Sunday, October 5, 2014

A Beta/Editor's Corner: Susan McKenna

I'm so honored to present to you today one of my very own beloved beta, Susan McKenna. She's been helping a lot with a number of my stories. I can't go on without her. ♥ Susan ♥

 

 

  1. Hi! Please tell us a little about yourself.


Hi Iyana. I am both in the reader category and the beta/editor category. I have always been a keen reader and for years I was an editor for NZ Parliament but had to retire due to a chronic medical issue. I also have done voluntary editing and tutoring for creative writing students. I completed the course myself in order to be sure I understood the challenges they faced and what it was the tutors required of them. I have done voluntary editing and proofreading in other areas as well, including technical editing. I was born in NZ and moved to Australia because my husband’s family needed us during a difficult time. We have lived here for several years and currently live in a beautiful part of Queensland. As a reader, I attended the Australian AQRM (Australasian Queer Romance Meets) in Sydney and was excited to meet so many readers I admire.

 

  1. Do you remember the first time you joined our Facebook writer-reader community? What book(s) brought you here?


I joined initially as a reader/fan of M/M fiction. I don’t recall the specific book that brought me on board, as once I discovered the genre I went a little crazy and tried to read everything I got my hands on!

 

  1. Do you also review for a blog? What is the most interesting experience you got so far?


No. I thought about it but I have become very busy with other matters so generally any reviews I write are private reviews on Amazon, Goodreads or a publisher’s page.

 

  1. What genre(s) interest you most? Why?


Definitely M/M. I enjoy reading romance and erotica tempered with a little challenge. Often the M/M stories I read entail the characters facing challenges in their lives simply for being who they are.

 

  1. Are you also an aspiring author? How far are you with your writing?


Not really. I’d love to write but I am a dreadful procrastinator and my self-confidence in that area is also shaky. Several years ago I had some poetry published and also some technical medical articles, and in my late teens I did have one short story published that was even read on the radio! However, I did not take things further at that time and am a bit of a self-doubter of my ability these days.

 

  1. Do you remember the first story you beta-ed/edited? Would you tell us more about it?


While I had done what amounts to beta/editing outside this community before I started assisting with beta’ing for the authors in this community, my first M/M author was a woman whose books and stories I had admired for a while. She found me on Beta Readers Here on Facebook and took a chance on me, for which I am grateful. Mind you, she gave me a Beta test first—I had to beta a small part of one of her books. She gave me positive feedback on the work I did and took me on to her beta team.

 

  1. What’s the most interesting experience you got so far in beta-ing/editing?


The most interesting part of beta/editing has simply been being able to work with and for authors I admire greatly.

 

  1. What genre(s) do you beta/edit? Why? Would you edit something other than those genres?


I beta/edit M/M. I have beta /edited other genres but truly I would rather concentrate on the area I enjoy reading the most.

 

  1. Do you edit for a publishing company? Which is it?


Not at this time. I have been concentrating on working on a voluntary basis, principally beta’ing, though I might consider returning to paid editing work eventually.

 

Thank you so much for visiting my blog, Susan. *hugs*

1 comment:

  1. Ha! The reference to AQRM was supposed to say I got to meet so many authors I admire and other readers. *snicker*--I need to proofread my own pieces! hahahahaha

    ReplyDelete