. I had been writing books and querying agents (unsuccessfully) while in school. And I’d published several stories in magazines and anthologies. The social media account was meant to be a platform for my writing career. But now, I turned to my Twitter followers with a quick question: “Does anybody need editing services?”
I booked a couple of projects. This allowed me to work at my own pace, and stop when I needed to. And it was fun. After all, I was the kid who stopped at a bookstore on the way to a tournament to buy the final Harry Potter installment the day it was released. I remember reading between games, trying not to get dirt on the pages. How could I not love getting paid to read?
I decided that I would give this thing a real go. I wanted to be a freelance editor, to do this full time. It wasn’t all easy, but I never expected it to be. In the end, it happened. I became a full-time editor, consistently booked out, with amazing clients who are doing big things in the traditional and independent publishing realms.
I took something I had seen all my life—books—and decided I wanted to be part of the process. Similarly, I decided I wanted to be closer to the mountains.
I booked a couple of projects. This allowed me to work at my own pace, and stop when I needed to. And it was fun. After all, I was the kid who stopped at a bookstore on the way to a tournament to buy the final Harry Potter installment the day it was released. I remember reading between games, trying not to get dirt on the pages. How could I not love getting paid to read?
I decided that I would give this thing a real go. I wanted to be a freelance editor, to do this full time. It wasn’t all easy, but I never expected it to be. In the end, it happened. I became a full-time editor, consistently booked out, with amazing clients who are doing big things in the traditional and independent publishing realms.
I took something I had seen all my life—books—and decided I wanted to be part of the process. Similarly, I decided I wanted to be closer to the mountains.
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I worked hard to learn navigation and survival skills, and I began backpacking the Smokies, hiking into backcountry campsites and sleeping in my hammock under the stars. If you ever have the opportunity to experience nature in this way, I highly recommend taking it. There is nothing quite like a blissful night in the backcountry.
In case you were wondering, I was still writing during this time. And I was still querying literary agents. Then one day, I got an email that froze me solid. An agent wanted to talk to me about my manuscript. And not just any agent—one I respected immensely and was dying to work with. Cut to the good stuff: I signed. And that was thrilling. |
Is this the end of the story? Of course not! There is always more to reach for. While working with editing clients, I discovered how much I adore the teaching side of the process. So I started speaking and creating online training programs.
I realized I wanted to help independent authors publish killer books that could compete with the traditional houses. So I launched a publishing services branch, where I provide book design and branding services.
And of course, my writing is always a work in progress. Each time I reach one goal, I set another—or ten! That’s the way I am, who I am. Always striving. Always working for something bigger. That quality may not make me fun at parties, but for that, I can always start a postmodernism debate.
I realized I wanted to help independent authors publish killer books that could compete with the traditional houses. So I launched a publishing services branch, where I provide book design and branding services.
And of course, my writing is always a work in progress. Each time I reach one goal, I set another—or ten! That’s the way I am, who I am. Always striving. Always working for something bigger. That quality may not make me fun at parties, but for that, I can always start a postmodernism debate.
